Day 1154 | The Things Kids Do

Chase's dining room chair was in need of a modification. This specific chair grows with the kids (see how cute they were just three years ago!), because you can move the seat + leg boards down as they get bigger. I made the appropriate modifications to the chair and then Chase decided he needed to completely dismantle it during nap (because allen wrenches are just so fun). I'm not complaining. It kept him happily entertained (and using his fine motor skills) for a good chuck of the afternoon.

Don't worry...we did get it back together.

Day 1153 | Lego Exhibit

After yesterday's crazy day, I opted for low-key and quiet existence today. We did end up with a bit of a family gathering for dinner with my uncle from out of town, but I didn't snap any photos. Eek!

So, instead, enjoy this gem of the boys in front of their favorite 4-H exhibits yesterday: the Legos. If Chase wasn't excited about 4-H before, he is now. And he already knows which Lego set he'd like to bring to the fair next year (the police station). Check back next year to see if that dream comes true. 

Day 1152 | "Busy Day"

We woke up knowing today was going to be a big one. And it was.

1. It started out with a morning at the Eau Claire County Fair (with lots of 4-H exhibits, animals, games, and tootsie rolls).
2. We ate a quick lunch, then onto Madagascar: A Musical Adventure put on by the local children's theater. It was the first full-length musical for either of the boys and it was the perfect introduction for them. 
3. Back home for a bit of a break then onto Chalkfest at the local university. It remains one of my favorite events in this city. I wouldn't have minded a few more clouds as we were admiring the crazy-impressive art, but I'll take what I can get. 

All in all, a busy but wonderful day--three of my favorite activities all wrapped into 10 hours!. A big (HUGE) thank you to my parents to treating us to all the fun. 

**Special note: You'll notice the quotes around today's title. Robbe just kept repeating "busy day" over and over again all day. That's when you know there's a lot going on.

Day 1151 | Friday Funday

Last day of VBS, homemade tie-dye tees, food trucks, and snow cones. Yep, that's a good day. And that was all before nap!

Day 1150 | VBS Crafts

Man, this church doesn't mess around with their Vacation Bible School program. 300+ kids, 170+ volunteers, and a church over-flowing with energy and spirit.  

And the crafts? They're no joke either. My mom and I volunteered two days this week and the ladies running the craft tent are serious about cranking out projects. So far, they've colored footprints for a mural, painted handprints on fabric to be made into quilts for the less-fortunate, tie-dyed shirts, created + painted handprint cement stepping stones, braided (with assistance) bookmarks, made faux stained glass window hangings, painted bible-verse coasters...and they still have tomorrow! Whoa. Crafting does seem to be a universal answer for the kids' best part of their days so it's safe to assume they don't mind all the hard work. 

Don't you love where the boys placed their stepping stones? In our garden boxes, of course! Chase said it's to keep the bunnies away from our broccoli. He's a problem solver, all right.  

Day 1149 | Window Seat

Sorry for the delay on this one. We're loving our new window seat but we've just been too busy to feature it in a post. Isn't the fabric so fun? Thanks to my mom for making this magic happen. The project was both simpler and more complex than I expected. Buh-bye super outdated + stained beige fabric!

Day 1148 | Meet Swish Deedee

That's right, we're a family of five. The boys were beyond ecstatic to pick out their very own fish yesterday. We went with a baby beta fish because they're the easiest, because, well, you know how it is with little kids. Fingers crossed we picked a good one. 

The boys also created this pretty sweet house for our new family member, Swish Deedee. For the record, the name Swish was selected by Chase and Deedee was Robbe's top pick. It's just about perfect, right?

Day 1147 | VBS

Remember that day that I took a solo bike ride, enjoyed a cup of coffee, and read my book in peace while not having to feel stressed about childcare arrangements or feel guilty for having to ask someone to watch the boys? I do. It was today. And it was glorious. 

The boys started vacation bible school at our church this morning and they (and I) couldn't be more excited. It was so fun to watch Robbe settle right into the chaos (and it was chaos with 300 kids running around) even though it's his first full morning camp (and longest time away from me solo).

I'm volunteering two of the days and have appointments the other two but you better believe I'm going to soak up all the kid-free time that I can. Oh, and I'll probably miss them *at least a little*, too. 

Day 1146 | Family Fun

Just another day filled with lots of family time and plenty of sunshine. A town celebration, an afternoon of water play (more water balloons!), and an evening full of conversation and yummy food.  Everyone should sleep well tonight! 

Day 1145 | Cousins!

Look! The gang's all here. Six months later and even cuter. Hard to believe, I know. 

Day 1144 | Blueberry Overload

If we were living the lives of our favorite bear family, the title of this week would probably be called, The Berenstain Bears and Too Many Blueberries. Don't get me wrong, we love blueberries around here but it's possible we have maxed out. Two berry picking field trips, three yummy blueberry recipes (see below), and handful and handfuls of straight berries consumed. We *just might* have reached our limit. 

In case you're interested in using up some of the spare berries around your house, I highly recommend these recipes:

• Blueberry Crumb Bars

• Lemon Blueberry Bread

• French Toast with Blueberries

Day 1143 | Be Afraid

Be very afraid.  

Day 1142 | Pinball

Check out this gem of a business we have right down the street. Board games, pinball games, and vintage arcade games galore. We haven't sampled the mini corndogs yet but I see that in our future. If you're looking for unlimited arcade + pinball gaming for $15 (and free boardgames), this is your place. Yay for the District Company!

Day 1141 | Painting Bowls

A local non-profit (a food bank) does a fundraiser every year where they sell soup in bowls created by others...and you get to keep the bowls. Tonight I went with a friend to paint some bowls for next spring's event (we painted and then left the bowls with them to give away). I wouldn't say mine are going to be the most sought after, but I think someone will like them. I hope! Either way it was a fun night. 

Day 1140 | Blueberries Galore

Although we're all still reeling from the whirlwind day yesterday, we mustered the energy + motivation to hit the blueberry field today. 

I think blueberry picking might be the perfect berry to pick. Here's why:

• There aren't prickers
• The berries are easily accessible on the bush
• The bushes are tall so there's not as much bending over (yay for less back pain!)
• The boys are much more self-sufficient with blueberries because they can easily tell ripe vs. not ripe
• They last longer. You can actually store them in the fridge for a few days before they start to soften. Fresh-picked strawberries, on the other hand, need to be attended to asap.
• There's just nothing more delicious than fresh-off-the-bush blueberries. Based on the number the boys managed to consume, I think they agree.

Blueberry season just started around here. Go out and pick some yourself. You'll see!

2017 EC Summer Bucket List

• Discover 3 new parks - TWO DONE
• Take a pony ride at a festival - CHECK!
• Weekend camping trip
• Pick strawberries - CHECK!
• Pick blueberries - CHECK!
• Attend a city or county fair - CHECK!
• Build a tree fort
• Bike a city trail - CHECK!
• Stay up past bedtime - CHECK!
• Visit an animal shelter
• Swim in three different pools - ONE DOWN
• Play mini golf
• Complete summer reading program at the library
• Ride the mini steam train
• Eat a s'more (Chase has requested one without the marshmallow) - CHECK!
• Attend an Express game - CHECK!

Day 1139 | Another Good Day

Today was a day. A family bike ride, a birthday party, and an afternoon at the Northern Wisconsin Stare Fair all in 90+ degrees. We're all exhausted but, man, did we have fun. Nothing like shoving a weekend worth of activity and excitement into one day. 

Day 1138 | Tactical Escape

Have you ever thought of checking out one of the escape room-type activities? Me neither. But that's exactly where we ended up tonight and it was a total blast. Ok, not "totally" because we didn't actually escape the room. But we were SO close that it kind of counts, right?!?

Either way, it's definitely something I want to do again. Who's in?

Thanks to our friends for the fun idea! 

Day 1137 | Garden Boxes Update

Check out the progress! You remember where we started, right?

So far we've only prematurely-harvested one green pepper (no thank you, Robbe) from our garden boxes but we're getting so close to seeing some real veggies pop up. Tomato plants as tall as trees (we had to use extra support poles) and cucumbers climbing higher than our lattice (they seem to be adjusting just fine to the string extensions). 

For you green thumbs out there, here's what you're seeing (from left to right):

BOX 1: tomatoes, broccoli (which some mite seems to be eating...boo!), and green beans

BOX 2: leeks (we're a bit skeptical about these), peppers, cucumbers, and carrots (although not visible from this angle).

I'll keep you posted as the summer progresses.

Day 1136 | House Projects

As promised, here are a couple of photos from some of the house updates we've been working on. First, the before and after of the light fixture in our dining room. We don't love the fixture, but we really didn't love the glass globes. So, the short-term + inexpensive solution was to remove the globes and replace the regular lightbulbs with the hipster edison bulbs. The verdict is still out as to whether we need higher wattage bulbs, but I'm digging the look of it. 

The curb appeal project we took on was replacing our color-clashing, paint-peeling rocking chairs that were the only display piece by our front door. We found some giant planters (although they don't look terribly giant next to the columns, surprise, surprise) on clearance and some fairly inexpensive topiaries to put in them. Ta-da...the pop of color and bit of whimsy was just what our entryway needed. 

The best part? Both of these projects were less that $100 combined! Not too bad for a quick facelift. And, don't worry, the fabric of the new window seat will be unveiled soon. I promise!

Day 1135 | Yoga in the Park

During Robbe's camp today, Chase and I joined a free kids yoga class in the park. I wouldn't say Chase was the most enthusiastic yogi but I think we'll be back. We all could use a little more yoga in our lives.