Strawberry Fields Forever

Today we took an adventure to the strawberry fields of Chile's Orchard with our buddy Caden. The weather was perfect and there were still lots of red, ripe berries on the plants for us to bring home. Contrary to last year when we were in mud up to our ankles, the weather was great and the fields were pretty dry. All three boys loved running up and down the long rows, leaping over plants and racing each other. After a quick lesson in "pick the red ones, not the yellow or green ones," Evan and Caden got serious about picking berries and could constantly be heard calling, "Look how many I have now!" Drew wasn't so much interested in picking berries to take home, but he just about ate his weight in strawberries in the field. He would follow the rest of us around and, if we didn't have one at the ready, steal a berry from our box the second he finished what was clutched in his hand. He was in total heaven. We came home with enough berries to last for a few months (though Drew might not agree), a dozen of Chiles' delicious hot apple cinnamon donuts, and some incredibly tired boys. It was definitely a great day.

 

Chalk Thanks

Drew got a great gift of new chalk for his birthday from his teacher's daughter - those two are best friends! What better way to say "thank you" than to use said new chalk on our new outdoor chalkboard? Yep, after reading/researching several blogs mommy found, daddy got handy and created this awesome chalkboard for the boys. It's drilled directly into the fence and supposed to be weather-proof, so we can create and draw year after year.

 

We also played on the swings, of course, and a mysterious superhero appeared at just the right moment to push Drew on the swings. He also took a slide down the slide, cape a-flying! 

Another morning at the ballpark

Team Padres had another great morning at the ballpark! The kids were in great form, Evan especially, and had fun hustling around the field. Evan's teacher and her daughter came by to see the game - Evan was thrilled to show off a little!

Drew Turns 2!

Happy Birthday, Drew! It's hard to believe it's already been 2 years since we were blessed to bring you into our family. You have more enthusiasm for life than most people around, and are full of laughter every day. You absolutely adore Evan, and are growing up so fast by watching and following his usually-good example. You're incredibly independent (saying "Nono mommy, myself!!") and fast, a great runner and ball-player, but are also very creative and a fantastic snuggler--you give great "bigger bigger bigger" hugs. We love you so much and can't wait to see what this coming year brings!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Look who's two today! Evan searched his closet
and selected his Cars2 shirt because it has the number 2 on it,
and marched into class with Drew and announced
that everyone needed to say Happy Birthday to his brother.

Mommy made Drew this special shirt
to wear on his birthday! 

The daughter of Drew's teacher absolutely adores Drew, and she got permission from her mom that if she had good grades, she could skip school to spend the day at daycare with Drew. So incredibly sweet! She brought presents too - chalk and two balls to play with.  Drew was over the moon Megan was there to spend the day. Drew brought in cake cups and fresh berries for a treat for the whole class, and said he had a great day.

 

After a dinner of Drew's Favorites (nuggets,
cheesy broccoli, mac 'n' cheese, and chocolate
milk), it was cake time! Happy birthday, little buddy.

Chalk paint

Today we made chalk paint! It was super easy and fun. It's a little deceiving though, as the best color comes after it's had a few minutes to dry. Our masterpiece looked ten times better when we came outside about half an hour later! Next time we'll definitely make more and really go to town creating.

Here's the recipe, and it's simple: water, cornstarch, food coloring. Yep, it's just that easy! But to make any real quantities, you do need lots and lots of cornstarch, so you'll want to stock up at the store instead of just thinking to use what you have on hand.

At a Wild Things Party

Evan's friend Brayden had his 4th birthday party today, so of course we went. We were very curious to see what they would do this year; this is the same friend who brought horses to their back yard last year for a Cowboy party!

This year's theme was "Where the Wild Things Are," and there sure were Wild Things! There's an exotic animal rescue/zoo in the area, and one of the employees brought some very different animals for a little show: a bearded dragon, a boa constrictor, a wolf, and an alligator! Evan was interested in seeing the animals, but wanted no part of being anywhere near them; when other kids jumped at the chance to hold the snake, or pet the gorgeous wolf (half wolf, half huskie), Evan stayed safely behind my legs.

After the animals there was a balloon artist/juggler, and he pleased all the kids with multiple balloon animals/swords/bow & arrows/crowns... anything they could dream up. Then he put on a little juggling show, including juggling a rubber chicken, apple, and sword, all safely and at the same time! The bounce house in the yard was a sure hit, and the food and beautiful cake topped off a great afternoon with friends.

Post Script
Unfortunately Evan must have had too much fun, for as we neared the end of the 45 minute ride home, Evan began talking about feeling not so good... and he completed that thought in the driveway just as I was turning the car off. There were no words of warning, just the dreaded sound coming from the back seat... then the smell... It's awfully hard to get a little one out of the safety of his car seat and five point harness when suddenly you, your fingers, and every available surface, soft and hard, are covered in a slippery smelly mess. It may take a few days and a couple cans of upholstery cleaner to get the car and carseat clean... Poor kid.