You might think a summer fire would be a bonfire outside, but we were so chilly and damp after our morning outing to the little zoo near us that a fire was the only way to warm up this afternoon. 60 degrees and rain will do that to you.
It's not a big deal. It's a HUGE deal. Chase can tie his own shoes!! We've been working on it here and there since we bought his new school shoes a few weeks ago and then yesterday he just did it. I was upstairs after telling him to get his shoes on and when I returned downstairs he managed to tie both of his shoes. Solo. He's such a big guy now.
My year of spontaneous coffee dates with my two favorite dudes is coming to an end as Chase starts kindergarten in just a week and a half. Sniffle sniffle.
Every time I look at this photo I smile. It's my new favorite. There's a good chance it'll even end up in a frame on a wall [someday]. I can't handle it. The fun + colorful art?!? The perfect poses with the matching pants?!? Not to mention a real smile from my three year old?!? Crazy!
We got our solar eclipse on today. Thanks to the Eau Claire Children's Museum for hosting a hopping block party and my friend's sweet hook up for the nearly-impossible-to-procure glasses. I wouldn't say the boys were as enthusiastic as they should have been but they did seem to enjoy it. When I told Chase he couldn't keep the glasses, his response was, "then what's the point of this anyway?" I think our space-lover and self-proclaimed budding-astronaut *kind of* missed the significance of today.
We had a busy but super fun weekend. We walked or biked almost everywhere we went. I love that. You'll be glad to hear we checked another item off our bucket list: a steam train ride at Carson Park. I don't know why it took us so long to get there. The boys loved it. We're getting so close to finishing our bucket list...and good thing since Chase starts school in two weeks.
Then, after nap, Robbe had a big (HUGE) milestone. He got to go to his first movie! Cars 3 finally came to our downtown theater so we immediately made plans. Robbe had no problem staying interested and even managed to finish his whole bag of popcorn by himself. He was so proud.
Between the framers market and our garden, I had one amazing lunch. There's not much I enjoy eating more than a fresh + flavorful caprese salad. Yum.
Grandma Mary was sweet enough to take the grandkids shopping today. Don't worry, they were sufficiently spoiled and a fun time was had by all. Thanks, mom!
Back home with some good naps, unpacking, and four loads of laundry. Our vacation recovery day was actually much better than usual. None of the typical vacation-withdrawal symptoms from the boys. Quite a lovely surprise.
One of the first stops we made this morning was out to our garden to see what's been popping up. I haven't gotten any good photos of our "bounty" of vegetables mostly due to the boys eating everything before we can get our harvest in the house. Today I managed to sneak these two cucumbers, a green pepper, and the remaining handful of cherry tomatoes (they ate the rest) inside to enjoy with lunch.
We've had a pretty good harvest...at least I think so. Our green bean plants did pretty well for themselves (with the boys constantly snitching them) and our tomato, cucumber, and green pepper plants are still blossoming like crazy. The verdict is still out for our broccoli, carrots, and leeks, but I'm remaining optimistic. I'll keep you posted on the progress but for now enjoy...
A bumpy but otherwise successful flight home. I hope the boys manage to sleep in tomorrow!
The big activity of our day was a seal cruise. The boys were real troopers during the 90 minute boat ride around Cape Cod and we saw a ton of seals. Total success!
It's been awhile since the boys (or I!) have stuck our toes in the ocean, but we remedied that today! It was the perfect beach outing. The boys really enjoyed the water (for the first time ever) and were total champs when it came to the sand, and sun, and chaos. It helped that Mae was there to lend her vast experience (at 11 months old).
Of course we had various other adventures including a potato chip factory tour, a stop at a candy store, a yummy Italian dinner (notice a food theme?), and evening stroll through the harbor, etc., but I think we'd all agree that the beach was the best part.
We started the morning by treating the boys to their first continental breakfast (and it was even a decent one!). After that, onto Heritage Gardens in Sandwich, MA, for some leg-stretching, flower-admiring, carousel-riding, and tree-house-climbing (see photo).
Then into Hyannis for lunch, some quick shopping, and a delicious ice cream treat before making our way to our hotel for some swimming.
A lovely dinner with some of my favorite people (including my favorite almost one-year-old) and there goes the day. No surprise, we're all wiped. Here's hoping for a good night's sleep so we can do it all over again tomorrow.
Guess where we are?!? Massachusetts!! My mom, the boys, and I are on our way to visit my friend, Mary Catherine, on Cape Cod. We took advantage of some last-minute motivation to get away.
The travel day was amazingly easy. The boys are thrilled about the bright blue rental car and they're staying in their first [ever] hotel tonight. Whoop whoop.
Hey all, it's that time of year...I'm yearning for some blog-free summer days. I'll be back soon (most likely this weekend) when there are exciting things to post once again. Don't forget about me. We'll see each other real soon.
In the meantime, check out my latest article for Visit EC. I think you'll recognize the scooting wee ones in one of the photos. :)
After about ten loads of laundry and a good portion of the day dedicated to cleaning and putting away camping gear, we can definitively say that our first weekend camping trip with the boys was a big success. The weather cooperated, the campground was great, and the boys were troopers. I could have used *a bit* more sleep (sleeping through the bright sun + chatting birds takes some practice), but the morning sleeping bag snuggles with my favorite little ones [pretty much] made up for it.
Maybe it won't take us four years to work up the motivation to do it again!
We might have debated about it all week, but we finally pulled the trigger and decided to go camping! We made the spontaneous decision last night and managed to snag the second-to-the-last available campsite available for the weekend at Willow River State Park in Hudson. More details to come, but the spoiler is that we're having tons of fun.
The boys are showing off the new books they earned by completing the summer reading program at our library. They got to name their own goal this year so Robbe got to check a box every time we read four books. Chase's challenge was even more impressive. He had to read a book on his own for each box (his first attempt at reading). There were 36 boxes to check so this was no small feat.
Unfortunately, I don't have computer access right now, or I'd include a couple of historical links to how cute the boys looked completing summer reading programs in the past. Maybe I'll include it, just for fun, in a future post.
It's been rainy and cool all day. I mean, the didn't get above 60 degrees kind of cool. And it's been glorious.
This is one of my favorite parts of Wisconsin. You can go from three weeks of sunshine + 80-90 degrees to today's cool temps in just 24 hours. It's such a lovely respite from the summer heat. No complaints from me...I'll take a rainy day any time.
Another item off the summer bucket list! We checked out the Butterfly House at Beaver Creek Reserve today. I'll be honest, it didn't really compare to the butterfly room at the National History Museum, but it was definitely still fun!
Afterward, we hiked down to the creek that the reserve is named after. Thankfully, it was a short walk because the mosquitos were out in full force. We did manage to escape with minimal bites, though. I was surprised, too.
small city | BIG DAYS
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