Day 689 | Grandma & Grandpa Time

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Grandma and Grandpa M were sweet enough to drive across the state to hang out with us for a couple of days before our flight back tomorrow. We loved seeing them (as usual) and the boys were overjoyed to spend time with both sets of grandparents during this short trip.

The boys even got a special parent-free time with Grandma and Grandpa this morning. Those lucky ducks (and Chris and I weren't complaining either). 

Thanks again to both sets of grandparents and all the other friends and family that made this spring break trip such a success!

Day 685 | More Birthday Business

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Robbe was nice enough to help Grandma blow out her candles.
It's my Mom's birthday! Lucky us we got to celebrate her special day in person. Woohoo!

We showed up at her office to tour her construction site and surprised her with a ballon then brought her home and surprised her with an Elsa ice cream cake. Robbe and Chase were pretty excited, as you might have guessed. 

Let the birthday celebrations continue!

Day 683 | Sugar Overload

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Busy day around here. We met the Easter Bunny (for the first time) and found eggs during the egg hunt for a candy reward (first round of sugar).

Then my mom and I enjoyed some lovely pedicures and some kid-free time (thanks, Chris!). After a quick round of naps, it was family birthday party time (also for the first time, I think). We were celebrating Lane's 11th birthday and Chase's 4th. Yippee! There were m&m's (round two), jelly beans (round three), and scrumptious homemade cupcakes (the fourth and final round of sugar) to keep the boys soaring on their sugar high. 

As you might expect, they had the time of their lives. So many giggles and jubilant smiles to fill one day. It makes my heart happy. 

Day 680 | Cherry Blossoms

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Ahead of our spring break trip, we needed to make a quick stop down to the Tidal Basin to check cherry blossom progress. Even though the Park Service declared today as peak, it was far from it. There were some fully-blossomed trees (see photo) and it was a lovely morning to be taking in the beauty and chaos of this season in the District, so no complaints when all was said and done. 

Day 679 | Thank You Art

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Check out this fun art craft I did with Robbe for his birthday thank you notes.

I used a regular sheet of computer paper, "wrote" the word thanks with painters tape and then had Robbe use our dot markers to cover the tape and surrounding area. Then I removed the tape and scanned in the art to be able to print off the right size.

Super easy and super cute (at least I think so!). Hope all of you that received one felt the same way.

Day 677 | Haircut Time

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Look at these cuties sporting their new new 'dos.

I know I've highlighted fresh haircuts a few times (probably too many) on here, but I just couldn't pass up sharing this adorable photo. Both of the boys were thrilled to be getting their locks trimmed because it meant they could watch their tv show of choice. 

Chase's pick: Paw Patrol (kind of a throwback since he's been pretty into Frozen and Inside Out, since his school movie party).

Robbe's pick: Truck Tunes (a YouTube truck music video). At least he's consistent.

Day 673 | Undies

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Our little man is very interested in undies. Mind you, he's nowhere near ready for potty training (although he tries by sitting on the potty almost every day).

I decided to let him pick out undies to feed the desire to keep trying and the only ones we could find with trucks came in boxers (I mean real trucks, not from an animated movie). The package arrived today and Robbe immediately needed to put as many on his body as possible. 

Day 672 | Growing Up

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Big day today: Robbe was released from his highchair cage. After my fight with my back, I wasn't able to lift him out of his chair for the past week. Chase has been squeezing into Robbe's chair since that fateful weekend. Today, Robbe got the upgrade. He's officially free to come and go. I hope he doesn't let the power go to his head.

Want a stroll down memory lane? Here's one of the first posts I blogged about Robbe joining our dinner table. Aren't they adorable?

Day 671 | The Cupcakes

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As promised, a separate blog post dedicated to my favorite food item from the party: the cupcakes.

These turned out so delicious that I had to share it with you all and document it for myself for future use.

Here's what I did:
  • Used a regular chocolate cake mix for the actual cupcakes
  • Used this strawberry frosting recipe with a two modifications: 1. I used an entire container of strawberries and 2. I omitted the last 1/2 cup of powdered sugar-it just didn't need it. Initially my frosting seemed to lack as much strawberry flavor as I'd hoped but the strawberry definitely came out more after sitting for a bit (I would even consider overnight).
  • Pureed a pack of regular stuffed Oreos in my Vitamix. Then sprinkled heavily on top. It turned into the most real-looking dirt I could have imagined. Somehow all the stuffing got evenly distributed into the crumbs of the cookies. Perfect!
These will definitely make an appearance at a future party. I love it when an idea comes together!

Day 670 | Some Party Photos

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With only a couple of cupcakes left and most of the decorations down, we're officially closing the book on Robbe's birthday.

The little guy had the time of his life yesterday. He was quite the social host and loved flitting between all the activities (a hammering station with golf tees and flower foam blocks, a sensory bin filled with fun packing peanuts for his trucks to move around, and a pin-the-wheel on the truck game), friends (8 kids, 9 adults), and food (apple+grape cars, veggies+hummus, pizza, and, of course cupcakes...which will be described in tomorrow's post),

The most exciting moment? Robbe blew out both his candles in one breath after waiting patiently, without prompting, for the birthday song to conclude. He's the best.