The Simple Life, Lessons Learned In DC

Well, we are back from Washington DC and still recovering from jet-lag. Since we have been home, I have been reflecting on our time there. The best lesson I learned was that keeping life simple really lowers my stress level. We had fewer toys, fewer social engagements, fewer fancy (I'm using this term very loosely) meals, and a lot more fun as a family. We missed all of the above mentioned things, but we also had less rushing around and family stress, i.e. fighting, yelling, tantrums.

The kids really became best friends...so much so that I am really getting worried about Olivia being gone for 6 hours a day starting in one week. I hope Ella can handle it. I think it will be fine as long as I don't get too involved in my own life, something I think happens to me regularly. It was just so nice to get back to the basics, and I loved spending time with my kids going to all of the museums, etc.

Lesson number two was that no matter how simple I keep my life, everything is better when Mark is around. It was so great that he would get home by 4:30 or earlier everyday. It has become very obvious to me that life is just better when we are all together.

Lesson number three was that it is always great to be home! I felt like crying when we got into our car, walked into our home, and walked into the church building on Sunday. It is fabulous that we live in such a wonderful place and have such wonderful friends.

Virginia Beach

We went to Virginia Beach this weekend and enjoyed a day at the beach. We got there late Friday night (it was supposed to be a 3-4 hour drive, but it turned into a 6 hour drive because of Friday afternoon traffic (and I thought traffic was bad in Seattle!). We decided to go down to the beach, even though it was 9:00 PM. The kids loved it and couldn't wait to get up and go back in the morning (literally, Olivia was singing as though she were in a musical about how much she loved the beach all the way back to the car).

The next day we headed back to the beach and lounged around all morning playing in the waves, digging in the sand, and relaxing. I got Olivia to come in the water once with me, and we were having a great time until a powerful wave came up when I wasn't looking and knocked us down. Salt water got in Olivia's mouth and she went screaming out of the water and told me she was never going in again...which she didn't! Annie loved the waves and we had to keep a close eye on her while we were there.

Later we went for a family bike ride down the boardwalk (they have these crazy family bikes you can rent there...see picture). This was fun and the kids loved being pedaled around by their parents. To round out the fun, we stopped in our litle bike at the Dairy Queen and got Blizzards. It was a lot of fun and I hope it will be a good family memory for my kiddos! Now if I can just get all that sand out of our house, car, clothes, etc!

Home and Back Again

As I mentioned in my last post, I went home this last weekend for my dear friend, Lisa's, wedding. I had a blast and it made for some really great (and needed) down-time. The kids had a lot of fun with Mark and I think they are closer than ever. The house was even clean when I got here! How's that for sexy? Thanks Mark!

The only problem with going home was that it made me want to go home even more than I did before! The weather was perfect (72-75), sunny, green, etc.! It has gotten a little better here in DC (instead of 100, it is now in the 80's), but it is still extremely humid. It just goes to show that absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Before we came here, I was really disappointed with our Seattle summer...there was a little too much rain. Now I don't think I would mind the rain so much!

Some of you have been curious about where we are staying in DC. Here are some pictures of our little "bungalow".

Are we having fun yet?

...yes and no. We are seeing and doing so much, but I am ready to go home! There is just something about feeling isolated that is really hard for me. Also, I feel like I don't have a good sense of purpose here. On the up side, I am spending more quality time with my girls, which is probably just what I need. I probably have a tendency to get caught up in all my activities at home.

I am going home this weekend for my good friend, Lisa's, wedding. I am really looking forward to it, but I am having a really hard time feeling good about leaving Mark here with 3 kids. I know he will be fine, and truthfully, he doesn't seem concerned at all, but I just would be sad if he left me in a strange place for 2 days. Is it just a mom thing?

Diggin' DC

Well, as many of you know, we are in Washington DC for the month of August. Mark is taking a 4 week course at Walter Reed Medical Center as part of his Radiology training.

It is unbelievably hot here...it was 101 F yesterday and darn near 100% humidity. We went to George Washington's home in Mt. Vernon (close to Alexandria) yesterday. It was very interesting and fun too (except for the incredible heat and the whining that it induced from my children; understandable under the circumstances, but hard to take, nonetheless).

The thing I love most about DC is the incredible transportation system! We love riding the Metro all over and never struggling to find parking. I can't believe the whole world does not operate this way...it makes so much sense! The think I like least is that I really miss my friends and family! We'll be ready to leave in 3 more weeks.

The kids are doing well and I think this trip is really good for their relationships with each other. It seems like they are closer than ever since we've been on this trip. I think they just know that they are the only friends available at the moment.

The other day, Olivia decided it was "Little Sister Day". She told me that she had promised herself that she would be nice to her sisters that day...and she did very well!

Also, my kids seem to be getting along very well with about 1/10th of the toys that they have at home. I bought them a few new things for the trip to get them excited, and then brought 2 other of their favorite toys each. They are doing just fine without all the stuff that usually clutters up our house to no end. I think I'll be packing away toys when I get home!

In the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing more sights and I will be working on this blog as my pet project.

Hola Blogging World!

Well, we have finally ended up in the blogging world...thanks to encouragement from you-who-are-already-on-the-web (a little Harry Potter humor for you)! What a great way to journal/scrapbook/compile videos/keep friends and family up to date on our lives. Since I am horrible at the whole "keeping a record" business and keeping in touch, I am very hopeful that by combining it all on this blogspot, it will be fun and easy. I would LOVE to add any and all of you to my list of friends on the web so that I can visit you often and find out what you are all up to!