Tuesday, April 30, 2013

a dc winning weekend

bestie jackie and new hubby paul came into town this past weekend for step-mama loretta's retirement ceremony. on friday we packed up the whole darn gang and headed up to fort belvoir for the ceremony.
sleepy big kids in the back.
we made a quick stop at bam, our closest bookstore (an hour away) for a gift and then we were off. fort belvoir is the prettiest fort i have ever been to, it was so nice! the girls were antsy and we got there nice and early so we had time for them to run around.
beautiful spring day!!!
a picture that truly says a thousand words!!!
the ceremony was great, casual, not too long, and interesting.
i hung out in the back of the room with delaney until the big girls got too antsy to sit quietly and then lexi took them all outside to get out some more wiggles (we offered her $ for her services). our littles were the only littles there, so we were even more hyper aware of each little peep they made. and, quite frankly, they make a lot of little peeps.
this little photog (and big sissy addie too) made a new best friend.
jackie!
there were a lot of jackie pics on my phone. :)
everybody loves 'er.
we all brought changes of clothes to go see the sights after the ceremony and we had to laugh at the difference in our packing.
i call this 'spring and winter.'
addie said "which one am i?"
she's spring of course. :)
after the ceremony we headed over to mount vernon.
i've been there twice, and christian once, and since the girls were still rowdy i offered to stay outside with them, and christian joined me.
mount vernon is always beautiful (i took more pictures on the big camera, just need to download them) and we enjoyed a nice afternoon/evening there.
we waited with the gang while they waited for their ride, since unfortunately we don't have that 15 passenger van yet. ;) we hung out and fed the squirrels.
big girl laney chased and laughed and shouted "doggy!"
we had all planned to go back for round 2 on saturday for some dc sightseeing.
but then lexi had to work.
christian wanted (!) to go to the church dance friday and to volunteer to help with christmas in april saturday morning.
and on the ride home the little girls kinda lost their cool.
that's when i turned to matt and said i wasn't sure it was such a good idea to take them with us on saturday when he (hubby of the year!) offered to stay home with them.
 
so i got to go up to dc by my lonesome on saturday to hang out with the gang.
i parked at branch avenue and took the metro in all by myself. :)
i'm such a big girl!
i got there a little bit early so i did some walking around before the gang showed up.
(washington memorial in the back)
it was a beautiful day!!!
 i am in awe of this amazing city, i just love it!
selfie in the park.
j & p, mr deaner, and denetta showed up just after 12 and we boarded for our awesome double decker bus tour. we sent this guy to auto to tell her how much we missed her.
we were trying to get the building behind us but we were not very successful.
i am the worst at those pics!
i've never done the double decker tour before, but it was soooo cool!
kinda pricey, but i totally recommend it! i thought this was kinda funny cause we were this huge bus stuck behind a little bicycle taxi. felt like we were gonna swallow them whole.
still with scaffolding all over it from our earthquake in august 2011.
the other day we saw people climbing and working on each level.
almost gave me a heart attack, i'm so afraid of heights!
i was trying to get the new $50 bill behind us, but only ended up with the "it's coming," sign.
ha.
the wheels on the bus went round and round and we rode all through the town until everyone was hungry and needed a potty. we stopped at the lincoln memorial, took pics, ate, visited the vietnam, korea, and ww2 memorials, then headed for the white house. we've always seen the wh from the pennsylvania avenue side, but it was completely closed off so that we couldn't see anything. we found out later that the white house correspondents dinner was saturday night, so i think that was why. anyways, just as we were about to give up on seeing the wh all together, we overheard another tourist asking about being able to see it and then heard that we could go to the other side and see it there. we walked around the corner and voila! i'd never seen it from this side, but it was great.
from there we caught our double decker and took it over to the arlington national cemetery to see jfk's eternal flame and the changing of the guard. we learned some interesting things: jackie kennedy lost 2 children, one of them just 3 months before jfk was assassinated. bless her heart, that is a lot for one woman to deal with. also, the soldiers that guard the tomb of the unknown soldier go through some crazy rigorous training, they have to be between 5'10 and 6'4 and keep their waists no larger than 30". lots of interesting stuff. from there we bussed it over to drive past the pentagon where we were able to see where the plane hit on 9/11. you can see the difference in the brick color. one day we'll go see the memorial, but for our little weekend tour this was enough.
our driver took us back to union station where we enjoyed a yummy dinner and then we each caught our metro's home. i was pretty nervous about riding the metro home in the dark, on the weekend, and by myself, but it was all good! and i had such a great time. i could just feel my cup being filled and i am so thankful for the opportunity to fill it.  it's been so nice to see jackie so much this past year, it's always sad to say goodbye knowing that it will be at least a year before we see each other again.
 
i just love where we live. :)

Monday, April 29, 2013

15 whole months - by delaney


well, hello!
do you like my new shoe?
(because it's very class-ey to walk around with only one shoe on!)
((also, like my walk? hands up. always!))
so you can see it better.
also, my outfit is awesome.
because pink, green, and light green go.
i love the seahawks. also, when i play at the park, i mean business.

this chic is pretty alright.
 she's still my favorite, but daddy, and for that matter, lexi, are growing on me.
mama better watch her p's and q's if she wants to stay my favorite!
i'm a really good mess maker, but i'm also a really good picker upper.
and stair climber upper and downer.
always a good idea to climb stairs with toothbrushes and papers.
fyi.
i pray!
but only when i want to.
i am a very fickle performer, i am.
i write!
i am very studious.
(and don't mind the mess around the computer. ugh, this family is so messy!)
i'm all ready for summer!
angry summer!
i love peanut butter!
you should try it, it's delicious!
i've worked a few days at the ice cream parlour.
i've practiced and perfected quite the attitude this month.
if you try to hold me, give something to me, talk to me, anything i don't like, i'll give you a dirty look and a cold shoulder. 
i've been a bit of an angry elf this month, i can admit that.
feet.are.delicious.
just kidding!
...or am i? ;)
back to the park!
(this post is completely chronological, not in any other order)
i love slides!
i walk up and then slide down, and repeat.
i still don't love swings.
they are just not my thang.
we are fam-i-ly!
i got all my sistah's and me!
i'm getting to be a little bit of a better eater!
messy, but at least i'll eat.
my mom has taken some of my dad's philosophy and has stopped stressing (as much) about what i am and am not eating.
i loooove juice! i'm just like frankie that way!
i also love fruit snacks, granola bars, chocolate (but who doesn't!!!), yogurt, cheese, raisins, pasta, veggie straws, and swedish meatballs! on saturday i packed away four meatballs, they are just so good!
more park fun!
i climb up the stairs...
turn my little booty around...
and sliiiide down.
so fun!
chillin'.
but i don't sit still for long.
done!
i will climb this wall... soon.
firefighter laney!
i got my first shiner this month.
day 1.
day 2.
and day 4 or 5.
it was a good one.
also, i've had a cold and been super snotty most of the month.
gross!
i love animals!
i call everything 'doggie,' even fish!
addie's school schedule does not work out for my nap liking.
i am ready for a nap by 12, but we can't leave for addie's school till 12:40 so i am usually super crabby! and then i always fall asleep in the car. and sometimes frankie takes pictures of me. but she doesn't wake me up anymore. she did once, got a major time out, and now she lets me sleep, thankfully!
chasing a squirrel (yes, my parents are super protective of me!) or a doggie, if you ask me.
i still love to shred!
i also love to sit in addie and frankie's little red benzie's, the elmo toy that sings me the abc's, and my dog book from cousin quinn. i love brushing my teeth, dancing, and throwing things away. actually, anything to do with the trash is pretty good. loading or unloading. 
i found my tongue!
i'm still super polite and always say 'excuse me,' when i toot or burp. i say thank you (but not please) and last night i told daddy, "i love you!" i'm not a super big talker, but i have been saying "mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy!" like it's going out of style. i have a feeling mommy loves it!
so here i am at 15 months.
i was kind enough to take a break from my homework to let mama snap this quickie pic.
and yes, it's been a jammie day! i still only have my 8 teeth, no hair, and dry skin that i scratch all the time. i've been pretty whiny lately, but hopefully i'll get over that soon. when i'm not whiny i am so happy and fun! 
i only have a few more months to do my monthly blogging, so i guess i better make it a good and productive month, huh!
love,
 
delaney