the apple doesn't fall far...

We joke around a lot about how the boys have inherited all Jon's good traits and all my not so good traits.

The other day we went to Mt. Vernon. While there we discovered yet another unfortunate trait that I have passed on. I really do not handle the heat well...apparently neither does Ethan.

one month down...

A few thoughts about the last little while...

• I love it here.
  
• I get lost all the time. The other day I went out, yet again, looking for a store that I had been trying to find for three days. I made another wrong turn, so I stopped to turn around and back track. Ethan, noticing what happened, said, "Mom you don't find store? Silly Mommy."
  
• Now, anytime we make it back to the hotel Ethan very triumphantly says, "WE MADE IT."
• I absolutely miss family.
• I get lost all the time.
• I have found that a good portion of the people here are not used to children...especially two young ones. When I go out with my kids, anywhere, it is always interesting. I enjoy the humorous looks I get from bystanders. My personal favorite is the look I get from people as they stand and watch me open a door and struggle to maneuver my "wide load" double stroller through. My kids nearly loose a foot each time I do this...but hey, who needs feet?
• I now consider shopping exercise.
• I have had at least 20 people say to me, "Wow, you've got your hands full." I want to give them an ear full.
  
• Granted, most the time I hear this is when I've been walking out of a store with a screaming kid in each arm.
• I have on more than one occasion left my shopping cart full of things and walked out of a store. One time I did this and accidentally left Thomas (the train) in there. I left my kids in the car, ran back in, grabbed Thomas and booked out. I bet the cashiers still wonder what I shoplifted.
  
• In all actuality, I have met some really great people that have nothing but nice things to say about the boys.
• Ethan misses home. The other day we were getting in the car and he said, "Let's go home. No hotel, just home."
• I get lost all the time.
• We are in a great Ward.
• I love living in a hotel. No lie.
• I am not sure if I'm going to come home.
• But if I'm being honest, I really miss home.
• I got completely wasted by a pregnant woman and a mature (ok, old) woman at my spinning class.
• The zoo in Florida is "punk". That's what an 8-year-old boy told me.
• The weather is absolutely unpredictable. Which actually makes it really quite fun.
• But when it's hot, it is miserable.
• There is fabulous shopping.
• But my husband was raised by a banker...
• ...So I've become a really great window shopper.
• Ethan loves the swimming pool. He cried the other day when I said it was time to get out. A young boy (maybe 7 or 8 years old) that was swimming asked me if Ethan threw tantrums a lot. I said it was only his second time.
• We miss everyone so much.
  

the power of thomas...

When we got here (to the hotel) there was no DVD player in our room. Before going out to buy one, we called down to the front desk to see if they had any. A couple minutes later some guy knocked on the door. He had come to save us. Ethan had not been able to watch Thomas for about a week and it had been rough. As the guy was setting it up, Ethan ran to him and said, "I have to tell you something. I...LOVE...YOU!"


Yes, that is a band-aid. A bit obsessed? I think we are enabling this addiction a little too much.

Thanks to Thomas the Train, Ethan has finally kicked the "binki" habit. I know, I know, a two-and-a-half year old still using a binki, pathetic. In our defense, he only used the binki at night. But that is beside the point. The fact is, the binki is now gone and no longer a source of contention in our family (Jon wanted it gone long ago, but I liked sleep). Ethan earned a new Thomas movie by sleeping without it.

One week later and still no binki. Thanks Thomas!

weekend recap...

Family picture at the DC Temple (typical scenario: ethan upset he has to stop for a picture and will chewing on something, in this case, my bracelet)




DC...

On Saturday, we went into D.C. again. One of our stops for the day was the National Archive museum. We got in line just after two huge school groups and the wait was forever. After waiting for around 20 minutes we made it to a sign that stated we had an approximately 45 minute wait ahead of us. It had started to rain, so we decided to take off and come back later. Just as we were walking away a huge lightning bolt shot across the sky which was immediately (like half a second) followed by a crashing boom. Both school groups took of screaming, and most everyone else, and we were stuck on the street trying to figure out what to do (and I was of course stressing out, I'm deathly afraid of lightning, especially outside with two kids). We looked at each other for a brief second and then bolted back to the line for the museum. Oh yeah baby, no more 45 minute wait! We waited for about 10-15 minutes in a terenchal downpour. At one point Ethan said from under his rain cover, "wow, Mom, super crazy." We were soaked to the bone for the next few hours, but it was well worth the short wait. (unfortunately, no pictures to back up my story, just have to take my word for it.)

Ethan enjoying his three favorite things, in no particular order: trains, dad, water



and in an instant, it's all gone bad...




The National Zoo...

I took the boys to the zoo yesterday. We had such a good time. Ethan especially loved the lions, tigers, and... elephants. He would get really excited and say, "that's so cool!" I finally got to see a panda, so that was cool.

It was very hot, but luckily every few hundred yards they have misters. Naturally, this was Ethan's favorite part...



checking out the sea lions (I think that's what they are)...



I told Ethan to look at the camera and say cheese, hmmm...this is what I got...



zoomed in...



I guess it was opposite day. Duh mom.