Day 416 | Brotherly Bonding

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 409 | Blueberry Picking

Nope, we haven't made it back to our favorite berry farm for blueberry season yet...we've been picking from our own bushes!

Twice now we've harvested 10-20 berries. Not too bad for brand new bushes (thanks Grandma and Grandpa G!). Any idea who's the most excited about our very own pick-your-own berry bushes? That's right: Chase.

Day 388 | Deck Drama

What happens when you don't make any plans for a glorious four day weekend? You feel compelled to complete something on your home owner to do list. This weekend's project for us? Painting the deck.

For the record, we did not expect the task to take anywhere near as long as it did. I mean, it's a small deck. When Chris did his last round of touch ups today, we had invested 13 hours of (mostly Chris's) manual labor in this endeavor. And that didn't include any prep work (cleaning, taping, procuring supplies, etc). Whoa. 

I think the thing that shocks me the most is that we actually managed to squeeze that many hours out of two days to dedicate to the project. And that's without any childcare help. 

There's a very good chance we will pay to have this done next time. Remind me of that. 

Day 381 | Succulents

Somehow I've gotten really interested in succulents lately. I mean, they're just so simple and beautiful. I planted the shopping cart mini succulents today and am loving my completed little garden.

Day 359 | Checking It Off the List

Robbe impressed us all (and himself) by managing to walk with this giant box.

We continued the theme of being productive around the house and checking things off the list while my parents are here (I promise we're having fun, too!). Today's accomplishments? Cleaning windows, planting new plants, installing an opaque window cover, hanging our new birdhouse (I'll post a photo sometime soon), fixing a few of our bedroom doors (thanks, toothpicks!), and others that aren't popping into my head right now. Aren't we lucky to have so much help? And you can tell by the photo that the boys have been beyond helpful as well.

Day 358 | Happy for the Help

In true Grandma and Grandpa G fashion, they can't sit still for long. This weekend's project? Tidying up our yard and helping with some more spring planting.

We're beyond grateful for the help. And as you can see, it was a whole family affair. 

Day 345 | Adulthood

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 336 | Daffodils

Aren't spring flowers the best? It seems as though I always need this sign to help me realize that we've made it through another winter and that there's hope for warm temperatures ahead.

This year has been even more enjoyable as our new house has blooming spring flowers! What a happy surprise.

Side note: Robbe was ok today. He still wasn't himself, but much better. Hopefully tomorrow will lead to further improvement for our little man.

Day 335 | Fifth Time's a Charm

We had some enjoyable lunchtime entertainment today. The dishwasher repairman was back (for the fifth time, if you're keeping track). And, for the moment, the appliance is working again (which was not the outcome after the last two visits).

This process could not be more frustrating (you'll notice I'm not confident enough in the fix to put that statement in past tense). Dealing with one incompetent and bureaucratic company(Samsung)for the warranty and an incompetent and unorganized company for the actual repair has been enough to drive me batty.

Here's a breakdown of what's been going on:

• 1 broken dishwasher 
• 6 weeks of minimal/non-functioning use 
• 5 five-hour appointment windows where the boys and I sit home and wait 
• 10+ calls to Samsung (all 20+ minutes, of course) 
• 2 homeowners sick of doing dishes 
• 1 toddler who now plays "doing the dishes because the dishwasher is broken". I couldn't make that up. 

Let's hope this saga is over

Side note: did you notice that I didn't post this yesterday? I had it mostly typed up and then went to finish it last night when a very sick baby (Robbe) changed my evening plans. After a ton of soothing, a call to the doctor, and a dose of Tylenol, he fell back asleep. As you might have guessed, the blog wasn't my priority at that point. He had a restful night, though, and is still sleeping now. Hopefully that's a good sign. I'll report back later today about how our peanut is doing. Poor guy. 

Day 334 | Expensive Play Equipment

The boys playing "row, row, row your boat" this afternoon.

Remember the loveseats we waited forever for? I was a little worried we wouldn't get much use out of them since they weren't going to be placed in the basement family area. Fast forward six months and these couches are the favorite attraction in our house. 

In the last couple of days, the couches have been transformed into a spaceship, a row boat, a train-viewing platform, and a jungle gym. And Robbe has successfully taught himself how to climb up and down from the couches. Quite an impressive accomplishment for a 12 month old, I have to say. 

Day 310 | Round Two

Urgh. That's how I feel right now. Urgh.

The dishwasher broke. Again. It only lasted a week. I know it's petty, but in the moment there's nothing worse than surveying an over-flowing dishwasher blinking an error code at you instead of making your life easier. 

I don't even mind the dishes that accumulate as long as I can do them after every meal instead of a 45 minute washing session after days of filling the dishwasher up. 

Let's hope the repair man can come a little quicker this time. And let's hope the repair actually sticks. 

Urgh. 

Day 273 | My Favorite Things: #5

Home sweet home.

I'm in love with our house. It's the perfect size for our little family (not too big but room for everyone to spread out). I'm a big fan of the layout (it's very open). The kitchen couldn't be more ideal (yay for cupboard space). And any of the issues we've had since moving in have been quickly remedied by the construction crew that did the renovation (thank goodness for tough negotiations during closing). I feel very lucky and blessed to be living in this house, in this city, with these boys. 

Day 247 | Playing Catch Up

I'm not usually one to brag (at least I hope you feel that way!), but Chris and I pretty much rocked the last two days so I can't help but share our accomplishments:

1. Unpacked. No small feat when we're talking about two backpacks and three suitcases (all close to 50 pounds).
2. Laundry done. Six loads. And it's all folded and put away.
3. Christmas gone. The holiday decorations are no more. Chase was the most disappointed to see them go, but it was time. And by gone, I mean packed very carefully and brought up to the attic for storage (not just sitting in our bedroom for weeks on end, which usually happens when an attic trip is required).
4. Hair cut. Chase was looking a bit shaggy. Not anymore. See photo above.
5. Tree removed. We removed and stored the ornaments and lights, took the tree outside, and cleaned up after the dried-out tree. Christmas tree decorating = best. Christmas tree un-decorating = worst.
6. Grocery trip. There was nothing nothing in the house for food upon our return. Someone (me) should have planned better. Massive stock-up trip to the store? Check.
7. Photo shoot. Robbe is 10 months old. Double digits...woohoo! The obligatory monthly photo has been captured. See photo above.
8. Friendly visit. I got to meet my friend's baby today. It was a quick trip to the NICU, but I got to meet that sweet little peanut. Thanks for sharing a slice of your life with me, Dawn.
9. Clean, clean, clean. It's amazing how dirty a house can get with only a cat living her for two weeks (and would it kill her to vacuum up after herself?). I'm happy to report the house is finally in livable condition again.
10. Carseat upgrade. Robbe was fitted for his new carseat tonight. He's moving up in the world. Rain inhibited the install, but that's the easy part. See photo above.
11. Petting, lots of petting. Miga is severely attention-deprived. She is letting us know this by following us around the house, constantly needing pets, meowing in the loudest way possible, demanding to be let outside and back in (it's raining, after all) about 20 times a day, and even accepting affection from the babies. That's when you know she's been neglected.
12. Serious playtime. Don't think for a minute that all this was possible because our babies are content to play independently and entertain themselves. Quite the contrary thanks to the constant attention over the last two weeks and the attention-withdrawal symptoms that have ensued. Chris did assemble an incredibly impressive train track with Chase's new pieces, though, so it counts as an accomplishment. See photo above.

Day 231 | Holiday House Scenes

One of the hardest things about visiting family over the holidays (aside from braving the airports during the busiest time of the year) is leaving our own house behind. Oftentimes, I don't spend much energy decorating because it's just not worth it for the couple weeks we're home in December. Thanks to our holiday party (and mostly my mom!), this year was a totally different story. We're bursting at the seams with holiday cheer.

Enjoy the collage above depicting the festive environment that's been getting us in the Christmas spirit all season. I'll miss my own tree, mantle, and decorations as we jump on a plane but I'll take family over holiday isolation any day!

Day 222 | Want to be Our Neighbor?

This massive renovation project has been going on right outside our windows for a few months now. Last week they demolished the roof and this week the second floor went up. Crazy, right? I'm so interested in the final product.

So, I repeat, do you want to be our neighbor?

Day 220 | Post-Party Pleasures

A few of today's joys after yesterday's celebration:

1. Beautiful flowers: my mom and dad gave us one arrangement, a couple of sweet friends brought two bouquets, and my mom braved our holly tree (we have a holly tree!) to round out the collection. These flowers make me SO happy. 

2. A clean kitchen: something about the accomplishment of cleaning up a huge mess that feels so good. 

3. Leftovers: as I mentioned yesterday, we had lots LOTS of food left over. I guess that's better than the alternative, right? Well today, the amount of food left over is an amazing reward. Snacks for days, ham for an egg scramble for lunch (amazing!), and sweets that I should be avoiding but are too good to pass up. Yes, sir, I will take another handful of chex mix. 

Day 219 | Holiday Shindig

We hosted a little holiday party tonight and I am exhausted. It was a wonderful evening full of friends and family, yummy food, and festive cocktails (thanks to my bartender husband).

The kitchen is semi-cleaned up, the food is semi-eaten (why didn't people eat more?!?), and I'm semi-awake. Well worth all the time and energy dedicated to the event, though. Couldn't have been more enjoyable.

Special thanks to my mom and dad for helping out in innumerable ways to make the evening a success. We are grateful.

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 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.