Eight days means too many photos for just one recap post. I’ve decided to break down our vacation into three parts: (1) NYC + Brooklyn, (2) Mid-State, and (3) Niagara Falls.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Click to enlarge and read quick captions. Enjoy!
Sorry I’ve been MIA lately, but we’ve been a bit busy playing tourist in NYC. I’ll post more photos when we get back, but here’s one right after we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to tide you over. We’ve been having such a great time.
Robbe asked for a dragon from a face painting artist at the school carnival yesterday and this is what she came up with. Pretty epic, right? He was super excited.
Robbe participated in his first variety show today. Some students sang, some danced, one even rode a unicycle. Robbe? He told jokes. And he nailed it. He wore a bow tie (by choice!) and everything. It was adorable.
I walked with a group of 4th & 5th graders around downtown Eau Claire admiring the new sculptures today. And there are some good ones this year. It was a beautiful day to be outside with Chase and his friends and I’m just thankful I could tag along.
We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend filled with family, yummy food, final touches to the garden, a bit of sunshine, and I even went out on the paddle board. The boys even got to work with Uncle Brian on some sweet RC cars. What a treat.
Chris and Robbe jumped in the lake on Memorial Day weekend. Check.
The rest of us watched from the [warm] beach. It’s hard to believe summer is just days away, and boy are we excited.
It was a bit cold and a little rainy, but we were on the soccer field cheering on Chase and his team. I’m not going to lie, I definitely am not cut out for the sports-mom life, but I do enjoy seeing him outside, being active, and being part of a team. One more soccer game this season and then we’re free for the summer. Thank goodness. I need a break.
Anni and Zoe (not pictured here) rocked it tonight at their dance recital. Every year I’m blown away by the talent these girls have. Congrats on another impressive dance season coming to an end, ladies. I’m such a proud aunt.
Oftentimes, the boys ask me if I can help them find something to do (as if our whole house isn’t filled with “things to do”). I’ll suggest drawing as one of the ideas. Usually, this illicit a blank stare and head shake. It’s the craziest thing I could suggest.
Other times, they spend hours and days drawing awesome scenes and it’s apparent they really love to draw (which is why I often suggest it). Apparently, these two scenerios are not related in their eyes.
This is one of my favorite parts of spring—and I’ve got no shortage of things I love about this time of year! Can you handle how pretty this lilac bush (tree?) is? Its blossoms can’t help but make you smile and its scent fills the air no matter where you are in the backyard. If only the blooms lasted longer! But I’ll take what I can get.
Another weekend, another round of Dungeons & Dragons. At least they played outside on the porch. That’s a definite upgrade.
p.s. Chris is a really good dad. I have no patience for that game.
Just me and my best friend hanging out on the porch on this beautiful spring/summer-like day. No big deal.
Robbe has become very interested in this little gel-like animals that he calls “squishies”. Or maybe that’s their official name? I’m not sure. Either way, they sure have been providing quite the entertainment lately. The photo above is from when Robbe discovered that the squishies stick to the underside of the counter. Fun, right?
I remember walking to playgrounds with Chase when he was a small baby and longing for a time when he would be able to play along with the rest of the kids. I remember watching the older kids and wondering how long the playground stays appealing.
Our ten-year-old’s interest in playground antics has definitely diminished, but it hasn’t disappeared quite yet. If he’s in the right mood, the playground still brings as much joy as it ever did. And our eight-year-old? He’s in no matter the circumstance.
I’ve been a mom for ten years. That’s a lot of years. The woman next to me? Forty-five years.
We can learn so much from other moms, can’t we? And yet, we try to pave our path on our own. We try to prove we can do it and be everything to everyone. I struggle with that and yet find it hard to ask for help at the same time.
Momming is hard work. But the best work I do. I’m thankful everyday for the tiny humans that call me mom. And I’ll do everything in my power to model kindness and compassion and empathy in hopes that even a bit of that sinks in to the next generation. The world could use more kindness, don’t you think?
To my mom, and my husband’s mom, and all the moms reading this: you’re doing a great job. Your sacrifices and efforts are recognized and appreciated.
The temperatures have creeped up and flowers are starting to pop up around town. It appears that spring has decided to arrive after all.
Thank goodness. We all needed it.
The boys might not love practicing piano but Flopsy has been enjoying it very much lately.
No joke…this guy pulled THREE (3!) teeth out right when he woke up this morning. Isn’t that about the craziest thing you’ve ever heard? I still can’t wrap my head around it.
While Chris is off traveling with his brothers, the boys and I managed to put together a nice little Saturday for ourselves. It started off with a cold, rainy, and pretty miserable soccer game at 8am (the boys were in shockingly good spirits throughout, though!). Once we got home, changed out of our soaking wet clothes, and warmed up, we still had a whole day ahead of us.
We made time for some video games, there was a lot of reading, some game-playing, and we even set up a projector in our [messy] basement to watch a movie on “the big screen”.
But the big highlight of the day was heading to our favorite ice cream shop for a Harry Potter-themed celebration. As part of the fun, they were making shakes with secret colors enveloped in the ice cream so that you stirred it up to reveal which house you were in. They called them Sorting Shakes. So cute, right? Also, very delicious. It was the perfect little outing during a wet, dreary day when we didn’t have motivation for much of anything else outside the house.
small city | BIG DAYS
home | about | meet the team | work with me | contact
