Day 956 | Cousins Are the Best
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Ann and Lane spent the majority of their evening last night doing things like this. Our boys are so lucky to have such loving cousins who are willing to (and even want to!) spend so much time with them.
Day 955 | A Place for Books
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Finally. Finally, we have a home for our photo albums and some of our books. We had a local furniture group design and build this amazing cabinet and shelf duo for us. This corner of our family room was dying to have a purpose and we're thrilled (too much so, probably) to have a hidden home for our laptops and printer now. Ah, being an adult is so exciting.
Day 954 | Kid-Free 24 Hours
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Wondering why I missed yesterday's post? Chris and I were busy enjoying...wait for it...a kid-free 24 hours. Yep. I'm not kidding.
Chris had his company holiday party (super fun, by the way), so the boys stayed with my parents. Thanks again, mom and dad! The boys had a blast (no surprise), and so did we (also, no surprise).
What did we do with our kid-free time? We stayed up late, we stayed in bed until 9am (whoop whoop!), we went for a leisurely breakfast, we ran a couple of errands (we needed to be a *bit* productive, after all), and we went to a movie! We did miss the wee ones, though, and it was so good to see them and collect some extra snuggle time once we reunited.
We could get used this...
Day 953 | When Moms Try to Take Photos
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Here I am with my sisters-in-law (on Chris's side). Seems like an easy enough photo to capture, right? Not so much. It turns out as soon as you try to *not* include the kids in something, that's when they're most interested. There were several attempts that led to less-than-ideal photos like the bottom one...oh, and there was a screaming toddler in the background that you can't see. And also a crazy laughing fit, that also happened. Finally some grandparents + fathers stepped in and we managed a solo shot. Motherhood is hard.
Day 952 | Baby, It's Cold Outside
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I checked the weather when we went to pick Chase up from school: -1°, wind chill of -17°. And guess what? Tomorrow's supposed to be colder. Bring it on...I've got my favorite scarf and my new ESCOD hat to keep me warm (thanks to my favorite goddaughter!).
Day 951 | Ice Skating
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We took the boys for their inaugural ice skating lesson this morning. Chase is sold. Robbe is not. I'm not sure he actually ended up putting all his weight on either of the skates at any point. Maybe next time we'll get him skates that actually fit. That might help.
Regardless, we had a lot of fun and hope to make it back to the rink when the new cold snap subsides. And when Chris has skates to show us all his fancy moves.
Day 950 | Christmas Gift Crafts
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Now that all the gifts have been given, I've got some Christmas crafts to unveil.
- Star tree ornaments: I made a bunch of these origami stars as ornaments this year. They were super fun + fast to create. Here's the tutorial for anyone interested. I made small versions of the stars using 6"x6" pieces of paper.
- Soy, linen-scented candles: Using the same tutorial as I've used in the past, my mom and i made these super cute candles to give away. Such an easy + useful gift! Oh, and I labeled them as "small gift, BIG LOVE" to match my new blog.
- Initial jars: I spray painted giant mason jars and then modge-poged my nieces' initials (using lace from my mom's wedding dress) on them. I added a braided yard and button accent tie. They were a big hit...but that might have had to do with the cash gift we included inside. Maybe.
- A Sayde-inspired onesie: I used this freezer paper screen print technique to make a one-of-a-kind Sayde onesie for my favorite 4 month old. I've been holding onto this adorable onesie for well over a year waiting to give this to Mae. Who's Sayde? You might ask. This is Sayde.
'Tis the season for excess crafting! I hope I can funnel a little of this motivation and keep crafting now that it's the new year. I'll keep you posted.
Day 949 | A Year in Photos
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Happy 2017, family + friends! We've enjoyed a week of high-quality socializing in addition to some serious play time with all our new gear.
We're feeling hopeful and enthusiastic about the year ahead and are looking forward to seeing how 2017 could possibly be any better than 2016.
To celebrate the greatness that was 2016, I've decided to do a top-15 (10 was just too hard to narrow down) of my favorite photos from this past year. Not my favorite posts...my favorite photos. I was inspired to do this after I took the above photo of Robbe yesterday at our New Year's party (he's playing the game Pie Face). The photo brought me such joy that I realized a reflection post was necessary to highlight some of the other images that I felt a special connection to over the past year. You can click on each photo to be directed to it's original post. Enjoy!
Day 948 | Merry Christmas!
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And so another Christmas season comes to an end. Chase and I have similar feelings about this. It's always hard to deal with the crash of emotions when all the traditions have taken place, all the presents have been given + opened, and all the family celebrations come to an end. You don't want the magic and anticipation of Christmas to come to an end...and yet that's why it's so wonderful, right? Because you know it only comes around for this brief few weeks.
We'll have lots of time to reminisce about these festivities. We'll continue to spread kindness throughout the year. The new toys + gifts will be excessively enjoyed. But we'll still take a minute to grieve what's been a lovely ending to one of the best years.
I'll close 2016 with one last holiday shout out (remember I'm taking a break from the blog this week) to my friends and family. Thank you for hosting us. Thank you for the delicious food + sweets. Thank you for the overly-generous gifts. Thank you for your patience with our young family. Thank you for your understanding and unending love this month and always. Just thank you.
Merry Christmas, 2016. We eagerly anticipate what 2017 has in store for us.
Day 947 | Scenes on Christmas Eve
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The snow is fresh, the cookies are out, and the excitement is palpable. I hope Santa delivers for our sweet boys tomorrow. Â
Day 946 | Feeling Grateful
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With two Christmases in the bag and one more to go...plus Santa...the boys (and Chris and I) are feeling very loved. And spoiled rotten.
Thank you friends and family for sharing your love (with your company as well as the lovely
gifts). We are forever grateful.
Day 945 | Christmas Festivities Begin
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We'll be spending Christmas Eve and morning with Chris's family this year so we had my family over for an early Christmas celebration tonight. Â
We had yummy food, laughed a lot, and enjoyed some serious present opening. I've said it before, I'll say it again...these ages (2.5 & 4.5) might be the best ages for Christmas enthusiasm. They are beyond grateful and excited for every gift that comes their way. And it makes gift-giving so much fun. You just want to do your part to make those little eyes light up, you know? Â
 **Special note: I'm going to take a Christmas break from blogging while I'm enjoying lots of family time and eating way too much. I'll post up until the 25th and then it'll be quiet here for a bit. Now don't say I didn't warn you!
Day 943 | Feeling the Love
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The best part of sending out holiday cards is getting so many back in return. We love filling our wall with all of our favorite people.
Thanks to everyone who sent us a little holiday cheer. The boys are thrilled with all the mail!
Day 942 | Sledding
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The boys and I attempted our first solo sledding adventure today. Overall it was a huge success. The boys were surprisingly hearty when it came to the facefuls of snow and frequent uphill battles.
Chris's presence was definitely felt, however, and we're excited to invite him out with us next time.
Day 941 | Knitted Cowls
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My homemade contributions to our family Christmas last night were new knitted cowls for the boys. They picked out their own colors and we pleasantly excited about such a dull gift. They appreciate homemade goods already...a success!
For you knitters out there, this is a very simple project. Think: simple, mini-sized scarf. I've outlined the "pattern" below in case you're feeling motivated. I will say that these cowls are great for kids because they protect their cold little necks and you don't have to think about them unraveling. Oh, and they're adorable as all get out. Win!
Knitted Kid's Cowl Scarf
- Cast on 20 stitches to the needle size of your choice (I used size 11 needles)
- Alternate 5 knit, 5 purl, 5 knit, 5 purl, 5 knit
- Turn (on the other needle) and do the same pattern: 5 knit, 5 purl, 5 knit, 5 purl
- Continue this pattern until the scarf is as long as you would like for the size of your child. I chose a length of about 44 inches.
- When you've reached the desired length, bind off.
- Then take the two edges and sew up the seam.
Ta-da! A cowl!
I find that the knit/purl pattern listed above provides extra warmth but makes the cowls curl into itself a little bit better so there isn't a ton of extra bulk. I hope your kiddos enjoy these as much as mine do.
Day 940 | Family Christmas
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To avoid overstimulation and over-accumulatoon of presents at one time, we decided to do our [immediate] family Christmas tonight. Definitely the right decision. We enjoyed the quality four-of-us time and no one was complaining about the sneak peek present opening.
We tried out a new tradition this year: Dollar Store shopping. A couple of weeks ago, we took the boys to the Dollar Store and they could pick out any gifts they wanted for me, Chris, and their brother. With $1 as the price tag on all items, they could be as ridiculous and frivolous as they wanted. What did they select, you might ask?
Chase
Dad: Santa salt and pepper shakers (because he likes Christmas and doesn't have any salt and pepper shakers like that)
Mom: A new "cup". Yes, it's a wine glass. No, he doesn't think I'm a wino. We have stemless glasses for wine so he just thought this "cup" was really fancy and selected it because I don't have one like it. Ha!
Robbe: A lego-type ATV (no explanation needed, it's as awesome as it sounds)
Robbe
Dad: A set of screwdrivers (he really likes to fix things)
Mom: Two pairs of socks (not really sure of the explanation on this one)
Chase: A Skye, from Paw Patrol, 3D puzzle (because he loves puzzles and Paw Patrol...perfect!)
So fun, right? I can't wait to continue the tradition as they get older and more articulate with their purchase explanations. Thanks to Jennie for passing along the idea for the Dollar Store presents! It's a keeper.
Day 939 | Handprint Santas
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It was two years in the making, but Robbe finally has a handprint Santa to keep Chase's company on the tree.
I had enough foresight to make the handprint ornament part (done on both boys' first Christmas) but the painting of the Santa was another story. Sheesh.
Cute, though, right? I just used some Crayola Model Magic clay, cut around their handprint (and added a whole for a ribbon). Wait for that to dry then paint. Most of the time, this craft would not take two years.
**Special note: Chase suggested that I leave Robbe's Santa's face without an outline so that they could tell them apart. Smart suggestion!
Day 938 | Winter Wonderland: Take 2
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Maybe it's the Christmas spirit, but this just isn't getting old.
Day 937 | Braving the Cold
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Guess what? The boys and I have managed to continue our walks to Chase's school twice a day, four times a week. This week has been the challenge. Today, I checked the temperature on my way out the door and the "feels like" temperature was -9 degrees. That's no joke.
To be honest, though, it doesn't feel that bad. And I've actually really been enjoying the extra motivation to get out of the house in these conditions and get some exercise. It's nice not to feel super cooped up already when we've got a looong winter ahead of us.
How do the boys feel, you might ask? They're the ones who requested walking today. I was giving them the choice since it was SO cold and I didn't want them to be uncomfortable. Based on the temperature of their little hands and noses when they get out of the Burley (remember this? and this?) and their request to walk today, I'd say there's no question that they're staying warm and cozy in there. Turns out the bike trailer was an even better purchase than we thought! The big wheels (a must through the snow and slush) and fully-enclosed, side-by-side seats make for a pretty sweet winter ride.
Day 936 | Yoga
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My frantic mind and aching body were craving some yoga on this bitterly cold morning (I don't think it even got into the teens!). I'd love to say that the class totally cleared my mind and offered newfound balance in my life. Not so much. The boys were grumpier + more irritable than usual and my patience was at a negative 10...even with the me-time. Oh well, some days are just like that, right? I'm trying to focus on the bright side: these tough days are few and far between as our little guys get older. Thank goodness.
The heated yoga class did feel pretty amazing, though. And the childcare offered by the studio is about all this former-yogi could ask for to get me back on the mat...even if it is only every now and then.
