Day 534 | Baby Gifts

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Check out my latest gifts for two sets of dear friends who just added little ones to their families.

In case you're new to the blog, this is the same technique for faux-screen printing I've used many times before. Here's the first time I did it with a tutorial included.

I have to say, now that my boys have worn their own shirts that I've created over and over, I'm beyond pleased with how well these designs survive the wash and wear (*repeat*) of a toddler's lifestyle. The fabric paint undoubtedly outlives the amount of time the boys fit into the clothes!

Day 533 | Culture Queen

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As promised, I gave the Busboys and Poets music class another chance. I went assuming it would probably be the same scene of chaos and uninvolved caregivers but was quickly proven wrong. Today's performer really wrangled in the crowd and forced participation...my kind of scene!

The Culture Queen was great. She was exuberant and stayed in character throughout the 1.5 hour show. An impressive feat to be sure. Robbe (and I) enjoyed the dancing, reading, exercising, singing, tambourine-playing, learning, and everything else. Thank you, Culture Queen, for a worthwhile morning outing.

It turns out the Busboys and Poets events have hope after all. I'm happy to say, I'll be back.

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.