One of the perks of this crazy, what-the-heck-are-we-doing job is that we get to go on lots of day trips to nearby places that, let's face it, we would not be able to go to until Henry is driving. This weekend we drove the short 50 minutes to Washington, DC, to do some sightseeing. This was John's first trip and my second.

Elvin, one of John's coworkers from China, is in the US for the first time, and he came along with us. He was so excited to see everything and soaked it all in; it was awesome to watch him experience DC.

We started off at the Capital Building. My view from the street:

















I have to say I was a bit enamored with it ... maybe because it's historical and current. Maybe because it is such a gorgeous building. Maybe because the leaves and the sky were beautiful. I don't know ... I just know I took a lot of pictures of it!

View from the back of the Capital:





As we walked down the National Mall, we decided we needed a Starbucks break. And the light in that place was awesome!





After refueling, we headed to the National Air and Space Museum. John, being the Mechanical/Aerospace Engineer he is, had a field day in this place. As soon as we walked in, he started pointing out the planes he knew and telling us why they were famous.

Two of his favorites were the Spirit of St. Louis - the plane that Charles Lindbergh piloted on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight:





And the Bell X-1 Glamourous Glennis - the first aircraft to break the sound barrier:





We could have spent all day there, but we wanted to see the rest of the sights, so we set out towards the Washington monument.









Next, we headed to the WWII Memorial. I was most excited about this one because it had not been completed when I was in DC last. It was amazing.













One of the most moving parts of the WWII Memorial was the wall of stars. There were 4,000 stars, one for every 1,000 American lives lost during the war. In front of the wall, there was a marker that read, "HERE WE MARK THE PRICE OF FREEDOM." It was almost impossible to get a great shot with the gear I had and the amount of people around it. This was my best effort.













The reflecting pool, which does a great job:









The Lincoln Memorial:









The view from Abe's steps:





Henry was enjoying himself.





The Vietnam Memorial:




And the culmination of all our walking, the White House.





Things I loved about the White House:

1. Elvin's excitement upon seeing it.
2. Seeing Michelle Obama's organic garden.
3. The Secret Service agents on the perimeter carrying machine guns and looking like all-around bad asses.
4. Watching the steel gates open and close - they don't play around with those things.
5. Taking my son, even if he doesn't remember, to one of the biggest symbols of history and freedom in our nation.

It was a great day.

Being a mom is one of the most rewarding and most challenging roles I've ever taken on in my life. There's the exhiliration when your baby crawls for the first time, the warm, melt-your-heart, I've-never-been-this-happy goodness when he comes over just to kiss you, and the deep, abiding contentment when watching him sleep. On the other hand, there's the extreme exhaustion, the lugging of all kinds of crap just to go to the grocery store, and the OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO IMPLODE IF YOU DON'T STOP SCREAMING moments. Yeah, those are fun.

But one thing that I have recently discovered that is probably blatantly obvious to most people with a brain - mothering a toddler is very different from mothering an infant. Babies don't move - duh - so they will just lay there while you do just about anything. Before Henry became mobile, I could exercise, balance the checkbook, do the laundry, and he would watch me contently. It was like I had my own personal little fan club. (Okay, I realize he had nothing better to do, but doesn't your own personal little fan club sound nice?) Toddlers move - duh - so now I am lucky if I can brush my teeth by 3pm. If having a baby stretches you, then having a toddler pulls your limbs right out of their sockets. But don't be fooled - as exhausting as it is, I am always there, right by his side. And when he reaches for me to hold him, I jump at the chance - disjointed limbs and all.

Here's a shot of my own personal little fan club on this date last year. Aaaahh, those were the days.

These days the only way I can get a clear picture of Henry is to strap him in his high chair and hope he'll last five minutes without screaming to get down. So, that's exactly what I did. Can you believe he is 15 months already??













He is getting another canine tooth in (making it a total of 13), so he is chewing and drooling on everything. But it's nothing a little itsy bitsy spider won't cure for the camera ...





























Once he did start screaming to get down, I tried to entertain him with two of his favorite toys - a phone and a car.





























At his 15 month appointment today, he weighed in at 30 lbs and 35.5 in long. Does anyone else have a kid that size?? Are they 3 years old??

We haven't been home since May, so it was nice to make it back to Ruffin in time to celebrate Halloween with my family. Leha, Mark, G-ma, and the kids all came over to see us, and we spent the day grilling (thanks, Dad!), riding the gator, chasing the cats, looking at the horses, and napping. It was such a relaxing time.

Once dinner was over, the kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes and obliged me with a few pictures. It was really hot that day, so Henry didn't last in his monkey suit long, but he was pretty adorable while it lasted!





That costume was a 2T, but he was too tall for it!!





Seriously, Mom?













Bret and Emma weren't too keen on sitting still long enough to take more than one or two pictures, but John and I traded off and got a couple of Avery and Colton.





















Then I got a couple of cute ones with G-ma and Mom.













Looking forward to going back for Thanksgiving!

Since we are in Baltimore, we thought we would try to take a drive up to RI to see the Marts. Living in SC makes it challening to see them that often, so we wanted to take advantage of being so close. I was pleasantly surprised when we discovered it was only 5 hours away! While we were there, we made a trip to another pumpkin patch. Henry is certainly getting used to pumkins! It was super bright and super windy out, but we made the most of it!





John and Henry with Caroline and Joseph ... I still can't get over how much they've grown!





Henry trying to stay warm ...





Our view from the back of the hayride ...





Having fun!

When we first got to Baltimore we were staying in a hotel, so we tried to get out as much as possible. Being in a hotel for an extended period of time is never fun, but when you have a baby with you it can be anything from extremely challenging to pure hell. Hence the getting out part. Our favorite outing there was the pumpkin farm. We took Henry last year when he was just 2 months old:



And this year when he was 14 months old:






It was super bright in the sun, so we found him some shade to play in.






We got back on the hayride with a pumpkin he picked himself!



And a family portrait to end the day ...

It's time ... a new blog for a new season. I wanted to have a space just for my family, my thoughts, my new life. I am no longer photographer or counselor. I am no longer "professional." I am simply wife, mom, and friend. It's wierd ... this stripping away of roles that defined me for so long. I am grateful, though, and I am learning. Thanks for joining me in this new season.