Arlington National Cemetery.

Today was a beautiful day here.  We wanted to go into DC, but we knew there would be big crowds on the Mall because of the Cherry Blossom festivities, so we headed to Arlington National Cemetery.  To my knowledge, I have never been here before- which surprises me, since I love going to cemeteries.  Did you know that one of my very first blog posts was about going to a cemetery when been Ben was in training?  Did you notice the quote "These Honored Remains:  Destiny's Remains When Diplomacy Fails"?  That has stuck with me since I read it, but I digress.

Back to today.  Thomas fell asleep, but Jack was not really interested in hanging out for a long time, so we hit the two things we really wanted to see, the JFK grave and the Tomb of the Unknowns.  I enjoy being able to see and honor those who have fought for our freedom.  I find it interesting, awesome, and peaceful.  I hope to go back and see more without children, or when they are a little older.

The Tomb of the Unknowns was amazing.  The reverence that was felt when watching the solider cross in front of the tomb was palpable.  Such an amazing sight and feeling.  Really, if you haven't been, you definitely should.

I think the reason I love cemeteries so much, is that I know that someday, all that will be left of me is a headstone, and I hope someone will take a moment to wonder what I was like, and maybe make up a story about my life, as I have done to so many names that I have seen.  I can hope that once I am dead, and all those who know me are gone, someone will think of me, even for a moment.  Is that weird?  Probably.  I think it might come from my desire for attention.  Perhaps once I am dead, I won't really care.

Little Green Flyer

When Jack won this little green parachute guy, my first thought was to fly it off of our balcony. That is exactly what we did, and because I was so excited about it- I got to be at the bottom to catch it.
The funny thing is after this one flight, the boys were over it, and didn't want to do it again. I was totally disappointed because I would have run up and down the stairs at least three more times before I would have stopped. Oh well, maybe in another week, they will be up for the excitement. That is, if the toy lasts that long.

I love being a tourist.

It has been absolutely beautiful the last few days here in Virginia, and we are trying to take advantage of the sunshine.  (And all of the free things to see/do here.)

We headed into DC with some friends and had a blast!  

We rode the metro, we saw the Washington Monument (which is closed because of the earthquake last year), the Lincoln Memorial, and we walked, and walked, and walked.  

It was a successful day, and we can't wait to do it again.

Anyone want to join us?

I knew it would end in tears, just as so many things do.

Flying a kite is one of those activities I knew would not end well with the boys, but I did it anyway.  

As a child, I remember trying so hard to get a kite to fly without success, and I am pretty sure that each attempt ended in tears.  (I don't fully recall, however, because I have blocked out anything negative I have ever done.  Including crying over ridiculous failures.)

Which brings me to my desire for the boys to fly a kite.  

Both of the boys had their own kite, and both of them were able to get them up for a few moments.  Unfortunately, as soon as the wind stopped, so did their smiles.

However, if they ever say, they never flew a kite (as I am claiming from my childhood) they cannot make that claim.

Here is the proof.

These next pictures are my favorite from our adventure.  

Jack is mid-fit in this one, and Thomas is in the background laying down after he gave up.

"Oh, why me?"

The Glad Game. Or I feel like Pollyanna.

I know, I know a picture of spices and clothes hanging in the closet doesn't seem like a big deal, but it has made the biggest difference.  I can finally wear more than the small selection of clothes I had, and I can cook our favorite meals.

Our stuff arrived and it is all in good condition.  That is good news, but it gets even better.

Continuing the "glad" business"

We put Jack in preschool, and he loves it.  I am so excited for me him.

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the mess that was created so quickly after the boys had all of their toys, and all of the extra stuff that was everywhere- when the cleaning lady that comes once a week showed up.  Now, this is provided by the housing complex we live in, and so it isn't a big deal.  Except we were told she would be coming a different day, so it was a welcome surprise.

I love Northern Virginia.  It is so refreshing to be somewhere familiar, and since I consider this area "where I am from" it is nice to be here.  

I ordered a shirt online, and when it arrived, it was the wrong color and it had a stain on it.  I called about it, and they gave me an additional 15% off!  That was a win.  

  

A trip to the NY/NJ is in the works, and boy, am I excited. 

Who doesn't love Pollyanna?

Well, maybe not everyone, but the glad game can be so refreshing.

Living the good life.

Oh how I love training.  Shorter hours for Ben (generally).  Great location.  Kids everywhere for my little ones to play with.  Life is pretty good for us.

Some other good news, some of our stuff (about 700 pounds) will be arriving today.  It was supposed to be delivered yesterday, but due to rain, it was rescheduled for later this afternoon.  I am so excited to have some of my kitchen stuff (thanks Becky and Michelle for all of the suggestions), and my clothes.  I know I have mentioned before that we had to live out of duffle bags for a long time- well we are on day 50- I can't wait for a little variety.

Something else to be excited for- I just signed up for the lottery for tickets to for the White House Easter Egg Roll.  I hope we get it!

Can you feel the excitement?

Finally.

We made it to Virginia.  

In the last month, we have spent too much time in the car.  We drove from Tijuana to Utah, to Seattle, back to Utah, and finally to Virginia.

The hardest part was the day we left Utah for Virginia, part of our route was closed due to weather.  We tried to redirect to another route, only to find road closures there as well.  We ended up driving to Albuquerque the first day, and then traveled along I-40 for the rest of our travels.

A few things I learned while driving:

1. Spending almost 10 hours a day with two little boys in such an enclosed space was a little much for me.  
2. I have never seen so many cows in my life.
3. The prettiest part of the drive was going through Moab, Utah and the entire drive through Southern Virginia.
4. Along I-40 there are a lot of larger-than-life crosses and adult superstores.

Our detour was a little rough because we had to make the same timeline with about 600 extra miles to drive.  We were supposed to take I-80, and visit my sister and meet her new baby, but we had to cancel that visit with our new route.  It was tough since we won't see them again for a few years, and we won't be able to meet little Dexter until then.  

For now we are settling in and taking a break from the car.  We are excited to be back in Virginia, after Utah, it is one place that feels constant.

Dads.

I would not call myself a "daddy's girl."  That title just doesn't describe the relationship that I have with my dad.  However, today, I think it is the closest I have felt to being the "daddy's girl". 
On Tuesday night my flight from DC to SLC was cancelled.  After calling and holding and waiting for a new flight, I was rebooked.  The only itinerary available was one with two connecting flights, making my trip twice as long and would mean my day would begin at about 2:30 am in order to make the 5:45 am flight.  I must say this was a little daunting. 
Then, my dad called and said he was still trying to fly out to help me.  I didn't think it could be done, but he spent ALL day looking for flights.  He wasn't able to make it here to DC, but he is going to meet me in Atlanta, and fly with me for our long flight to Phoenix then on to Salt Lake.  I am so happy, actually happy doesn't even begin to describe.  I know that it is going to be a long day, but my dad is going to be there. 
A huge miracle. 
I am so grateful for my dad.  He has really pulled out all the stops to help me, and it makes me feel special. 

The Reason for the Teardrops on my Laptop.

Before {Snowpocalypse}

Sunday

Tuesday Night still coming down.

Just like my tears.

Winter. I fold.

Has anyone been watching the weather channel lately?  If you haven't let me tell you-we are experiencing a winter to end all winters here in Virginia (by Virginia standards, not everywhere standards).  Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE WINTER.  (Also know that to me hate is a bad word used only in the most infuriating of circumstances.) 
We have had some serious snow storms this winter, and after having 18 inches of snow fall last weekend, I thought I was in the clear.  I was very wrong.  We (Jack, Thomas and I) are supposed to fly out on Thursday to go to Utah while Ben drives to Mexico.  We decided this would be the best because our youngest angel cries/screams/can't hear my own thoughts because it is so loud type of shrill, every time we get into the car.  When we made this decision my loving father said that he would fly all the way out here and fly back to help me with the kids.  (Wow, I love my dad.)  We just got news that because of the storm that is supposed to hit us tomorrow night (with all its 10-20 inches of glory) ALL FLIGHTS COMING INTO DC HAVE BEEN CANCELLED until Wednesday.  My dad isn't coming.  Umm...this is going to be interesting.  We are still supposed to fly out on Thursday, and we are hoping that works out but right now I am feeling so upset with snow and winter, I can't even think straight.  I am sure that everything will be fine, but right now, I have declared myself done with winter.  I am estranging myself and fleeing my homeland.   That's it.  I'm heading south. I've counted to ten and stated my peace.
Wish me luck.

The Blizzard and the Emergency Room.

During the worse blizzard that the DC area has seen ever (yes another blizzard), Thomas needed to go to the ER.  Luckily, it was nothing life threatening, but important enough that we needed to face the roads and the weather to get everything checked out. 

When we called the nurse hotline, they told us we needed to get Thomas to the hospital within three hours.  When we called the pediatrician for a second opinion, she said to wait 24 hours and if it didn't get better to take him.  We waited 24 hours, and it wasn't better, so we took Thomas to the ER.  It seemed that every other patient in there was in a car seat.  Our nurse (who had been there for 3 days) loved Thomas!  She said he was the cutest little baby, and her new favorite.  After Thomas had been looked at, and the doctor was done, the nurse asked if she could take him to show him off to the other nurses.  He LOVED the attention.

Just so everyone knows, Thomas is great and we are at home. We are enjoying the rest of our Sunday and hoping to be snowed in for a few days.

It's That Time, Again.

We are having our stuff packed up tomorrow.  This is the last time for two years, YEAH!!!  We have loved being here in Virginia, but we are excited to be finally going to Mexico. 
We still don't know what our housing is going to be like, but as long as I have a washer and dryer, it will be fine by me.  I am so excited to live somewhere {for the first time in my life} without a cold winter.  I am hoping that it is going to have an intoxicating affect, and that my blog posts {and my life} are going to have a new sunny edge.  Crazy?  Yes.  I just can't help it.  Every night before I go to bed, I imagine myself in a big sun hat, with the kids playing in the sand, with a book in my hand and a nice ocean breeze in my face.  This might not be close to what is really going to happen, but it is getting me through the 15 degree weather we have been having the last few days.  I would also like to mention that in my fantasy, my body has not suffered the affects of being pregnant with a 10 pound baby and the "baby" weight that I have somehow gained since after Thomas.  {Yes, after, not the pretty kind of baby weight, the stress of having two kids kind of weight. UGH.}  
I digress.  We are going to be packed out tomorrow, and soon we will be on our way to Mexico!  Hooray.

So Embarassed.

The kids are sick. It started on Friday when Jack started a fever. He also had a stuffy nose, cough and misery. Thomas followed on Monday morning with a fever of his own. It has been a rough few days.


Because of sick kids, I decided Monday was going to be a day off. We were staying in our pajamas, we were just going to hang out in my room, watch movies, and I was not going to do any housework. At 2:45, both of the boys were asleep, and I happily joined them. At 3:00 there was a knock on the door. {You know that moment when you wake up and are in the sleepy fog? That was me.} I rushed to the door in my pajamas, trying to make sense of the world around me. I open the door and I saw a man and a woman standing in front of me, looking like I should know they were coming. Oh…shoot…I forgot. The apartment office was sending someone to check our internet connection. I turned from the door and faced the living room to let them in. DISASTER. There were blankets, binkies, pillows, toys, and the laundry basket with the clothes that I had washed but hadn’t put away. I hadn’t showered, I couldn’t remember if I had put on deodorant, but at least my teeth were brushed. I was horrified. I was coming out of my sleepy fog to the realization that these people were actually inside my apartment. I started clearing off the couch and the floor, trying my best to play it cool. It didn’t work. Luckily, Thomas woke up at that very moment, and I ran to get him. I came back, apologizing. “I am sorry for the mess, the kids are sick.” I am not quite sure they believed me, because now instead of just me in my pajamas, Thomas, also in pajamas, was proof that I was a slob. Thomas was in good spirits, and didn’t show a sign of the miserable sick baby that he was just an hour before. At this point, I am trying not to burst into tears or laughter, when Ben walks in. He looks at me, looks at the apartment, looks at the people, and gives me a look of embarrasment. He starts picking up, and also trying to play it cool with “the kids are sick” line. They left, and Ben just said “rough day, huh?” Yes, it had been a rough day.
The internet people are coming back today. The kids are dressed. I am dressed, I sprayed perfume, and maybe I’ll have something baking when they come.  That will help, right?

{I would like to mention that Ben cleaned the kitchen and the living room without giving me a hard time, he told me to relax, and not worry about it.}

Oh boy, I've got joy.

Today I had one hour all to myself!!!  Oh man.  I am still on cloud nine.  Thomas is still breastfeeding and very dependent on me, so it has been hard to have any alone time.   Today Ben offered to watch the kids so I could go do whatever I wanted.  Do you want to know what I did?  I went to Starbucks with a book and read.  It was amazing.   Me. Alone. BY MYSELF.  I loved it.  I watched the moms with kids come in, and I just sat quietly with my book and my hot chocolate so grateful for my moment alone.

{Currently, I am reading a book called The Female Brain.  As of page 30, I recommend it.}

Thanks to my husband, a part of my sanity has been restored, and I am certainly looking forward to more time to myself. 

Here are some of the pictures from our attempt at our Christmas turned New Years card photo.

The sisters are in town.

My youngest sisters are visiting us for a week, and we are having a great time. 
One day we took the metro into DC and went to the Air and Space Museum.  It was a COLD day, and with the two kiddos, it was a short trip, but we all had a good time.
It is awesome to have Paige and Taylor here.  I am 10 years older than Paige, and 12 years older than Taylor, so sometimes there is a disconnect between us, so this is a great way for us to correct that.  They are fun to hang out with, and it is fun to see their perspective on things.  They are awesome girls with a lot going for them.  They have it much more together than I did at their ages.  I am grateful they are here, and I hope they will be able to visit again.
{We have discovered that they have an amazing ability to sleep through just about any noises the boys make...that would be nice.}

Blizzard 2009

We had 16.4 inches of snow fall in one day.  It was crazy, it completely paralized the DC area.  We loved it-we stayed inside, sipped hot chocolate and made mini snowmen on our porch.

It is going to be the first white Christmas in the DC area in 20 years.

{White Christmas is defined as at least one inch of snow on the ground.}

Snow. Snow. Snow.

We welcomed snow to Northern Virginia yesterday.   It was beautiful.  Normally I am not a big fan of snow, but somehow knowing that next year will be spent in warm wather made things more enjoyable.

{We tried to get Jack into the picture, but he DID NOT want to be cold.}

Fun With Friends.

Emily and I met four years ago when we were working together.  We became "the Emily's" in the office.  We hit it off right away, we were both from Virginia, and we both had an incredible first name.   We were always put on projects together, and we definitely added a lot of "fun" to the office.  Neither one of us lasted long at that job, I think we were both a little much for the owner who didn't know what to think of our intense energy. 

I love that they moved to Virginia, so anytime we are here, we can visit.  This weekend we were able to spend some time with  Emily, Justin and their two boys.  We had so much fun.  Emily is a wonderful cook, she made us yummy Cafe Rio salads, and DELICIOUS cupcakes. 

Our boys are the same ages and they had so much fun together.  Jack and Van were so fun to watch.  They slowly warmed up to each other, and by the end of the night, they were playing peek-a-boo with baskets, sharing toys (that was a small miracle), running around, and making a ton of noise. 

Thanks Em, we had a great time.

Finally...

I realize that it has been awhile since I have posted anything. We have had quite a month. We went to Virginia for two and a half weeks because Ben had some training. Then it was the week of Thanksgiving. November flew by.

We had a really great time in Virginia. We were able to see some really great friends, and we went to the National Zoo.

One of the things that I absolutely love about DC is that nearly everything is free, including the Zoo. How can you complain about that? Jack loved it! He can make the noises of the lion, the monkey, and the cows (they had a farm section). What an amazing little guy!

The lion, Jack and Dad

The elephant, Jack, and Mom.

The tiger.

Our Thanksgiving didn't go very well. We had our first ever Thanksgiving at our house. I undercooked the turkey, but by the time we figured it out, it had been awhile since I had eaten anything (my poor husband, and my senstive blood sugar levels) so we just ate the side dishes, and a few bites of the only part that was cooked. I guess there is always next year, and the hope for an invite to someone's house.