Day 532 | Takoma Street Festival

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We made it back to the Takoma Street Festival for the second year in a row: we're regulars!

We sampled some farmers' market produce (and even found some Cortlands to buy...the best!), crafted a bit, bounced in the jumpy castle (Robbe's first time...and he loved it!), did some Christmas shopping (yep, I'm a planner), listened to a kids concert, and just enjoyed the overall atmosphere. It's good to be home. 

Chase concluded the morning stroll with, "I liked that festival." Me too, buddy. 

Day 527 | Beach Day

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The only time 80 degrees in October is ok? When you're headed to the beach! And that's just what we did this morning. It. Was. Glorious.

Perfect temperature, quiet beach, great company. Glorious. It's possible the experience could have been a *bit* more enjoyable if Robbe wasn't terrified of the sand, but that's our fault for not exposing the poor kid to it more often. Note to self: more beach days needed.

Oh, and I captured my headstand on film. Well, Chris actually captured it, but I did it! And in the sand, no less. I'm back!

Day 526 | Highs and Lows

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Unlike yesterday's morning of highs, today's morning ended with us making a trip to urgent care for poor Robbe. His nasty cold just keeps getting worse and we all needed the peace of mind knowing there wasn't a deeper problem. The verdict? No deeper problem. Just a nasty cold backing up into his eyes. Good and bad news since we were hoping to help him feel better and it turns out he just needs to fight it off on his own. Fingers crossed for a better night's sleep tonight to aid that process.

To recover from the less-than-ideal vacation morning, Chris took his parents to walk the Virginia Beach Boardwalk and then all of us played on "our beach" after nap. We even saw a rainbow!

Oh, the other highlight? I did yoga on our balcony overlooking the ocean. To say it was amazing just doesn't cut it. I even managed to get into headstand unassisted for the first time since the babies. Woohoo!

Day 524 | Car Trip Success

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The deck was stacked against us: one sick baby (poor, goopey-eyed Robbe) and two babies that are not good car passengers. But...after five hours in the car, there were practically no meltdowns, at one point there were two sleeping babies (that's never happens!), and Chase only asked twice "how long 'til we get to vacation" (and that was when were only 20 minutes in).

The only bad news? We arrived after the sun went down so we couldn't take in our amazing (from what we can tell) ocean view. Stay tuned for a photo of that tomorrow. 

Hurry up and get here, Grandma and Grandpa M. We've got two very excited boys waiting to start this wonderful vacation. 

Day 523 | Another Journal

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Remember how I started this journal after Robbe was born? And remember that pesky little blog-thing I'm doing? Well apparently that wasn't enough to capture our daily lives around here. For the last couple months we've also been filling out this planner every day that Chris works. Chase and I go over Chase's day and write down everything that he wants to tell his daddy about when he gets home. It's very sweet and a wonderful glimpse into the life of our little guy-plus it guarantees I don't forget to mention any important details based solely on memory.

Almost all of the line items are directly from Chase's mouth (and they mostly make sense). I can't completely speak for both Chris and Chase, but I'm pretty sure it's one of their favorite parts of the day. Chase will tell me frequently to "make sure to remember to add that to the checklist." And he requests to review the list immediately when Chris walks through the door. I've had to remind him to ask his daddy how his day was first.

I think we're in the running to be the most-documented family ever--at least in the non-famous category.

Day 522 | About Right

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For the record, this is an amazing floor mat in our kitchen, not the condition of our actual floor. It is, however, the actual condition of the two broken wine glasses. :)
You know when you have those days where everything is just about perfect? Nope, this wasn't one of those at my house. After a tear-filled doctor appointment for Robbe (he's healthy and growing, though!), the afternoon was filled with more meltdowns. Not sure what's in the air lately but I'm hoping we move on quickly.

To top it off, amidst some of the crying, I managed to drop two wine glasses and shatter glass all over the kitchen counter and floor. Right before dinnertime (when everyone is about their least patient versions of themselves). 

We all survived (except the wine glasses, I guess) and managed to enjoy the remainder of the evening, however. Fingers crossed for an improved day tomorrow. 

Day 519 | Sick Day

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Chase is fighting some swollen, gooey eyes so I treated him to the cucumber eye treatment. He thought it was pretty funny.

Chase's first sick day. Sniffle, sniffle.

In reality, it was a pretty sad excuse for a sick day since there was no fever or projectile vomiting but I decided it wasn't worth subjecting any of his classmates or teachers to extra sick germs in order to send him. I was hoping for a restful, recooperative day for the little man. That goal was halfway successful. Here's hoping for a good night's sleep to aid the recovery and make me feel better about sending him tomorrow. 

Day 518 | Chili Time

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Another long, low key recovery day here. Unlike yesterday, though, we had a lovely evening spent with good friends and delicious chili. 

Interested in the yummy recipe that Chris has been honing over the last several years? You're in luck! He is willing to share it:

Chris's Chili

  • 1 lb ground turkey

  • 1 large red onion, diced

  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

  • 1 15 oz can light kidney beans, drained and rinsed

  • 1 15 oz can dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed

  • 4 15 oz cans of tomato sauce (or two big cans)

  • 2 10 oz cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies

  • 1-2 cups of frozen corn

  • Chili powder, ground cumin, paprika to taste

Directions

  • Saute the onion in olive oil.

  • Add the turkey and minced garlic, sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook until browned.

  • Add the remaining ingredients and additional seasoning to taste. Simmer on low until you are ready to eat (we usually cook for about two hours).

Serve with some shredded cheddar, noodles (Chris's preference), and cornbread (everyone's preference) and you've got the perfect fall meal. Enjoy!

Day 517 | Black and White Cookies

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The no-plans, rainy day has dragged on and on (and on and on) today. Seriously, it's 5pm as I type this and I wouldn't be surprised if you told me it was 7pm. One of those days.

To add a little excitement to our afternoon, I offered to make cookies for Chase. I made the mistake of asking what kind I should make and after looking at several recipes/photos online, of course he settled on the slightly-too-complicated Black and White Cookies. They do look delicious, don't they? And they are one of my favorite cookies, but not when I have to muster up the motivation to make them. Instead, I opted for the much-simpler Cracked Sugar Cookie recipe and then added "black" (more like brown) and white frosting in hopes of tricking Chase into thinking they were the real cookie he requested. It worked! Maybe not the most honest version of myself but no one was complaining during snack time.

For the record, these are a very quick and delicious sugar cookie variation. Definitely recommended.

Day 514 | Bird Feeder

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Robbe and I were back at Whole Foods again today for one of the Half Pint Kids Club (his first solo class!). Although we had a lot of fun decorating wooden birdhouses and covering the roof with peanut butter and birdseed (Robbe was so so proud of his creation), we got sad news. The director of the program got laid off in the Whole Foods downsizing and the classes will only continue through October. I'm so bummed about this! I even emailed a complaint to the store...that'll teach them, I'm sure.

So, we'll try to take a couple more classes before we say farewell forever to such a fun activity. Sniffle, sniffle.

Day 513 | My Little Shadow

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Robbe has been *extra* into being close to me lately. Sometimes this is a sweet sentiment but often it's a little exhausting to be the sole object of his affection.

It's gotten to the point where he is very vocal about expressing his displeasure when I'm not able to focus all my energy on him (the thought of having to cook or clean, the horror!). And he doesn't talk yet so expressing himself means crying, loudly and frequently. 

I had a breakthrough tonight, though: while washing dishes and listening to Chris try to calm him down (unsuccessfully), I told him he could stand next to me quietly while finished the dishes. If he did that, I would pick him up as soon as I finished. And he did it! I bet it was a good five minutes of him patiently waiting a foot away from me while I cleaned up dinner. I don't think he's stood still for that long ever. 

Although there was a bit of success involved in tonight's experiment, I'm hoping this phase passes quickly.