Two weeks of HeAvEn

Amazing! I'm blogging whilst on vacation. I think this will make going back to Buffalo a bit easier, knowing that at least part of the blogging is done! I've been anticipating this vacation for a long time and it has not disappointed, so there is lots to talk about.

The night before I left, Gavin and Rach came over and the boys swapped their first Christmas presents. Collin made out big with the cutest fleece blanket with.... BALLS on it. This is big news if you know this kid. So cute. Thanks Rach!

The next morning brought freezing cold and wind, but not much snow. Phewf! I was so nervous our flight would be canceled or delayed, but it went off without a hitch! We got to travel with our two fav companions (pictured below) and even snagged seats for our unpaid tots. That made a huge difference. As did the continuous playing of Curious George on the portable DVD player. The elderly gentlemen next to me had some noise canceling headphones on (smart fellow), but he really didn't need them much. Collin only had one crying episode when he woke up. I think I planned for the worst and was pleasantly surprised when I didn't want to strangle him upon arriving in Phoenix.

My family knows me well and treated us to Gecko Grill for dinner, then it was off to bed for Collin and I wasn't far behind. I actually made it to an early bedtime the whole week I was here before Trav showed up. Nice change from the usual schedule! 

 Tuesday morning we visited Grandmother and he had a great time playing with her toys and eating Cheez-its off a dolie. He wouldn't take it any other way. We must be fancy at Grandmother's house.

 Did I mention that AZ has FABULOUS weather in December? To be honest, it was actually a bit warm the first few days. Record heat in the 80's. I was driving down the road, listening to Christmas music on the radio and it occurred to me that something didn't feel quite right. How can it be Christmas time when it feels like July?! Where is the snow? I quickly scolded myself for even contemplating that snow could be appropriate right now (wasn't I SO excited to get away from it?!) That's a firm yes. So we have been cherishing every sunny moment since.

Collin loves to play outside and see the "CAT!" Minners is good to not scratch his eyes out when he {plays} with her. We have gone to a few parks and spent lots of time in Grandma's backyard. Grandma Evans had a couple of little, yippy dogs, so when we are over there he runs to the back door and starts "woofing" to let us know he is ready to see the dogs... or "woof woofs".

On Wednesday, my good friend Jenni and cousin, Leah came over with their kids. Oh and of course Shell bell! I made the ever delicious Cardamom Bread and an Olive Garden soup recipe for Zuppa Tuscana. Fun afternoon visiting and eating! Wish I had taken a picture.

Thursday consisted of top secret Christmas stuff at Shelley's house. It took up most of the day and Collin had fun playing with his cousins. I also visited some old coworkers at the doctors office I worked at for several years in college. I cracked up when I was leaving out the back door because they all panicked and told me, "Oh, it's raining! Are you sure you're ok to go out the back door?!" I just smiled and told them I thought I'd be fine. It was still a warm day (ok, a bit cooler than usual, but still not cold) and everyone was in a tizzy over the {cold day}. I love Arizona.

Yea for a Mom who likes to babysit her grandkids! Trav flew in Friday night and she watched Collin so Trav and I could go get him then go out to eat (yum, Cafe Rio). I was missin' my husband so I was glad when Friday finally came. Saturday night, she babysat again while we went to dinner with Travis's married siblings. I guess my sister had also asked her to babysit that night and they had a wedding reception to go to, so here they all are ready to head out! I was a bit nervous about it...Collin really does need a leash most times... but she was excited and ready to have fun with the grandkids. I guess she did have 7 children, so maybe this wasn't such a big deal to her. I on the other hand would have been stressed.

 We went to BJ's Brewery for dinner, then got icecream at a place called Udder Delights. It's supposed to be organic icecream or something and they have interesting flavors (apparently Reddin had been there when "hotdog" was on the list once). It was good, but expensive. I think I'm ok to have icecream produced by cows on a non-organic diet. Probably won't be returning, but it was fun to be out with everyone!

 Sunday night was the Udall family Christmas party at my parent's house. We had dinner and the traditional reading of Luke 2, interspersed with Christmas hymns, and then came the presents! My mom counted 52 people above the age of 10, so we probably had around 65-70 bodies in here!

 Grandma and Grandpa got the great grandkids a little something....

 Yea! A truck!

 Someone had the idea to get a picture of all the "greats" with Grandma and Grandpa. What an organized picture!

 Almost as good as this one.... all the grandkids holding their children with Grandma and Grandpa. Such models.

 The married grandchildren do a White Elephant exchange and there was a theme this year of "Food Storage". Boring, but practical. Of course, almost none of it would have been conducive to flying back across the country. Thanks to some {cheating}.. thanks Leah!.... we made out with batteries. Choice pick Shelley! We were just sad we couldn't take home the 4, 12 packs of Dr. Pepper. We brought beef jerky and trailmix and.... Twinkies! Trav made the good point that those are supposed to last through a holocost, so we felt it was appropriate to food storage. Jesse had them at one point, and couldn't resist digging in.

 Monday night, Trav's parents treated us to.... Gecko Grill! Shocker. :) They know us well. Afterward we went to the temple lights and enjoyed a concert by the Robin Harris family. Collin wasn't a peach, but he lasted, and I'm really glad because the music was beautiful and really brought the Spirit.

 And nothing else really brings the Spirit like icecream! We tried out Sub Zero... where you pick your base (premium, custard, yogurt, etc.) then add toppings and then watch as they use Nitrogen to freeze your treat before your eyes! Who thinks these things up? It was yummy... I'd go back.

How I have no more pictures of the following... I don't know. But on Tuesday night we had the Lindblom family party at my cousin, Jill's, house. They simplified with pizza, salad, and desserts, then we had the usual "talent show" program. Always a strong showing from our family.... nada. Collin managed to sit on Brooklyn's head and make her cry, creating a disruption, so I guess that was our contribution. I missed the hayride since I was visiting, but Collin and Trav had a good time on it!

Wednesday night my mom babysat for us AGAIN, so that we could go to my friend, Jenni's sealing. They just adoped another child, Macy, which makes 5 kids total for them! 3 of their own and 2 adopted. I had never been to a sealing before and it was beautiful. Really, the Spirit was so strong and it was such a blessing to witness their family sealed together forever to this new, sweet baby. It was my favorite part of our vacation so far. I'm so grateful for the gospel!

Afterward it was fun visiting at their house and eating yummy Joe's BBQ. Thanks for being amazing Jenni and letting us participate in such a special occasion. You will always be Super Mommy to me.

Finally, last night we had the Evans family party. They hosted it at our parent's ward building. We ate "Flora Specials" aka. chimigangas and had another talent show. I sure hope one of my children comes up with some sort of musical talent, because I will probably never initiate a family talent display. As it is, we are supposed to have something prepared for the talent show tonight, and we've got nothing.

I believe that gets me caught up on the last two weeks! Still lots to fit in, but there is time! Merry Christmas Eve to all!

(A pic of me and my sistas that I found later on Marcie's blog while we were at the Lindblom party)

Scary Santa

Monday afternoon, we took a trip to Bass Pro Shop, aka the dead animal store, for our free picture with Santa. We tried to prep Collin beforehand by pointing out Santa, telling him he wanted a high five, saying he was nice, etc. It was for naught. His reaction was priceless. Really, it was all I could have ever hoped for. You must watch the video :)

To Have a Snazzy Buffalo Christmas...

1. One must participate in a gingerbread house makin' extravaganza!

*Tips for a successful evening:

-Wear your stretchy pants (no problemo for me)

-Get all your ideas online (your own are never very good anyway)

- Put equal amounts of candy in your mouth as go on your house

- Encourage your hosts when their masterpiece goes caput, and console your husband when his caves in multiple times and he emphatically exclaims that this is really no fun at all.

- Throw it all in the garbage when days later you find yourself needing just one more piece of roof before hitting the eliptical.

 2. Wear your ugliest Christmas Sweater, swap ridiculous gifts, and pig out with your amigos.

 * If you aren't lucky enough to get your sweater from your mother's closet, *cough, Travis*, and Goodwill is out of holiday apparel, you might just find yourself in a homemade rendition of what looks like a toilet seat rug. Since washing it would probably ruin it and spraying with Lysol might create unbearable breathing condintions... just pray that the lice have left and found more favorable living conditions.

 *Always remember that no one is cooler than Bron.. .. especially when wearing a picnic basket backpack.

 *And if you must give up your treasured N'SYNC paraphanelia... that's ok, just seek counseling.

 *And don't forget to make a fun Christmas themed trifle!

 *Your son will thank the White Elephant Guru for his new {Dentist Ball Pit}. Yes, those teeth are removable and yes, those forceps actually work.

 3. Make sure to attend the best Buffalo Ward tradition to date... the ornament exchange!

*This year, we made only one ornament, then played a game to decide which one you ended up with. Wrapping your ornament extra nice will even win you nearly a pound of Fine Belgian Chocolate.

 *And of course, don't go without bringing your Cherry, Chocolate Cookies!

4. Cross your fingers that the snow storm on the horizon doesn't delay or cancel your flight for tomorrow so you can move on to having a Snazzy Mesa Christmas!

Yuck

The snow has come.

Collin actually thinks it's quite wonderful. His momma would have to disagree. I don't know whats gotten into me this year (not that I've loved it in years past) but I've been a real grinch about winter's arrival. Maybe it's because this time around I have an active little boy that just wants to be outside and doesn't understand why I keep telling him no. I've almost gotten his snow apparel in order (bib, hat, gloves, jacket) just missing the snow boots. Argueably the most important part. When I let him walk from the garage to the back door, he can't help but find amusement in the ice and white powder that covers our driveway and backyard. It would be cute if I wasn't freezing my patootie off. Buffalo got hit with a pretty bad storm this week, but our humble abode was spared the worst and didn't suffer any power outages or the like. Actually, I had to admit that our neighborhood turned into a veritable winter wonderland... just like on the movies. It was pretty breathtaking. And then I read a friend's email about her boys playing in the sprinklers in their yard in Florida and I groaned in envy. I just hate cold weather. I just do.

 On that note, I have just about a week left until the great bird in the sky transports Collin and I to {home} and desert wonderfulness.

 Trav is usually a big stickler about not starting the Christmas decorating or music until after Thanksgiving. He really puts his metaphorical foot down. And I would totally understand if I wasn't missing out on 2 weeks of seeing my own decorations. Well, about a week before Thanksgiving he told me he had been thinking about it and didn't mind if I put up the Christmas decor early this year. And for some reason he was surprised when he got home from school that day and the house had been transformed. Like I was going to waste any time! I did hold off on the tree, however, so we could decorate it together. Isn't it a sad little thing? Fit perfectly in our shoe box-apartment, but not so much here. That's ok, I actually like it a lot. I like the homemade ornaments. Matchy- matchy trees are gorgeous, but they remind me of what I am not... perfectly put together and sparkly and well... perfect. I will probably never own one, but like to admire my sister's and friend's.

 Even our star is ghetto, but hey, it works.

(I just realized that in these pictures, the tree looks big.... it's on a table. It's about 3 feet tall. Don't be deceived)

And I'll grudgingly admit that Travis was right... about decorating early anyway... it jumpstarted my longing for Christmas too soon. I'm beyond giddy about it. I even printed a special calendar just to document all the festivites... and what I'll be baking for them. Last night was the first... our ward party. It didn't really go down as expected since Collin wasn't feeling well. He came down with a fever Thursday afternoon and all I can really attribute it to is the nasty McDonald's playplace. We went there for ward playgroup on Wednesday afternoon and even though we santitized... you can't feel good about letting your child run amuk in a place that smells of feet. He really didn't have any other symptoms besides general crankiness, so I just gave him Tylenol and we watched lots of Curious George on Friday. He also fell asleep on my chest which is unheard of. Well, he woke up at 6:15 this morning and had fallen apart by 9:30am, so we took him into our room to see if he would repeat Friday, and sure enough he conked out on Travis's chest. So we took a family nap until 1pm! I think he needed the rest (who am I kidding... I needed the rest!) and has thankfully perked up much more since then. Having a sick kid over holiday festivities is no bueno. But as sad as it's been seeing him sick, I'm soaking up all the snuggle time. I just love how he rests his head on my shoulder, then wedges his arms between our bodies.

And just because I've been meaning to get a shot of this for a while now... here is Collin's ear as we'll frequently find it.... pushed out. It must not bother him, because he'll go forever with it like this. A bit strange.

 And again... random, but this pic was still on my camera when I downloaded the latest pictures. We recently tried a new {local} restaurant called The Pizza Plant. I guess they're known for their "pods" or calzones. We waited 45 min., but it was pretty good. I just don't think I'd wait that long again. But I really don't know if there is anything better than going out to eat. It's a big weakness that Trav and I share. It makes me nervous for the time that we'll actually have the money to do it more often. I mean, it doesn't get any better than having someone else make your food, serve it to you and then clean it up! Whoever invented eating out was a genius.

Spank You Very Much!

I just hate doing Thanksgiving Day posts.... because it means the actual day is over :( And now I'm just tormented with pictures of yummy food I wish I could eat all over again! Since Wednesday was a day of unpacking, cleaning, and grocery shopping, I saved all my cooking for Thursday. I made the usual... sweet potatoes, scalloped pineapples, rolls (ok, I don't usually make those, but they were a hit- thanks to Dad's recipe!) and a Missippi Mud Pie.... disclaimers on that one to come later.

 The Marchants are always so good to host... thanks Crescent. I was a slacker and didn't pull out my camera until the end so we're missing the Shaws, Davis', and Megan (taking the pic).

 Later that evening we hosted {Pie Night}. Gotta have some time to let dinner settle to accommodate those 6 slices of heaven!I love this picture because of Brad... he was the pie maker from his family and darn proud of it! From the left we have my Mississippi Mud, cherry, apple, pumpkin cream, pecan, and banana cream. I was so excited while making mine, because the crust went into the oven perfect... that never happens and it looked beautiful.... then it came out a shrunken, puffy mess, even though I poked holes all over! Then when I poured the filling, it filled the whole pie and took over the crust in parts, even though there was supposed to be room to put a layer of icecream on top. So needless to say, my pie was a flop this year. I don't know that I'll ever become an expert since this is the only time of year I make one.

 Collin entertained us throughout the night... first getting wedged between the stair banister...

 then somehow wiggling his way into this doll high chair. The tray doesn't come out so we were perplexed by his flexability. He even managed to stand up in it and waddle over to request some help escaping.

 The next day brought snow! Boo! It was just a light dusting, but all the same... it's nasty.

That afternoon we went bowling with the Shaws. Collin had fun using the ramp and I had fun padding my score with Collin's "help" when just one or two pins needed to come down.

 Rach came out of nowhere on the second game to whip us all and get a Turkey! Very appropriate. Here's her gobble gobble dance. Afterward we got some burritos at Chipotle (did you know one opened up on Walden?!! Very exciting stuff, folks) and saw two accidents just yards away from each other. Darn snow! So besides my obvious gratitude for warmer weather on the way (in AZ that is), I'm very thankful for my wonderful husband, health, country, chicken burritos, and commercial airliners. :)

WaShINgToN D.C.!

This is the first year that UB gave the students a full week off for Thanksgiving so we decided to go do something fun! I've never been to Washington D.C., but have been dying to go. It's about 7 1/2 hours from us, so not too bad, but also not something we'll probably manage twice, so we tried to make the best of our 3 days. We left early Sunday morning and got to our hotel (about 10 miles outside the city) around 3pm. I booked it on Expedia for a good rate, so I wasn't expecting much but we were pleasantly surprised! I didn't even bust out my own sheets... except of course for my pillow case... lets not get crazy here. We huffed it to the Metro Stop (which was supposed to be 1/4 mile away.. not so! More like a mile. And not through the most upstanding part of town. And once we get there we realize it's free parking on the weekends. Bug.) We met the Shaws (yes, we got to share this adventure with them... yea for great friends) in Chinatown. I'm bummed I didn't take a picture because it was a really cool place. I brought my video camera on this trip and was determined to use it, so some things got taped and others got a pic. We had heard that Potbelly was a great place to eat so we started off the trip there for dinner. I loved the hot peppers they put on their sandwiches. This is also where I began my daily milkshake order. Gotta love splurging on vacations. (Thanks for teaching me that, Mom and Dad)

 Since it was evening and everything was closed, we made it a night of memorials. And that meant lots'o walking! Being the smart cookie that I am, I wore my most uncomfortable shoes ever and sported a nasty blister and red, aching feet by the end of the night. When will I learn? We started out at the Washington Monument....

 Then saw the new WWII Memorial. I guess this was just built in 2004, so even Trav hadn't seen it yet (he came to DC with a school group his sophmore year). They had pillars with each of the states on them.

 More of the WWII monument ....

 And the much anticipated Lincoln Monument! On one side of the wall was the Gettysburg address, which was moving to read. It really hit me how lucky I am to live in America. How precious our rights are, and how sacred this country is. I'm so grateful for honorable men like Abraham Lincoln, who helped shape our nation. He carried a heavy burden and was instumental in making America what it is today. Thank you Honest Abe!

 I learned something new.... I guess technically there was no Korean WAR or Vietnam WAR... they were CONFLICTS. Po-tay-toe, po-taw-to, but still interesting. This is part of the Korean War/Conflict Memorial. My camera's flash is awful, so this is the best I could do at night. Disappointing.

 When I saw this, I had to run back and take a picture.. I LOVE this saying.

 This is the Vietnam Memorial. Question... does anyone know why they are all black? I guess I could google it. Next to this memorial was what looked like a phone book of all the names of the people killed duing the Vietnam War (I'll probably always call it a war). It was staggering to look at all the names. And this was just ONE war. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around it.

 By this point, Collin was a screaming mess (Gavin was peacefully sleeping) and I was limping, so we called it a night. During our walk from the Metro to the hotel, Collin was hysterical and I literally couldn't walk another step. I would have gone barefoot, but Trav made me take his shoes and he finished the mile in his socks with Collin thrashing around in his arms. Even then, I used the stroller more as a walker than anything. I'm sure we were quite the sight.We made it back to the hotel by 8:30pm and we were all snoozing by 9:30pm. Long day!

Had to get a pic of the Metro. Collin loved the {train}. He felt like such a big boy sitting on the seat and got lots of smiles and attention from the other passengers.

 Monday we started out at the White House Visitor's Center, then walked around the White House. Right after we were done taking pictures, the police/security guard ordered everyone away from the gate and herded us out and away from the vicinity. I heard him tell someone the gate would be closed for 1/2 hour. Well that peaked our curiosity! Maybe Michelle needed to leave to get something at Hobby Lobby. I think I was the most {star struck} here. I'm so mad we hadn't planned far enough in advance to get a White House tour (you have to do it months in advance through your Congressman). You can't get close at all to the front, but from the back you can get much closer, and can make out all the snipers and police that stay camped out on the roof. There are constant police surrounding the building and the streets bordering it and it all feels so {official} and top secret.

 There is so much to squeeze in, but on a friend's recommendation, we visited Ford's theater, where Lincoln was shot. If we were to do it again, the ranger presentation is all you need to hear... don't bother as much with the museum. The ranger spoke for 20min. outlining what happened the night Lincoln was shot. I didn't realize John Wilkes Booth was such a famous actor for his time (think Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise) or that Lincoln lived for 9 hours after he was shot and eventually died in the Peterson house nearby.

To the right is the balcony that Lincoln was shot in.

 Next was lunch at the popular, Good Stuff Eatery. Yummy burgers *ahem* turkey burgers for me, fries and shakes.

 This is where the U.S. Supreme Court is. The thing that struck me the most about Washington D.C., were all the amazing buildings. Seriously, these monsters took up whole blocks and towered into the sky. The stone and marble and architecture was so impressive. And the whole city is this way! So beautiful. Unfortunately, this is also the building where Trav lost his Swiss Army knife that hangs on his keychain. You can't take them inside, so he hid it in a planter, but one of the many guards must have seen him do it, because it was gone when we got back.

 Next, we got a personal tour of the Capitol building by Trevor's friend, David Favereau. He's in DC right now doing an internship for AZ senator, Jeff Flake. So we started the tour in Jeff's office, which is in the Cannon Building next to the Capitol. Doesn't Trav look official?

 Since David had access, we got to use the underground tunnels that connect the building to the Capitol. Here is an outside view of the Capitol.

 A front view...

Here we are at the very CENTER of Washington D.C. This is the point directly under the dome of the Capitol and the city was built around the Capitol, so that's how it's the center!

 This is the original painting that is printed on the back of the $2 bill. One of many that hang on the walls inside the dome.

 This is what the inside of the dome looks like. Washington is painted in the center.

After this, David knew someone that was able to take us inside the House of Representatives room on the main floor. Visitors are usually only allowed to go on the balcony seats and look down into it, but somehow he had a sweet hook up so we got to be on the floor. Security was crazy strict and no cameras were allowed (or anything else for that matter). It's the room that the State of the Union Address is given and where bills are voted on. It's the room that you'll see on C-Span quite often. Thankfully, we didn't have any run-ins with stinky Nancy Pelosi. :)

 This is the view looking out from the Capiton's steps.

 We got out of the Capitol tour at 4:30pm and nearly ran for 1/2 hour to the National Archives Building only to watch as the doors were shut on us, just feet before we reached it at 5pm. Colossal bummer. It's so nice that everything to see is free, but then also, just about everything closes by 5pm. With nothing else to do, we figured we should go see the Jefferson Memorial. Of course, it took us nearly at hour to get there since no Metro stop goes very close. We all had aching feet and tired bodies by the time we walked there. It's on the outskirts of downtown, around a small lake. Poor Gavin had had it! Collin had miraculously slept through the whole Capitol tour, so he was doing good.

These pictures don't do it justice. The statue is inside a massive, stone building, surrounded my pillars and stairs. It's impressive, but not by my camera. Needless to say, we called it a night after this. And once again, Trav, Collin, and I were snoozin' by 9:45pm.

 Tuesday morning we started out at Arlington Cemetery. This was one of my favorite places. There was such a sacredness about it. Just remembering it makes me emotional. So many graves. So many lives lost. It wasn't until after I had Collin, that war movies really affected me. You watch a scene where soldiers are gunned down and fall by the masses and it's as if it's no big deal. Just another day of war. How much time went into rocking that one soldier to sleep as a baby? How much love was poured into his childhood? How much hope did his mother have for his future? Every life lost is a tragedy. And to think of how many thousands were lost in each and every war, conflict, what have you.... is incomprehensible. Words don't describe how it makes me feel. To see so many headstones.... it was a very solemn experience. Again, I'm so grateful to live in this country. What an extreme honor. What a debt we have to pay! Freedom is not free.

 Above, we are standing in front of the graves of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy and their two kids. There's a flame that burns next to them and roses that seem to be placed there daily, but I'm not sure. Below, is the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We made it a point to be there on the hour, to see the Changing of the Guard. That was also interesting. The way they march, move their gun, and speak..... it commands respect.

 Next we went back to the National Archives building and for once, having kids with us paid off! Instead of waiting in a 20 minute line, we were ushered like first class to the rotunda to see the documents. Prooobably just so that us noisy folks could clear out sooner. :) It's a very dark, cold room that has the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, encased in glass and guarded by grouchy men. It was a sight to behold. To think that these documents have survived hundreds of years!! Simply amazing. Thank you Founding Fathers! We also saw one of the 4 original Magna Cartas. It was written in the 1200's, so it's surprising that the ink seemed darker than the other documents.

 We spent the afternoon at the Smithsonians. I have to say... I was a bit disappointed in them. I think I was expecting the grandeur of the MET. They look magnificent from the outside, but on the inside, they're just regular looking museums. Still interesting, but not what I had pictured. We started at the Museum of Natural History but didn't last long... here is the only picture I took of one of the dinosaurs.

 Then we went to the Museum of American History... much more interesting! Here is a fuzzy pic of Rach and I in front of Julia Childs kitchen.

 And here are the Ruby Red Slippers from the Wizard of Oz! Not at all what I had pictured... more like old grandma shoes with dark, blood red sequins instead of bright shiny ones.

 This is one of George Washington's coats. Seeing this, along with many other coats of the day made me realize how small these men were!

 We got to touch a piece of the Berlin Wall.

 There was an exhibit called First Ladies of the Smithsonian that Rach and I loved! It was all gowns- (inaugural and otherwise) of First Ladies. This was Martha Washingtons.

 This was a dentist's chair from 1904, belonging to the first dentist to start taking X-rays. Poor fellow didn't realize what he was doing though, and ended up with cancer in his hand! Glad our boys aren't practicing dentistry back then!

 We also saw the Fonze's leather jacket and Archie Bunker's chair from All in the Family. There was an exhibit there called the Star Spangled Banner that was my favorite. No camera's were allowed, and you had to walk through a dark room to see it, but they had on display, the actual American flag that flew above Bunker Hill when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. It was an absolutely massive flag... bigger than the house of the woman who made it. It was threadbare and missing sections, but it was there. Pretty cool.

Finally, we went to the Air and Space Museum (remember Night at the Museum part 2?). It was just filled with airplanes hanging from the ceiling and space rockets and missiles and Collin was in 7th heaven. He just ran and ran and pointed and gawked at all the air-crafts. Here is the exhibit showing Neil Armstrong landing on the moon.

 And this is one of the Wright Brother's planes. There was just so much to take in, I'm afraid I didn't really appreciate it all. You could spend countless hours in each museum and not see or read everything.

By now, it was after 4pm and we had to head back to the Metro to start our trip home... in rush hour traffic. Not the best idea. We also got pretty lost somewhere in Maryland and I nearly had a breakdown. I felt like a trapped rat that was never going to get out! Thanks to our little terrorist, our cigarrette lighter doesn't work anymore (he shoved coins into it while I was vacuuming out the inside of the car, and not paying attention) and so we can't plug our GPS in. We were relying on google maps and it wasn't an easy {take one interstate home} type of trip. There were nearly 40 steps/turns to follow over 400 miles. I was the navigator and a lousy one at that! We finally pulled in at 1:30am (poor Shaws didn't get home til 3am! They missed an exit and couldn't turn around for 35 miles) and gratefully crashed in our soft beds. Our hotel may have been nice, but the bed was too hard!

 So thanks to a wonderful, patient husband, I finally got my D.C. trip! Thanks smoochie woochie! :) He drove, navigated all the Metro Stops, pushed the stroller, chased around Collin, and said yes ma'am and no ma'am to whatever I wanted! Ok, I'm not that bad, but I can be a fairly cranky, 7 1/2 month pregnant lady that isn't always the easiest to deal with. I really was grateful for all that he did.

Highlights of the trip included:

*Sharing all the fun with the Shaws (the boys would literally clap and laugh whenever they saw each other in the morning. {Collin and Gavin... not Trav and Doug:})

*Watching Rachel kick butt at Potbellys, the second time we ate there, when the service was horrible and getting free drinks and milkshakes because of it. Go Rach! :)

* The incredible weather... 60 degrees never felt so nice

*Rach and I pulling out our {old school} paper maps to find out where we were going, whilst Dave (Doug's brother who came) scorned us to shame with his I-phone maps and directions.
*Rach asking for a pen so she could indicate on her map which way was north. :)

*Brother from the hood, that jumped on the Metro with us... tried to pick a fight with the door, gave us all {knuckles} then thankfully moved on without attacking Doug.

*Second brother from the hood, that left a stench not describable with words, cursing out the air, banging on the walls and accusing the rail driver of not letting him off soon enough.

*The aforementioned {sock walk} back to the hotel

*Consuming burgers, fries, and milkshakes at Good Stuff Eatery and then turning around and devouring a whole pizza from We the Pizza. Don't judge, we walked A TON!

*Being with my two favorite guys in the best city in America for three days!