King Chase and Knight Robbe are here to say Happy Halloween. It was a busy but super fun day of visiting friends + family and collecting treats. Lots of treats.
Special thank you to Grandma Mary for her sewing expertise. They were the best king and knight I saw all night!
And now for some Halloweens past. Enjoy!
2017: Scientist and Spider
2016: Frozone and Toolman
2015: Fireman and Dalmatian
2014: Hedgehogs
2013 + 2012: Goldfish and Owl (just Chase)
Sweet cousin Eli introduced the boys to Pokémon during our last visit to Chris’s hometown. The boys had kind of forgotten about this introduction until a Cheerios box with a Pokémon card prize reminded them of how awesome they are. They decided to use some of their Halloween money (thanks, Grandm Bibi!) to buy some more cards so they could play the game.
So that’s what we’ve been doing for the last two days—trying to figure out this Pokémon game. The directions are, at the same time, too complex and not descriptive enough. This might be another obsession I leave to Chris to decode.
And all of this thanks to a Cheerios box. They know how to get you, don’t they?
The big painting project began today. Stage one: trim (in the foyer, back entry and upstairs). Stage two: walls (the same areas). I’m hoping the jobs will be complete by the end of November (we’re coordinating two separate painting companies). Day one seems to have been a success. That’s a good start.
With both boys off of school and no plans (what?!?), I let the boys decide on today’s activities. We ended up at Action City in the morning playing lazer tag, lazer mazes, mini bowling, and air hockey. Then we headed to a thrift store looking for treasures (no luck, but we scored a few fun books). We even snuck a movie into the mix as well.
It was a pretty perfect day off.
Look at these handsome fellows. Chase even managed to keep his hair in check.
They’re the best.
I was out for a[nother] book festival event and this is the photo I received. Apparently Chris and Robbe decided that this was the right night for bobbing for apples. Chase sat out due to his lack of lower teeth (he’s lost both in the middle) and one super loose top tooth (even though it would have been the perfect way to lose it).
Apparently Robbe was quite an impressive bobber, so he’s got that going for him.
Also, bobbing for apples is actually pretty gross.
It’s been a cold fall. And pretty cloudy + rainy. As much as a feel shorted for skipping over my favorite season, it does make the sunshine and moderate temps (only in the 50s) that much more enjoyable when they do make an appearance. Today’s coat-free existence and extra Vitamin D was much appreciated.
We carved pumpkins with the boys tonight and the only photo I took during the process was of my husband and my friend working together on the final stubborn pumpkin. The holidays really being people together, you know.
I’ll try to snap a good photo of the pumpkins lit up but, for historical purposes (just in case I forget), the boys selected a knight helmet and crown for their carvings. I’ll let you decide if that’s a hint about what’s in store for this year’s costumes.
Robbe has been having some epic meltdowns lately. We managed to survive the “terrible twos” without one tantrum (no joke), but the last month or so has taught me that we’ll eventually get our due. I’m not sure if it’s the transition to school or his desire to drop nap or if he just wants to be older (the most frequent explanation). Whatever it is, it’s driving me crazy. He loses all control of his little body. He says things to Chase just to be mean. He freaks out for no [reasonable] reason.
We’ve tried being sympathetic. We’ve been consistent in our expectations of him. It doesn’t seem to be working. Today I resorted to a new technique: essential oils. We bought some lavender essential oil to help keep Robbe calm. For the first day in awhile, we had no meltdowns. No joke. He loved the lavender. We put some behind our ears and on our wrists. We made a spray that he spritzed on his stuffed animals and pillows. I even had the boys lay down and I spritzed some over their faces (one of my all time favorite yoga class traditions from DC). They couldn’t get enough. It was pretty adorable.
Maybe it was a one-time fluke, but I’ll take it. Fingers crossed it sticks for a bit longer, though!
The book festival hosted a Meet the School Authors event tonight so the boys got to tag along on the fun. There are a bunch of authors that do presentations (38 of them to be exact) at schools across the Chippewa Valley and tonight ten of them gathered to talk about being authors and sign some of their books. I really appreciated the opportunity to show the boys that there are real people on the other side of the stories we read all the time. I’m not sure the fully *got it* but it’s all about planting the seeds.
Three book festival events down, about 18 to go. Whew.
The Chippewa Valley Book Festival started today. I’ve been spending all my free time (not an exaggeration) on this volunteer marketing position for so long that I can’t even fathom what my life looks like without this major time commitment (until we start planning for 2019, obviously). For now, I will enjoy the events, appreciate all the work that’s been put into the festival, and try to focus on the positive outcomes of my efforts instead of the shortcomings (which there always will be).
Can you believe Chase has never performed in anything? He’s had a lot of practices for things at his preschools and last year as a kindergartener but he’s never been in a holiday show or a spring sing or any other public performance. In DC, we missed most of them because of travels back to WI (the shows always landed the afternoon before some extended break...ugh). We thought he was finally going to make his first onstage performance last spring but it got rained out. Are you kidding me?!?
Today! He finally had his singing debut today. As part of a children’s choir at church, Chase sang his little heart out in front of the congregation. The sing out “loud and proud” advice that I’ve been giving him for years finally paid off. He did just that! We could hear his little voice loud and clear (but not in a yell-y sort of way). He was so proud of himself. We were pretty proud, too.
*Side note: Yes, he is wearing the same outfit as last night. Turns out we don’t have a ton of *presentable* attire that fits him right now. #growingpains
Father/son date night tonight! Dinner and a show in the new performing arts center down the street from us. Upon their return home, the theater-goers gave the production of The Phantom Tollbooth good reviews and they were both grinning from ear to ear recalling their evening on the town.
Oh, and don’t worry, Robbe and I had fun, too. We went to a bookstore and ate a fancy dinner at Noodles. Yeah. We all had a pretty great night.
It’s been awhile since we’ve seen our friend, the sun. Today was still chilly but the sunshine made all the difference. Also, Wisconsin is beautiful.
The boys and I cheered on our favorite [non-relative] babysitter today at her last volleyball game of the season. The boys were so excited to attend a game and our sweet babysitter seemed really happy that they were there. I love being able to do stuff like this.
I found these sweet turtleecks at Goodwill for part of the boys’ Halloween costumes (no spoilers just yet—but they’re pretty amazing). The boys are so excited about their costumes that they wanted to wear these shirts to school today. For the record, it brightened my day way too much watching these two run around in skin-tight turtlenecks. Also, Robbe is wearing shiny silver leggings. That is all.
I don’t think we’ve seen the sun in a week. And the rain continues tomorrow. I actually don’t mind it...I just wish it didn’t mean that we get short-changed on Fall. I have a feeling we’re going straight into winter. It’s not my favorite.
On a whim, I asked the boys if they wanted to try out one of Chris’s typewriters after school. You won’t believe me when I say this, but Robbe sat in front of that typewriter and “worked” for the rest of the day (minus a dinner break). He LOVED it. I mean, they both did, but Robbe really did. He’s already committed to finishing his next sheet of paper tomorrow—whatever that means.
We’ve got another visitor! It’s been a fun weekend showing Sean (who has never been to WI before) everything that’s great about our neck of the woods. We visited our farmers market, went apple picking, enjoyed the beautiful fall colors, ate at a true Wisconsin supper club, toured a dairy farm, and watched some Wisconsin sporting events. That’s a good weekend.
A big [huge] thanks to Sean for making the trip. It really means a lot to us.
This is what 7:10am looks like at our house these days. That’s what you get when the 1500th blog post sneaks up on you and you don’t have a family photo to share. Seriously, though…1500 posts. I missed some days. I’ve hated blogging some days. But I’m glad to be here. Having to reflect on our sweet little life every 100 days in these update posts really helps me realize how far we’ve come and how quickly the boys change.
Enjoy this little sneak peek into what’s been happening with us.
FAVORITES: The smell of fall, oat milk + decaf lattes, getting more space back in my life (5 half days of 4K helps!), Halloween costume crafting (I really do love it), seeing the boys grow up as best friends, nearing the completion of the marketing plan for the book festival I’ve been working on
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Realizing that I might not be completely warm again for the next 6 months. That's not ok.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Completing the big [HUGE] painting project in the house (which hasn't even started yet). I'm just so excited (mostly because it’s not me painting!).
FAVORITES: Watching the boys play in the fort, tinkering with his Fantasy Football lineup, regaining his interest in the Brewers, fixing things around the house, eating Oreos, reading The Phantom Tollbooth to Chase
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Stepping onto a cold tile floor at 6am. It’s pretty much the worst.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Calling the fort completely done. He's close, but shutters, the door, and some of the "special features" are looming over him as the temperature drops.
AGE: 6.5
FAVORITES: Legos (specifically the Ninjago variety), playing with new friends, reading on his own, making people laugh, practicing his piano recital song (for once he likes practicing piano!), playing swamp on our new backyard swing set, losing his teeth, hypnotizing people, watching movies, brownie M&M cookies, keeping things symmetrical, at school: silent reading, lunch, and recess
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Convincing mom and dad to let him play video games more often. It’s a new addition to our house and Chase is VERY interested in honing his skills.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Always being the one to pick what he and his brother play. I will say he *usually* gets his way, but more and more Robbe is asserting himself. This dream might be harder and harder to come by as the days roll on.
AGE: 4.5
FAVORITES: Riding the bus (and *most of the time* opting to sit with his brother), dog-sitting, eating at Noodles, swinging, watching movies, chewing gum, saying "it's not fair", getting presentations at school, smiling + being silly, wearing his sherpa hoodie again, ga-ga ball
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Waiting for Halloween. This kid is excited. He asks me every day (at least once) if I've been working on his costume. At least he's holding me accountable.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Dropping his afternoon nap. If he wasn't such a hot mess at the end of the day on the days he skips, I'd be more likely to consider it!
Looking back on 1500 posts:
small city | BIG DAYS
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