Day 1366 | The Weight of the World

Sometimes it just feels like the weight of the world is too much to shoulder.

It's been a stressful couple of weeks for our family. I'm not going to go into it here out of respect for everyone's privacy (sorry), but I'm sure I'll share at some point. 

With everything going on and a feeling of constant overwhelm, I've decided to take a bit of a break from the blog. Chase's birthday is coming up this weekend, so I'll be back for that, but I'm going to give myself this bit of space in my day. 

You might recognize the photo above. I posted it almost two years ago when we were getting ready to uproot our lives and move to Wisconsin. This little weed was inspirational to me back then and I have found my mind wondering to the image over and over again recently. There is hope. I have hope.

Day 1365 | Happy Easter

It wasn’t the Easter we expected but we managed to make the most of it. Family is the best.  

Day 1364 | Egg Hunt

Aunt Andi put together an epic egg hunt for the kids tonight. Never again will they be able to collect this quantity of eggs. Robbe went to bed saying it’s already the “best Easter ever.” 

Day 1363 | Egg Dying

Just under the deadline, we managed to get our eggs dyed. It was a fun way to spend a cold (and snowy!) afternoon with the cousins. And somehow Robbe managed to dye all his eggs without spilling. Needless to say, it was pretty surprising. 

Day 1362 | Easter Bag Assembly

Every year, for as long as I can remember, my dad’s store has volunteered the time to put together Easter bags for the local Easter Egg Hunt. This year, the boys got involved with the assembly. It made me so happy to do this with the boys after spending so many years doing it with my parents. :) 

Day 1361 | Birthday Ice Cream

We were lucky enough to spend a good chunk of the day with this birthday girl today! The boys were more than a little excited that she picked ice cream for her birthday treat. 

Happy birthday to a woman I’m lucky to call my mom and my friend. I love you! 

Day 1360 | Spinach Goat Cheese Frittata

Check out this meal. Nothing could have hit the spot more tonight. 

Here's the recipe: Spinach Goat Cheese Frittata.

So good.

Day 1359 | Mexico By Numbers

The Whole MexiGully Group

Time for a flight

Ready to board

The Mayan Palace

Cousins!

First time in the Pacific Ocean

Getting braver

On the Malecon

Me and Zoe

Dinner and PiPi's

All the grandkids

Pocket squares

Relaxing in the room

Poolside shenanigans

Matching mother and daughter

Table for 13, please

Sunset over Puerto Vallarta

My love and me

Art on the Malecon

We love audio books

2 for 1 happy hour

Budding photographers

The hallway to our room

These guys were troopers

Beach selfie

Smiles all around

A break from swimming

One last glimpse of the view from our room

I promised a Mexico recap and here it is! You can't complain that I shared too few photos.

Mexico by Numbers

• Total family members on the trip: 13
• Minutes waiting in Mexican customs: 0 (first time ever!)
• Audio [full-length] chapter books read by the boys: 4
• Chiclets purchased: 52 (some for gifts)
• Chiclets eaten: 26
• Sand castles built: 2 (one with a dragon)
• Giant jugs of water drank: 7
• Trips to Victor's restaurant: 2
• Days successfully detached from social media: 7
• Cheese quesadillas consumed by the boys: 9
• Encounters with Maria Consuela (the little girl, named by us, who sold us chiclets): 3
• Poolside family nap attempts: 1
• Family members who successfully napped: 1 (Robbe)
• Towel swans left for us by housekeeping: 3
• 2 for 1 happy hour fruity cocktails + smoothies: too many to count
• Little boys with heat rash: 2 (but no sunburns!)
• Crocodiles spotted: 2
• Iguanas spotted: ~30

And we're ready to go back. Thanks again, Mom + Dad, for an incredibly memorable trip.

Day 1358 | A Buffer Day

There will be a longer post (with photos!) detailing our dreamy trip to Puerto Vallarta but for now I’ll just say that we’re home. We’re doing laundry, catching up on life, and playing with every single toy in the house just to make sure no one feels left out.  

Day 1357 | Spring Break

We're enjoying fun + sun in Mexico and I'm unplugging. I'll be back on Sunday to share all the details. Until then, I realized I never shared the last podcast that Mary Catherine and I recorded. This can keep you company while I'm gone. :)

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New Podcast Episode!

Mary Catherine and I say farewell to Season 4 of Starr Struck radio by sharing some of the things that surprised us most about motherhood. Chances are, we'll be back. But until then...

Day 1356 | Ready for Take Off

We made it this far. Next stop: warmth + sunshine! Think happy thoughts for an uneventful flight. 

Day 1355 | Vacation Prep

We've been counting down to tomorrow for a long LONG time. We're heading out for a week-long tropical vacation and the four of us could not be more excited. I've even managed to shed the dread that usually comes along with traveling with the boys. It's hard to say whether I've grown more flexible with age or if it's just that the boys are getting easier (I'm sure it's the latter, actually), but I'm not fixated on how hard the plane ride is going to be, or where the boys will nap, or what they'll be eating, or how they'll sleep at the condo. It feels very freeing. I haven't felt this way before a trip in about six years (!!). 

We've been talking a lot about what Mexico is going to be like. We've been pumping the boys up for lots of beach + pool time, have been trying to explain to them what it'll be like to be in another country, and have been chatting about expectations. To tie a bow on this topic, we brainstormed a list of "Vacation Rules" last night. I'm sure we'll add to the list, but so far, here it is:

Our Family Vacation Rules

1. Always stay close to family.
2. Never go anywhere alone.
3. Don't eat or drink anything without asking an adult.
4. Be flexible.
5. Experience new things.
6. Make sure to be safe around water.
7. Don't put anything in your mouth (including your hands!)
8. Be patient.
9. Have too much fun! 

We're going to take that last one very seriously. 

**Please note, I'll be checking in tomorrow before we board the airplane but after that I'm signing off for the week. Hopefully we'll have lots of good stories + photos to share upon our return.**

Day 1354 | Cleaning Up

After staring at these toys in our living room for the past two weeks, I finally gave in and put them all away last night. The boys have been on a serious Lego kick so all other toys have been neglected. 

What’s the first thing Robbe did upon getting home from some errands this morning? He took out all the toys I just  put away and then happily played with them for an hour. It’s like he sensed it somehow. Kids are weird. 

Day 1353 | Little Leprechauns

Our friends invited us over for an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration tonight. The kids had a blast hunting for gold coins, creating masks, making rainbow necklaces...oh and eating potato soup with Irish soda bread. 

Thanks the super festive evening, Ashley! 

Day 1352 | Lego Assembly

I really like Legos. Sometimes I secretly wish that the boys would tire of putting their sets together so I can step in and save the day. 

One thing I don’t like about Lego assembly? Trying to put a set together after its pieces have been mixed in with all the other assorted pieces in our bin. Having to find one million specific Legos, one by one, in a bin of similarly-sized, but incredibly-different blocks, is arguably the worst task in the history of the world. 

At least I got to sit in sunshine as I searched and searched. That’s something. Oh, and it seems as though the task will continue tomorrow because the set isn’t complete. Oh joy!

Day 1351 | Swim Lessons

Another session of swim lessons in the books. The boys each missed one due to sickness (you can’t be surprised), but only one. So that’s something!  And Chase even graduated to the next level.

Have I mentioned how nice it is to be able to walk to the swim lessons? I’m a big fan. Even if most of the season was crazy cold.  

Day 1350 | Photography Festival

Chase participated in his first photography festival today through 4-H. The photograph was entitled: Snow Tree.

He waited patiently (more patiently than one of his parents [me], that's for sure). He interacted with the judge better than I would have expected. And he seemed to really enjoy the experience.

Even better, the Festival was a part of a bigger Drama Festival, too, and we stayed to watch some of the 4-H club plays. We thought we'd stay for one or maybe two plays, but the boys were so interested and enthralled that we watched five. Apparently stories in 10 minute increments starring kids is the equation to keeping their interest. Who would have guessed?

Day 1349 | The Little Drummer Boy

The Children’s Museum has a new kitchen-themed drum set that’s pretty sweet. Robbe really enjoyed it...and so did I. Playing it, that is, not listening to it.

After a hiatus from the Museum due to sickness, it was really lovely to be back. 

Day 1348 | Photographer’s Assistant

Robbe and I donated our photography skills to family today for a little photo shoot. Robbe made quite a nice little photographer’s assistant. I might have to look for more gigs like this. 

Day 1347 | Turning a Corner

Chase had his first fever-free day since Friday. Whew. It’s been a long five days. I’m running low on sympathy and patience but I’m aware of that...so maybe that makes it ok?!?

I tried to make the most of another sick day. I got quality solo time with Chase (which rarely happens). I got him his first coffee shop hot cocoa (very exciting) and read the Boxcar Children for over an hour straight.

I tried to remind myself of how lucky I am to be able to be the one to care for my sick child and not have to worry about balancing a full time job in addition to being a caregiver. That’s a pretty amazing luxury.  

And we made it. Chase heads back to school tomorrow. Robbe and I will resume our normal existence. This mildly-incovenient sickness will fade into a distant memory and all will be well with the world. Even typing this, I realize how lucky we are.