birthday girl

...So, my oldest sister has a birthday today. I really wanted to write something clever, but I knew thatKrista would do it. And she did. And also because I am trying to build a lego ship. Don't ask.

Anyway, Jana, if you are reading this, I wish you the best of best birthdays. I really wish the boys had a big sister because I know she would have built lego ships for them. Why do I know this? Because that is what big sisters do. So the moms don't have to.

:)

Happy Birthday!

can un-heart be a word? edited with a clarification and again with a note

...One things I heart about the approaching of Fall:

1. The weather is actually cool in the morning. Today, it hasn't gotten over 68 degrees yet. That is because it rained all day yesterday and is cloudy today, but still. 68 degrees. That is close to Ugg weather, I tell you. To clarify: I mean close to when I can wear my Ugg boots again. :)

One thing I un-heart:

1. Flies. For some reason, they are so...sticky at the end of summer. You know, they fly around so close to you in the house, they are everywhere you are, they don't ever land...Can you tell there is one near me right now?

Note: Ha. I wondered where I came up with a great word like "clarification" so quickly and then I remembered (and noticed) Krista's blog post for today: Clarification. Ah, yes. Thanks sis for helping build my blog vocabulary. This stay-at-home mom really needs it! :)

9-11

...I have been thinking a lot about my trip to New York with my sisters and mom that we took one year ago. I really wish we were back there this year as well. New York City was a fantastic place to visit. I think what made the trip so special, though, was the chance to really visit with Mom, Jana and Krista.

We flew out on September 11. Many people looked at us like we were crazy to fly out that day. But really, won't September 11 be the safest day to fly, I asked myself, probably trying to convince myself that it really would be okay.

And it was.

A few days later, we went Downtown to look at the World Trade Center site. It was a sombering reminder of how we should not take life or loved ones for granted. That we really should live each day to the fullest. Looking at the emptiness of where the buildings once stood only made that more true to me.

A few blocks away, there stood a flag memorial near the damaged sphere sculpture that survived the attack. It was beautiful and touching. I remember wishing, and it is still a wish today, that Americans still felt as much pride and unity as we did just after 9-11. How easily those feelings vanish and the discord and unhappiness returns.

I hope, today, we remember not only those who lost their lives, who gave their lives, those who survived and those who lost their loved ones but also that feeling of "we are all in this together."

be prepared and loyal and all of that

...Both boys are Cub Scouts this year. Noah, a tiger, looks darling in his orange and blue doesn't he? Hee Hee! Rhett looks so grown up and handsome. They really take Cub Scouts seriously.

....

Except when they don't. :)

some bunny

...This past weekend with the bunny wasn't too bad. Holly Spots is a beautiful bunny who still scared me silly. If she hopped past me when I tried to catch her (we let her out so she could exercise), I would squeal because I was afraid of bunny wrath. She did bite Rhett. Not hard, but it still happened.

In this photo, she is enjoying a couple of grapes. Noah is petting her softly (but not on her belly because as Rhett said many, many times, "She does not like that!") and she seems calm. But this was Saturday. By Monday she was almost manic-like in her behavior. Chewing her cage, hopping very fast toward someone, sniffing your feet and legs, grabbing food aggressively from your hands...I am very glad she is back at school.

let's talk about

...Noah: I was up at the school yesterday morning before school started. I said bye to the boys then I went to do something. Afterward, I was walking down the hall and spied my sweet son holding hands with a very cute girl that is in his class. I had to bite my tongue, literally, to keep from squealing, "That is so cute! You are holding hands with a girl!" I played it cool and just walked on by, saying hi to both. Noah looked surprised to see me but he played it cool as well. His hand stayed firmly planted in hers.

Rhett: Last night we were working on some Cub Scout requirements and we got to one that was about Faith. I asked him to name two famous individuals who had faith. He named George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, obviously. After I asked why he said, "George Washington had faith that his soldiers would win the war. And Lincoln had faith that his soldiers would win the war against slavery."

I told him what faith means to me. (That at the end of every day, it is so comforting to know that there is a power bigger than me, than this life, and that He will take care of things. He will take care of me). Rhett said, "Yeah. Sure. I get it."

I keep going. I ask him how he could have faith in his life. He looks at me blankly. I ask him if he could talk to God about his problems and believe that He would take care of them. Believe that God knows what He is doing. Rhett asks, "You can do that? I thought God was much too busy for my problems." I assured him that God wants to hear his problems. He answered, "Ok. I'll remember that for next time."

Who knew what we could both learn from Cub Scouts.

This Weekend: Seth's parents are coming which will be fun. We also will have another guest in our house. Her name is Holly Spots and she is a pregnant bunny. From Rhett's class. I am praying that the bunny does not decide to have little baby bunnies while she is here. I am a little nervous about that and other things.

My Mistrust of Rabbits: When I was younger, we had a pet rabbit. I won't call this rabbit a bunny because he was much too mean for that cute name. He scratched and bit and ran away all the time. I remember one time, the rabbit got out of the fenced in area that my dad had built for it and Casey thought we needed to go after it. We were in the fenced-in area and Casey knew if he helped me over the sharp, metal fence it would be so much quicker than us going in the house and out another door. Of course it would. So he tries to lift me up and gets me over half-way and then lets go of me. I end up falling over to the other side but not before the fence leaves huge scratches down my back. I know I cried. I don't know who ended up catching the rabbit but it wasn't me. That rabbit eventually ran away for good and no one missed it. Every since, I don't trust bunny rabbits. Sure they look cute. That is where they fool you.

My use of pesticides: I tried so hard. I had such dreams for my butterfly garden. Big, beautiful flowers and lots of color with many butterflies all over the place.

The reality is that the only insect who has really being enjoying my garden is the ant. So I finally broke down yesterday and put some insect killer down. I know I won't kill the butterflies because they haven't been around. Sigh. Maybe next year.

a short note

...Rhett and Noah are in Cub Scouts this year. I just spent an hour sewing patches and replacing buttons and I am wondering if they can get patches taken away because of their mother's lack of sewing skills. Maybe no one will look close enough.

a short break already

...After a week and a half of school, the boys already have 2 days off. Today, we are hanging out. We slept late, I made French toast for the boys, I rearranged Rhett's room (his room confounds me--when will look exactly right? I just don't know) and now I am listening to them screaming (in a good way?) at each other.

Tomorrow, we get up early so they can get the FluMist.

Because the flu's going around, you know.

(Ha! Ha! I laugh at that last line because Rhett said that to me when we were at a neighbor's house for dinner. I had a plate of chips and dip and he asked if he could have some and I offered my plate for him to use. I was done. He looked at me, then shook his head and said no thank you. "The flu is going around, you know." The rest of the night we said that after everything. It was funny.)

Too bad it's true.

{happy sigh}

...I would say that I have been fantastically busy, with all the things I now have time for when my sons are away all day at school. It is true, I have big ideas on what to do with my time.

However, none of that has happened this week.

This week, I have been consumed with love and vampires.

After reading each book exactly twice and then re-reading some of my favorite parts again (and losing countless hours of sleep because of the reading and re-reading) I can cautiously say that I think I am ready to return to my normal life again.

But before I begin to see everything I have neglected (laundry, dishes, house), I do want to say this:

If you want a really good love story, one that makes you remember all the butterflies you felt when you first fell in love, then read these books. They are totally sweet, romantic and squeal-worthy. There is also plenty of life-threatening action involved if you would rather have that. Purely fun.

That being said, I now have to go do some housework.

Oh, and thank you for all your well wishes about our anniversary. We had a great time that day and it was Seth who gave me the Twilight books, so thank you to him especially. I enjoyed the few days off. ;)

the greatest ride of my life

...11 years ago this past summer, I got on a roller coaster with my soon-to-be husband. We were at Six Flags in Houston with his family. To be honest, I hated roller coasters. But I loved Seth. So I rode this terrifying ride with him, wishing it would be over as fast as possible, but secretly having fun at the same time. I wondered how could that be?

When we got off, we passed this tv screen. I stopped and stared. It was showing a slide show of pictures of people that had just been on the roller coaster. "Oh no. This cannot be good," I thought. And I was right. A picture came up of us: Seth with his hands in the air and wide smile and me--with my eyes shut tight and my hands holding on to the handlebar as tight as possible. I could hear the laughter of people who saw this picture. I was horrified.

11 years later, I am no longer horrified. I actually have a very fond memory of that day (although, I still don't like me in the picture. Yes, Seth bought it. No, I will not show it to anyone, so don't ask). Because here's the thing:

Marriage is like a roller coaster. My favorite part of the movie, "Parenthood" is when Gil's grandmother starts talking to Gil after he is complaining about his life.

Grandma: You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster...Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!...I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it.

You get more out of it. So true.

Seth, thank you for getting me on the roller coaster. And thank you for riding with me for 11 years. I love you so much.

Happy Anniversary.

let's imagine its the first

...There are my boys. Rhett is in 3rd grade. Noah is in 1st. The rain and my general feeling of malaise yesterday made first day pictures on the front porch impossible, so here they are today. Noah was less excited today (It's too long! I want to stay with you!) but Rhett was still ready to go.

They ride the bus to school which means from 8:30 am to 4 pm, I am without children. This is a strange feeling to me. The house is quiet and I don't hear "Hey, Mom?" forty times an hour. That I won't miss. I will miss their faces though. And the hugs.

Don't worry, I won't be bored. I have plenty to keep me busy. And when four o'clock rolls around, I probably will think, "Where did the time go?" :)

***
Happy Birthday Pop! We all love you!

school is here

...The boys are at school and hopefully the sun will be shining tomorrow so I can get the yearly picture by the bricks. And I don't feel all that great right now so I am going to keep this short. Talk to you tomorrow and I'll have some back to school shots to show you.

i am not superstitious, but

...Isn't it funny how people always start out that way? "I am not really superstitious, but I have to wear the same pair of socks to every game." Or "I don't believe in superstitions but every time a black cat crosses my path I think I am cursed."

Anyway, I want to be totally honest with you. I am superstitious--a little. I totally get scared when I break a mirror and I won't walk under a ladder or open an umbrella in my house. I throw salt over my shoulder when it is spilled (but only when I am cooking). I "knock on wood" to keep bad things from happening and I definitely believe things (good or bad) happen in threes.

Which leads me to this:

Ever since I have been married (11 years coming up this Saturday!), I have had a bit of bad luck concerning glass. If I break a piece of glass (whether it is a bowl or a cup), you better believe I will break 2 more things within the coming days or couple of weeks. It happens every time. I didn't notice it at first. No, I first thought I was just being unbelievable clumsy that month. But then it happened again. And again. Three things would always be broken. No matter how careful I was.

This is why I am down to one set of glasses (we have had 3). This is why I have had to replace a coffee maker and why I have no microwave plate in my microwave. Some things broken hurt more than others.

This one hurt a lot.

I have had this glass bottle with a sun on it for about as long as Rhett has been alive. In his first year, Seth and I took him to Ruidoso to visit my grandparents. He was about 6 months I believe. This was the last time we went to Ruidoso for a vacation. This is huge because growing up, my family and I would go every year. This is where my grandparents lived during the summer months and where Seth and I took our honeymoon. I know I would complain about going there but the truth is, it was really fun. We rode horses, played putt-putt, hiked and went to the horse races. We hung out with my cousins and ate at Casa Blanca.

When Seth and I came it was during July 4th holiday. Grandma would take care of Rhett while we went to a movie or to play miniature golf. We took Rhett to see the most amazing fire work show ever. (Rhett slept through it). We went shopping in a few shops and that is where I found the cutest glass bottle with a cork in the top. It didn't cost much but I loved the sun smiling at me. I had no idea what it was going to be used for but I knew I had to have it. Seth bought it for me and ever since, it had been in our kitchen, first for decoration, then later for holding dish washing soap. I would buy whatever color soap that would match our kitchen decor. Really.

I always knew it was dangerous to have that beside me while washing dishes. I am a klutz. I knock things over constantly. This bottle has been knocked over several times.

The last time must have been its final straw.

It was the 2nd thing broken in a week. The first was a bowl that came in a set of 8. They are lovely glass bowls that Seth's mother gave me when we went to visit. I dropped it trying to get all of them out of the car. I was a little frustrated. Now a set of 8 is a set of 7 and that just isn't right.

When I broke the sun bottle, I could do nothing but stare at it for a moment. I was actually really sad. Not for the glass bottle. But for what it represented.

When I threw it away, I placed it in a bag of recyclables. There were glass jars in there. When I threw the bag down on the floor out of disgust, I broke one of those glass salsa jars.

There was my 3rd.

three cheers for Rhett and Noah

...The All-City Swim Meet was an experience for us. The venue was amazing and huge and the boys (one boy in particular, we won't name names but he is the one in glasses) were overwhelmed. Noah passed his time waiting (and a lot of waiting there was) by swimming in the nearby pools and Rhett clutched the bag with his towels until he raced for the first time. Different kids indeed.

Noah's first race was the backstroke. He had never swam this stroke in a meet before, so I wasn't sure how it would go but he did amazingly well!

He stayed pretty straight the whole time and was the second swimmer to reach the wall. Which means he got a Silver Medal!

He also swam the free-style, breast-stroke and relay. He did great in all of those too. I think he really enjoyed himself.

***

Rhett's first race was the butterfly. He was so nervous, we could tell. He was also pretty nervous swimming the free-style. But his nerves were gone when he swam the breast-stroke. He dove in perfectly and ended up 4th overall (there were 4 heats). He was a little disappointed he didn't get a medal but he did receive a 4th place ribbon and we had to keep reminding him how many swimmers he edged out. We were really happy for him.

Yes, it looks like that man in the picture is cleaning his ear. The seats weren't great for getting pictures.

I have said it before: We are so proud of the boys.

running out of summer

...When I titled the last post, "Last one, I promise," I didn't mean the last blog post ever. I am sure some of you were thinking that by now. It has been awhile. This month is going to be crazy I fear. Here is a little update, sans pictures, but I will post them tomorrow.

Friday was the first PTA meeting of the year. I am the chair for the Green Team committee and I wanted to start out with a bang, so I proposed we start saving paper by emailing our newsletters and notes to families instead of sending it home with the kids in paper form. The president of the PTA is excited about this and is going to talk to the principal. I can't say I came up with the idea on my own, but if we do this, it will be so exciting. Last year, I received two copies of every single note that the school sent home. Wouldn't it be great if I can just open my email and read things online? Love it!

Saturday, Rhett and Noah had their all-city swim meet. They did great. It was an all day affair and it wasn't very comfortable sitting on benches in stifling humidity for 6 hours, but Seth and I were so proud of the boys for sticking with swim team all summer and doing a great job at the meets. I hope they do it next year. Tomorrow, I will have pictures.

Sunday, Seth and I braved the crowds and took advantage of the tax-free weekend in Oklahoma. The boys were on a playdate and we went to Old Navy for $10 jeans. Awesome.

This week is the official last week and a half of summer vacation. We have to go to Information Day at the school, go on another playdate to meet a new friend that will be going to the school, we have 4 parties to go to and then it will be over and the first day of school before we know it.

So have a great week. I know we are going to enjoy every minute.

last one, I promise

...My vacation recap is becoming quite arduous on my part and I fear boring on your end. So today, I will be posting just a collage from the rest of our trip. The remaining time we spent touring the Capitol (one of Seth's favorite things), the kids played at the park near our hotel (Phoebe was done taking pictures, thank you very much), going to the Nationals Baseball game, seeing the Jefferson Memorial and the Arlington National Cemetary. The following pictures are of those things:
The boys and I are going to see grandparents tomorrow, so have a good rest of the week!

our vacation part 2: edited with a note

...Thursday:

We went to the Air and Space Museum this day because of someone I wanted to meet. I was so excited when I read online that he was supposed to be there signing his books and I told Seth we had to go that day. I was so excited because not only is Alan Bean the fourth man to walk on the moon, he also is an artist that uses his astronaut experiences for inspiration.

He also is very friendly and was so nice to the boys. Even told Rhett that he liked his shirt!

I spent about an hour and a half in line but I really didn't mind it. Seth even stayed in line for me for awhile but I was too excited to concentrate on other things. Seth took the boys to see other things while I waited.

I don't think we took many pictures in this museum. There were just too many people. We did see an Imax and a planetarium show. Both were pretty neat. Rhett didn't like the Imax very much. He was too dizzy.

After the museum, we let the boys get some ice cream and we headed to the Sculpture Garden to rest. The sculptures were nice, but what really captured the boys' attention was the birds and this pool. I should rephrase. What really captured the boys' attention was the dialog that Seth made up for the birds hanging out by the pool.

Seth had us all rolling with laughter. This was one of my favorite parts of vacation.

After the break, we went back to our hotel and ate at Ted's Montana Grill. We had bison burgers (Rhett had chicken) and I was impressed how eco-friendly they were. Paper straws, plasticware that disintegrated in 50 days, ect. The key lime pie wasn't great, but their cookies were awesome. (Yes, we had both).

Then later that night, my sister Krista and her family arrived. Since Washington DC is closer to North Carolina than Oklahoma is, I made sure to ask if we could maybe see them while we were in that area. She agreed and they headed up to DC for the weekend. It was so great to see them. Krista was right when she stated on her blog that the kids got along great. After Phoebe asked if Isabel was with us (their only girl cousin, alas, was not), she quickly got over her disappointment and had a good time with the boys.

Friday:

We went to the Natural History Museum, which was my favorite museum of the ones we went to. It was beautiful inside!

Here are the four cousins in front of the elephant: Noah, Rhett and Seth all stuck their heads in the t-rex:
Then, while Seth went to see the Hope Diamond, the rest of us went to the Butterflies: Rhett was so worried they wouldn't land on him but one did and didn't fly off for four minutes:We ate lunch at the museum and can I say to never, ever get the portabella mushroom sandwich. Not only will it put you back $8, but it also doesn't taste that great. Seth, who shared it with me will tell you it was awful and disgusting--I don't think it was that bad, but it certainly does not need to be on the menu.

That is where I will end it today. I have to go through the rest of the pictures before I can go any further.

Note: Christy commented on this post and asked what my thoughts on the condition of the mall was. Well, I was very shocked. I was expecting green grass and instead, there was hardly grass at all. It looked like an alley. The pool that is in front of the Lincoln Memorial did have a certain stagnant smell to it. But I forgot all about it. Christy reminded me that I was going to look this up. I did and I read this. And this. And I found the website for the National Coalition to Save Our Mall. I can see now that it is a major problem. I don't have any suggestions on how to fix the problem or any input to add except that it was in pretty bad shape. And that I hope someone somewhere has a great idea on how to fix it.

good intentions

...I fully intended to write another post on our vacation. But, Rhett sprained his ankle last night at baseball practice (I should mention, he wasn't actually practicing baseball when it happened. They were taking pictures and he was horsing around with the other boys on a wooden plank and he fell off one of the planks and twisted his ankle) and we had to go to the doctor today (just in case).



I also have been consumed by thoughts of cupcakes.



Let me explain:



On the way to Washington D.C., the flight was very full. And we happened to be the last people to board. (Darn internet and pre-printed boarding passes). Because a very nice man moved from his comfy aisle seat in the very front of the plane (where there is a little more leg room and not the threat of someone reclining their seat into your knees) to a middle, yes middle, seat somewhere aisles back, I did get a seat by Noah and near Rhett. Seth, however, was farther back and sat by someone who had the flu and his wife. Of course.



However, these people were very nice. The wife let Seth have the window seat and she sat by her sick husband and then she basically talked to him for a lot of the flight. In that time, she mentioned that her daughter and son-in-law opened up a business in Beverly Hills, CA. A cupcake business. Named Sprinkles.



Sprinkles!



I have read about Sprinkles in Instyle Magazine so I knew they must be good. ;)



Anyway, I was excited because I was already in the mood for cupcakes. I had written down a couple of cupcake bakeries in DC that I wanted to go to.



Unfortunately, we did not get to go to them. Time and red line metro delays were a big part of that reason.



Fast forward (I know, this is turning into a long story, sorry) to today. I decided to try to bake Red Velvet Cupcakes because a) in all my 31 years, I have never tried Red Velvet anything and b) I was looking up cupcake sites online and red velvet just looks wonderfully tasty.



So, after the doctor, I dragged my poor son who doesn't want to walk at all and Noah to the grocery store so I could get some needed bake items.



I found a recipe from an interesting blog that combines the cupcake recipe from Magnolia Bakery in NYC and the frosting recipe from Sprinkles.



And...I'll have to let you know how they taste. I am waiting for them to cool and then I am going to frost them. After a BLT sandwich (tomatoes are also on my mind a lot), we are going to indulge ourselves. I have a feeling we are going to like them.

Washington D.C. part one

...Washington D.C. was such a great place for us to go. It had everything and more. We didn't get to see everything but we saw a lot--especially with two young boys. Here is a recap, Part 1.

Tuesday:

We arrived at Baltimore Airport around 11 am. We then took a train to Union Station in D.C. where we grabbed lunch at Johnny Rockets, a cute diner-type that served great hamburgers and milkshakes. The metro was next, taking us to our hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

Next, as funny as it may sound, we went to the mall. There was a mall just a block or two away from our hotel and Noah needed new shoes (how it got past me that his sandels were way too small for him I'll never know) so we found him some sandals and went to the CVS for drinks. Little did we know that we would be returning to that mall several more times that week.

That night, Noah started complaining of his tooth hurting. I gave him some tylenol and thought it would be better in the morning.

Uh, no. Poor guy was crying on and off all night because of his tooth. Not good.

Wednesday:

Seth knew we needed to find a dentist but we also had our White House Tour that morning around 8:30 am. So we basically bribed our child with a new Webkins if he could tough it out an hour or two. So, Noah did as well as he could have considering the circumstances. Half way through the tour, he had had it but he stuck it out.

The White House was interesting. My favorite thing was seeing the John F. Kennedy portrait. It was beautiful. Seth loved the history. I think he could have spent hours there, if it were allowed. Unfortunately, Rhett had to go to the bathroom, so the second half of the tour was sped up. :)

We found a cafe after the tour and had another breakfast while Seth called our insurance so he could find a dentist. After several tries, they found one at the mall close to the hotel! So back to the mall we went where the dentist found an infection in Noah's molar. The infection most likely started with the cavity that wasn't completely cleaned out before it was filled earlier this year. We were not happy with our own dentist, that is for sure. But Noah was a trooper and he and Rhett both got a Webkins for their troubles.

After eating ice cream for lunch (Noah's mouth was numb), we went to the Smithsonian area and went to the American History Museum.

a note: Daddy's shoulders and back was one way we got the boys to do all the things we wanted to do. The boys took turns on Seth's back when we knew we had to walk a long way. Sometimes, Noah would ride on my back and Rhett would ride on Seth's. We considered it just something we had to do to keep them from complaining too much. For the most part, they really did well when they had to walk. I don't know how Seth's back held up so well. :)

***

The front of the American History Museum: Rhett's favorite exhibit in the museum was about President Lincoln. He and Seth could have spent all afternoon in there. Noah was tired so he and I moved quickly through it so we could find a bench to sit. We also saw Kermit and the ruby red slippers, ect. but my favorite was the original Star Spangled Banner. It had recently been cleaned and put in a new exhibit where it was placed on a slight 10 degree angle as to not put any stress on it. No photography was allowed either. another note: I took more pictures of other things, but honestly, they weren't that great and you can go to the website and see everything, so I won't bother putting them here.

Two tired boys outside of the museum: ***

As if our day wasn't full enough, we decided to go look at the memorials on the mall that evening. We weren't disappointed.

This is a view of the Washington Monument when we started out.

This was the view when we finished, all lit up and beautiful.

A nice woman took our picture in front of the Washington Monument. Notice the left side of Noah's mouth is a little swollen.

One of my favorite pictures. Seth took this of the boys looking straight up at the monument.

***

The World War II Memorial was so beautiful and poignant. It was huge, with a fountain pool in the middle and plaques like the one above to tell the story of the war. I thought of my grandfathers when I saw a few older men who I imagined were in the war or who had friends in the war. I felt pride and sadness at the same time.

Rhett, kneeling to read a memento left by someone.
***
The closer we walked to the Lincoln Memorial, the more majestic it seemed to become. This is the reason I loved going at night. It was amazing. The boys walked the whole mall because they knew Lincoln was the goal. They were mesmerized by the sight of Lincoln.

When we got there, President Lincoln seemed so huge. And that is when Noah said, "Ok, can we go back to the hotel now?"

After walking another 15 minutes to the metro (mostly carrying the boys at this point) and another 10 minute ride to the hotel, our day ended and the excitement of the next on everyone's mind. Ok, it was just on my mind.

And that is where I am ending this for today. More for you tomorrow!

hello

...Today we got home from our vacation to Washington DC. It was wonderful! We saw many sites, walked many miles, ate too much expensive food and we even got to see my sister Krista and her family for a couple of days too! We packed in a lot for 8 days of vacation and now we are home and tired.

Noah, today on the plane: When I get home, I am going to kiss the ground.

I think he was ready to get home. We all were. That is a sign of a good vacation, right?

I'll post pictures and details soon, but my sis already has posted some pictures so go over to her blog to see them. They are so good!