More relaxing

Sunday in DC was much more relaxing. We went into town around noon. We were going to check out the Archives, but there was quite a line. Since our main goal was to see the Air and Space Museum, we decided to go there first. We spent ALL day looking at the different planes, shuttles, space craft, missles, movies, etc. that were there. The kids loved it! They were definitely museum-ed out at the end. We tried going back by the Archives, but still a line. And we never would have made it before closing. We might try again tomorrow.

Today (Monday), the boys and men are out at the driving range hitting some golf balls. Elijah was going to go (he LOVES golf), but he wouldn't get into Uncle Bruce's car. He cried and cried that he wanted to play golf, but when it came down to it, he wouldn't get in the car. Then he cried and cried that he wanted to play golf. He is SO 2! Oh well. So now he is here with me, throwing a pillow in the air as I type this.

Tonight we are going to head over to Camden Yards and get there about 5:30 so we can explore the stadium and stuff. Just taking it easy today. Tomorrow we plan on visiting the Capitol and Library of Congress. That will be our last day before we leave on Wendesday. We've had a great time so far. Definitely a needed vacation. And the kids have enjoyed seeing all the things they see in movies. How nice to be able to give them that.

Our first day in DC

Was crazy!!!!!! First of all, we left early Friday morning. We were actually in the car pulling out of the driveway at 7 am. With our 3 kids, we thought that was pretty good. We were looking for a 10-11 hour drive. Well, we got stuck in traffic outside of Charlotte and Richmond. And, if you know DC, it was a parking lot by the time we got there. So the trip actually took us 13 hours. At 6 pm we were 50 miles outside of DC. After 8 pm, we arrive at Steven's sister's, just north of DC. It was ridiculous!

Then, yesterday, we took everyone to see the White House. Zach thought it was cool. Especially the SS men standing on the top. We also went to see the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the WWII memorial and we stopped by the Jefferson. We spent some time in the White House Visitor Center as well. It was HOT! We were walking around DC in 95 degree weather with more humidity than there is in GA, if you can believe that. Everyone was miserable. Then, we went from there to the Nationals game. That was cool. We parked at the old RFK stadium and rode a double decker bus to Nationals Park. The kids loved riding on the top. It was open. The game was fun. The Nationals lost and we had to suffer through a major rain delay. The only place I could go to keep Elijah dry was the bathroom! It was really pouring! But we stayed and watched more of the game. We left at the 9th inning. (Yes, we left early!) It was 11 pm and the Nationals were down 9-1. The kids were exhausted and so were we and we knew it would take some time to get back to the car and then back to Janna's. We rode on top of the bus back and hit some wet tree limbs. Elijah didn't like it, but everyone else thought it was cool. So we got to bed after midnight. The good news is, I got to sleep in until 10 am! Unheard of!

Today we plan on going to the Air and Space Museum. Something calmer than yesterday and indoors. The kids are excited about seeing the USS Enterprise (Star Trek). And tomorrow we are going to see the Orioles in Baltimore. 2 games, 2 stadiums in 3 days! A baseball fan's dream!
Sorry there are no pictures right now. I didn't bring the right cords to hook up the camera. I'll post some later.

Zach is 5!

That's right. Today is Zach's birthday. I can't believe he is already 5. He'll be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Where does the time go? Well, we gave him presents this morning so he could enjoy them for the day. He got some baseball cards and a shooting game where you shoot cans off of a log. A friend in Montana had this and he apparently liked it a lot. They've enjoyed working on their aim today. We did most of our celebrating yesterday. I took Zach, his brothers, and 2 friends to Jump Zone, a room full of inflatable toys. They played there for about 2 1/2 hours and loved it!

Here is Zach next to the Spiderman obstacle course. THIS is why we picked this particular jumpy place. (There are a few around town.) He just HAD to go to the Spiderman one. By the time we left, he was calling Spiderman his friend.

Here is Zach going down the slide of the giant firetruck. It's really a cool place. We enjoyed it very much.

Tomorrow we leave for DC for a few days. Steven's sister and her family live there and we haven't been to visit them in years. Also, several months ago when I asked Zach what he wanted to do for his birthday, he told me that he wanted to see the White House. (He really loves the National Treasure movies.) So I told him that could be arranged. I tried to get us a tour, but to no avail. We'll just have to stand on Pennsylvania Ave and gaze from the street and go to the Visitor's Center. They are also excited about seeing all the monuments and memorials. Not to mention we get to see 2 baseball games in 3 days in 2 different stadiums! We get to mark Camden Yards (Baltimore) and Nationals Park off our "to see" list. Very exciting!

Funny side note - the power went out today around 6 pm for a few hours. Poor Zach started crying thinking that his birthday was cancelled. He is so funny!

Well, we're off! I'll post more after we get back!

This is Zach when he graduated from PreK in May. He will start school with Joshua in August.

Here is Elijah playing at the park down the street from our house. He LOVES slides!

Joshua is enjoying the park too. Ride that dinosaur!

Aren't they sweet!?!?!

Back from vacation

Well, we just got back yesterday from Hilton Head. Steven's company had a summer meeting there and we all got to go! Great, right? Wrong! It ends up that Elijah (now 2) HATES the beach! He didn't like the sand. He didn't like the waves coming in. He didn't like me (mom) standing in the water, especially holding him. He didn't like the pool. The funny thing is, he would keep asking to go walk on the sand or go to the beach. So we would go. Me, the optimistic mom, thinking, "Maybe this time he will like it." Nope! He was just playing me like a fiddle! We would get out there and he would scream uncontrollably. Needless to say, I got a lot of odd stares from other people. Also, Joshua got sick and threw up in the middle of the night all over his bed. No big deal. We'll clean him up and get laundry service to take care of the sheets. Well, he was sleeping with Elijah. So Elijah had to be cleaned up as well. I had to change his pajamas and clean him up while he was asleep. It must not have been too bad. He never woke up. Zach never knew anything happened. There were several other events that happened that I won't mention here. Just say that it was not the vacation that I had hoped for. However...

Zach and Joshua had a GREAT time! They love the beach, the sand, the waves, the pool...everything! Steven spent his free time taking them out to enjoy the water. This was Zach's first time at the ocean (Elijah's too) and Joshua hasn't been since he was 1 1/2. They enjoyed it very much. That made it all worth it. And, to add to it, Steven got an award at the dinner on the last night! Way to go!

Now we are back doing laundry and getting back into normal life. However, we leave on Friday for DC. Zach's birthday is Thursday. He is turning 5! Can you believe it? The one thing he told me he wanted to do for his birthday was see the White House. (Strange, yes. But they really enjoy the National Treasure movies and want to see all the places in them.) So, I tried to get us a tour of the White House. But it didn't work out. Turns out that is a very popular place. Instead, we are just going to go see it and tour the monuments and memorials. Steven's sister lives just outside of DC so we are taking the opportunity to see her and her family while we are there. We are also planning on catching 2 (yes 2!) baseball games while we are there. Baltimore and Washington play right near there. Get 2 stadiums in one trip. That's awesome!

So this week we are preparing for that. We'll be gone a few days. Then Steven is running the Peachtree Road Race when we get back. Then, back to normal summer life. Parks, pools, movies, friends, camps, etc. It's fun!

Just starting out

Ok. So we finally decided to start blogging. I discovered it's a good way to keep up with family and friends around the globe. I'm new at this, so be patient with me.
Tomorrow we leave for Hilton Head, SC. Steven's company is holding a meeting there and the whole family gets to go! That's great because, living in MT the last 3 years, my 2 youngest kids have never seen a beach or ocean and Joshua hasn't been since he was 1! (He's now 7 1/2!) I'm not sure what it will be like taking 3 kids to the beach, but we are going to do our best to make it an awesome time.