Day 612 | Flying Solo

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Here I am, alone, waiting to board a flight to visit my friend, Mary Catherine. Feels surreal. Everything I'm usually on high alert for (high chairs to eat dinner, elevators for the stroller, negotiating the elusive empty seat for our "infant in arms" traveler, etc) is an exercise in retraining my mind.

It wasn't easy to leave. It's not easy to sit here while the rest of my body is back at home. I just really love those guys, you know?

This is good for me. I'm crazy excited to spend the time with my dear friend. It's going to be a blast. I have no doubt of these things. 

It's really hard, though.

Day 610 | Robbe's Resolutions

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Equal time for both boys is only fair. Here's Robbe's list of changes he's signed onto in the New Year:
  1. He's communicating...a TON. Let me be clear, Robbe is taking his time expressing himself with actual understandable words, but man, that's not stopping this guy. He is able to ask for, draw attention to, tell stories, express feelings, and invite himself into situations just as easily as the rest of us. It's quite impressive, actually. And about the cutest thing you can imagine.

  2. A music bug. He asked Santa for a guitar for Christmas (by pointing at what he wanted in numerous toy catalogues). And, guess what? Santa came through (guitar is pictured above). This kid loves to dance (with some sweet moves) and sing (the alphabet song with no discernible letters is his favorite) in a hysterical fashion. To capitalize on this enthusiasm, Robbe and I are signed up for a music class come February. Woohoo!

  3. Sleep, glorious sleep. It's taken a long LONG time, but I'm finally able to report that our sweet tiny toddler has hit his sleep stride. Every night isn't perfect (all I'm asking for is 11+ hours without a peep...is that too much to ask?), but it's darn close and I couldn't be more aware or appreciative of this new trend. Thank you, Robbe, you put a lot of hard work in to get us to this point. I love, little man, for doing his part.
We're pretty lucky to call these little peanuts ours. Aren't we? 2016 is going to be the best year yet. Mark my words.

Day 609 | Chase's Big Changes

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Our big guy is getting so big. And there have already been three big changes for this one in 2016:
  1. No. More. Diapers. Huge, right? I'm so proud of this sweet pea for his practically flawless transition.

  2. No more bibs. I know it doesn't seem as impressive but it's a big deal to this tidy tyke. He's been the one insisting on wearing a bib for the last six months or so. I told him that if he's not wearing diapers, he can't wear bibs. And, wait for it, it worked! See, it is a big deal. 

  3. His first household chore. Chase is now in charge of making his bed. You can never plant the seed of being a contributing family member too soon. The best part? He loves this little slice of responsibility and being held accountable. Sweet, sweet boy. 
If it's not incredibly apparent, I'm a bit smitten with this almost four year old. And his brother, too, but that's another post. 

Day 607 | My New Hat

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After nearly a year (remember this post?), I finally finished my hat!

To be fair, I had to start over after almost finishing the first version because it was too big for my head (which is shocking if you know how big my head is). This time, I used a smaller set of needles and managed to finish it in just a couple of weeks. Yippee!

And here's the pattern again if the mood strikes you. Well worth the $3.00.

Day 605 | Secret Stash Book

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One more Christmas present craft to share before I put an official end to the holiday blog posts. Today's feature? The secret stash book. My teen+pre-teen nieces are getting tougher to buy for: they just want gift cards. Boring! I still wanted to give them what they wanted but decided to gift the cards inside a seemingly plain book.

Surprise! There was a secret compartment for stashing all those super awesome and secret teenager things. I was happy with how they turned out. I hope the girls are, too!

Here's the tutorial I used if you're feeling inspired.

Day 604 | Book Lovers

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After much thought and consideration, the boys decided to spend part of their Christmas money (thanks great grandma and great great grandma!) on new books. Robbe selected a giant truck book (even his shirt expresses his enthusiasm for transportation) and Chase picked out a Frozen book (with 12 separate stories). He's discovered a new interest in the movie since receiving the soundtrack in his stocking and watching it for the first time with his cousin (his first ever full-length movie) back in Wisconsin. Chase did make it clear, however, that this is the only Frozen book he wants. He clarified that this one has so many stories that he doesn't need anymore. Smart kiddo.

Yay for reading!

Day 603 | Candles

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I'm sure you've been dying to see the candles Mary Catherine and I made back in November. Since I gave them as gifts, I needed to keep the final product under wraps.

Aren't they cute? We made purple lavender citrus candles and green peppermint vanilla candles. I have to say, they smell amazing.

Here's a basic how-to for candle making. It's super easy, I swear! And I've been ordering my supplies from this website lately and have been happy with the options+shipping. I recommend the soy wax. It's the best. :)

Day 600 | 600!

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Posing at our favorite breakfast spot.
Yep, another 100 days has flown by. You know what that means: another team update.  Enjoy!

Name: Sara
Favorites: SmartWool socks (now that winter has finally arrived, super warm socks just couldn't make me happier), lattes (there’s nothing better in the chilly afternoons), going out for breakfast
Biggest hurdle to overcome: dealing with attention-deprived kiddos after the last two weeks of constant family distractions. Eek!
Dreams for the future: crafting with my boys more often…this whole school five days a week is really cramping my style. Goal for 2016? Craft more all around, with and without the babes.

Name: Chris
Favorites: giant ice cubes (and now we have a circle mold in addition to our square ones!), kringle (good thing he got to eat it three times in the week he was in his hometown), writing notes on his brand new old typewriter, horsing around with the boys, going out for breakfast
Biggest hurdle to overcome: how to spend his big fantasy football earnings (he won his league…no big deal)
Dreams for the future: the first snow day. It’s DC, we’ll have one eventually…but when?!?

Name: Marshall
Age: 3.5 years (45 months, to be exact)
Favorites: Paw Patrol & trains (at least he’s consistent), puzzles, practicing his writing, saying “I really love you so much, [fill in the blank]” (it’s the sweetest thing ever), negotiating…anything and everything, going out for breakfast
Biggest hurdle to overcome: finding the time to play with all his new toys (thanks, family, for spoiling him like crazy over the holidays) in addition to all the old toys that he hasn’t seen in 2+ weeks.
Dreams for the future: going diaper-free. He’s gone one day at school with no diaper for nap (he’s been doing it at home for a couple of months) and last night was his first diaper-free bedtime. We’re so close!

Name: Robbe
Age: Almost 2 years (22 months, to be exact)
Favorites: Miga (for some reason, these two are best friends lately), his brother, giving the best hugs, offering up smooches, tucking in his toys before naps/bedtime, trucks, reading, saying “mama”, going out for breakfast (have you noticed a family trend?)
Biggest hurdle to overcome: whining and screeching. It’s a new development since we’ve been on vacation. Not sure how it came about but let’s just say no one is a fan. Hopefully once we’re back in the routine of real life he’ll realize it’s not a great attention-getting option.
Dreams for the future: talking. He’s so close to actually being able to express himself. I see an explosion of words in the not too distant future. Stay tuned.

And, if you're interested in looking back over the past year and a half of team blog posts, here's your chance:

Day 598 | Home Sweet Home

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As sad as we were to say goodbye to Wisconsin and our lovely vacation, there's really nothing better than being home again, is there? I feel crazy lucky to feel that way.

The flight went perfectly. I even read a few pages while Robbe napped on me (a seriously unusual circumstance). The travel day could not have gone better. 

Thank you, family and friends, for the best holiday trip yet. So many things to be thankful for as we inch toward 2016. 

Day 597 | Wrapping It Up

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We had a busy last day in WI: visit to the Children's Musuem, lunch at a new spot, quality time with the sister in-law, a evening visit to the farm, a pizza party with the whole fam, and reading time with Chase and the girls. Oh, and packing, lots of packing.

Whew. Tomorrow's travel day will feel like a relaxing break. Just kidding, of course, here's hoping it's just as uneventful as possible. Happy thoughts, please!

Day 594 | Girl Talk

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Sometimes, although not frequently, something blog-worthy happens after I've completed my post for the day. Hard to believe, I know.

Last night, my favorite pre-teen/teenage nieces and I enjoyed each others' company while playing a board game (Girl Talk), watching a movie (Home...it was cute), and playing cards (Kent...a middle school favorite of mine). Grandma Mary even got in on the action. It was the kind of evening that made me more convinced than ever of our need to move back to Wisconsin. I want to be a bigger part of their lives during this super-important, super-influence-able time for them. I miss these girls.

Oh, and the little cards we're holding in the photo are from the Girl Talk game. We all passed out cards that we think best describes each person and then each of us picked our favorite card we received. The selected cards?

Isabelle: Giggles a lot
Ann: Incredibly caring
Sara: Can be trusted with a secret
Grandma Mary: A good listener
Lane: Very confident

Day 593 | Trains!

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We found trains in Wisconsin! Whew. We were starting to go through withdrawals.

There was a nice little holiday exhibit of model trains at the Chippewa Valley Museum. And, to top it off, there was a whole room dedicated to a toy train track that Chase, in particular, loved. Robbe seemed more interested in exploring the nooks and crannies of the rest of the museum. He found a fishing pond, a downtown bus, and a cow...to name some of the highlights. 

That, in addition to Mancino's for lunch = a pretty fantastic morning. And thanks, Grandma and Uncle Matt for going along on the adventure.