Nathan recently spent a weekend playing in a father-son golf tournament in Monterey; a gift he was given back at Christmastime. Three different courses, three different days, plus one extra for good measure and a little practice. Nathan was in heaven!
The 18th green at Pebble Beach
Not the ideal shot location, but as Nathan said, beautiful scenery :)
He was gone for five nights...all of which the boys were sick. And we're not talking coughs and sniffles, we're talking stomach bug on rotation. We tease that Nathan heading out of town is the cue for things to go haywire in our house, but I really am beginning to think it's less of a joke and more of a truth. Fortunately, the boys were good sports about having a flu bug and for all that it was at our house, it wasn't that bad to have to deal with on my own. It could have been so much worse! Anyway, because of the bug we had, we were pretty much cooped up at our house for the duration of Nathan's trip. So, while Nathan was away living out his inner Phil Mickelson, to fight boredom we started running through the list of fun Pinterest projects I have been waiting to try with the boys. Among our favorites were "Cloud Dough" and "Salt Painting". Both made huge messes, but were well worth the fun and entertainment they brought the boys.
Cloud Dough is a mix of flour and baby oil. It stays really light and fluffy (a little more dense than just plain flour)...
...but sticks together when its squeezed or pressed, allowing the boys to make all sorts of sandcastles and creations.
The only downside to this fun, was the mess. This stuff was everywhere when it was all said and done. From here on out Cloud Dough will probably be a springtime project played with in the backyard.
By the second or third morning we had played with it though, I had at least smartened up a bit and started using baking trays to somewhat contain the mess. Still think it's a better outdoor project though!
For salt painting we took glue and drew a design with it on the paper. Then we poured salt over the glue and let it dry. When it was all dry the boys took water colors and painted over the salt. Where they would touch with the paintbrush, it would run through the salt, coloring most of the rest of the design all on its own. The boys loved the "magic" of it!
If you haven't noticed, anything that takes some concentration for Collin, also involves his tongue sticking out :)
As if sick babies weren't enough while Nathan was gone, Wrigley decided to add his own drama to the week. I'm sure you've met Wrigley before, but have I introduced you to his alter ego Skeerdy Dog? Wrigley has always had huge anxiety issues with fireworks, gunshots, thunder, etc. These aren't the hide in a small space and stay quiet type of issues, they're full panic, bust through the shut screen door (on more than one occasion) while we're sitting outside with him type of issues. Yeah, those kind of issues. So when there's thunder or fireworks or other expected such noises, we usually make sure to either give Wrigley a sedative, or bring him inside somewhere that he feels safe. Well, one of the nights Nathan was gone, who knows what Wrigley heard, but it scared him and as a result he tried to tear down the garage door (goodbye weather stripping). After multiple attempts to get the dummy to chill out, I gave up. Between an infant that still wakes up throughout the night and Skeerdy Dog I wasn't about to give up any more of my precious sleep hours spending extended amounts of time in the wee hours trying to get Wrigley to settle down. Skeerdy Dog, say hello to your little blanket next to the side of my bed. Dog parenting at its best. Reward for bad behavior, right? Anyway, in the morning when I went to tell Skeerdy Dog that it was time to make his exit and enter the outdoor land of reality again, he wanted nothing to with heading back out. So, what did this sucker do? Let him lay inside and watch cartoons with Collin of course. Oy. No wonder this dog has issues.
The boys also found out that their new cousin (a la Auntie Jenn and Uncle Burkie) will be a GIRL! Drew asked for some help drawing out a hug for her that he could color in (something we've done in the past by laying Drew down on the paper and tracing him with his arms open for a hug). Auntie Jenn's baby was given just a beautiful rendition of her oldest cousin to be.
When Daddy returned, he brought back these matching golf outfits from from Grandpa. Too cute!
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