The House - Part 1

We've had some requests for pictures of the house we're staying in.  Those will be coming next.  But, first...here's a bit about the triangle of families that is making it possible for us to be here this summer.

This is the family from Alabama that is renting our house in Sacramento.  The mom and her 3 daughters needed a furnished home for seven weeks the summer so that they could spend time with her father who lives in Rio Linda and is dying of cancer.  They arrived in Sacramento the very same day that we left.  It felt great to provide this family with a kid-friendly home for the summer and as I cleaned and organized the house, I thought of them often and tried hard to create a place of respite for them.  

   

And this is the family whose furnished house we are renting in Kensington, MD this summer.  They are a retired couple who are spending the summer in Sri Lanka, visiting relatives.  (I didn't have a photo of them so I took a picture of a picture that's hanging in the basement). 

Some might say that we were "lucky" to find such great matches on craigslist.  My friend Rose says it was a "modern day miracle."  I'm with Rose.   

American History Museum

My goal is to go into downtown DC at least once a week while we are here so we can take in as many of the sights as possible. 

Yesterday (Friday) the boys and I made our downtown-trek-of-the-week.  We took the Metro to the Smithsonian's American History Museum. The trip was a MAJOR work-out...pushing 60ish pounds in a double stroller in the heat/humidity up and down hills, elevators, escalators, bus stops, and train stations...but well worth it. The museum was awesome and again, we'd have to go a few more times this summer just to see everything. We didn't even make it to the 2nd or 3rd floors, which is where the all the pop culture stuff is.  There was enough on the first floor alone to fill our afternoon with exploration and learning (and to sufficiently tire us out).   

Jonah was beside himself when he saw C3-PO's costume from Return of the Jedi right in the entryway of the museum. 

The hands-on children's Science Lab was fabulous and where we spent the bulk of our time - legos, gears, switches, magnets, blocks, marbles...they had it all.   

Then, we headed over to the Transportation exhibit where they had everything from trains and cars to motorcycles and pirate ships - a little boy's paradise. 

When we finished up at the museum, we walked down Constitution Ave from 12th to 4th where we met Steve at the Courthouse at the end of his work day.  He introduced us to the judge he is working for this summer and gave us a tour of the courtroom - fun stuff!  Jonah, of course, charmed the judge with his personality and had him laughing. 

  

It was a fun treat to be able to see Steve at the end of our day and I was VERY glad to have him helping me push that darn double stroller on the way back home! 

P.S.  A little update from my last post...On Thursday, we did indeed to go the park with neighbors.  The boys had so much fun playing with the other kids and I had a great time connecting with some other moms.  That afternoon, Mason (5) and Grant (2) from across the street came over to our house to play!  Jonah was sooo happy to have a friend over and he hasn't complained about going home since.  He's even got plans to play with Mason again tomorrow. 

Finding Our Groove

The boys and I joined our local YMCA (Nancy, I think of you often when we are there!).  They have a pool which makes the boys very happy, as well as an exercise room and childcare which makes me very happy.  Yesterday, I dropped the boys off in the childcare for about 45 minutes and enjoyed a very necessary break by myself.  It was a chance for a little bit of exercise and a lot of really deep breaths.  Ten hour days with my spirited boy and double-trouble three-year-olds can be very trying!  I'm thinking the YMCA membership was a brilliant move and will be our saving grace this summer.  And thanks to an unexpected check that came in the mail, I signed the boys up for swimming lessons which will start on July 5 and go for two weeks (something I really wanted them to do this summer, but didn't think we'd be able to afford).   

This has also been the week for looking up stores on google maps and then driving around to find them.  We've found grocery stores, drug stores, Staples, Michael's, and even a Panera nearby that I can work from a few nights a week.  I really enjoy working, so getting back to a little bit of GreenHouse work has given me some joy. 

We also found an amazing burger joint called BGR.  Mmmm...so good!  Jonah loved his sliders and Nicolas was very happy drinking his old-fashioned Orange Crush from a glass bottle.

On the work front, Steve is doing well and really enjoying his internship.  He spends his days researching and writing for a case that will be coming before his judge in the near future.  He's also allowed to go into court to observe anytime his judge is hearing a case. So far, he's gotten to do that twice.  But by far his favorite thing has been the guest speakers.  Once a week at lunchtime, a guest comes in to the Courthouse to speak to the summer interns and clerks.  Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, came last week and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas came this week.  It's a pretty intimate setting (there are only about 40 interns and clerks) so it's been really fun for Steve to be up-close and personal with some of the influential thinkers of our time.   

On the home front, Jonah is having the hardest time adjusting to the move.  The afternoons are difficult for him - when Nicolas and Riley are napping - because the house gets quiet and he gets bored.  He's cried every afternoon this week, asking if we can go back to Sacramento.  At home, he has a friend across the street that he plays with almost every day when his brothers are napping.  So, he's really missing his buddy (and his buddy's Wii!).  He's usually fine after a few tears and some big hugs from mom, but I've had to work extra hard to keep him busy and entertained in the afternoons.  That's been a bummer for me because that's normally when I would have some down-time.  We've been invited to a park tomorrow with some neighbors (the one with the five-year-old boy that he likes) so I'm hoping that he'll get a little pick-me-up from some time with that little boy (and hopefully he can start playing with him in the afternoons).  One other funny thing about Jonah...he's distraught over the fact that his bedspread has roses on it!  He asked me, "WHY did they put roses on my bedspread??!  They think I'm a girl!  We need to go back to Sacramento."  Poor Jonah.

Nicolas and Riley seem to be doing just fine with the transition. Riley is having horrible tantrums (this is nothing new...he's had them all his life) at least 2-3 times a day.  They are very intense and quite long.  I'm at my wits end with them and have no idea how to handle them.  I've tried several things, but if anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it!  Nicolas, of course, remains his easy-going self. 

In the meantime, we're all getting used to thunderstorms, humidity, mosquito bites, and lightning bugs.  It really is beautiful here - so lush and green...I wish you all could visit!

First Week's Adventures

My mom had never been to Washington DC before so since she and Kurt were helping me with the flight out here, they decided to stay and vacation for a week.  It was so fun to have them out here for our first week!

Their hotel was in Dupont Circle, close to all the action and right on the Red Line of the Metro.  The boys and I traveled into downtown via the Red Line several times to meet up with them for sightseeing.  Getting from Kensington to downtown was relatively easy once I got the hang of it, but I was glad they were around this first week to help me navigate the city. 

Below are some of the adventures we had together this week - mostly during the day while Steve was at work:

Sunday evening after resting up a bit, we all headed into the city for dinner in Dupont Circle and a quick tour of Steve's building which is just one block from the Capitol.  It was neat to see the Capitol all lit up at night.

On Monday, the boys and I met up with my mom and Kurt for a picnic on The Mall and a visit to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  The boys were very tired that day so there was quite a lot of whining and fighting, but they still enjoyed seeing all of the planes and rocket ships.  They especially loved the plane that they could sit in and "fly."

On Tuesday, my mom and Kurt came over to our house in Kensington.  My great aunt, great uncle, and second cousin heard that we were all in town and drove over from Annapolis to have lunch with us at our home.  It was a quick visit but really nice to see them and introduce the boys to them.

On Wednesday, we headed back into downtown for a visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  The boys especially loved the dinosaur exhibit, the bones, and the insect zoo.  There is a TON more to see at that museum so we will definitely be going back there a few more times this summer. 

On Thursday, the boys and I stayed in Kensington and went to a park just down the street from our house.  It felt good to have a low-key day.  Later that night, we met a bunch of our neighbors while playing outside.  There is a five-year-old boy across the street that Jonah already loves (they spent that first evening in his backyard catching lightning bugs!) and a three-year-old girl next door who will make a perfect playmate for the twins.  We are so thankful for neighbor kids for our boys to play with this summer.

Friday was a bit of a marathon day.  First, we drove into Arlington, Virginia where we boarded a riverboat for a "Pirate Cruise" on the Potomac River.  The pirate aspect of the boat ride was a bit cheesy for the adults...but it was SO FUN for the boys.  They loved getting a bag of pirate treasure (trinkets).  And, the ride on the river was truly beautiful.

Next, decided to make a spontaneous trip over to Mt. Vernon (George Washington's mansion) which is just 10 miles from Alexandria.  We were one seat short in the old Volvo station wagon we are renting for the summer, so Kurt laid down in the back hatch portion of the car...a bit illegal but we felt daring enough to try it (though we hoped that no one in a truck or van passing by would think we had a kidnapped victim in the back of our car)!  Unfortunately, the air conditioner went out on the Volvo halfway to Mt. Vernon (and it was a hot, hot day) so Kurt was a puddle of sweat by the time we got there.

That night my mom and Kurt watched the boys so Steve and I could have a date night (we celebrate our 13th anniversary on Monday!).  We're hoping that wasn't the only date night we will have all summer, but it very well could have been.

On Saturday morning, we went to the Kensington Farmer's Market and then to our public library which is just one block from our house.  The boys were thrilled to pick up some new books and DVDs and I felt like a real "local" with my Montgomery County library card.  That afternoon, we were sad to see my mom and Kurt off at the airport.  We are going to miss them a lot.

Today is the first time I'm feeling a little homesick.  Maybe it's because we're now all alone.  Or maybe it's because it's Father's Day and it feels weird to be away from friends and family on a holiday.  Either way, it's going to take a little while to get used to our new lifestyle on the east coast.  In celebration of Father's Day, we saw Toy Story 3 earlier today...something that seems so leisurely and probably not something that we could have ever done at home with our busy schedules.  So despite feeling a little homesick, I'm so thankful for the precious family time that we are getting this summer.  (and by the way...the movie is excellent - go see it!)

Hugs to all and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Traveling

Our journey to DC went as smoothly as could be expected.  My mom and Kurt graciously offered to fly out with me and the boys (thank you! thank you! thank you!).  I honestly could not have done it without them - physically or mentally.  They were so helpful in every regard. 

Apparently, airlines now charge extra fees for checked baggage so I only checked three - which meant that we had a ton of carry-on bags, in addition to car-seats for the twins. Needless to say, we had quite a heavy load to carry to the terminal and again when we transferred in Dallas and then when we finally landed in Baltimore (as evidenced below).

The boys were terrific little travelers. I picked a 2:00 pm flight so that the twins would nap on the first leg.  To my shock, my plan actually worked - they napped well from Sacramento to Dallas!  When we got off in Dallas, there was a play area right at our gate - perfect! So, the boys ran around and got out some energy before we shoved down some dinner and headed off to our second flight. The last 2 hours of the second flight were obviously the hardest. Riley (of course) was having moments of melt-down. But, with the help of my mom and Kurt's i-phones (and some pre-downloaded kids movies) we were able to keep everyone relatively entertained. Plus, for the last hour of the flight, both Jonah and Riley fell asleep making for a peaceful landing.

When we landed in Baltimore, it was around 1:30 am local time (10:30 pm Sac time) so the boys were very tired. They perked up when they saw Steve and all three RAN down the aisle to give him big hugs. Riley then proceeded to give an excellent tantrum performance at the baggage carrousel...he was just plain DONE. We finally got to our house around 2:30 am and the boys hyped up...running all around the house and exploring. It was quite an exhausting night but we eventually got everyone to sleep. I think my entire body was pulsing from fatigue by the time I got to bed. 

But, we made it!  HOORAY!

It Took a Village

This will be my last Sacramento "catch-up" post...then on to some DC pics, I promise!  I just wanted to give a shout out to everyone who helped me out the week before we left (when Steve was already in DC).  I was truly blessed by all of the amazing family and friends who watched my kids or helped me with cleaning and packing.  At times, the generosity of my "village" literally moved me to tears.  So, thank you.  You know who you are.  I love you so much.  I never would have finished everything without you.   

One of the only nights that I didn't have someone watching my kids that week, I took the boys out for a bike ride around our block to kill some time in the evening.  What ensued was rather hilarious so I thought I'd post these pictures.  Steve - see what happens when you leave me home alone with the boys?

It started off as a nice bike ride around the block.  Suddenly, our neighbor started to wash her car.  The boys couldn't resist the water that was quickly filling up the gutter.  They hopped off their bikes and into the gutter. 

Whee!!  This is so fun! 

Note: shoes are off, but helmets are still on. 

The bike ride somehow became a Crocs "boat" race. 

Really good times. 

Youth Action Team Project

Last week was a pretty crazy week at The GreenHouse.  There was Kids at Heart wrap-up, welcoming new summer staff, handing-off portions of my job, and getting my own work to the place where I could be gone for two months this summer.  (I'll be working remotely on several projects while I'm gone, but it still took quite a bit of work to get to the point where I could physically be gone).  Thursday (my last day) was a particularly action-packed day and it seemed to go by in a flash. Before I knew it, it was 3:40...time to put aside my unfinished list of to-dos, pack-up my stuff, clean-off my desk, and head off across town to watch six of our teens make a presentation to the community at the Youth Action Team Celebration and Research Presentation. 

The GreenHouse's Leaders in Training team was one of three youth teams that participated in the city-wide Youth Action Team Project from January through June.  The project provided our youth with leadership training, team building, and opportunities to examine and address youth violence.  The youth decided to use a tragedy that was very near and dear to their hearts (and still very fresh in their minds) as a springboard for their project.   With guidance and support from Tim Coburn, the youth developed a Community Safety Survey, handed it out to friends and neighbors, and then turned the results into a video, which you can see below.  

Despite it being a very busy day on Thursday, there was nowhere else on earth I would have rather been that afternoon.  I was so proud of them as I watched them present their video that it brought tears to my eyes!  Please take a minute to watch their video.
 

Kids at Heart - Part 1

There was not a moment to spare between "Kids at Heart" on June 6th and our departure on June 12th, so I'm doing a little catch-up blogging and finally posting pictures of the event. (I also have video footage of the Community Awards ceremony which I'll post up later this week, in case anyone wants to see that.)

All-in-all it was a pretty terrific evening...the most enjoyable "Kids at Heart" for me personally.  It was well organized by an amazing team of volunteers and staff who worked very hard on making sure the day-of-the-event was seamless (ie: not stressful).  And in the end, we raised around $27,000 for The GreenHouse.  yay!

My favorite part of the event was that we brought along a bunch of our kids.  Our fifth and sixth graders worked at the registration table and our teens served dinner.  They got all dressed up and they looked amazing, in addition to doing an AWESOME job.  They truly came alive - executing their jobs perfectly and taking ownership of the event.  Everyone really enjoyed having them there and it was clear that they were all having fun, too.    

Emily and I with some of the lovely young ladies from The GreenHouse.

Tim with two of our student leaders.

The rest of these pictures were taken by DeAnna Gallardo who captured the essence of the event perfectly.

Greeting guests out in front of Sofia Restaurant

The Sponsor-A-Program tree

Community Awards - this one was The Heart of Service which was presented to Terry Daffin

The Heart of The Future Award went to our LIT President Ivan Noriega.  In this photo are Erick Soderlund (Board Chair), Lola Ledesma (Youth Board Member), Ivan Noriega, me, and Councilmember Tretheway.

The Live Dessert Auction...let the bidding begin!

A very happy table enjoying the chocolate cake they just won

This carrot cake, made by Britni, sold for $300 after an intense bidding war!! 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who generously gave time, talent, and treasure to make "Kids at Heart" a success once again. 

Where To Begin?

So much to update on.  So little time. 

Days have been long and we are exhausted and we're trying hard to switch over to DC time.  So for tonight, just one quick picture to say...we're here!  It's wonderful to have our family all back together again and we are settling in well.

Below is a picture of all of us in front of the courthouse where Steve is working this summer.   

 Love and hugs from all of us to all of you!  More coming soon...

Here We Go!

Getting on the plane for DC in just a few hours. We'd appreciate prayers for peace! More blogging coming soon...

In the Air

Steve is in the air, somewhere between California and North Carolina where he'll touch down in the middle of the night before finally landing in Washington D.C. early tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow night is Kids at Heart. It's been an absolutely exhausting couple of weeks of very late nights (including this one).

Tonight, before I fall into bed, I am pausing to be thankful for a few things:

The AMAZING team of staff and volunteers who are working tirelessly on our 7th Annual Kids at Heart fundraiser...so that we can raise money...so that The GreenHouse can continue. I have a heart full of thanks for them and much more I want to say (perhaps a blog post later in the week).

My favorite person - my husband - who has been such a wonderful helpmate over the past several weeks. We have POWERED through so many tasks to get to the point where he is now on a plane heading off on this adventure. I love him and will miss him terribly while we are apart this week.

My God - who is already taking care of us! Tonight, my neighbor from across the street walked over and asked if she could bring us some food. She didn't even know that Steve was leaving tonight or that I was going to be alone for the week or that I have an enormous event for The GreenHouse tomorrow. But God did. And, so she carried over two plates FULL of the most delicious Cambodian food. So dinner is already prepared for the next few nights. What a huge blessing.

Exhausted, but thankful.