Day 213 | The Sight of Christmas

Our tree is all decorated. The lights are in place (thanks, Chris), the ornaments are hung (thanks Mom, Chase, Robbe, and Chris), and some of the ornaments have been ripped down again (thanks, Robbe).

And, we added a new train (well, very old train, actually) to our tree set up this year. So excited to add this treasure from Chris's family to our family tradition. 

Day 212 | Festive Artwork

My latest craft...are you getting sick of these posts yet? I'm not!

I found these canvases at Michael's at a three for one price so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do some holiday art. Here's what I came up with. I might add another layer but you get the idea. I'm pretty pleased about how it turned out. 

Now to find the perfect place to hang them. Challenge accepted. 

Day 211 | Wasting No Time

My mom arrived today (hip, hip hooray!) and, as soon as possible, we packed up the car and headed to pick out a Christmas tree. And we found a pretty great one.

To do tomorrow: decorate. The tree. The mantle. The porch.

Oh, and start on the many crafts I've got planned. Like I said, hip, hip hooray!

Day 210 | Feeling Thankful

Happy, happy Thanksgiving. More than anything else, I have to say I'm most thankful for family: this year and always. 

Day 209 | Let It Snow

It didn't last long and didn't amount to anything but it sure was pretty. And Robbe can check another first off his list.

Day 208 | Handprint Turkeys

Chase has been busy making lots of different versions of the classic handprint turkey.

The two on the left are crafts he did with me (one is going to be part of our Thanksgiving table setting and the other was a Thanksgiving card). The one on the right is from a placemat he made at school. Let's just say he was practically an expert at that point. The prayer he says before snack is included. Hearing him say it is about the cutest thing ever. 

Day 207 | Too Much Red?

I think just enough. 

Day 206 | Fall Isn't Over

The warmer temperatures today (and forecasted for tomorrow!) served as a reminder that Fall isn't over yet. Even though we're definitely in the holiday spirit around this house (Chase is already on his holiday book kick, after all), we broke out of the house today and enjoyed some quality outdoor time.

After playing at the park, we filled two landscape bags full of leaves and it looks like we didn't make a dent. For what it's worth, a toddler using a shovel to "help" rake isn't really that helpful. I was surprised, too. 

Day 205 | The Sound of Christmas

I held off another two weeks, but decided today was the day to break out the Christmas music. Here's our first (but hopefully not last) family Christmas dance party of the season.

Chase selected, Frosty the Snoman for Robbe's first Christmas song. Probably wouldn't have been my first choice, but I let it go. See? I'm flexible.

Day 204 | Favorite Things Tees

One of my craft project Christmas presents I've been dying to cross off my list is this fun faux screen printing project. I made both boys favorite things t-shirts using freezer paper and fabric paint.

Here's the tutorial I followed. It's super easy and a quick craft that leads to a great sense of accomplishment. I made Chase a fish tee with this process last year and he wore it a ton. It actually went through the wash just fine. Shocking, I know.

As you can see, Chase's favorite thing right now? Trains, excuse me, "choo choos." And Robbe? Shoes. It's almost an addiction the way he beelines for them. 

Day 203 | Happy Hunting

As most of my family back in Wisconsin heads out on their annual deer hunting adventure, let me say three things:

1. Be safe. 

2. See lots of deer (notice I just said "see").

3. Have fun. 

I've never been a part of this tradition (I was never the type to enjoy sitting outside in 20 degree weather and using an outhouse), but I love that my dad and brothers take part in it. It makes me happy without even being there. 

Special note: the face of the deer above is my palm, in case you can't figure it out. 

Day 202 | Like a Sponge

It's amazing what a little mind absorbs at this age. Just in the past few weeks Chase is learning so much. And before you think we've been holed up running flash cards, I have to admit that I've done practically nothing to encourage his new spurt of knowledge. Here's what he's caught on to (and the method of/reason for the learning):

1. States: thanks to a lovely placemat, Chase can now identify 19 states and the District of Columbia.  He can also differentiate between Washington, D.C. and Washington state. This is beyond impressive to me since I was *ahem* much older when I grasped this concept. 
2. Spelling: Chase dug out our Bananagrams game the other night, Chris spelled out M-O-M, and all of a sudden he's into spelling. Here's his list so far (pictured above). 
3. Telling time: ok, he's more just identifying numbers on the clock but he started asking about when Chris would be home so I recently began answering with "when the little hand points to 6." Now we eat with the clock at the table and every so often (about every five minutes, you might guess), he shouts, with enthusiasm, "it's [the big hand] touching the 4 [or whatever number]!" 

Yeah, I know what you're thinking: he's probably a genius (she says with a wink).

Day 201 | Staying Warm

The rain and wind came through last night and now it's a bit chilly outside. 30 degrees in November? That's not DC...that's Wisconsin. And we moved from there for a reason.

After quick trips to and from school this morning, we plan on staying put the rest of the day. Maybe more puzzles on the horizon. 

meet the team

 

Name: Sara 
Favorites: baby snuggles from my boys, hearing my toddler say, "momma, you're beautiful" without prompting, getting into the holiday spirit (I just love everything about this time of year), and end-of-the-day, post-baby-bedtime chatting/relaxing with the husband
Biggest hurdle to overcome: checking all the holiday gift craft projects off my list (and there's a lot).
Dreams for the future: trying to live more in the present with my sweet boys at these sweet ages and not get caught up in the day to day frustrations.

Name: Chris
Favorites: being able to cheer on the Badgers in both football and basketball in the same week, wearing wool socks again, and seeing the look of excitement and pure joy on the faces of his boys when he peers through the door as he unlocks the door after work.
Biggest hurdle to overcome: deciding on the perfect holiday cocktails for a little shindig we're throwing.
Dreams for the future: enjoying a huge, can't-possibly-have-enough-food Thanksgiving dinner (it's his favorite holiday)

 Name: Chase (Don't forget we go by middle names for the kiddos around here)
Age: 2.5 years
Favorites: singing at the top of his lungs (Down by the Bay and I've Been Working on the Railroad are the two current go-tos), learning the names of states (off his mealtime placemat, obviously), playing anything with his daddy when he gets home from work (he saves special giggles for this specific time)
Biggest hurdle to overcome: dealing with the fact he can't go to tree park when it's cold/dark outside. Sorry, big guy.
Dreams for the future: spending two weeks with his absolute-favorite-people-in-the-whole-world (that's you, family!) at Christmas

 Name: Robbe
Age: 8.5 months
Favorites: brother tackles, I mean, hugs, shoes (chewing on, not wearing), Miga sightings (she's an elusive one), honing all his new skills (think: standing, climbing stairs, eating with his hands, big stuff)
Biggest hurdle to overcome: sleeping through the night. We're getting close, people. I can feel it. Chase pulled it off at 9.5 months so maybe we're on a similar trajectory.
Dreams for the future: eating just one piece of cat food. It's not too much to ask, mom, is it?

Name: Miga the Cat
Age: 8 years
Favorites: Being outside, sleeping on white surfaces (only makes sense since she's a black cat), head-butting for attention, showing off her snaggle-teeth (she has two, could we be any luckier?), keeping our feet and crooks of our knees warm at night (really helpful and not at all annoying), meowing at the highest volume level imaginable.
Biggest hurdle to overcome: Coming to terms with the fact that she's an indoor cat now.  Not an easy transition.
Dreams for the future: A calmer existence.  It's been a rough few months for this one: a new baby, a new house, moving to single-cat status, no more outdoor adventures. Poor kitty.

Name: Moggy the Cat
Age: he was with us for 7 eventful years
Favorites: Eating anything and everything (favorites over the years: cell phone chargers, q-tips, hair ties), getting attention from Chase (I swear he really did like it), rubbing up on Chris's work pants (he was a white cat so rubbing on black pants just makes sense), sitting in boxes (why is this fun for cats?)
Dreams for the future: Our family challenge is coming to terms with the fact we'll never see that sweet, handsome kitty cat again. He'll always be with us in spirit...

Day 200 | Yep, 200

To continue the tradition, I'll dedicate today's celebratory post to providing an update on the team.

Name: Sara
Favorites: baby snuggles from my boys, hearing my toddler say, "momma, you're beautiful" without prompting, getting into the holiday spirit (I just love everything about this time of year), and end-of-the-day, post-baby-bedtime chatting/relaxing with the husband
Biggest hurdle to overcome: checking all the holiday gift craft projects off my list (and there's a lot).
Dreams for the future: trying to live more in the present with my sweet boys at these sweet ages and not get caught up in the day to day frustrations.

Name: Chris
Favorites: being able to cheer on the Badgers in both football and basketball in the same week, wearing wool socks again, and seeing the look of excitement and pure joy on the faces of his boys when he peers through the door as he unlocks the door after work.
Biggest hurdle to overcome: deciding on the perfect holiday cocktails for a little shindig we're throwing.
Dreams for the future: enjoying a huge, can't-possibly-have-enough-food Thanksgiving dinner (it's his favorite holiday)

Name: Chase
Favorites: singing at the top of his lungs (Down by the Bay and I've Been Working on the Railroad are the two current go-tos), learning the names of states (off his mealtime placemat, obviously), playing anything with his daddy when he gets home from work (he saves special giggles for this specific time)
Biggest hurdle to overcome: dealing with the fact he can't go to tree park when it's cold/dark outside. Sorry, big guy.
Dreams for the future: spending two weeks with his absolute-favorite-people-in-the-whole-world (that's you, family!) at Christmas.

Name: Robbe
Favorites: brother tackles, I mean, hugs, shoes (chewing on, not wearing), Miga sightings (she's an elusive one), honing all his new skills (think: standing, climbing stairs, eating with his hands, big stuff)
Biggest hurdle to overcome: sleeping through the night. We're getting close, people. I can feel it. Chase pulled it off at 9.5 months so maybe we're on a similar trajectory.
Dreams for the future: eating just one piece of cat food. It's not too much to ask, mom, is it?

Day 199 | 'Tis the Season...

For crafting! And I'm ready and feeling inspired. So far, I've got six different crafts in the hopper. Most are pictured here to some extent but not all (some need to be kept under wraps, obviously).

I'll have lots of reveals to show off after the holidays and maybe, just maybe, one or two beforehand. 

Woohoo!

Day 198 | Looking Good

I bought a new hair clipper a few weeks ago and Chase's hair was finally long enough to give it a try today. It's a bit short, but his hair grows so fast that short is necessary so I don't have to cut it every other week. I hope you approve.

He looks so grown up with a new hair cut, right?

Side note: Chase is still working on his thumbs up pose. :)

Day 197 | Oh Yeah, This is DC

Seemed like a pretty easy plan for the day: a trip down to the Mall to meet our friends John and Caia and play at the Museum of the American Indian.

Then one of my least favorite parts about this city got in the way: the traffic. We've had such good luck in that department lately that I almost forgot how much I despise sitting, without moving, in the car. With two babies.

We did make it to the museum after some tense moments, several songs, and a Marshall and Thomas (the train) story. This museum is, unexpectedly, lots of fun for the kiddos. There's a great children's area with a skateboard (pictured above), a kayak (modeled next to Robbe), a teepee, an igloo, and too many additional exhibits to mention. We wish we could have been there for longer, but we'll take what we can get.

In case you think that was the only traffic congestion we got stuck in today, you'd be wrong. The trip to Caia and John's house for lunch took twice as long as it should have and the trip back home was no piece of cake, either.

Thanks for the reminder, DC.

Day 196 | A New Craft

My mom picked up a fun stamping book when she was visiting and now I've been bitten by the carve-your-own stamp bug.

I started by carving bird stamps (one of my favorite subjects at the moment) and I'm really enjoying the new challenge. It's a fairly mindless, inexpensive activity that I can do in small chunks of time (a must with my current lifestyle). 

I'll be posting future designs as I hone this new craft. You might have to wait until after the holidays, though, because I see some great gifts on the horizon. 

Day 195 | Picnic, Please

A picnic in mid-November? Yes, please! The boys and I took full advantage of this amazingly sunny and mild fall day to play a bit longer at Tree Park and eat lunch in the great outdoors (which happens very infrequently now that we have a baby eating "solids" to contend with). The challenge was worth it today, however. And I fully enjoyed the extra time in the sun.