Home Sweet Home

We just returned from vacation.   Both boys are sleeping in this morning and I am enjoying a second cup of coffee.   I am listening to the sounds of the washer and dryer which will probably keep me company all day with all the dirty laundry we brought home.   I just finished uploading the 838 photos we took and I am amazed that we managed to do so much.   

Things I will miss about vacation:

No computers and no deadlines for work.

Having all day every day with my boys.

Seeing my husband completely stress free for the first time in over a year.

Not having too cook and clean!   A friend of mine said she didn't envy us being gone so long and having to eat restaurant food.    We were so fortunate because we were super close to a Whole Foods AND a Trader Joe's which meant we could eat fresh food all the time.  I enjoyed spinach orzo, asparagus pasta, fresh fruit, teriyaki baked chicken, fresh soup, etc...   I didn't eat a burger until the last day on the drive home.    Awesome!


Getting to go on a new adventure every day.   I hope the boys learned as much as I did on this trip!

Things I will NOT miss about vacation:

Being so far away from friends and family.   It was so sweet to get so many emails and text messages from church family and friends who said they were ready for us to come home because they missed us.  

I missed our sweet cat and she missed us.   We left someone to take care of her, but apparently she didn't like them.   She hasn't left our side since we walked in the door.

Living out of a suitcase.  I do not envy people who have to live that life on a consistent basis.

Sharing the bathroom with my three boys.    It wasn't horrible, but the worst part was getting my shower and staying decent in such cramped quarters.   There are not enough places to hide in a hotel room.

Long rides in the car.   The drives were beautiful, but after 10 hours in the car I felt like I had been beat with a bat.


Speaking of driving, Big Guy and I loved all the wildflowers planted in the median of the interstate of Virginia.

In Washington, DC

We are on vacation in Washington, DC.    My boys have fallen in love with being here.   We hop on the Metro and ride to whatever we want to do.   So much of DC is free which makes it seem like a huge playground.    Our car has been parked since we have arrived and we have walked everywhere.  

One of the things we dreaded was having to eat out so much, but we are one block from a Trader Joe's and two blocks from a Whole Foods which means we can eat fresh food anytime we want.    Little Guy and I have been in heaven with all the choices like spinach orzo, grilled chicken and asparagus, and fish.   

Both boys have been fascinated with how cultural diverse it is here.   People from everywhere visit DC so you never know what language people will be speaking when they are standing next to you.    We have started playing a game "Guess the Language" when people start to approach us.  We are almost never right.    

When we get home I will be able to download all the pictures we have taken.    Until then, we are about to head back to the Metro to go explore some more!

Celebrating Little Guy's 11th

Little Guy's birthday weekend was rained out because of Hurricane Isaac.   He wasn't surprised.   Hurricanes are a pretty normal thing for his birthday.    The biggest hurricane to arrive on his birthday was Hurricane Katrina.    

He wanted to invite the guys from his Sunday School class over to spend the night.    He thought it would be fun a great way for them to get to know each other a little better.     Little Guy is low key.  When I went out to buy some special plates and napkins for his birthday he said, "Mom, you wipe your mouth with the napkins and put food on the plates, is there really any need for them to say "Happy Birthday"?"  

The guys were not at the house long when we packed them up to head to play frisbee golf.   They loved it.   Little Guy has played a lot, but his friends had never played.    He gave them all starter frisbees and he is hoping it is something they can go and do together on Saturday afternoons every once in a while.

Once they got back home they were ready for supper.    I had plenty of food for all the hungry guys and one of the boys held his plate up in the air and said, "We feast like kings!"   He was so funny!

During supper Little Guy revealed that his best friend was also having her party about three houses down the road.    They couldn't believe it when I suggested that they go ding ditch them.   I had a package of fake moustaches and they wore them as their "disguises".  

They spent the next two hours running around outside playing flashlight tag and sardines.   Laughing and hollering and having fun.  

Finally we knew they had to come in for showers.   One of the boys just didn't want to take a shower.    I wasn't sure why, but he didn't.    I wasn't sure how to handle that until one of the other boys said, "Dude, you smell like a horse!  Go take a shower."    Thank goodness for positive peer pressure. 

We gathered everybody in the living room and laid out their sleeping bags.   We told them we were going to have family prayers.   One of the guys said, "Do we need to leave?"  Hubs said, "No way.  You guys are part of our family."    It was such a sweet time.  


The boys all settled into their sleeping bags and talked until they drifted off to sleep.   

The next morning they woke up with big appetites and ate three dozen eggs, two dozen biscuits, two dozen cinnamon rolls and sausage.     Hubs said they STILL ate more when they got to Sunday School.   Growing boys are hollow logs I tell you.

Happy 11th birthday, Little Guy!   We love you and we love your friends.

Things I Love About Fall

1. New school books


2. Pumpkin patches

3. Boots

4. Sharp yellow pencils

5. Crunchy leaves

6. The arrival of cooler air

7. Wood smoke

8.  Tailgating

9.  SEC football

10. Soups and Chili

11. Sitting on the front porch

12. Candles

13.  Fall decorations

14.  Baking

15.  Hot chocolate