Day 370 | Official Baby Model

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Ever since Chase was a wee baby, we knew he had the potential to be a baby model (like all parents think). Today this thought became a reality, though.

We got Chase's school pictures back and included in the photo envelope (aside from the best photo ever) was a letter stating his was "one of the better school portraits we have done this year" and they want to use his photo for publicity next year. See? He's going to be famous! There's a definite possibility that this letter is included in all the envelopes but I choose not to believe that. :)

Day 368 | Chase Mart

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Chase has really been honing his customer service skills at Chase Mart (his grocery store, obviously) since his birthday.

Grandpa Paul and Uncle Brian would be so proud. He's going to be ready to take his own shift at the store when we're back Wisconsin this summer. Even down to the "Welcome to Chase Mart," "Is there anything I can help you find," and "Thank you for shopping."

Special note: Thanks to Uncle Brian and Aunt Tera for the great cash register birthday gift!

Day 362 | Balance Bike

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Today was a rough one. Robbe caught the cold that Chase and I came down with over the weekend. Seems like no big deal, right? A little congestion isn't that big of a deal, right? Well, Robbe begs to differ. Apparently a little congestion combined with teething (two more are so close!) and a desire to suck your thumb makes for difficult sleeping situations. It does make sense.

Let's not dwell on the very limited naps he's had the last two days or the very very limited sleep either of us got last night. Instead, let's smile at the photos of Chase sporting his new [blue] helmet while working on his balance bike skills. He's going to have this thing down by the end of the summer. Mark my words.

Oh, and if it's not too much to ask, think happy thoughts for a better sleep for all of us tonight. I need all the help I can get.

Day 360 | Butterflies!

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Today's outing has been on my DC to-do list since before I had babies. I finally finally got to see the butterflies at the National Museum of Natural History. We lucked out and got tickets by just walking in (I'm not sure if that's usually the case). You do have to pay for this exhibit but the $5 was totally worth it, in my opinion.

Chase was a little uncertain about these flying beauties (are you surprised?), but afterward they were his favorite part of the outing. Robbe, on the other hand, could not have been more excited. He squealed with excitement and pointed at all the butterflies the whole time. His reaction to the whole outing (we also watched the fishies for a bit and looked at some other animals) made me realize we need to do stuff like this more. He's really starting to take in and enjoy the world around him.

In other news, our month of visitors has come to an end. We dropped Grandma and Grandpa G. off at the airport this afternoon. In Chase's words, "I'm so sad." Back to the real world around here...

Day 357 | Day Out with Thomas

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2015 is turning out to be quite a year for our little 3-year-old. Today's installment? A Day Out with Thomas.

Have we taken the train enthusiasm to the extreme? Maybe, but it was totally worth it! Chase had a blast on his first Mommy-Daddy-Chase-Grandpa Day (thanks, Mom, for hanging out with Robbe so we could go sans-baby). Oh, and Thomas being there didn't hurt.

Some of the highlights from the big event:
  • Meeting the big guy: Thomas, that is (middle photo)
  • Meeting Sir Topham Hat (top-left photo)
  • Riding on one of Thomas's coaches (top-right and bottom-left photos)
  • Train-themed crafts (stamps, coloring, necklace-making)
  • A petting zoo (What? Who would have expected that?)
  • Three train-themed kiddie rides (including a carousel)
  • Tons of real trains to tour and look at (we'll be back to the B&O Railroad Museum)
  • A toy wooden railway (like the one we have at home), which Chase proclaimed was his favorite part of the day, of course
  • And so much more!
The event as busy but really well organized and really enjoyable. We were only there for about three hours but there was enough to do to keep the kiddos entertained for much, much longer. The train ride, itself, was about 20 minutes long which was perfect for Chase's attention span. And I'm glad we opted for a morning train ride (10:45am) which enabled us to do a lot of the activities before the bulk of the crowd showed up. 

Overall, a really wonderful morning. I would highly, highly recommend for any train-loving friends. 

Day 355 | One Final Train Craft

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Who am I kidding? There will definitely be future train crafts but I promise there will be a hiatus.

These are the party favors I made for Chase's friends. I bought standard train whistles and decided they needed some pizzazz so personalized them using the same method I did for the railroad crossing sign: Good old white glue and water.

The kiddos loved them!

Day 351 | Birthday Express

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Our sweet three year old had an absolutely terrific train party today. A little over the top with the train theme? Maybe. A little more of a time-suck than originally anticipated? Maybe. Totally worth all the time and energy for our train-obsessed toddler? Definitely!

A few of the highlights:
  • a cupcake train (one of my favorite projects!)
  • a train banner
  • railroad tracks leading up to the front door
  • a railroad crossing sign on the door
  • a super-complex wooden train track for all of Chase's closest train friends
  • the Thomas roller coaster, obviously
  • food trains with all the fruits/veggies and taco fixings
  • a special birthday mantle with representations of some of his favorite things
  • a cardboard choo choo engine

Day 348 | Lucky Boy

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Can you believe how lucky this little guy is? His very own Thomas roller coaster! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa M, we have the perfect toddler activity for Chase's birthday party. If the other kids enjoy the ride even a quarter as much as Chase, it'll be a huge hit.

And don't worry, it's not a permanent fixture in our basement. It'll be moving outdoors soon!

Day 345 | Adulthood

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You know you're an adult when...

A new garden shed is about the most exciting purchase ever! Our stroller has a new home (as does a bunch of other random stuff). I've been schlepping the double stroller up flights of stairs for over a year now and our single stroller before that for two years wasn't a picnic either. It now has a happy parking spot behind our house. Woohoo!

Special shoutouts:

-Chris for mastering the assembly. This thing was no joke. 
-Brian, a true friend, for offering up his vehicle and muscles for the pick up and delivery of the giant box. 
-Chase for offering quality control and supervisory assistance throughout the day. And for being the first item to happily reside in the new shed (for at least a few seconds). 

Day 342 | The Great Snack Search

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I'm always on the lookout for delicious, healthy, fairly-substantial, sugar-free snacks for my wee ones. The task is harder than it should be, in my opinion. And forget about finding something that fits the bill straight out of a box. 

I just remembered this yummy muffin recipe that I used to make for Chase when he was Robbe's age. These apple-banana-blueberry muffins check every box!

I had some big helpers for the baking adventure this morning. Chase continues to love to "dump" the ingredients and Robbe loves to "help" by emptying our cupboards.

Here's the recipe. For the record, I used whole wheat flour and water instead of apple juice, only because I didn't have any on hand. The muffins aren't all that sweet (even with all the fruit) but they are perfect for my little guys (and I think they're pretty satisfying, too).

Day 339 | A Little Excited Around Here

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Can you tell we're a tad excited today? Not only is Chris home (took a mini spring break to celebrate Chase's birthday) but it's also amazingly gorgeous outside: 75+ degrees and sunny!

And did I mention there's a bit of excitement surrounding opening day for the Brewers and, oh yeah, the Badgers are playing in a little something called the National Championship Game tonight. We're all doing our part in our lucky Bucky shirts. Go Badgers!