Day 1314 | The Best Possible Sick Day

Bad news: Chase is contagious (he’s got a sore in/on his nose that will spread). :(  

Good news: he feels totally fine.  

Usually sick days are a total drag because everyone is feeling terrible and you’re locked in. Because of the fresh snow and the decent temps today, we decided not to let a little sore keep us cooped up. We got all bundled up and hit the sledding hill. There were no people around and all the snow gear was quickly washed upon arriving home. We were only out for about an hour but man did it make the day brighter for so many reasons.  

Best sick day ever.  

Day 1313 | A Wintery Walk

I had a meeting at a neighbor’s house tonight and my walk there was something out of a movie. Words just can’t express the beauty and solitude and peacefulness and lure of these snow covered trees.  

Day 1312 | A Snowy Angel

 Not to be outdone, here’s a shot of my other little angel. We enjoyed a beautiful snowy walk to the library this morning (while the younger one opted for a cozy ride in the Burley). The walk back home was slightly less enjoyable as I pushed both boys + a haul of books in the Burley through the progressing winter storm. We made it, though!

Day 1311 | Baby Love

The boys got to hang out with this adorable little nugget this weekend. Such a sweet boy. We couldn’t be happier to finally have the opportunity to meet him...and squeaking it in just before he turns one. Whew. 

Special thanks to my aunt and uncle for a lovely escape from reality. We had a blast this weekend. 

Day 1310 | Train Field Trip

I’ve seen a lot of trains in my day. Between Chase’s train obsession over the years and our desire to find fun things to do, we’ve held our own in this department.  

Today, though. Today I was wowed. A sweet friend of my aunt and uncle’s showed us around their train-lovers wonderland and it was beyond impressive to say the least. The model train set up, the restored caboose, the antique velocipede, the train depot...the fun goes on and on. I think the boys are still in shock about everything they saw. 

A very special thank you to this lovely couple for taking their morning to show our crew around their beautiful property. It was greatly appreciated and tremendously enjoyed. 

Day 1309 | A Snow Angel

The temperature was warm (40s!!), we had nothing on the schedule, and we were happy to bust out of the house. A snowy playground adventure was just the ticket. And Robbe made his first snow angel (maybe ever?!?) to wrap up the outing. Not too bad. 

Day 1308 | Trying Something New

Sorry to drop a hint and not elaborate but I’m trying something new today and I’m excited about it. More details to come. Don’t hate me.  

Day 1307 | Piano Lessons

Chase started piano lessons today after expressing interest in taking them for the last six months.  I’m not sure he fully understands what he’s getting into (you actually need to practice, friend), but he’s super excited about it. And it is extra adorable. 

Day 1306 | Science Class

Robbe and I had our first science class at the Lily Pad Lab today. I think Robbe said it all when he declared, "That's a lot more fun than I was expecting!"  **And we were expecting it to be fun.** Can't wait to see what's in store for the next four weeks of frozen science-y entertainment.

Day 1305 | Love and Kindness

Today we talked about love and kindness. Luckily, we stumbled upon these books over the weekend that helped guide the lesson. I highly recommend this series. They do a good job of introducing topics in an appropriate way to little ones while planting the seed for big picture values.  

Day 1304 | Chapter Books

Proof that chapter books are Chase’s new favorite. This week we’ve read one from library, the Boxcar Children, and Chris and Chase finished The Phantom Tollbooth. It’s been a big week. 

Day 1303 | Playdoh Monsters

Robbe and I made these monsters today for “m” week. It was pretty awesome.   

Oh, and he was his normal self today so all is well in our world. Thanks for the happy thoughts!

Day 1302 | Sick Snow Day

What’s the only thing that can ruin a perfectly low-key and dreamy snow day? A sick kiddo, obviously. Robbe woke up fine...a bit grumpy, but fine. By lunch he didn’t want to eat (not like him at all), by naptime he had a smidge of a fever, and by the time he woke up from nap the fever spiked to 103+ and he was just miserable.   

Luckily, a dose of medicine, some oj, and a movie were just what the doctor ordered. When dinner rolled around, he was practically himself again and ate a full meal. It’s pretty incredible, actually. Here’s hoping for a good sleep tonight and no new symptoms in the morning. I’ll take all the happy thoughts you can send our way. 

As a special treat, my favorite quote of the day: 

Chase: I like everyone. Even bad guys.  

Robbe: I like bears.  

Day 1301 | The Letter M

Guess what? I’m actually doing this whole letter of the week thing! Week One: The Letter M is going pretty well, I’d say. I'm trying to not push anything on Robbe too much. I'm just making some new materials available to him and letting him explore (and throwing in discussions about M wherever possible). He seems to be digging it and M was a good starting point so that he can practice his name a bit more, too. and it's made a difference already! 

I will admit that I took the easy way out with my "curriculum" for my weekly letter focus. Instead of scouring the internet for hours (+ hours) coming up with activities for us to do together (there's just so much out there, you know?), I purchased a Letter of the Week package from this blog. This might be the best $24 I've spent in a long time. Everything is here for me...books to read, activities to do, little books to print, handouts to use, seriously everything. The marshmallow structures above were one of the M ideas for this week and Robbe loved it. He also loved eating the marshmallows...a little too much, actually (hello, sugar rush).

Yay for learning!

Day 1300 | 1300!

1300 is a lot of posts. We've come a long way, haven't we? See throwback posts below if you need a refresher. 

As I do every 100 days, here's the full rundown of what's going on with our little team these days:

Sara

FAVORITES: A clean car, my old sherpa sweatshirt, warm sunshine, white fingernail polish, new socks, cheese + crackers for a meal, decluttering the house after Christmas, the Obama book by Pete Souza, watching the tranformation of my boys from babies into kind human beings (deep, I know) 
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Coming to terms with the fact that winter could last another three or four months.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: I already went *fairly* in depth about my dreams in this post. I'll save me the extra typing and you the extra reading.

Chris

FAVORITES: His 90s Pandora playlist, having someone else make his pb+j sandwiches in the morning (which rarely happens, unfortunately), his new xbox game on his new tv, his old sherpa sweatshirt, checking things off his 2018 to do list
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Surviving the drive to work in a cold car. 
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Enjoying a tropical drink on the beach in Mexico (Spring break 2018!!).

Chase

AGE: 5 3/4 years old
FAVORITES: Reading chapter books, building with legos, his new sherpa sweatshirt, pasta pillows (ravioli), his school, his friend Madeline, demonstration speeches, staying inside, momma + daddy snuggles, Imaginext toys, playing spy, amassing candy (but rarely ever eating it), the song "I am Moana", playing Sequence for Kids
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Realizing that his little brother doesn't always want to do everything Chase wants to do. Surprising, right?
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: His joint birthday party with his brother. It’s going to be pretty awesome...hopefully. 

Miles

AGE: 3 3/4 years old
FAVORITES: Heart Bear (a new stuffed animal friend from his Sunday school teachers), his new sherpa sweatshirt, going to the library, building with legos, pasta pillows (ravioli), bubble baths, drinking tea, momma snuggles, playing spy, building forts, his sleeping friends
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Waiting for the next opportunity to receive presents. The Christmas withdrawal is real.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Graduating from his speech intensive preschool (his teacher suggested it might be on the horizon!).

Looking back on 1300 posts:

• Day 1200
• Day 1100
• Day 1000
• Day 900
• Day 800
• Day 700
• Day 600
• Day 500
• Day 400
• Day 300
• Day 200
• Day 100
• Original posts: Chase, Robbe, Chris & Me

Day 1299 | All-Season Scootering

What happens when the temperature rises above 30 degrees for the first time in weeks (and weeks)? Dig out the scooters, of course. At least we’re consistent.  

Day 1298 | First Demonstration Speech

Chase gave his first demonstration speech at a 4-H meeting tonight. I remember doing these every year as a member and was beyond excited to have him jump into his first foray into public speaking. 

The topic he selected was "My Favorite Sandwich" and he demonstrated how to make his hummus, pretzel, and cheese sandwich that he created (remember this?) and it turned out to be the perfect topic for him. He nailed it: an introduction, he didn't use any notes but he didn't forget anything, and he even made some eye contact. We couldn't be prouder of ths little guy. And his brother did a great job of showing off his visual aid (which Chase wrote all the words on but Chris illustrated).

If you're dying to watch the speech (I know there's a good chance only the grandparents will take me up on this), you can see it here (don't mind the full minute that he spends spreading the hummus in total silence...ha!):

Day 1297 | Soaking in the Sun

Before the boys got home from their sleepover (thanks again, Mom and Dad!!), this was the scene at our house. Coffee, reading, a toasty fireplace, and some much appreciated sunshine. It lasted about 45 minutes and it was about the best thing ever. 

Day 1296 | Indoor Fun

What do you do when the thermometer reads -10 [again]? Head to the indoor gym, of course. A few of the other parents in the city had the same idea but the large group didn’t dampen the fun. Some day we’ll get a break from this unending cold spell. Some day. 

Day 1295 | Hello, Falafel

Eau Claire has a lot of great things going for it (remember this?), but one thing it definitely lacks is ethnic food options. Some of our favorites in DC (Thai, Mediterranean, Ethiopian, Indian), are no longer options for us. So sad, I know! 

Guess what I got for lunch today when I was in the big city (Minneapolis/St. Paul) for my MRI appointment (nothing to report on that quite yet)?!? You guessed it...falafel. And it was amazing. Driving 1+ hours for lunch every now and then seems totally reasonable, right?