Day 46 | Happy Father's Day

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Do other Dads like to match with their boys?  This Dad does!

I'm crazy lucky to be surrounded by such amazing male role models for my boys. This Father's Day, I've been thinking a lot about three specific dads.

1. My dad, of course. He's worked so hard his whole life to help provide for our family and to be a true example of a good work ethic and a real friend to everyone he surrounds himself with. As a father and grandpa, he continues to impress me with his upbeat disposition and energy for life. 

2. My husband, also, of course. I know a lot of people think it, but my boys really do have the best dad. I don't know how he does it. Works long hours (but not as much anymore!) and comes home to engage the boys without sitting down or taking a break for a second and never (really, never) complains. All day, everyday he has more patience and energy for our kids than I could ever imagine. Am I envious? Umm, yes! I couldn't be working as a stay at home mom with anyone else or any less support. I love watching him with our boys and seeing the crazy/imaginative/bizarre activities he comes up with. And the fact that Chase understands and appreciates his dad's sense of humor better than almost anyone is about the sweetest thing in the world. These boys won't understand how lucky they are for a very long time. But I will continue to clue them in.  

3. My big brother, who probably won't read this. Since I was a senior in high school, he has been an inspiration to me with his girls. He doesn't have to do the things he does: make props for dance routines, help with hair updos, make the silliest faces/noises/comments, and be a real guys' guy but still have a soft teddy bear demeanor. I don't envy any future love interests of my nieces. They'll never live up. 

Day 45 | Welcome to District Day Dreams

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Chase having a blast at our neighborhood splash park
and supporting DC at the same time.
There's a whole new audience for the blog today.  Welcome!  I hope you enjoy this peek into our family's life in the District. 

In case you don't have time to dive too deep into the history, here's a quick overview of what to expect and the players involved:



It's been a lot of fun chronicling our adventures...and it's only just begun.

a little about the blog

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I'm a mom, crafter, new homeowner and it's time to start documenting this fun, unpredictable, fast-paced life we're living in the District (Washington, DC, that is) with a photo a day. It's not always going to be about the kiddos (who go by their middle names around here, blog pseudo-personas are a must!). It's not always going to be about me (the horror!). It's not always going to be pretty (have you spent any time with a toddler?). But this is our life and what a dream it is.

Day 44 | Miga Settles In

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A perfectly organized closet (that will last about two days, I'm sure) and this is where I've been finding Miga the last couple of days.  That's ok, I didn't want those sweaters to be free of cat hair anyway.

She's handling the transition to the new house pretty well, in case you're wondering. She has fully explored all the nooks, crannies and windows. Her crazy loud meow wails have subsided (I think she just wanted us to know she was present). She can't go outside anymore, though (we had a closed in patio at the old house), but that hasn't stopped her from trying. She bolts out of any open door like she's running after her long lost mother (I can only assume that's how excited she'd be to see her). This trend is not particularly appreciated and will undoubtedly result in her getting into serious trouble at some point. The grass is always greener, I guess. 

Day 43 | Library Auditions

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Takoma Park Library
Chase and Robbe at Takoma Park Library.
Turns out there are quite a few libraries in our new neighborhood. Today we visited the Takoma Park Library in Maryland.

The verdict? Great selection of books that we really enjoyed reading. Our personal favorite from this morning was, "That Cat Can't Stay" by Thad Krasnesky. However, since we live on the District side of the road, we would have to pay $60 to loan books from here. Umm...no thanks. We'll keep shopping around. :)

Day 42 | Call Me Crazy

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Waiting at the DMV
Chase's favorite chairs at the DMV.
Who decides to tackle a trip to the DMV and the cable company in the same morning...with two babies? This girl. 

 The boys were amazingly patient (more so than me through the waits) and we managed to get out of both with only a few tears. Who cried, you might ask? Robbe would have been a safe bet since he should have been napping, but no. Chase got tired of waiting and broke down, might be another guess. Nope. In fact, after spending about 45 minutes at the DMV (there was a crazy line even if the photo above doesn't attest to that), Chase cried when we were leaving because he wanted to sit on the chairs some more. That kid. Hysterical. 

 If only I could say it was a perfectly executed trip. Unfortunately, because Chris's name is first on our car registration (mine is also listed, mind you), I couldn't change our address and, more importantly, walked away without a parking permit. Can anyone explain why it matters who is listed first? Not cool. Not cool at all. 


Day 41 | Back to Reality

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Sweet photo of the boys.
My mom left today so it's just me and the boys once again. Always a rough transition back after having such great help. Somehow the boys seem to sense they have to go easy on me, though, and for that I'm grateful.

I won't be getting as much accomplished at the house the rest of the week, I'll be a little more exhausted at the end of the day (maybe that's not even possible!), and everyone will be a little more starved for attention (including me and Miga) now that my mom's gone. The one upside is that I am forced to spend more of my energy focusing on the boys instead of my to do list when I'm here alone. I've missed them even though I've barely left their sides. Crazy how that happens when you get wrapped up in being extra busy. 

Day 40 | Exhaustion Ensues

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We all feel this way.
Moving is exhausting. Surprise, surprise. 

We're making good progress at settling in and are loving the house but there's just so much to do. I'm beyond thankful for my mom's willingness to be here and help with the kids, the laundry, the meals, the unpacking, the organizing, the random projects, the Target run...seriously, what have I been doing?!?

It's times like these that I'm almost too thankful for naptime. I need to get stuff checked off the list (slower than I'd like), the babies need to wind down after all this chaos, and sometimes sneaking sweets while the toddler sleeps is the only option.  


Day 36 | Farewell Capitol Hill

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Chase and Caroline enjoying the day.
Today is our last full day as Hill residents. We couldn't be more excited about our move tomorrow but we will be sad to leave this neighborhood, our friends, and the house we brought Robbe home to.

In celebration of our last day on the Hill, we took advantage of the proximity to the Capitol and the gorgeous day to pay a visit to the ducks at the Capitol reflecting pool. Chase and his friend Caroline had a blast feeding the ducks until they literally swam away because they couldn't eat anymore. I didn't know that was possible!

Day 35 | Up and At 'Em

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Robbe bright eyed and full of smiles this morning.
Both boys were up early this morning (as in 7:30). Apparently they were just too excited about Chase's last day of playgroup to sleep any longer.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this group. We met some very sweet people who we'll be sure to stay in touch with once we move off the Hill (Friday!) and have enjoyed having this relatively low cost and low key activity every week. We will miss our CHLG friends. 

Day 33 | Happy Baby

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Robbe: 3 months
Robbe full of smiles.
Robbe is three months old today. He's probably the smiliest baby you've ever come across. It's one of my favorite things about him.

One of my not-so-favorite things? The speed at which he's growing out of his clothes (more specifically, his perfectly timed brother's hand-me-downs). At three months he's already fitting comfortably in 6-9 months. That's no joke.

Day 31 | A Little Slice of the District

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We visited our new house this morning. I wish it would have been more of a permanent trip, but we'll take a couple hours there for now.

The house is perfect and we couldn't be happier or more excited about this next step in our lives. We're lucky to be able to afford such an amazing house, in a city we love, with room for our boys to grow and explore. 


Day 30 | Wisconsin Adventure: The trek home

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Well, we're back at the airport. Turns out a week goes by really fast.

The solo trip with two kiddos has gone smoothly thus far. We made the drive to the airport with less napping than I would have liked, but there was napping. We had no issues with security: one baby in the backpack, one baby in my arms. Robbe is enjoying our plane-viewing vantage point and both boys are having a quick snack while we watch our plane pull into the gate. Calm before the storm or a vision of how the rest of the trip will go? Only time will tell. Think happy thoughts! 

Thanks to all our family and friends for a lovely visit. We always leave wanting to stay longer and spend more time with all of you-just the way it should be!

Oh...and we're officially home owners!  Chris signed on the dotted lines this afternoon and we'll head to the house tomorrow to spend some time in our little slice of the District. Big day for our little family. 

Day 29 | Wisconsin Adventure: Cousins are the best

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Cousin time
Cousin time!
Chase and Robbe are amazingly lucky to have the world's best cousins. Even luckier? They got to spend time with almost all of them while we've been in Wisconsin.

Chase has been especially spoiled by the attention from Isabelle, Ann, and Lane. Those girls can make him giggle just by looking at him and constantly help him discover new ways to play. 

Lucky, lucky boys.  

Day 28 | Wisconsin Adventure: Exploring Strum

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This morning, we packed up the stroller, threw Chase in the backpack (didn't bring the double stroller on this trip), and headed out for a Strum adventure.

We played at the new playground (which consisted mostly of being entertained by the wood chips), waded in the water of Crystal Lake (ok, only one of us was willing to take our shoes off), walked down to admire the waterfall (ie the dam), and attempted to cross the rickety foot bridge before realizing it was a little unstable and turning around halfway across. The adventure wrapped up with a stop at the grocery store, of course. We needed to refuel after all that sightseeing!