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!

not going to have to worry about this one

... Today, Rhett and Noah were playing the Wii when all of the sudden, Rhett ran in to where I was and said, "Mom. I was trying to say 'ships' but something else came out. I think you know what I mean. The bad word. I didn't mean to do it!! It was an accident, I promise."

***
Here are some pictures of my sons, pre-haircuts. Noah's hair is getting so blond! Now they have spiky short hair and they are loving it. And no, I can't get one picture where one of them isn't being extra silly.

After this shot, Rhett starts laughing. "I almost kissed you Noah! Ha! Ha!"

summer playlist on repeat

"There's nothing to do."

"What are we going to do next?"

"Can we play the Wii?"

"Can we watch TV?"

"I'm hungry."

"I'm bored."

"Do we have to go run errands?"

"Can we go play with ________?"

"Rhett, you're mean!"

"Noah, leave me alone!"

"Mom?!?"

"Aww!"