Is this getting old?

Wednesday morning we took a tour with Bryan and Brit of the Capitol. While I found it interesting to hear the stories of what took place there 200 years ago, I must admit that I’m cynical about what takes place there these days.

Regardless, it is a beautiful building and an impressive symbol for our country’s history and freedom. Quite magnificent really. Too bad I’m a lousy photographer with a sub-par point and shoot camera.

After that we headed to the Holocaust Museum. The museum exists on four floors and you begin by taking an elevator to the highest level and descending. Before you get on the elevator they give you a little booklet about a Jewish child living during that time somewhere in Hitler controlled Europe. After each floor you read more about the individual until at last at the bottom you learn their fate. They do this to make it a more personal experience I suppose. But it is the sort of experience that is painful enough without it being personal. I’ve been through the museum three times and I’m convinced that each time I go (perhaps due to increase in age and maturity) I am more appalled that this ever happened. It is of course, excruciating to read about the Holocaust. But I am grateful for the knowledge I have of God’s love and mercy and salvation for the victims of the Holocaust.
(This was my best “To infinity and beyond!”)

After leaving there we quickly perused the Air & Space Museum but we were emotionally and physically spent and were mostly interested in buying the promised space shuttles for Cameron and Eli in the museum gift shop.

That night we cashed in a credit Richard had for a hotel in downtown D.C. We crashed on the bed and watched meaningless t.v. to give our brains a break. Museums require a lot of reading. Then with Bryan’s recommendation we found a great Italian restaurant that was the perfect romantic dinner for two. We even ate some cheese that had aged for 200 years in a cave. Yes, that was expensive but VERY tasty cheese. I love cheese.

From the moment we parked at the Metro on Monday morning we began encountering VA Tech fans.  They were, for the most part, friendly and gracious and we enjoyed exchanging light-hearted banter.

Our original plan was to visit the Holocaust Museum Monday morning but it was determined that would greatly diminish our football zeal and we didn’t want that.  After painfully observing the deplorable murders of six million people, who cares about football?  So instead we spent the morning and early afternoon visiting memorials.  We saw the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial, Korean and Vietnam Memorials.  (We had previously visited the Washington Monument and World War II.)   There is really nothing I can say about these.  They must speak for themselves.

We got home on Saturday night. Sunday we rested. Monday I worked. Now I’m ready to BLOG.

I’m going to play the journal card and just pour my travel-heart out.

By the way, you were all right. We had a great time. The kids were fine. I didn’t even cry once.

She’s nine months. She only weighs 13lbs 6oz. Dr. ordered blood work. Richard isn’t worried. I’m not really either. Dr. says it is probably that she just isn’t getting enough calories. And her activity level isn’t allowing for the type of lethargy needed for successful weight gain.In any case, we will all remember these next few months of her life as the months she spent in her high chair, eating. Feed that baby!

My freshman year of high school my family moved to Fairfax, Virginia for one year. It was a job opportunity for my dad that we knew was temporary so my parents drug us all across the country. Now they have only themselves to blame for their children’s itch to live somewhere besides Boise.

I’ve been back many times since to visit old friends, or family members. It seems at any given point one of my siblings lives in the Washington D.C. area. (Along with Las Vegas and Provo. One or more of us can be found there as well at any given time.)

Richard has never been to our country’s capital. Even Cameron beat him there. We’ve talked about it occasionally but sometime last fall a football game was announced. BSU vs. Virginia Tech in the Washington D.C. area. He was sold. Frequent flyer miles and a free place to stay (with family members) clinched the deal. We booked our flights as soon as the date of the game was solidified.

Our trip is two days away and for the life of me I can’t figure out what I was thinking. Why did I think it was a good idea to leave my nine-month old baby, my “mama’s-boy” three year old and a five year old who has only one week of kindergarten under his belt? For eight days.

Words of affirmation and my love language. They are more than that. I need them like I need water and sleep. I need them right now. Keep your disapproving remarks to yourself. I’ve come up with enough of my own.

Another summer is slipping away. We have watched the corn in the fields around our neighborhood grow taller and taller. It’s a fun way for the boys to observe the passage of time.

At the beginning of the summer I committed to live it up this summer. To swim and picnic and enjoy the sunshine without regret when the days became cool. I can say now that I am completely satisfied with our summer adventures. And the joy of such satisfaction is the way that I can welcome Fall with open arms. Because frankly, I’m exhausted. I’m ready for a slower pace and a daily routine. I’m ready for squash soups and college football Saturdays. And I’m ready to leave a week from tomorrow for a week-long vacation with Richard without children. (I take that back, I’m not exactly ready for that.)

Here is a photo recap of our summer days. It’s enough pictures to make up for months of non-blogging, but only about 2% of the pictures I took all summer.

My eldest child will enter the world of public education next week.  He is really scared.  It’s really cute.  But it makes me really worried.   Today we went shopping for his school supplies.  I was so excited.  You know, “bouquets of sharpened pencils.”  But it was a disaster.  Suppose it was an omen for Cameron’s first day of kindergarten?  Or worse, his first year of school? I’m really not this type of mother.

Nearly half of the supplies on the list were sold out.  (Bad timing on my part, all other school districts start before ours.) A few items on the list were not described in a way that allowed me to know just exactly what I was looking for.  We did manage to leave with the large bottle of hand sanitizer, a box of Kleenex and two boxes of crayons.  Unfortunately I had to buy all name brand because the generics were all sold out.  School supplies ain’t cheap. 

This frustration was all compounded by a tired eight-month old and a hungry three year old  Once again bad timing.  I’m sure I’ve read a thousand times in PARENTS magazine not to take your kids shopping during lunch/nap time.  Then there was also the five year old with that nervous energy and expensive taste.  Really?  A lunch box for $19.99? And what if Cameron takes a cartoon lunch box to school only to discover cartoon lunch boxes are not cool.  Because, they’re not.  Well, that is, unless you are in elementary school.   I have to keep reminding myself to think like a five year old. 

Richard tells me that I wouldn’t be disappointed so often if I didn’t have such high expectations.  My original plan was to go out, just me and Cameron, and do his school shopping.  I could put his fears to rest over an ice cream cone, just the two of us.  Then I was made aware that we needed to bring school supplies to the classroom open house, tomorrow.  Unfortunately due to lack of inventory Cameron’s contribution to classrom supplies will be missing half the required items until next week.  I wasn’t about to tackle another store given the circumstances.  If his teacher has a problem with that, I’ll consider homeschool. 

Not really.