Washington D.C. (Sept5)

I got a phone call this morning from Kels, asking if we wanted to meet them in D.C. 

We did.

Tor, the kids, and I met up with Kels, Mike, Ab, Nick, and Chelsea for a few hours.

Kels pushed Ty down the stairs at the Museum of Natural History. (Our meeting point)

He thought that was hysterical.

The stroller didn't last long. He preferred to chase Nick

And play with Ab

Gotta have the family pic with the Washington Monument!

And the couples

Kels and Mike

The newly engaged couple, Nick and Chelsea!

Tyler ran right up to it (Washington Monument) and gave it a hug. Not sure where that came from. 

"Whoa dude!"

Ty decided it was Nick's turn in the stroller

Lia was a happy camper the whole time!

We went to check out Mr. Einstein. 

Kels, Ty, Ab

My handsome lil' boy. ♥

On our way to the car we found a water fountain, where we let Tyler play for a while. 

{See next post for way too many photos of that experience!}

I'm glad we braved the Labor Day crowds to hang out with my siblings and company for the day. It was worth dealing with the traffic. ;)

"Miiiig Creek!" (Sept4)

We had a tough time deciding what to do today. We decided to go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

Then we changed our minds and decided to go to Dinosaur Land.
(We'll do the Festival another time)

Then we changed our minds again and decided on a walk to the river at Horsepen Run.
(We'll do Dino Land another time too)

How do you describe the Potomac River to a two year old? It's a "big creek", of course! Or in Tyler's words, "miiiig creek!". ♥

He was pretty thrilled with the idea

About 3 minutes into our 2 mile (round trip)walk, Lia decided she needed to eat.

And Ty was collecting rocks the whole time to throw into the "miiig creek."

Tyler preferred to ride on Mama's back most of the time

Which gave Tor a turn with Lia

Still walking. Still carrying the kiddo.

I didn't mind all the carrying.

We made it to the "miiig creek"!

The boys did lots of rock throwing. And some log throwing. ;)

And then we headed back... this time Tyler decided it'd be fun to hitch a ride on Tory's shoulders.

He would only walk if we let him hold Dex's leash. ♥

And then he held my hand for the last few minutes.

We got back home, where Tyler took a looong nap. So did I, actually. :)

I feel like complaining today.

About my almost-broken sewing machine... which I need working NOW so I can finish close to a dozen quilts by Sept 25.

About my ridiculous body which is stuck between pregnant and not. And how I have no clothes that fit comfortably and look even halfway decent.

And a thousand other things that nobody but me cares about so I won't bother to write them down.

Instead I'll just say that I'm thankful for the good things in my life.

I do love them tons. ♥

Lia's 6 week check up

Lia had an appointment with the pediatrician today. I did not have a babysitter. So this morning I told Tyler that he had to be a big boy and help Mama with Lia at the doctor's. He was thrilled. 

I got them changed, fed, and in the car early. (A small miracle)

We got to the office and the receptionist told me that our insurance says Lia has not been added to our policy yet, so we have to pay out of pocket. 

A) Yes she has been added. 3 weeks ago.

B) Um no. I'm not paying. 

So I called Tory who called the insurance company who said they would have her on the policy within 24 hours.
(I'm not sure I believe them. They also said it was done 3 weeks ago.)

I relayed that to the receptionist who said "Ok, come back Friday."

Are you kidding me? I just got my two year old and my six week old here early and you're telling me it was for nothing?? 

Yep. They wouldn't take us today unless I payed $150 plus vaccines. 

We're going back on Friday. All three of us. :P

{No worries, I was nice about it. Even though she could have called me before I got my kids up to come to this stinkin' office! ;)}

Lia's 6 week photo. LOL

More fun at the playground (Aug29)

Somehow we end up at the park almost every time we're looking for something to do. I wonder why that is...

He spotted the park!

Lia slept

While we played :)

Tyler drove

Lia kept sleeping

The boys had some swingin' fun

Tyler played some more

Lia finally woke up!

And had her first sliding experience!

She pondered that for a while

Then she allowed her brother to help hold her

And then Ty discovered the creek...

He had Tory collect a bunch of sticks to hand to him so he could throw them in

And finally he decided it'd be more fun to throw rocks in from the bridge...

...handfuls at a time make for bigger splashes! :)

Tory's "office" and a trip to the playground (Aug27)

We met Tory at Chick-fil-a for lunch the other day. Tyler thinks that is Tory's office. I guess it makes sense, since I tell him Tory is at work and then we see him at the restaurant. lol 

He really doesn't care where his daddy's office is, as long as he gets some sweet tea.

I think Lia was hoping for some tea too. I'll share some in a few weeks. ;)

After lunch I drove by Tory's real office, so Tyler would no longer be confused. I think he was more impressed when he thought Daddy worked at Chick-fil-a...

Then we headed off to the playground! 

Tyler rode the horse

And slid down some very hot slides. 

Lia just slept

And finally, here's why Tory called Tyler "A walking poster for Toy Story". 

{T-shirt, swimsuit, socks, tennis shoes... ALL Toy Story!}

[Actually, he was wearing his Toy Story cowboy boots when Tor said that. He looked much more stylish, but they were just not practical for the playground. ;)]

{He dressed himself. I am nowhere near as... creative... as my son is when it comes to clothing}

Never say never

I am fairly certain that God has spent the last decade laughing at me.

About ten years ago is when I started to hate snow. And winter. And cold. 

I can't count how many times I have said I will never move up north.

And specifically I have said I will never live somewhere like Minnesota.

{Yes, I've said never Minnesota a few times. }

And now we're moving to Minnesota. Minneapolis to be exact. 

The way I understand it is this: Tory's company got a giant contract recently which Tory is going to be in charge of. The other company is based in Minneapolis, which means Tory's gotta go there. 

We'll be moving (all five of us! Tory, me, a then-2.5 year old, a then-6 month old, and a great dane. YIKES!) in late January/early February 2011. 

We'll have all the details in the next few weeks.

For now... I'm off to find a place to live in Minnesota! 

{And I am never saying never again. ;)}

National Harbor (Aug24)

A fun place indeed!

Today we (the kids and I) headed out for a day with G (my mom) and Abs (my sis). 

Now that I think about it, we didn't really do anything. Except walk. And take pictures. So without further ado...

The pictures:

Getting ready for the day... with my totally sweet new stroller. LOVE it!

Our first stop was lunch... at a place called Ketchup. It sounds cooler (and cheaper! lol) than it is. I have no photos of that, because Lia needed to eat and Tyler wouldn't sit still... 'nough said. 

Next we headed down to see this guy buried in the sand. Yes, a guy in the sand. 

Poor Ty was a bit scared of him.

With good reason... the guy tried to eat Abby!

Not sure why, but I love this picture!

{Thanks Ab, for making the edges look cool! lol}

I guess the hand wasn't as scary as the head.

He tried to push the boulders in the water

When that didn't work, he threw some teeny rocks in the water.

We posed for another picture

Then we went to Ben and Jerry's

And sat on a cow seat. (I kinda want one...)

Ty was also afraid of the cow. Until he told it to "sit", then he was fine with posing for a pic! 

(Seriously!)

We found these neat windows that were TV screens with fish swimming back and forth. (Like the screen saver on a computer, only tons of them)

I love making him laugh. ♥

Lia slept through most of this

That would be G and Abs. My family is awesome! :)

The highlight of Tyler's day...

"WHOA DUDE!"

{Yea, that's what he was saying. For a good 30 min. At least.}

And he kept telling me he got his finger wet. lol

Tyler consumed a disturbing amount of Jelly Beans on the way home... and then crashed the minute I put him in bed for his nap.That was a good day. :)