We've been celebrating our 8th anniversary for a week now. It's kind of nice!

~Last week Bart and I went and glazed some pottery w/o the kids for our "date"~

Since yesterday was 

THE DAY 

we took the kids for a drive to Bath, the oldest community of this great state.

It's a quaint little town with not much to it, but they have some historical houses to go through (we're saving those for our next trip--you'll see the reasons why) and a nice little park with benches next to the water. There was a place where it had flooded--perfect for getting our feet (and every stitch of clothing Charlie and Jane were wearing) wet.

Charlie, aka "DASH" leaving us in the dust...errr...water.

This was a limb hanging down and was so cool I wanted to have my picture taken on it.

Alas, I was too big, but the kids were just right.

I love how they're in sync.

Life is GOOD.

Politely Refusing

When I told Jane it was time to take a nap this afternoon, she ran away yelling,

"NO THANK YOU! NO THANK YOU!" 

over and over.

I MUST be losing my mind...

After wrapping a stinky diaper in a plastic bag this morning, I opened the Fridge to dispose of it. Caught myself just in time!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a JEDI'S life for me!

While I was slaving away at "church" (a Sat meeting), Bart and St. Anthony took our kids to the museum because they had a

STAR WARS

theme.

The kids came home on a high.

"Don't talk back to me, you overweight glob of grease," Jane says, mimicking C3PO.

"Aren't you a little short for a Storm Trooper?"

(magical points for anyone who can identify the quote)

I'm not sure how I feel about the Assage Ventress (a "new" gal), but Charlie was excited about Princess Leia.

The first thing Charlie said to me was, 

"I saw Darth Vader!"

Bart said he kept wanting to fight him.

*sniff*

Our little boy, off saving the galaxy!

And yes, for anyone wondering, if it isn't already PAINFULLY obvious--

WE ARE NERDS!

"...Our Nation's Cap-i-TOLE." --Forrest Gump

Life is all about new discoveries. 

That's why we're PIRATES.

Last weekend we discovered our nation's capital for the first time.

We learned much, saw a little

(one day is NOT ENOUGH!!), and had a grand ole time.

Bart's sister, Laura the Lethal, lives in the area and took us on many fun adventures.

We even tried the Metro for the first time! 

(no pictures allowed)

General Grant is a Great Babysitter.

Funny story: 

Just after we took this picture, Jane took her hat off and was watching the ducks. Two cute little Chinese ladies (they told us they were from China--I'm not just assuming!) took several pictures of her sitting there and then took turns sitting next to her with their arms around her for a more shots.

Bart's uncle, the FLY GUY, works at one of the Smithsonian institutions and we were able to visit him and his wife. He took us on the grand tour of his office and specimens.

Betcha didn't know Laura the Lethal and Anne B. are not only pirates, but superheros with arachnid capabilities. Here we demonstrate our powers at Washington Monument.

The kids really enjoyed Washington Monument as well...

WWII Memorial:

Giving a shout-out to all the fam "back home..."

(we were going to stand by the state we live in now, but it was on the other side and took too much effort after all the walking we had done previously.)

We were very impressed with Abraham Lincoln. The whole monument was spectacular.

Can you see Jane? 

She picked this seat all by herself and if we tried to sit next to her, she'd say, "Move."

Korean War Memorial

Another funny story:

Here we were, taking a break by the Vietnam Memorial, innocently eating our fruit snacks when suddenly someone behind us patted our backs and said, "Sank You."

We looked up and realized THE SAME TWO CHINESE LADIES were taking their pictures with us again. I was so amused that I handed them our camera too. Just then, the tour group they were with passed by and before she took the picture, they invited several friends to join in.

I'm sure Bart and Laura the Lethal did not find it as humorous as I, but I was laughing quite heartily most of the time. Especially after one of the tour group pulled his video camera out and gave us a big thumbs up sign.

IT WAS GREAT!

I love these little random moments in life. They put a smile on my face every time!

We never made it to Jefferson Memorial because it was raining and the kids (more like the ADULTS) were tired, but here are some nice pictures with it in the back ground. 

I think the river is the Potomac?

On our way back to the Metro. 

There is a cool tree by the Washington Monument.

Jane had been walking the entire time in the rain (see her plastered head?). Charlie enjoyed the quiet ride in the covered wagon (nice and dry).  

Anyway, we are definitely going to go back. So much we didn't see and so much we'd like to spend more time doing!

TOUGH GUY

Bart has had surgery on his elbow a few times, including a radial head removal. Regular push-ups can be hard on his wrist because of it and to alleviate some of the pain he does "girl" push-ups.

Apparently, because he's a BIG, STRONG, MAN, he feels the need to compensate...