Day 713 | Meet Petey

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We have a new [temporary] pet! I'd like to introduce you to Petey, our friendly tent caterpillar. He was named because it's a word Robbe can say, in case you're wondering.

The good/bad news? Our time with Petey, as we know him anyway, has already come to an end. He started cocooning tonight. Exciting times around here. 

Thanks to Uncle Matt for our new insect hotel that prompted this education in life cycles. 

Day 711 | Busy Busy

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We've had a very productive day so far. I dropped a load of too-small baby clothes off at a friends (along with some toys), I unloaded two garbage bags full of clothes at a donation site, I ran an errand in the pouring rain with both boys (not as easy as you might guess), and I cleaned our bathroom. Plus, we even had time for some quality puddle jumping (see above). Then the sun came out just in time for me finish cleaning off the porch (scrubbed the siding clean and brushed, sprayed, and washed the floor in hopes we can paint it tomorrow).

And, our big plans for the night?!? A hot date night (at Chris's boss's house). An all around pretty fantastic day. You've got to love when productivity and fun come together.

Day 710 | Morning with Ray

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We had the pleasure of hanging out with sweet Ray all morning. She and Robbe have become quite the duo lately and this morning was very eventful.

We saw this squirrel eating a granola bar. No joke. We went to two parks. We sang at their tot music class. We played a little t-ball. We even managed to cross a couple of errands off my list. See? I told you it was eventful. Both babies took a good nap this afternoon. Success!

Day 709 | A Happy Outing

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I wouldn't have guessed that an unexpected trip to the Honda dealership could provide so much happiness and excitement for this little guy today.

We went to have a punctured tire patched and walked away with a Frozen sticker book, a new balloon, and watched this construction vehicle do it's job for several minutes. Seriously, there couldn't have been a better outing for Robbe. It's nice when things work out.

Day 708 | Little Brothers

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This morning was rough for sweet, sensitive Chase. Both of his teachers were gone today. Two substitutes. In the world of a new four year old, that's about as bad as it gets (at least our new four year old).

After an extra 20 minutes in the classroom, Robbe and I did manage to exit without tears. It took just about every tool in my mom arsenal to get to that point. Robbe immediately walked out of the classroom door and decided he needed to wedge himself in this empty milkcrate sitting in the hall. 

It's funny how the little brother can just fly above it all. Thank goodness. 

Day 707 | Moon Rocks

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After a failed attempt at moon sand a couple of weeks ago (remember this?), I shifted course and opted to make playdough "moon rocks" for the birthday party instead.

It worked out perfectly. I made three batches of this recipe and just added blue food coloring and some glitter stars for dramatic effect. Then I put out little containers for the kiddos to fill with moon rocks and take home as part of their goodie bag.

Try making your own playdough. I promise it's super easy and you probably have all the ingredients in your cupboard right now.

Day 705 | A Space Firefighter Party

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Our little space firefighter had an amazing birthday party today. He got to tour a real fire truck, put on a mini firefighter uniform, practice his paper airplane skills, collect moon rocks, eat an "earth cake," and received some very sweet and thoughtful gifts. 

I can't say I'm sad to see birthday season go, but it's been a good run. Until 2017, my friends, I will hang up my party-planning hat.

Day 700 | 700!

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700 is a lot. Like a lot, a lot. Blogging is not always the easiest task to check off my daily to-do list, but it's moments like this (looking back over 700 posts!) that makes it totally worth it. We've come a long way, friends.

Name: Sara
Favorites: everything about springtime, witty texts from Chris + friends, birthday party crafting (the final party is this weekend!), giving away unneeded baby gear (purging feels so good), enjoying a quiet cup of coffee, making my boys belly laugh, finally having our ceiling fixed (remember this), post-sleeping baby hugs (they’re just so warm and cozy + smell so sweet)
Biggest Hurdle to Overcome: managing a million appointments. Between physical therapy and other misc back, wrist, skin, pediatrician appointments, I'm burnt out. Thank goodness for friends that have helped ease the load.
Dreams for the Future: decluttering + purging after surviving the season of gift-giving around here (i.e. Christmas, birthdays, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc).

Name: Chris
Favorites: his new $1.44 t-shirts (practically a steal), a warmer walking commute, his lovely wife making his daily pb&j sandwiches for lunch at work, eating breakfast out, house hunting (it doesn't hurt to look, right?), coming up with entertaining new games for the boys
Biggest Hurdle to Overcome: deciding when it's safe to make the switch back to flip flops again. This spring has been a tricky one.
Dreams for the Future: taking a weekend trip with his brothers. It'll happen someday. Some day.

 Name: Chase
Favorites: anything related to space, Frozen, getting hair cuts (so he can watch movies), correcting his parents when they misspeak (who knew it happens so often), gummy gums (his fancy term for the special Easter gummy carrots he enjoyed), comfy pants, receiving gifts, ice cubes in his water, singing, playing make believe, talking about his school friends, breakfast for dinner, asking Siri questions about space
Biggest Hurdle to Overcome: building up his stamina to go for longer scooter rides (he's really become quite an expert).
Dreams for the Future: warmer weather so we can start hitting the playground circuit again (something we're all dreaming about).

Name: Robbe
Favorites: trucks, trucks, and more trucks, harassing Miga, running as fast as he can with his belly sticking out, licking his mom (odd, I know), wearing his fireman coat, watching YouTube truck videos, eating, playing guitar, playing with whatever Chase is playing with (usually relatively peacefully), mommy snuggle time, stickers (a lot!)
Biggest Hurdle to Overcome: attempting to communicate. He wants to be understood so badly. He's making progress but not as fast as anyone would like.
Dreams for the Future: a day where we drive/walk by some sort of large construction equipment every other minute or so. That's not too much to ask, is it?

And, if you're interested in looking back over the past *almost* two years of team blog posts, here's your chance:

Day 699 | Finally Spring

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After weeks of cooler temps (at least it has felt that way), I picked Chase up from school in 70 degrees today. We broke outside for some fun in the sun before dinner. The boys entertained themselves happily with bubbles (Chase even refilled their bubble dishes by himself) while I tested out their mini kites and entertained Miga.

Then, while I cooked, the boys once again entertained themselves by making a total mess in Robbe's room. My most braggable parent moment from the day? The boys cleaned this disaster up by themselves before we all sat down to eat. Woohoo!

Day 696 | Guitar

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Robbe and I have been taking a music class since January and he's finally starting to get into it. Today he even wanted to wait in line to play the musician's guitar afterward (up until now he's been too shy). That's big. He waited very patiently for his turn and then walked up without hesitation to pluck away at the strings. And, although, he's not talking much yet, he kept bringing up the experience all day. So cute.

Day 695 | And He Turns Four

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I know you've been waiting for this...

Top 10 Best Things About Four-year-old Chase
  1. His compassion: this kid has the biggest heart you can imagine. He's amazingly thoughtful and generous and understanding. Much more so than you would expect from a four-year-old.
  2. His intellect: he's a little smartie, that's for sure. His little brain is just a sponge picking up so much from school (and a little from us). My current favorite example? Often he interjects in normal conversation, "hey, that's alliteration!"
  3. His deep interest in space: books, toys, videos, anything space related is a big hit. He told me yesterday that he probably can't fly to the moon until he's eleven, though. 
  4. His love for vacation: yes, we've taught him well. This kid definitely knows the appropriate amount of excitement, enthusiasm, and anticipation to exhibit when a vacation rolls around. 
  5. His super-expressive, unwavering love for mommy and daddy: he often turns to Chris and me out of the blue and says, "I love you, mommy/daddy." Other iterations are "I love you so much I believe in you" and "I love you so much and I like you so much" and "Mommy/daddy, you're my favorite (a family saying)."
  6. His love for school: sending him to full day three year old preschool was a tough decision. A tough decision. Man, was it the right one. This kid loves being a Bulldog (their classroom mascot). He loves all his little Bulldog friends. And the Bulldog teachers could not be better (not exaggerating). Not only has his mind expanded with all this classroom time, but socially he's made leaps and bounds this year (our biggest hope when sending him). 
  7. His imagination: this part of his brain is working in overdrive as of late. He loves acting out stories, coming up with new games, and including any/all of his family members in the productions.
  8. His kid-isms: kids say the funniest things, right? This guy is no exception. My latest favorite occurred when a penpal of his (thanks for coordinating, uncle Matt) sent him foreign currency in her latest card. He opened it and looked up at me in surprise and said, "How did she know I like money?" Hahaha. 
  9. His natural ability to be the big brother: we couldn't have asked for a better role model for sweet Robbe. Chase has already shown an interest in helping his little brother navigate life a little easier. He's patient with him, gentle towards him, understanding of his shortcomings, translates as well as I do, shares his toys, and genuinely wants him around. It's the best.
  10. His rule-following: yep, still going strong with his impressive ability to listen and follow rules. It's pretty amazing from a parenting perspective. And luckily he takes it with him to school, too. Not to brag but he's the only Bulldog to not have used the "take a break chair" (where you go when you need some time to compose yourself) at school yet. Fingers crossed he can make it to the end of the year. Maybe he'll win an award!

Almost exactly four years ago (to the minute), we welcomed this little baby into the world that changed every second of our lives moving forward. We couldn't be more proud of our amazing 4-year-old and the little gentleman he's becoming. We love you, Sweet Pea.