A New Chapter and a New Year!

This week started a new chapter for the boys...with baby girl coming in less than 9 weeks, it was time to move Luke into Isaac's room. We were hesitant at first, as Luke does not handle change well, but Isaac was thrilled and asking daily when Luke would start sleeping with him. Thursday we decided it was time to face it, after bath time we brought both boys in, got them ready for bed and set Luke up in his new bed. He was definitely nervous, so we got him his pacifier, and he was quiet. Isaac, our talker, was very quiet and both boys fell asleep quickly. They both slept soundly all night, Isaac until 8:00 and Luke until 8:30! Whew, what a relief to make it through night one! Last night went just as well, and so far so good for tonight, although the constant fireworks are making me nervous.

Another big milestone from this week is that Luke finally hit 20 pounds! Unfortunately he was sick this week, so I had to take him to the doctor, but we found out the good news! He's growing, slowly but surely, our little peanut! He had an ear infection in both ears, but the medicine worked quickly, he was back to himself in no time.

2011 has been a great year for us, we are blessed with love and joy, wonderful family, and fantastic friends. I am so anxious for 2012 and the changes that lie ahead...it's sure to be another incredible year! I thank God daily for the many blessings in my life, He is so good!

Christmas 2011

This Christmas was so fun...I think as the boys are getting older it will only get more fun as their excitement and anticipation grows. Isaac woke up a little early because he couldn't find his stuffed animal, when Carl went in to help him find it the first thing he asked was, "Is Santa here yet?" He went back to sleep for a little bit, but was up about 45 minutes before Luke. He was so excited, but very patient as we waited for Luke. Carl made us yummy Rudolph pancakes, so we ate a nice breakfast together while waiting. Once Luke got up there was no keeping Isaac back. So we gave them each their stockings and the present opening started! We gave them a Thomas the train toy which was out and ready to be played with, Luke was so excited! He played with that for a while and even got mad at us when we tried to give him a present to open. My boy loves his trains! Isaac couldn't get enough of the presents, he loved opening them, giving them to who they were for, and seeing what fun surprise waited inside. It was the first year he really got into opening presents. The boys got some fun gifts and had a great time playing with them all morning.

After an unsuccessful nap time we headed over to Oma and Opa's house for the den Dulk Christmas. It was so fun to see the excitement between all the kids as they gave out their presents and helped each other open all the gifts. After the presents they all played so well together, and really had a great time! Oma prepared a yummy dinner for us, which we all enjoyed eating and being together.

Monday we headed over to Emmy and Gumby's house for the Griffin Christmas, and what fun it was! The boys don't get to see their cousins on that side of the family as often, so they enjoyed getting to play and visit with them. Luke and Mariah are only a few weeks apart in age, so they have a good time together. Emmy prepared a great lunch for us which we all enjoyed before the fun began. After lunch, Gumby read the story of Jesus' birth, and we talked about the real reason we celebrate Christmas. The kids were all blessed with many fun things...I love seeing them all play together.

Christmas can be a hectic time as we rush around, but we really tried to keep our focus on Christ and His birth. I think Isaac really gained a good understanding of Jesus and his birth this year, I pray that as the years go on we continue to focus on Him and that the boys continue to learn more about Him and His life.

December Happenings

Oh my goodness, I am so far behind, I hardly even know where to start! We have had a busy, but oh so fun December! I'll try to give just the highlights.

• We started our Christmas fun with a trip to Santa's Wonderland to look at the beautiful Christmas lights. We went with some of the boys' best friends; Luke, Levi, and Titus, and it was an exciting adventure! We drove to College Station where we met up with our friends' family, and had a great dinner at the Chicken Express. This was a perfect break for the kids to get out and stretch their legs before heading out to look at lights. Santa's Wonderland is a drive thru Christmas lights display, which I've been to in the past, but nothing beats going there with my boys! They LOVED it! Luke was yelling and pointing the entire time! And the smile never left Isaac's face.



• Isaac had a Christmas program at school on the last day before the break, and it was precious! They sang Away in a Manger, Go Tell it on the Mountain, and Jingle Bells. Isaac looked a little more nervous than during his last performance, but he still enjoyed it and did some singing. He wanted to clap after every song, but the boys on either side of him kept stopping him. Poor thing, he was disappointed they wouldn't let him clap. Luke got SO excited when he saw his brother up on stage, his face was priceless as he pointed at Isaac. After the program we got to go back to Isaac's classroom for a brief visit with his class and teachers...I've said it many times before, but his school and teachers are a true blessing!



• Sinterklaas, the Dutch Santa Claus, is always incooperated into our Christmas traditions. Every year we get to see him at the beginning of December and he brings a gift for the kids. It is a great time of singing Dutch Christmas songs and learning more about our Dutch traditions. The boys did great visiting with him, Luke wouldn't sit with him, but he didn't cry...Isaac had a full conversation with him and sat with him for a few pictures. He brought Isaac a new microphone and Luke got a Thomas the Train book.



• We were supposed to host a Christmas cookie making playdate here at the house for our church friends, but Isaac got sick and so we had to cancel. I was so disappointed to not get to do this, so I decided that we'd attempt it on our own. Whew! That was a tough activity, I'm not sure we're ready for that yet. Hee hee! Isaac had fun though, and the cookies came out pretty good. Luke was mad that he couldn't help more, but he got over it once I gave him a yummy snack and a seat where he could watch us. After making the cookies we packaged them up and delivered them to some of our neighbors. Isaac was very excited to have a part in our gifts for our neighbors.



• Isaac talked all month about going to see Santa Claus, so I finally took them towards the end of the month. I knew that Luke wouldn't enjoy it, which is why I hesitated, but Isaac really insisted, so we went. They were both so excited to see him and talked all about him while we waited. Once it was our turn, Isaac crawled right up in his lap, but Luke grabbed ahold of me and did not want to let go. I went ahead and put him on Santa's lap just to get a few pictures, and boy are they priceless! Isaac sat perfectly with a sweet smile, while Luke screamed and reached out for me. I felt a little bad about it, but also got a good laugh from it. The picture was so funny I had to share it, I sent it in to a local TV station, and it was aired on Christmas morning! Unfortunately we didn't get to see it, but the news anchor e-mailed me saying she lvoed it and was showing it immediately.



• Our church held a Christmas Eve Eve service on Dec. 23, so we invited our family and some friends to join us. Oma, Opa, Emmy, Gumby, Mariah, and the Hendersons all came over for a lasagna dinner and then we all went to church together. It was wonderful to have so many special people there with us. The boys love going to church, but this day was different because they got to stay with us. Luke is normally hesitant to go to Sunday school, so he loved that he got to stay with us. He loved it so much that he surprised everyone with how outgoing and wild he was. During the service all the children were asked to come up front to listen to a story, read by the Community Pastor. This pastor happens to be a good friend of ours, and someone the boys adore, so they took it upon themselves to just climb right up next to him on the stage. I got them both down before he began reading, and was shocked by Luke's crazyness, he was so silly during the entire story, he was all over the place! Isaac was sitting nicely, or so I thought, I was busy watching Luke, after a few minutes I look up and see Isaac up on stage next to the pastor again! What!?! I'm not sure who those boys were...apparently they decided it was their night. Hee hee! The service was wonderful, the perfect way to start the true Christmas celebrations.



• Christmas Eve we decided to lay low, just have a quiet day at the house preparing for Christmas and enjoying family time. Isaac has been sleeping in a toddler bed, and we decided that it was time to move him to a twin size bed, so we did it on that day. He watched as Carl moved the bed in, but then I made him stay out as I put on his new bedding...a firetruck quilt...which he has been asking for! He was so excited about his new bed and his firetrucks, he couldn't wait to get in bed that night! Before bed we all crawled in Isaac's bed and read two Christmas stories together...one about the birth of Jesus and another about Santa. It was a sweet time for all of us.

Christmas Music

I am excited to say that Isaac has my love for Christmas music! We have a great time listening to our Christmas tunes as we drive around. I recently bought two kids Christmas CDs, but we only listen to the first three songs on each CD, over and over, back and forth. His favorite songs are: Go Tell it on the Mountain, the LaLa song (Deck the Halls), Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bell Rock, and All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth. It makes me smile to hear him singing along.

Bonding

This afternoon Isaac was tired, but of course not willing to nap, so we were having some sweet quie time on the couch. He was sitting on my lap and we were watching a Charlie Brown movie when I felt Baby Girl start kicking. I asked Isaac if he felt that he said yes and asked what it was. I told him it was Baby Sister she was kicking. I put his hand on my belly and she continued to kick. His face lit up; it was priceless. We sat together for a few minutes while he felt her kicking, and then he talked to her a little bit. I love how much he is understanding during this pregnancy, and how much he is already bonding with his sister.

On a random side note..we were at the store today, and he found a pink fleece pajama that he said we needed to get for baby sister. They didn't have a good size, so I picked a different set of pajamas for her. I showed him my choice, which was brown with butterflies, he said, "No we can't get that for baby sister, it's NOT pink!" Haha! I convinced him it was okay because it has pink butterflies on it; he settled for it.

Holiday Parade

Happy Boy!

I promise he was having fun.

The kids watching intently.

LOOK!!!

Luke bonded a little with Shane, they watched the parade together for a bit.

Today was the annual Tomball Holiday Parade, and what fun it was! I have taken Isaac every year since he was born, but last year was not a success. Both boys cried and were so scared last year, so we left after about 20 minutes. I was nervous going into it today, especially since Carl was not with us, but they LOVED it! I figured Isaac would enjoy it, but I knew Luke could go either way. Thankfully it was a success, neither of them were scared of the sirens, and they both really enjoyed seeing all of the firetrucks, police cars, ambulance, horses, bands, tractors, etc. Luke was so cute, when he saw something he liked he would point and yell. Isaac sat for quite a while watching intently, really enjoying it, but he is only three, so that only lasted a little while and then he wanted to get up and play. We went with a great group of friends, so there was plenty of people to play with...the kids had fun together! Luke went back and forth between playing, running away, watching, and even trying to join the parade a few times.

The last float in the parade was, of course, Santa Claus on a fireturck. Isaac said this was his favorite part of the entire parade...it might be because they threw candy when Santa came by.

:-)

I love the small town feel of Tomball, even though it's not so small any more; it's great to be able to enjoy a fun parade so close to home!

Thanksgiving Feast

The entire preschool lined up for the program. Isaac is in the front standing row, 6th from the left (he has the long sleeve white shirt under his blue shirt).

Feast!

Of course there was dessert...a cookie with blue icing was Isaac's dessert of choice.

Daddy and Luke...I love this picture because I captured a famous Luke face, the I want to smile, but I'm not going to, I'm going to be serious. Ha ha! Classic Luke!

Yesterday Isaac had a Thanksgiving program and feast at his school. We were not quite sure what to expect...

It was so fun! They started with the program of singing a few songs about Turkeys and one about Our God. Of course this was precious! I was so impressed with the growth of the kids, including Isaac. Last May during the Mother's Day program I am not sure if Isaac sang one word, but yesterday he sang every word and did the hand motions! I loved seeing that! He also clapped after every song, which was so cute. Apparently the boy next to him didn't think so, after a few songs he leaned over and told Isaac the audience is supposed to clap, not Isaac. Aw, that was his favorite part I think. ;-)

After the program we headed down the hall for the feast! It was quite a feast, too! All of us parents brought in some food, and the spread was great! We all had a nice lunch together while visiting with friends from his class. I am thankful he is in such a fabulous school, surrounded by wonderful people, that teaches Truth and allows for fun!

24 weeks

I have not posted a lot about the pregnancy, I guess I'm just too busy with the boys to spend a lot of time dwelling on it. Although I am trying to savor this pregnancy and enjoy the special moments. I am now 24 weeks, and growing fast! Pregnancy #3 sure makes for a fast growing mama. Ha! Overall I am feeling pretty well, my only complaint is varicose veins in one leg, which I had with Luke, so I expected them, but oh my goodness, they are worse and no fun. I'm getting used to it now though and learning how to relieve the pain a little when I can. Baby girl is active, she kicks a lot!

As you can see from the picture, Isaac is all about baby. He is constantly rubbing on baby sister (not me, her), he tickles her, and talks to her. He asks me all the time what she is doing and when she is coming. He even asked me to lay in bed with him the other night, but it turned out he really just wanted baby sister to lay with him. He has even decided on her name...Hannah, this evening he asked me what Baby Hannah is doing. Oh goodness, this boy makes me laugh! We'll see if his name sticks...Carl and I have yet to decide on a name.

I will admit, I am scared of life with three little ones under the age of 4, but even through that fear I am SO excited and ready to meet this sweet girl and have her here with us, in our arms. Until then I will soak up everyday with my boys and have as much fun as we can until she joins us!

Peanut is 18 months!

His newest favorite activity is riding the 4 wheeler with Isaac.

Our little peanut is 18 months! Really!?! I know that's what you're thinking, it's what I'm thinking. How is time going so fast? He is maturing, learning, and growing...he is becoming quite a toddler. We will start with his stats...I was hoping to post that he has finally reached the 20 pound mark, but he has not. He weighed in at 19 lbs 10 oz and is 31.25" in length. He's growing, just ever so slowly.

Our Luke may be small, but he is not to be overlooked or underestimated. He has a strong and great personality. He cannot talk much, but he communicates very well and he lets you know what he does or does not want. He knows exactly what is going on, he understands everything, and he wants to be a part of everything! He loves to try to do the things Isaac does, he doesn't realize that he is quite a bit smaller and younger than his big bro. He still prefers to play with any kind of vehicle, if a toy has wheels he is pushing it around and often making the car sound with it. Thomas the Train continues to be #1 in his life...his eyes light up when he sees him in an unexpected place. He loves to read Thomas books, watch Thomas on TV, and of course play with his trains. He also prefers to play outside rather than inside...I don't think this will ever change. He still loves to swing, and has recently decided he wants to swing on the big boy swing, which surprisingly he does really well! Another random thing he always wants to do...wash his hands, I guess it's good he stays clean. :-)

Luke is doing better with his stranger anxiety, but still does not want to be left. If we are in the same room with him and others he will open up and play with everyone. It's when we leave that the problems begin. He has attached himself to a few people at church, so that helps, but if they are not around he struggles. I am ready for him to loosen up and feel more comfortable with others.

I love my little guy's personality, I love his sweet hugs and kisses, and I am so thankful to be his mama!

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday was a fun day for our family! I have never been crazy about the scary part of Halloween or getting into all of that, but I do love the joy that comes from the kids getting all dressed up, playing with friends, and going to see our neighbors. This year was a little different, but oh so fun! Together with our small group from church we hosted a party here at the house for all of our neighbors. We rented a bounce house (which the kids ALL loved), we set up a few games for the kids to play to "win" candy (mummy bowling, bean bag toss, and basketball), we also had popcorn and some dinner. We had many friends from church come to help out and hang out, as well as the Crews family, and Emmy and Gumby with Leah and Mariah. We started the evening with lots and lots of bouncing, of course some powerwheels driving, too. After some hot dogs we headed out to Trick or Treat. Isaac's best friends from church were here with us, Luke and Levi along with their baby brother Titus, as well as Samantha, and cousin Mariah. As a group we all walked down the street to a few houses, the kids enjoyed saying Trick or Treat and seeing what great surprise they got. It was a lot of fun to experience the evening with these amazing kids! It was a great evening of hanging out with neighbors, new friends, and family. I am so thankful we are a part of a church that cares about community and reaching out to those around us.

(Sorry there are no pictures, the blog is not cooperating.)

So excited...

Isaac is really so excited about getting a little sister. He tells everyone about her, including his teachers and gymnastics coaches. Since he found out about her last week he has said and done some of the cutest things, so I have to document and share them with you...

• While outside swinging the other day he started to talk about her, his face lit up as he talked. He said that she could ride in the baby car seat and if she gets bored in the truck he will talk to her and sing to her.


• He told me yeterday that Luke will need to learn to swing on a big boy swing, so little sister can swing in the baby swing and Luke can swing in the big swing next to him. He said he will push her if her swing stops.


• He asks me all the time what she is doing. So a couple of days ago I told him that he could talk to her because she can hear him. So he said hi to her and talked a minute. Then he was quiet for a few seconds. Then he started to sing the ABCs to her! It was priceless! No lie, after he stopped singing and talking she started to kick. I think she loves him already, too!


• Isaac has decided that we need to paint her room pink...because girls like pink.


• He asks me all the time if he can hold her after she is born. I tell him yes and he gets the biggest smile on his face!


• He was looking at his and Luke's pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and he said, "We need to go back and get one for my baby sister."


• While shopping at Target today we walked through the baby/toddler clothes department, I was looking at the clearance rack and he said, "Look, Mama, PINK, you need to buy that for my baby sister. She needs pink." A few minutes latery, "More pink, mama, buy that!" The entire shopping trip went on that way. He even tried to get me to buy baby diapers for her because she needs them. It was fun to see him so interested in getting things for her and picking out just the right color. ;-)

I am so happy that Isaac is so excited about his little sister. I pray that the joy sticks around once she comes home!

Whew, what a weekend!

Daddy and Isaac enjoying the hayride.

This picture makes me laugh!

Only big smiles from this guy!

The best family pic we could get with the pumpkins.

Luke holding on so tight during the hayride and Isaac loving on us both.

The three big kids sitting on the pig...just after this we tried to put Luke on the pig and in the process Isaac and Kacy slid off the side.

I captured this smile while he was admiring the ducks.

The not so safe, but oh so fun rope swing...he LOVED it!

Luke's favorite activity, the huge slide...he made Carl do it twice!

Isaac and Kacy, sweet friends.

Sir Topham Hatt at the birthday party.

Our Dutch soccer player hitting the pinata.

Look at Isaac and Daddy at the top of the dirt mound!

The guests of honor...Gumby, Cameron, and Leah.

This weekend was a busy one, full of fun times and great memories! It sure left me exhausted though...whew! We started the weekend with a great dinner at Oma and Opa's house on Friday night. It was a nice evening of family time. Saturday morning we headed out to Dewberry Farms, a wonderful pumpkin patch to let the kids run and play with some sweet friends, the Hendersons. Isaac and Luke love Adilyn and Kacy, so it was sure to be a fun time! Luke was not sure about the hayride or the pumpkin patch area...I can't figure out why he won't let me take his picture with the pumpkins. Isaac on the other hand was all smiles, he and the girls enjoyed the hayride and smiled and posed great for pictures. After the pumpkins we spent our time watching the pig races, admiring the ducks in the duck pond and the farm animals in the barn, as well as swinging on the super fun rope swings (Isaac's favorite!), sliding down the huge slide (Luke's favorite!), and just playing in the hay. We had so much fun with the girls and are thankful for such great friends!

After the pumpkin patch we raced home to get some naps, well apparently Carl and I were the only ones interested in napping. Luke slept about half an hour and Isaac, well, he never naps, so it was just the usual rest time (play time) for him.

Next on the schedule was a birthday party for one of Isaac's good friends from school. It was a costume party, so the boys had to get dressed up! Isaac's firefighter costume was a little too hot, so he went as a Dutch soccer player. Luke dressed at Sir Topham Hatt, although in shorts rather than pants. They both looked great and were so excited for the party. We couldn't get Isaac out of the bounce house the enitre time and Luke was happy just running around the yard and driveway. It was great to visit with friends we don't see often and make some new friends as well. Birthday parties are a bit crazy, but so fun...I love seeing the kids all having so much fun!

Every Sunday is busy around here these days, but today was extra busy. We started the day at church with a great sermon and good fellowship with friends. The boys had fun in Sunday school and made some cute puppets. Their lesson today was based on the verse, "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14. They learned this verse last week as well, so Isaac and I have been discussing it all week. He suprised everyone with his memorization of the verse including the Psalm 139:14. The boy loves to learn, he is a sponge...and he truly enjoys learning about God and studying His Word.

After church we rushed home to change and pack some lunch, then off we went to the park for a family picnic. We got together with Carl's family to celebrate three birthdays; Cameron, Leah, and Gumby. We all ate lunch togther, then the kids got to run around and play...on the playground as well as the huge dirt mound. As you could guess, Isaac loved the dirt mound and was determined to get to the top. Luke enjoyed the freedom and was running everywhere, he wore us out chasing him. It was a wonderful afternoon with family, celebrating three great people!

We came home for naps after the park, but unfortunately Luke fell asleep on the way home, for about 5 minutes and decided that was enough sleeping for him. We were supposed to head out to small group this evening, but with Luke's lack of nap I decided it was best to keep the boys home and get them in bed early. So that's just what I did. I am bummed to have missed the time of fellowship and digging into God's Word, but thankful for the extra rest for the boys.

Whew, I'm tired again now after just writing about the weekend. But thankful for the time with family and friends and the sweet memories we made as a family.

Sugar and Spice and all things nice...that's what little girls are made of.

We have a lot to learn, we don't know much about Sugar and Spice, but I know we will learn quickly and will have so much fun in the process!

We told the boys this morning that they were going to have a new baby brother or sister and Isaac was so excited! We told him that we were going to the doctor today to find out if he was getting a sister or brother, and that he could come with us. He thought this was great! Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long, so we could all get in and see our little one. The ultrasound tech looked immediately to find the gender, and our little one cooperated, there is no doubt this is a little girl! I love seeing the baby on the ultrasound, it makes it so exciting and I feel even more connected afterwards. She is an active one...she was moving the entire time! And she is on her head, maybe she's practicing her gymnastics skills already. Heehee! Isaac was able to see her head/face, hands, and feet; and even hear her heartbeat. He was so excited and of course filled with a million questions. This was such a sweet time for all of us, a memory I will never forget!

All afternoon Isaac's been talking about his little sister, he cannot wait! He has talked about taking care of her, playing with her, and of course he is so curious about how she got in my tummy and what she's doing in there.

We are all over the moon about this sweet little miracle, and are counting down the weeks until we can hold her in our arms.

Book Parade

Isaac the Fireman!

Sitting outside his classroom with some of his friends.

The fireman with his special book.

Isaac had a book parade at school this afternoon. He got to bring his favorite book and he had to dress up as one of the characters. Obviously, he was a fireman, his book was, "When I Grow Up I Want to be a Fireman." The kids all dressed up and then they paraded around the school for all the parents/grandparents to see. It was such a cute experience, the kids all looked adorable and all did great with the mass amount of people staring at them. I could tell Isaac was a little nervous, but he smiled so big once he saw us! He thoroughly enjoyed wearing his Fireman costume, and told me on the way home that one day he will drive a big firetruck and fight real fires. The kids were allowed to bring their parents and one grand, so Emmy got to come with us, and she enjoyed it, too. Isaac loved that she was there to see him parade.

Pumpkin Patch

Happy Fall Friends!

He thought the pumpkins were balls, he kept trying to roll them around. :-)

I captured a sweet smile!

Deer!!! Loving the petting zoo!

Today was a special day for me and Luke. We went to a pumpkin patch for some fall fun with some friends from church. It was the most perfect day for this outing, the weather was gorgeous! Luke was a little hesitant at first, he didn't know what all these big orange balls were for (also known as pumpkins). He wasn't really into posing for pictures, but I was lucky enough to get a few good ones. We tried to get a group shot of all the kids (7 total), but Luke was not having it. Bummer. One thing that Luke did truly enjoy was the petting zoo. My boy LOVES animals! His face lights up when he sees them and he points while talking about them, and he gets so excited! We let the kids run and play for a while, then we had a picnic lunch. It was a great morning and one that I won't soon forget. I'm thankful for the sweet friends that were there with us and for this beautiful day!

Washington DC Trip

The soldier at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just before the Changing of the Guard.

Us...by the Washington Monument

The Capitol

Me in front of the White House...notice the police handcuffing the guy in the background...read below to hear what happened!

The Lincoln Memorial

Abe!

Carl and I spent the last few days in Washington DC, just the two of us, for a work trip/getaway. Carl had to go up there for work, and our parents made it possible for me to join him on this trip. We had not spent a night away from Luke in his entire 17 months, so I was definitely nervous about how he and I would do without each other. Thankfully, he did AMAZINGLY! I did well, too! ;-) Isaac and Luke both waved and said bye to us as we left, so that made it easy to get in the truck and go. They were both well taken care of, and of course, a little spoiled by their incredible grandparents while we were away. I am so proud of what a big boy Isaac was, he made sure everything went as it should and helped out by sharing everything he knew...which in his mind of course he knows everything. Luke was happy and just had lots of fun without us! Did I mention how thankful I am for both sets of grandparents and their willingness to help out and let us getaway?

We arrived in DC at about 8:00 Saturday evening, so we checked in to the hotel and then quickly headed out to find dinner. We found a local hotspot right around the corner and had a yummy dinner, while sitting at the bar because we were too hungry to wait for a table. Sunday morning we slept in a little and then got ready quickly to head out to some sightseeing. We started at the Arlington National Cemetery, which was so impressive and humbling. We got there just in time to see "The Changing of the Guard" at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...this was also very impressive! We left there, grabbed a taxi and headed to the White House. This was my first trip to DC, but not Carl's, so he was my personal tour guide, although we did see some things he had never seen or at least not in the last 15 years. He knew just where to go from the White House, so we walked along to all the sights. We saw the Washington Monument, then the Capitol, and then we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and the American History Museum. Yes, I know, it's quite amazing that he got me into TWO museums...those that know me well know that unfortunately I do not have a good appreication for museums. These museums were enjoyable though and quite interesting! Once we finished up there we decided to head back towards the hotel. We swung by the front side of the White House to snap some pictures on our way back. As Carl was taking a picture of me I heard a loud bang, like something falling...I looked back to see a man on the ground with three police officers around him and he was being cuffed! What in the world!?! The next thing we knew there were officers everywhere!!! It was incredible to see the security around there! They quickly forced everyone to cross the street, and we ended up next to the friends of the guy being questioned. According to them, he asked them to take a picture of him pretending to climb the fence...they showed us the pictures. Well, there is no playing around there...they are serious...as they should be! We stuck around for a few minutes, but then decided were too tired to stick around, I feel bad for that guy, he learned that lesson the hard way. After some rest in the hotel we decided we needed to head out to the Lincoln Memorial because we didn't know if we would have time the next day. So we put our shoes back on and headed out on our tired legs. We tried to make it before dark, but we just missed the sunset. It was still a beautiful sight, though! We left there and grabbed dinner just outside the hotel, a great pizza place followed by some delicious ice cream!

Carl had to work on Monday, so I took it easy around the hotel...it was a much needed time to relax! Once he finished working we did some more walking around and then had wonderful dinner at Old Ebbit Grill. The restaurant was just around the corner from the White House, it had a great atmosphere and the food was fabulous!

This morning we had to catch an early shuttle to the airport, and then caught a flight home. It was a wonderful trip, we made some great memories, and really enjoyed having some time to be just us. We made it home by about 2:30 and I have to say I was so excited to see my boys! I needed the break, I needed that time away, but I missed my boys so much and was so ready to hug and kiss them!