Independence Day

Fireworks on The Mall - sitting right next to the Washington Monument with the Capitol directly behind us and the Lincoln Monument just ahead in the distance - a pretty magical spot!

Smithsonian National Zoo

Bits and Pieces from Week Three

A few more bits and pieces from last week...

On Sunday we visited Cedar Ridge Community Church, about a half hour away. Brian McLaren is no longer the Senior Pastor there, but I still wanted to visit the church he founded since I've read some of his books. To our delight, guess who was speaking the day we were there?? Brian McLaren. So, that was fun. One cool thing about that church...they have a farm on their property. They grow food and then give it out to people in need. Brilliant.

On Monday, our neighbors across the street invited us to go blackberry picking with them at a local farm. The boys were thrilled to spend the day with their new friends (Jonah even rode in their van to and from the farm) and I was grateful for the opportunity to go someplace we never would have found on our own.

It was a beautiful drive out there and the farm was really fun. They had goats and chickens and a very friendly dog who walked with us all the way out to the berries. The boys were terrific berry pickers and filled-up a bucket in no-time flat.

The excitement of the day was provided by the weather!  Within about five minutes time, the weather went from clear skies and HOT to dark clouds and pouring down SHEETS of rain. I've never seen anything like it - it was so crazy! We got completely drenched walking back to our car. Streets started to flood as we drove home and thunder/lightning followed. When got back to the house the power was out and it stayed off until 9:00 that night. Talk about a new and different experience! We were relieved when the a/c kicked back on and cooled down the hot, sticky house just before bedtime.

The next day, I made a delicious blackberry cobbler. Again, not something I would have ever done at home. I'm finding my inner Martha Stewart out here.

And on Thursday, we spent the day with Kimiko, a friend of my friend Susannah.  Kimiko is a childhood friend of Susannah's who happens to live very close to where we are staying this summer.  We connected via email and Kimiko invited us to her moms group from church.  They go on an outing every Thursday in the summer and last week's outing was to Wheaton Regional Park - another really amazing park in a forested area.  They had a train ride, carousel, cool wooden play structure, botanic gardens, and butterfly garden.  
 

 
All in all, Week Three was pretty terrific!

Most Awesome Kids Place Ever!

Last Wednesday I took the boys to the Be with Me Playseum in Bethesda (10 minutes away).  It was  AWESOME.  I think it was the best place I've ever taken my kids to!  

The "playseum" is set-up like a town.  Each room has a different theme. 

There's the "pet store" where you can pet rabbits, birds, and reptiles,

the "fire station" (Riley's favorite room),

the "hardware store,"

the "art studio,"

the "family room" with a stage, instruments, costumes, and games,

the "grocery store" (my favorite - so fun!),

the ball room,

and a bunch of other rooms that I didn't get pictures of (mostly rooms that girls would love so we didn't spend a lot of time in them)

They boys went from room to room with huge smiles on their faces.  We were there for three hours and I did not hear one fight, argument, complaint, or tantrum (except for when we had to leave, of course).  It was a really fun day for us all! 

A Night to Remember

Last night we kicked off the long holiday weekend with dinner in Georgetown followed by a visit to the Lincoln and Washington Monuments.

beautiful summer night

wonder and awe

very happy family

The Car

About a week before we came out to DC, I emailed the owner of the house we are renting to see if they had a car that we could also rent for the summer.  He agreed to rent us their older car - a red, Volvo station wagon. It's been a lifesaver for getting around town and running errands.

The boys are squeeeezed into the back: car seat to car seat to booster seat, but it works!  The only bummer with them being THAT close to one another, is that there is a whole lot of hitting, spitting, and potty talk going on in the backseat. Oh the joys of having three little boys.   

The House - Part 2

Alas, some pictures of the house we're renting this summer.

Jonah welcomes you.

The neighborhood is really lovely - brick houses, lush gardens, and lots of trees.  Most of our neighbors are either doctors or lawyers, which tells you a bit about the income levels of this neighborhood. 

This is the view from our house looking up the street at the small incline that Steve walks up each morning to get the bus stop:

And this is the view looking down the street (toward Rock Creek Park, an amazing national park that runs along the edge of our neighborhood and all the way down to DC.  I'll try to remember to post some pictures of the park another time):

Some of the things I love about the house:

1.  the hydrangeas

It's been fun to pick a new bouquet each week for the inside of the house.

2.  the garden! 

How much do I love going into the backyard and picking green beans, yellow beans, or snap peas from the garden and then cooking them for dinner?  A lot!  We also have carrots, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, some really HOT peppers, and a smattering of Asian vegetables that I have no idea what to do with growing like mad in the backyard.  I need the expertise of some my gardening friends since I've never had a garden before (got any tips?).  But I'm having fun learning as I go.

3.  the basement  

We turned the basement into a play room for the boys.  It's so nice to have the toys (and noise) downstairs.  I could really get used to having three levels for the boys to spread out on.

 Some of the things I don't love about the house:

1.  the kitchen

The kitchen was a bit of a nightmare when we first arrived - super disorganized (food, cleaning supplies, dishes, and candles all thrown together in the same cupboard, for example) and not-so-clean.  It was a huge bummer for me to spend 2 hours cleaning the kitchen our first day here (and another 2 hours the second day) since I'd spent weeks and weeks cleaning our house at home to get it ready for our renters.  But, it had to be done.  So I took a deep breath and got it done, reorganizing drawers and locating as many useful gadgets and utensils as I could.  Rather than griping the whole time, I tried to view the time I spent cleaning as an opportunity to bless the family that lives here.  After all, they'll come home to a clean and organized kitchen! 

2.  the clutter

The owners of our house don't like to throw too many things out.  Every drawer, cupboard and closet is filled to the brim with stuff...most of which I'm dying to throw out for them, but Steve says I'm not allowed to.  Anyone been looking for the September 1999 edition of Vibe magazine?  Look no further!  We've got it here for you in our bathroom.  Or perhaps you need a to-go container from the Cheesecake Factory?  We've got that too, along with an assortment of old appliances, random plastic straws from restaurants, expired coupons, and plastic forks (and the list could go on and on).  

 

3.  the decor

The decor is...not-so-much my style.  There were fake floral arrangements in every room, which I promptly hid away in closets, and several random things that make us chuckle, such as the "chicken trophy" as Jonah calls it (see picture below).

Overall, it's a great house in a fantastic location and a huge blessing for us.  We're so grateful for the opportunity to be here.  For those who are curious, here are a few pics of the kids' bedrooms and one of the living room:

Jonah's room with the rose-covered bedspread

Knowing that Nicolas and Riley would be sharing a bed, my brilliant husband bought sleeping bags before we arrived so they wouldn't have to fight over covers.  Plus, he set them up so that their heads are on opposite sides of the bed.  It's worked splendidly and they've had no problem what-so-ever going to bed at night.

the living room

The basement DOES have 2 sofa sleepers, so guests are welcome!