6th Day Adventurers {2nd Edition}

Another Saturday, another adventure for the 6th day adventurers!! {yeah, I just thought that one up on my own.} This time we got the joy of another side-kick, Morgan! That makes three gals, two boys, and a day full of shenanigans! This time we headed to National Bridge State Park in Santa Cruz. It's home to a grove that houses billions of Monarch butterflies during their migration pattern as well a beautiful little beach. The last time I went was with W {and E..in the womb} when I was 38 weeks prego.

So, we packed lunches, the kids, and all our stuff into our van. It couldn't have been a more perfect day for the beach. Bright blue skies, slightly breezy and cool, and no crowds.

We lunched, played with the sand and frolic near the water before heading over to check on the butterflies. 

 E loves playing "back up" with Kori. They run to the water's edge and back up as the waves come closer, trying not to get wet. Kori braved the cold water with E. Morgan and I just watched. ;)

It was definitely too warm to see butterflies in the billions but we still caught glimpses of them fluttering about. E now has great context for butterflies.

On the way home we stopped for the most amazing, homemade ice cream ever: Marianne's Ice Cream. The lavender flavor was to die for! Both Ezra and Theo passed out on the drive home; making it quite nice and smooth. 

We finished the day off with a warm bath {and bath paint. Seriously, the kid is obsessed.} and a movie before Papa came home.

Thanks again, Kori and Morgan, for another great Saturday!

Recently Purchased Pretties

So, I must confess...I'm not above retail therapy. I've been a very good girl up until recently on that front. We've already declared as a family that this year will be a fallow year as we re-build our savings, W focuses on his first year at the firm, and I caring for two little ones which includes a very dependent baby. That trip to Hawaii will have to wait until next year. So these were very small purchases, but fun ones nonetheless. I needed a little bit of fun...fun pretties in the mail will do the trick.

I'm looking forward to some packages on our doorstep these next few days...

 

I bought this fabulous card for W for love day. When I saw this, it just screamed perfect! The pipe, the hat, and the saying...fits W to a tee. :)

Theo told me he'd rock this hat if I bought it for him. So did I hesitate to press purchase? Heck no!

We're cooking up something memorable for Mama Judy's 70th birthday so these vintage style envelopes will come in handy. I'll have some extras so I'm excited to mail to friends! How fun to send something in one of these in place of a boring ol' white one.

This delightful little pair proves that sponsorships really do work. Ha. It's my first purchase off someone's blog--there was a 10% discount so I thought "why not?"

What's brightening up your winter?!

Bathtime Painting

I've been really gung ho with the activities for E lately. Maybe it's because we have such ample time together and don't want it to go to waste. Or maybe I fear he'll get into mischief if he's not occupied with something that allows him to explore. Or I'll go crazy without something to do. Maybe it's all of the above. :)

Here's yet another one we tried out during a mid-day bath. It was a 'post-rainy day excursion' wash down so it was the perfect time to try out the bathtub painting idea I found here {via my awesome mom who keeps her eyes out for fun activities! Thanks, Mom!}.

Supplies

muffin tin

large paint brush

shaving cream {I used the classic barbasol's}

food coloring

What you do:

Spray some shaving cream into each of the six holes. 

Add food coloring. 

Mix {I used a fork}. 

Let the painting begin.

Verdict?

Another amazingly simple activity that he LOVES. Minimal prep work and clean up. My cup of tea.

Some of the comments on the post where I got the idea said they had problems with the dye and tile grout. We don't have tile in the boys' bathroom so it wasn't a problem. In fact, it all washed off super easy with water. It also shared that they didn't put water in the tub so the child could stand up and paint. I needed to clean E and it's a bit chilly so I added some water into the tub. He sat and painted the tub walls, the water, and himself. Painting himself was a HUGE hit since he's got to keep the paint on the paper when he's painting at the table.

T was left to wonder why he wasn't able to paint too.

Rainy Day

E experienced his first rainy day last week. Okay, he's had rainy days before but he was, like, one and couldn't really embrace the rain like he can now. When I mean 'embrace', I mean 'dirt clumps, matted hair, muddy clothes, wet umbrella, puddle-jumping boots' kind of embracing. 

He made a bona fide mess of himself. {and one of our entry columns...}

It was amazing.

Spontaneous Beach Trip

One of my New Year's Resolutions {which I haven't really officially made a list of just yet} is to be more adventurous with the boys sans W. I hate that this has to be a goal because I love having adventures as a complete, whole family. BUT that isn't really realistic this winter. So I'm going to try to be brave and go about it on my own...just for a little while. I'm mostly talking about our Saturdays since W will be in the office and it's an extra day for us to fill. I'm not exactly sure what this is going to look like but I'd like to take the boys on a few field trips where ever they may be.

Well, the Lord is so kind and provided an adventure buddy for me on our first Saturday that W had to work. My girlfriend, Kori, joined us on a walk to Farmer's Market which then turned into an afternoon at Santa Cruz.

Best of My Days Update

You may {or may not} remember our adult table favors for Thanksgiving. If not, read here.

W and I have started to fill in our January with a favorite moment from each day. And to be honest, we're both learning that it's a great exercise. There are some days {particular to it being tax season} where we both struggle to come up with something good. Many of W's week day best moments are when he gets to come home finally. 

 

via

Sometimes it's dang hard to see the good. A few we had to stretch a little just to come up with something. That's why I look forward to us sitting down for dinner {some days after the kids are asleep} and looking back on the day. And to see how fast a month can go by without remembering! I think we're really going to love having these by the time December rolls around...

 

Some of my favorite include:

"E actually listening and obeying the first time: pressing the unlock button moments after I realized that both boys and my purse were locked in the van."

"sleep"

"tea with J"

"preparing and having a romantic dinner {with homemade Challoh bread}"

"understanding audit/review work papers"

"hearing about beach trip"

"hearing about theo rolling over for the first time"

"mastering bathing two boys"

"being able to get out of bed today"

"spontaneous trip to the park {tunnel giggles}"

"flying kite with E"

"Having W home before E's asleep"

Life is good even amongst the mundane.

Painting 101

We brought out the tempera paints recently. E's painted twice before: once with friends and another time with watercolors and our sliding glass door. It's a fun easel, you should try it! But it's been awhile and he was a bit young then.

I put three globs of three different colors on a large piece of construction paper. I showed him how the dip the brush in the water. Then off he went to paint and explore.

He touched the paper. He touched the water. He touched the bristles on the brush. He touched the paint. {and maybe even tasted it a little}

Love his insatiable curiosity.

And that he's okay with me taking pictures of his serious bed-head. Just keepin' it real.

Beans!

I remembered an activity that my sister-in-law had her oldest do one visit when I was pregnant with Ezra. Although they had a whole bucket full of beans, I've always wanted to reproduce it on a smaller scale. 

In this house, we call Theo's tummy time "Blanket Time" so E knows that he's suppose to give him space. In lieu of that, I told Ezra he was going to have his own blanket time. He was all over that like white on rice. I grabbed a bag of pintos and some additional fun 'toys' and let him have at it. The only rules: keep the beans on the blanket and these beans were not for eating.

He did all kinds of scooping, spooning, pouring, stirring, grabbing, etc.

Such an easy indoor activity. The hardest part is the clean up..which wasn't much at all. 95% of the beans stayed on the blanket and E likes to help clean up. 

He started gearing up for a tantrum was really bummed when it was time to put everything away, but we put the beans into a zip-lock baggie for next 'blanket time'...which will most likely be happening soon with this week's rain!

DIY Heart Bunting

Check it out here.

Stomach Flu {Longest Week of My Life}

Got it on Tuesday. And it was gnarly. Seriously put me under for the rest of the week.

My mom took E the following day and I seriously didn't leave my bed except to change Theo's diaper and to replenish my drinks. 

My only company:

Half on me was so worried that he'd get it but the other half half really enjoyed the snuggles. It was wonderful to sleep, rest, and have quiet.

A girlfriend made us dinner, brought it over and took the pups out before leaving. Seriously, heaven-sent. My mom brought Ezra back right before bed. She took Theo then bathed E and got him ready for bed right as W was getting home. Baton pass. W takes over. I hadn't moved from bed. I was so tired and weak.

I somehow make it through the next day without help. Although all I wanted to do was to crawl back into bed. I found out E has a superpower. My toddler's superpower? Sensing Mama's weakness and taking advantage. We needed intervention, but I didn't want it to be in the form of the boob-tube. So by Friday afternoon, I'm calling my parents and carting all three of us over until W finishes up at work. It was also the first day I could finally get three whole meals inside my stomach and get myself dressed.

It's been at least five years since I've had something like this. Not pretty with two kids who still need a lot from Mama. What a start to the year and to W's busy season. Yeesh.