Day 427 | Bedroom Buddies

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Since moving into our house just over a year ago, we've been talking about when to move the boys into the same room. We always planned on having them share, so it was a question of when, not if.

A looming visit from Chris's brother and his family gave us the final shove that we needed. They have a little one that could use her own space more than Chase so why not give the room-sharing idea a go?

Chase was beyond excited about his new "bedroom buddy" (aka Robbe) and his new "bedroom neighbors" (aka mom and dad: previously he's been sleeping on the main level of our house while we sleep upstairs). Oh, and I almost failed to mention that included in this bedroom transition was also the switch from crib to big boy bed for our sweet three year old. How could I have almost forgotten such a momentous occasion?

I'll let you know how all this turns out tomorrow. I hope everyone gets a decent night's sleep, it is a big celebration day tomorrow, after all!

Day 420 | Blueberries, Black Raspberries, and More

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Best day ever!

70 degree weather for the perfect berry picking morning. There were blueberries galore, black raspberries for days, sugar snap peas (that could have been a little more delicious, let's be honest), and our first chance to pick cherries (they were tart, but that's ok, it still counts). We love Butlers Orchard.

As if that weren't enough, we ate a delicious lunch at Noodles and then stopped at Dairy Queen for an ice cream treat to power everyone through the drive home (we couldn't let them fall asleep, after all). After finishing his ice cream, Chase declared (in his most official voice) that "Ice cream in the car is the best!"

Day 416 | Brotherly Bonding

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I was attending to some cleaning chores this morning and from the living room came the sweetest belly laughs coming from both boys. They had created a game involving the couch cushions and it was making everyone happy.

A few observations from this scene:
  1. Baby belly laughs are undoubtedly the best thing in the world.
  2. These moments of unsupervised playtime between the boys is becoming more common lately. Maybe I need to spend more time cleaning to foster it.
  3. We continue to spend so much time playing in our living room instead of in the basement where most of the toys are. Let's hope the couches can survive this extreme use.

Day 413 | Big Outing

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I went all in today: skipping morning nap and metroing down to the National Building Museum for some serious playtime and picnicking fun. The outing was practically perfect and we all had a blast back at one of our favorite DC attractions for kids.

One thing I didn't enjoy on today's outing? The advice I was given by two strangers while we were navigating the metro. I know I should just say thank you (which I did) and move on (obviously haven't) but seriously? How incompetent of a person do you think I am?

Scenario 1: waiting for the elevator up and out of one of the metro stations. I'm waiting patiently (as are the babies) for the elevator to arrive (which, in case you're unaware, metro has the slowest elevators of all time). I've pushed the button several times because it's not lighting up but, after a few attempts, give up and assume the light is just broken and we continue the wait. Several seconds later, the driver of the train yells out his window. I assume it's not directed towards me. It was. He yelled again to tell me I needed to push the button for the elevator to arrive. What? Thanks, captain obvious. I've got it from here. Luckily, the doors opened at that very moment so I proved myself as a capable member of society. 

Scenario 2: on the train ride home. Chase requests a window seat (for obvious reasons) so I park the stroller out of the way near the doors and take the boys to a window seat a few rows in. We pass a few stops and I realize my wallet is peeking out of the stroller (near the doors...eek!) so at the next stop, I tell Chase to sit nicely for a second while I take Robbe and grab my wallet. In the two seconds (no joke) of me walking towards the stroller before I turn right back around, a woman says to me, "you forgot one of your babies." This has to be a joke, right? I can only shake my head, even now. 

Needless to say, we made it home (with both babies) even though society seemed to think it was questionable many times. 

Ha!


Day 412 | Emery Playground

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I didn't start the morning off thinking we'd be visiting another new park today (or be blogging about another new park for that matter) but that's the way it turned out. And boy am I excited we ended up at the Emery Recreation Center playground today. It was amazing!

A few of the highlights:
  1. A big hill in the middle with two slides coming down from it=super fun!
  2. A double-decker play structure with some really unique attractions (think slide with three turbo boosters, an "elevator" pole feature, two bridges, etc)
  3. Really interesting and addicting wall-mounted games that I haven't seen anywhere else. There was a construction-themed one where you had to manipulate four different gears to get all the marbles through the different machines. Very cool. 
The only downside? It was too hot to stay for very long. We'll be back when the sun isn't quite as brutal. 

Day 402 | Pretend Play

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Chase has been really getting into pretend play lately. I'm digging it. The scenarios he comes up with (play museums, fixing Thomas, and researching things, mostly trains, on his "computer") are pretty interesting and super impressive.

Today as I was cooking dinner, I overheard him telling Robbe about the movie he was watching (including inserting the DVD). In case you can't tell, they were watching the movie on a cutting board. 

Day 400 | 400!

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I made it to 400 posts! Woohoo! To keep with tradition, here's an update on the team.

Name: Sara
Favorites: walking (thanks to the extra motivation from my fitbit), the rain (which has been constant the last few days, but I don't mind at all), strawberry gin and tonics (I'll do a post about these some day), clean bathrooms (I just wish I didn't have to be the one to clean them).
Biggest hurdle to overcome: finding time for crafting. Since my built-in crafting mornings are gone (thanks, summer vacation), I'm having a hard time finding time to sneak crafting in. I already have afternoon nap and post-bedtime pretty over-booked so something has to give.
Dreams for the future: finding closure to the school situation. We're still up in the air (very up in the air) about where Chase is going to be going to school come the fall. It's silly to be so preoccupied with this for a three year old but it's a big deal. Five day program or two day? Closer to home or further away? We're confident we'll have some choices come the fall, but in the meantime I continue to feel conflicted about the best option for our sweet boy.

Name: Chris
Favorites: our new minivan. That's it. He loves it.
Biggest hurdle to overcome: making it through the rest of the month of June working his normal schedule before it's smooth-sailing into the month of July and vacations.
Dreams for the future: meeting our new neighbors. The house next door was listed to be rented as of June 1. So far, no movement over there. Who are they going to be? When are they going to move in? Can we be best friends? So many questions!

Name: Chase
Age: 3 years
Favorites: minivan spotting (he's really good at it...and differentiating between makes, too), building with legos, reading, baking with mommy, being independent, eating sushi
Biggest hurdle to overcome: he's been "so sad" lately because our vacation is "still so far away." We all feel that way, buddy. At least we know that he enjoys his time with family in Wisconsin.
Dreams for the future: own an outside car (see explanation here)

Name: Robbe
Age: 1 year
Favorites: blowing raspberries on any visible skin, saying "hi" and waving to everyone, reading the My Big Animal Book, playing with wiggle bug (a toy), food (any food), communicating (nodding yes and learning sign language)
Biggest hurdle to overcome: teething. Yep, still working our way through this challenge. He's up to seven but three are about to pop and continue to mess with the poor guy.
Dreams for the future: a full day to pass without some sort of hardy spill. This guy trips, bumps into things, dives head first, and misjudges distance constantly leading to some minor, some more serious, stumbles. Don't worry, little man. Someday your feet will catch up with the rest of your body.

Day 392 | Another Day, Another Playground

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Where's Waldo? Can you find both my boys in the photo?
We ventured across the city today for a play date with a friend (this friend) and her daughter. Stead Park near Dupont is amazing! Recently redone and perfect for my boys' ages. Everyone had a blast, despite the heat creeping upon us.

I love that there are so many nice playgrounds in this city. Can't complain about that!

Day 391 | Splish Splash

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Look what's open for the summer! Our super nice neighborhood splash park. Woohoo!

Chris took the boys over the weekend for this season's inaugural trip but today's calmer atmosphere put both boys in the water-loving spirit. And the warm temps made the outing just perfect. I see this as a weekly outing for us this summer but I'll try not to post too many photos of it. :)

Day 389 | The New New Look of Lunch

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Remember this post? That seating arrangement lasted eight and a half months before someone (Robbe) got a little too comfortable sitting close to someone else's (Chase's) food. He's a hungry guy, no question about it, but he can't possibly need more food than we're already feeding him (can you tell by the amount of food on his plate in this photo?).

The solution? Give them a bit more space. The seating arrangement has been this way for a couple of weeks now and I think I can say, for now at least, problem solved. 

Day 384 | The Last Day

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Chase and his teachers, Mrs. Bruce and Mrs. Olsson
Chase had his first last day of school today. I know everyone says it, but I can't believe the school year is over (perhaps that's in part due to the fact that they ended so early!).

A few notes about the school year:
  • Chase loved every second of school and never cried when I left or hesitated to walk in the door. Such a proud mommy.
  • Robbe managed to successfully nap every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am-11am (ish) while Chase was at school. Amazing, right? I'm totally fine with having both boys home every day but boy, oh boy, am I going to miss the two hours a week of quiet in the morning. It'll be a year and a half before I see that again.
  • The community at Saint Luke Christian Day School has been exactly what we would have wanted for Chase's first school experience. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Day 380 | Artsy Action

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Chase and I got to explore our neighborhood's newest addition this morning: the Little Loft. This was a Capitol Hill gem that we just never got around to visiting (the age just wasn't right) and now they opened a new location right up the road from us. Another walking destination...yay!

It took a little coercing, but Chase enjoyed hunting for toys in the rice table, touching (but just barely) the sculpting sand, reading books (of course he found the only non-art offering), and making a fun bookmark. 

I think the chances are good we'll be back but probably still not with little brother in tow. Sorry, Robbe.