Day 1699 | Baseball

We went to a local baseball game last night and the boys both walked away with a baseball (one home run, one foul ball). We tried to explain to them how crazy that was but I don’t think it sank in. Total disappoint is inevitable for all future ballgames.

And now a quick update on our…

2019 summer bucket list

• Go fishing — done!

• Go mini golfing

• Go swimming — done!

• Catch frogs—done!

• Look for new animals

• Playdate with Malcolm—done!

• Attend a baseball game—done!

• Go bowling

• Make a movie

• Make homemade ice cream

• Lots of playdates with Edwin—in progress

• A Fairfax Pool trip—done!

• Go camping

• Bike to get ice cream—done!

• Go to a family wedding

Day 1698 | Swimming

Not too bad for our view during a morning swim session at a sweet friend’s house. In case you haven’t noticed, Wisconsin is really beautiful.

Day 1697 | Babysitting

I told the boys I’d give them $2 each for babysitting this sweet baby boy for an hour this afternoon. The “babysitting” lasted about three minutes before they realized they had more important things to focus on. I took advantage of the extra baby snuggles, though, so I’ll count it as a win.

Day 1696 | Back with My Boys

I missed these little nuggets. I’d like to think they missed me, too. Maybe a little.

Day 1695 | Rooftop Pool

My day started at a rooftop pool and will end with sleeping in my own bed. I had a great time in Denver and am even more excited about the upcoming nuptials. I didn’t even think that was possible!

Day 1694 | Bachelorette Party

Let the festivities begin! I’m in Denver celebrating my soon-to-be sister in law with a bunch of her closest friends. It turns out they’re as lovely as she is. It’s going to be a good night.

Day 1693 | Photo Shoot

I told you we had a plan for the 4-H photo project. Chase wants to capture the city’s murals—he thought of the idea on his own.

Here’s a sneak peek from today’s photo shoot. Two murals down, two to go.

Day 1692 | 4-H Projects

The 4-H fair is just around the corner and we’ve got projects on our mind…and our to-do list. Chase is taking four projects this year. One is done: see the monster pillow pictured above. Two are mostly done: an avocado seedling that just needs to keep growing and an original LEGO design that needs some extra flare. The final project is photography—and we have a plan for that. Hopefully we’ll wrap that up by the end of the week, too.

I’ll keep you posted.

Day 1691 | Blossom

Have you been wondering about our newest family member? Blossom is still around and is doing great. He’s content being woken up at all hours of his daytime sleep, tolerates being held, and has become a good friend. A good friend that poops a lot whenever we’re hanging out. Sometimes it's necessary to look past your friends’ shortcomings.

Day 1690 | Water Slide

With Chris gone for the weekend, the boys and I needed to have a big day. And we did. The highlight was going to the community pool and trying out the water slide. It was a huge success. I think Robbe went back and forth between the pool and slide for about 1.5 hours.

Day 1689 | Chickens

We were on chicken duty today. I can’t say I’m ready to add a coop to our backyard but we did have fun feeding them and chasing them around in an attempt to hold them (at least a couple of us did that).

Day 1688 | Happy 4th

Pretty low key day around here. Ran some errands and enjoyed some yard games and a grill out with some friends. Summer holidays are pretty amazing.

Day 1687 | Strawberry Picking

Another great year for strawberry picking. This year we ended up at Foster Farm’s Strawberries. The weather was about perfect, the bugs left us alone, and there was a surplus of big, delicious berries. You couldn’t ask for anything more.

Day 1686 | Donuts

I haven’t taken any photos the last two days. Sorry about that. I’ll share this cute one of the boys with their donuts from the weekend. These donuts were SO good. We’ll definitely be making a trip back.

Day 1685 | Big Weekend

It was a big weekend around here. Yesterday was a lovely summer day with two bike rides and a water fight and some pool time and the boys’ first ever 4th of July fireworks. Today was calmer because of some stormy weather but still really lovely. 

Summer is the best.  

Day 1684 | Bike Riding

Look at these little cuties. A successful bike ride to the playground with a seven, five, and three year old. We were surprised, too. 

Day 1683 | Juggling Lesson

Tadpole Camp was cancelled today because of storms, so we ended up stopping at the library to grab a book on hold that we’ve been waiting for. When we arrived, we found out we were just in time for a juggling lesson. You can’t pass that up!

We’ve definitely got some work to do on our juggling skills, but the boys did get the hang of the twirling plates and balancing balloons. Probably no jobs in the circus for us quite yet, though. 

Day 1682 | Reflecting on a Crazy Week

Last week was bananas. Like, maybe the busiest we’ve experienced since having kids. The boys had a blast attending two separate camps and starting soccer (which is an eight-week activity), but, man, all that schlepping and prep-work is exhausting. I think I’m still recovering.

This was the general schedule last week:

• 8:45am | Leave house

• 9:30am-noon | Beaver Creek Nature camp

• 12:10pm-12:50pm | Drive from Beaver Creek while eating lunch in the car

• 1:00pm-4:00pm | Time Travel Camp at the Children’s Theater

• 4:15pm | Home

That’s not too terrible, right? Well that was just Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Monday and Wednesday, it looked like this:

• 8:45am | Leave house

• 9:30am-noon | Beaver Creek Nature camp

• 12:10pm-12:50pm | Drive from Beaver Creek while eating lunch in the car

• 1:00pm-3:45pm | Time Travel Camp at the Children’s Theater

• 3:45pm-4:00pm | Drive to soccer while changing into soccer socks/shin guards and eating a quick snack

• 4:00pm-5:00pm | Soccer

• 5:15pm | *Home

*Except on Wednesday when I had to drop the boys off at Chris’s office so that I could scoot out to my pottery class. That day, the boys got home around 6:30pm and I returned back to the house at 9:00pm.

Some observations from a manic week

• A perfume of sunscreen and bug spray followed me everywhere.

• In total, I drove about 290 miles in one week. I’d say usually we average around 50. I was in the car for about 2.5 hours/day.

• Packing lunches is no joke. Chase eats hot lunch (because I’ve never given him the option-ha!), and I always knew packing lunches every day must stink, but I really get it now. It’s just one more thing you have to plan for and prep before getting out the door.

• I over-scheduled myself because I needed to make the most of my windows of kid-free time (which is in short-supply this summer). During the two-hour windows of these camps, I shoved in three meetings, two appointments, and countless errands. Although it was nice to cross some of these things off my list, I wouldn’t say I felt more composed at the end of all of this.

• Living out of the car is a thing (see photo above). Our van has never been dirtier + more full of stuff than last week. We had about three changes of clothes, lunch containers + bags, sunscreen/bug spray, crafts from every day at camps, water bottles galore, stuff for all my meetings, multiple pairs of shoes/sandals—you get the idea.

The van has recovered completely from the chaotic week. I think the boys and I are still working on it.

Day 1681 | Letting Go

Both boys are officially two-wheel bike riders now. They are at their happiest when they are navigating our block on their own. You read that right. We’re letting them ride their bikes around our block solo (out of site…eek!). It’s been a lesson in letting go, that’s for sure.

They’re just so proud of themselves and their independence, though. It’s very sweet.

Day 1680 | Tadpole Camp

Another week, another camp. This might be the favorite one yet...but it’s only day one, so we’ll see how the rest of the week goes. 

According to the boys, Robbe caught nine tadpoles and Chase caught 30. I cannot confirm or deny these numbers.