Cause All Moms Can Use a Good Cry Once In a While
Make sure to turn on the music to really get the tears flowing (click the speaker icon in the upper left corner). If you want to see the pictures straight through click on "View All Images."
It's Family Portrait Time Again
Well, it's been a year since we added the new baby to our brood so we figured that perhaps we should get a new family portrait featuring every member of the family. Also, it might be nice to get some baby pictures of Teddy before he leaves for college.
Family portraits are a lot of work. A LOT. First you have to get outfits for everyone. Outfits that can not be worn any where before the picture is taken lest they get soiled. You see everyone's outfit has to stay pristine because they all go together. As my sister once said, we need to look like we go together, but not like we are in a band.
Second, everyone must be bathed, scrubbed and buffed the morning of the picture. This process usually means that I spend 2 hours getting the kids ready and then have 20 minutes to shower, pick out an outfit that fits, looks nice and goes with the group, and do my hair and make-up.
Finally, there is the actual picture taking. It is hard work to look calm and pleasant as the shutter fires when just seconds before you were chasing a toddler and begging a baby not to cry. These are the moments when a parent will promise a kid anything just to get a good picture. "Jack if you sit here and smile for just one more minute Mommy will buy you a race car that can travel to the moon."
But in the end, it is all worth it because you end up with something like this...
Baseball & Icecream
What could be more American than baseball followed up by ice cream.
Boys Grow Up, Dogs Grow Old
Last night our dog died.
Milhous, you were a good dog. I remember the fist time I met you. It was night and I could only make out your profile in the lit doorway. You were a ball of energy with a curly tail. I am pretty sure that you jumped on me, because you did that to just about everyone back then.
You were with Marty before me. I often told people that the dog came with the marriage. However, on nights when I was home alone, I felt a little more comfortable knowing there was a big dog in the house. Even though, if an intruder ever did get in the house, all you would is lick his face and try to play with him.
Whenever people asked us what kind of dog you were, we just replied. "The brown kind." You were a pound puppy through and through and we will miss you.
We Live Here, So We Never Visit
My feet are killing me. My car is still over flowing with stuff. My camera is full of pictures (even though it is the old crappy one because my new camera is broken). It has been a good day.
We started off with a tip of the hat and a Top of the Morning to Ya at the Manassas St. Patrick's Parade. The Irish eyes were smiling as we lived like we were on the shores of Erin all decked out in our cherriest green. The sun was shining and (as Rachel put it) we didn't have to dress like tacos (wrap ourselves in blankets).
Then it was off to our nation's capital for the annual Kite Festival. Unfortunately, we missed the Kite Festival, but we did our own family walk about stopping at the Smithsonian garden, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, and the White House. Interspersed there were hot dogs, baby food and ice cream. Also, there was a very poorly thought out game of Hide & Go Seek on The Mall. Hello kids, it is a big flat open space. Where are you going to hide? Either behing Mommy (great I am big enough for small children to hid behind) or just run away as far as you can get until a big kid is sent after you to drag you back to the stroller (you can guess who tried this strategy).
It was a great day! Enjoy some photos (even though they are from the crappy camera, oh how I lust after a better camera, but that is a post for another time).
www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing photos in a set called St Pats 2008. Make your own badge here.
Get Out Your Winter Wiggles
This is how we get out our winter wiggles when it is too cold to go outside. I put on some music and the children get their funky groove on.
We Are Going To Be On Ellen
The Ellen Show just called us to tell us that they will be using a picture we sent in tomorrow (Wednesday) on the show. So check us if you get a chance.
Family Portaits
Family portraits are life perfected. Everyone is happy, well dressed and facing the same direction. But the truth of the matter is that it probably took a dozen shots to get the one and only "good" one. Nonetheless, after going through all the shots from our recent family portrait session, the "bad" ones are probably some of my favorites, because you can see the true personalities of the people in the photos: two year olds are squirmy, big kids get board, struggling parents trying to just get the two afore mentioned groups to look at the camera just once so Grandma can get a good family picture tend to have glazed over eyes and the well rested couple without children are guaranteed a great shot. These are the truths of life.
So, with that in mind, here is the truth behind the pictures of our recent family photo session. Enjoy and look for the "good" picture in a Christmas card.
Never Go Into a Corn Maze with 4 Small Children and No Map
The kids definitely earned their time in the tub this weekend.
We went with Rachel's Girl Scout troop to Cows N' Corn and the name is truth in advertising. We learned all about dairy cows. These poor beasts are pregnant every year of their life starting at age two. I was just glad that all the talk of milk production didn't lead to a leaking incident on my part.
There was also corn, but due to the drought, I was still able to see just over the stalks, which was a blessing since Ifailed to pick up a map on the way in the maze. About half way through our trek, Jack decided that he was done for the day, sat down in the dirt and refused to go another step. So I ended up with a baby on my front and a toddler on my sholders. Although he had the perfect navigational vantage point, his occasional yells of "No" weren't really that helpful in finding our way out.
King Tut and the City of Brotherly Love
This Friday we got up that the crack of dawn, piled in the car and headed up to Philadelphia for the final weekend of the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute. It was amazing and my mind still reels at the thought of these beautiful items sitting in complete darkness for over 3,000 years waiting to be rediscovered. Just take a moment and ponder all that occurred while these relics hibernated: Christ was born and crucified, the Renaissance occurred, Columbus "discovered" America, the Revolutionary and Civil wars took place, and this is just a paltry list of things that could be included in that time line. All the while, beneath the earth, these items of stone, wood and gold, man made items of exceptional beauty, waited silently. Amazing.
The whole weekend was pretty special, but there were some things that occurred that made us wonder why Philly is referred to as the "City of Brotherly Love." There was the clerk at the FI snack bar that was so rude I actually said to her, "You are being very rude." Her response, "No I'm not." Of course not, what was I thinking. Then there was the parking garage attendant who gave us our $35 change entirely in ones. The charge was $15. Please don't tell me that you collect $15 from every car that leaves and you don't have anything larger than a one dollar bill. Add on to this the woman who proclaimed my discreet breastfeeding of Teddy "Disgusting" and the museum security guard who asked Rachel if she knew where her mother was when I was sitting on a bench with her (this one I can sort of forgive though) and we weren't exactly feeling the "Brotherly Love."
On the up side, the FI did have a train exhibit, so you know where the boys wanted to spend every second that we weren't looking at Tut. However, we did manage to sneak in the children's exhibit on physics and the outer space exhibits. By the end of the day, our feet were aching and our brains were full. It was a good day!
