Hirshhorn in Parts: The Start

Asher pretending to be grouchy.

Asher requested that we change the tint on this one--no surprise he chose red.

The Hirshhorn is loaded with tremendous exhibits right now! As if the Doug Aitken liquid architecture exhibit weren't impressive enough--there is the Suprasensorial and Ai Weiwei exhibits to enjoy. We took the kids on a Saturday afternoon and found a sweet spot right in front of the museum! Maeve is always happy but she is especially happy when we let her wander and root about on her own (very cautiously supervised, of course). She seemed pretty keen on the short walk from the car to the museum but none of us could have expected the charm and whimsy of the suprasensorial exhibit.

blossoms before they are gone

Ahh, azaleas. I never tire of their color and dense population. 

Bridal whites.

Color combos.

Three in one.

Circling her bee-bo with chalk.

Sweet baby Maeve--more perfect than spring blossoms!

Her Hemangioma

Oh my baby cutes.
Maeve was born with a pretty big hemangioma on the back of her left arm. She has been completely unaware of it until this past week--a few curious little girls noticed it and kept touching it until they annoyed Maeve. She looked at her arm and saw the outline of a very sore looking birthmark. She looked at me and said, "What is it?" I tenderly told her it was a birthmark. She said, "Ouch!" and kissed it. I've since watched her many times turn her arm to look at the hemangioma and then kiss it. She has asked often, "What is it?" and seems a little alarmed every times she sees it. I wondered when she would become aware of her birthmark but never could have guessed it would be this soon. She is so cute about it and that only makes me lover her EVEN more.

Spring Cutie Cutes

My talented neighbor Hollie snapped this photo of Maeve last month and it just HAD to be shared. There is no greater spring combo than Maeve with a crown of cherry blossoms!

Cabin Camping

Cabin 5--our cozy little getaway for a night.

 
Maeve's first 'camping' trip was a success because she had fun and we kept her out of the fire and out of bull run.


My fire starter and his little cutes.
 
When Maeve first noticed the night's starry sky she yelled, "Airplane!" Oh my city cutie cutes.

Maeve loved being outside and the first night as everyone else was sitting around the fire, Maeve held my hand and pulled me away saying, "Walk!" As we held hands and walked, she would point at things and ask, "What is it?" I nearly fainted from her cuteness. I was thrilled that she wanted to explore, with me, and that she was so curious about her new surroundings. Clearly she was born with a sense of wonder and it is up to me to nurture that in her.

Asher man was attracted by the fire.

Off to the playground!

 
We played games, collected treasures, hiked, and mostly ate.
 
Asher and Soren loved camping with friends.

Here is my one photo of the cabin--it was cozy and just right!


We took the kids for a night of cabin camping at Bull Run Regional Park in Manassas, VA. We had been planning this little adventure for a month or two and the boys had been super excited to go. Every time I reminded them that we would be camping soon they would light up with joy then explode with fury when  we did not leave THAT moment for the cabins. Sigh.

Friends of ours had the cabin right next to us so we were happy for the additional company. The kids nearly blew up from all the excitement! Bunk beds, friends, a playground, stars, campfire, roasted veggie hot dogs and marshmallows! Truly--camping is perfect for piquing the senses and imagination. I was looking forward to chatting around the fire with the adults after the kids were in bed but Maeve wasn't feeling her portable crib and it took forever for her to settle down. I couldn't sleep--for some reason the noise in my head just could not be stilled--even by the serenity of my surroundings.

Saturday was a full day of fun. We had pancakes and I experimented with ziplock baggy omelettes and they were a huge success! The onion, red pepper, cheddar and feta cheese combo was perfect. After breakfast I took a shower and was reminded of past camping trips and was happy for those unearthed memories.

Jamie tended to our hobo dinners (Asher and Soren: Why do hobos like tinfoil dinners?) while the rest of us hiked the bluebell trail. Sadly, there were only four strung out looking bluebells left in all of the park! I could imagine how stunning they must look in their collective beauty. I had Maeve in the backpack and had to drag Asher most of the way since he asked when we were going back to the cabin about oh, two seconds into the hike. The kids played in bull run and were equally thrilled and disturbed by the somewhat murky water. They collected river clams and contemplated catching tadpoles. Asher and Soren dropped trou on numerous occasions but what's an outdoor adventure without their public nudity?

Asher tripped on the way back so I carried him and Maeve and was grateful that he's such a light little guy! Our hobo lunches were waiting for us when we returned and they served as appetizers to the true dinner to come: Cafe Rio. Yep, we did what Jamie declared, "Camping Cafe Rio Style." We enjoyed a hot meal and left the restaurant in the freezing rain. When we got back to our cabins the rain was coming down pretty hard and our firewood was soaking wet. It was cold and there was no chance of gathering around a campfire that evening so we agreed to just pack it up and head home! I was sad to miss out on a night of shared revelry but was happy to have us all in our own beds.

We can't wait to go again! Who's with us?

Weaning Woes

Oh this little gal with her blonde curls and happy blue eyes and impressive sense of humor gives me so much daily sweetness. Each day she cultivates her personality and I've got to give it her--the girl has great charm and taste. She shows the best qualities that I see in her brothers. She loves to draw like Asher and could spent tens of minutes clasping and buckling things. She also has Asher's sense of humor so the two of them have us laughing all day. Much like Soren, Maeve is also good at sharing. Unlike her brothers, she folds her arms as soon as she hears the word prayer (they have to be asked a million times) and she gives a hearty AMEN at the end. She's also quick to hit and when she's angry--she'll holler and throw things and try to stomp on you. Right now it's hilarious but in a few months? A year? NOT so funny.



Daily I wonder when to wean her. I am physically exhausted from nursing but I confess that I do love that special time with her. I just love the closeness of it and how much she makes me smile and laugh. I never thought I would be that mom--the one still nursing the toddler who demands, "MILK!" in the middle of sacrament meeting while pulling my shirt up. She also threw my nursing cover at me and again cried for milk. Embarrassing! She is also very insistent on choosing which side (she has a favorite) and she's fond of chatting and nursing. She'll nurse for a bit, talk about daddy, Asher, Elmo, Millie, or Leo and then nurse some more.
This morning she woke up and shouted, "Mommy!" and then, "Milk!" I know it's time. She'll be 18 months in a week and I think that's a good milestone to wrap up this sweet little story in our lives. I'm conflicted, as with most things mothering related, but I pray that this will be good for our family too. Jamie can take Maeve at bedtime and I can focus more on the boys--truly, it's what we need.

Friday with Hubs

Jamie and I knew we wouldn't see much of each other over the weekend since he would be working three night shifts in a row so we went on a morning date! Those are so fun! For years we had been wanting to try Taqueria Nacional for breakfast so we finally went. We both got the huevos rancheros and really enjoyed them--the beans were especially great. They didn't have half of the things we wanted to try so that was annoying. We were happy with the aqua frescas (pineapple and hibiscus) and the salsas! Yum!








The second part of our date was a tour of Dumbarton House. We were surprised to find a gorgeous cemetery behind the house!

We actually thought we were going to Dumbarton Oaks and had it's address in the GPS but serendipitously passed Dumbarton House on the way to the wrong destination.

We had a tour guide take us through the house and answer all of our questions. Jamie said he had no idea he would be going on an 'historical decorating tour.' Hah, he's so funny.

The grounds were lovely but this lilac bush was my favorite because to be honest--they seem kind of rare around here.

After our house tour we tried to hit up a food truck for lunch but the little cluster of food trucks we found did not have anything that sounded appealing. I love ethnic food but Ethiopian is just something I don't crave and paying $11 for collard greens and black eyed peas? Super no thanks.

I had fun cruising all over DC with Jamie and hope we can go on more weekday morning dates!

Great Country Farms

The last time Jamie worked 12 hour shifts, alternating day and night shifts, I fumed and fussed and absolutely rued his demanding schedule. Asher and Soren were well under 2 years old and that meant I had many, many nights to myself and many, many weekends to myself with two very cute little boys who did not sleep well. Nights and sacrament meeting were my big dreads. I didn't have as many friends back then and I felt pretty lonely sitting in sacrament meeting with my two tiny boys--waiting in dread for their disruptions. I was tired, a lot, and often envied Jamie's schedule--not the 12 hours working through the night bit--the part where he went to work, came home and went to sleep without interruption and without having had to deal with dinner and bedtime SOLO. Sigh. It was a difficult YEAR.

This time around I am definitely more mature as a mother and more determined to enjoy the perks of the schedule, not to mention simply recognize that even though the hours are long--at least Jamie comes home EVERY day. I am used to doing everything with the kids by myself. Years of Jamie traveling and working late have prepared me, however reluctantly.

Jamie had Easter weekend off so on Friday we went to Great Country Farms for a little family adventure. The drive through the countryside in the spring was stunning. The kids loved the farm and it's many activities but Jamie and I were partial to the blooming dogwoods and quiet quaintness of Virginia's countryside.


As part of admission, we were given cups of feed for the animals. Maeve clung to her cups.










We took a tractor ride around the farm and it was huge!


Strawberries!


Cuties!




Such a flirty cutes.


The bounce pillow! It's a wonder we ever made it past this highlight.


Asher was HILARIOUSLY creative on the bounce pillow. He busied himself showing me various bounces and my two favorites were lightening bounce and tornado bounce. Lightening bounce involved him running and then stopping erratically as if struck by lightening and with a jerk, falling to his knees. Tornado bounce involved jumping and then turning in a tight spin. How awesome is he?









These old timey slides were pretty popular with The Deuce.






The tire hill was another favorite.


Maeve and her rocks.


Maeve, in an attempt to feed the animals, generally covered herself with feed.




Crazy prehistoric looking bird faces.

We loved the farm and watching our children run wildly around the various activities on the farm. The weather was lovely and the setting gorgeous. On our way home the traffic on 66 was really rotten so we pulled off and went to the Fair Oaks mall for dinner at the Corner Bakery. Jamie had suggested The Cheesecake Factory but I was reluctant because I want to say at the end of my life that I never ate there. I was grateful that there was a million hour wait because as soon as we opened the doors to that joint--the smell of grease nearly knocked me over. No thanks!

Jamie only has two more graveyard shifts to go this week and then we only have something like two more cycles of night shifts. Hallelujah!