Washington, DC

The boys had an entire week off from school this year around Thanksgiving.  We decided to make the most of their time off and finally made it up to Washington, DC to visit my sister and Mike.

Because we decided on taking the trip too late, the kennel we usually use for Charlotte (and all others we called) were booked for the week.  So we first drove to Raleigh on Saturday so we could leave Charlotte with Brian's parents.  We stayed there overnight and then headed up to DC on Sunday morning.

We made it just after lunch and went straight to Karey and Mike's new apartment to visit. Then we went with them to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's annex at Dulles International Airport.  We loved this place because there is a ton of room for all the planes, etc and it's relatively new, unlike the Air and Space Museum downtown that feels dated.

The retired Discovery space shuttle was pretty impressive.

Gray enjoyed squealing and pointing at everything.

Luckily he never ducked under any barriers before I grabbed him!

An awful attempt at a picture of me with the boys (sometimes three kids, including a toddler, is just too much!) ...

One of the coolest parts of this museum is getting to go up in the observation tower and watch planes land.  I think the boys could have stayed there all day.

The big boys kept saying, "That ones coming in hot!"  No idea where they learned that expression!

After the museum, Karey and Mike took us to dinner at Right Proper.

We were a little nervous going to a nice place for dinner with our three crazies after a long day, but everyone did great!  And it was very good - thanks guys for dinner!

We took Karey and Mike back to their apartment and headed to our hotel.  We stayed in a SpringHill Suites near Old Town Alexandria.  The hotel had been redone recently and it was really nice (and clean - I'm especially picky when we have a toddler who is all over the floor).

The next morning (Monday) we took the metro into downtown DC.  The boys had been so excited about this!!!  Our hotel was less than a mile away from a metro stop but it was REALLY cold so we parked our car in the lot for the metro stop.

Waiting for the metro ...

Trying to stay warm!

LOVING the ride!

Our first stop of the day was the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  We were disappointed that the dinosaur hall was closed for renovations but we found a small exhibit upstairs.

The boys had recently watched Night at the Museum (which is set in the Museum of Natural History in NYC) and were excited to see this guy ...

We walked through the entire museum, I think.  The boys seemed to like just about everything.

We ate lunch at the museum and then headed over to take a look at the Washington Monument.

We didn't stay too long as the wind made it extra cold.

The boys were able to get cancellation stamps in their National Park Passport books at this monument, as well as all the others we visited.  Having to find the stamp kiosks helped to keep their interest everywhere we went.

Our next stop was the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.  The children's area of the museum looked awesome but unfortunately it is closed on Mondays.  We didn't stay too long (and I apparently took zero pictures).  We then headed next door to the United State Botanical Garden.  Our main reason for stopping in was to find a letterbox but it ended up being pretty cool.

After the Botanical Garden, we walked to the nearest metro stop and got back to our car in Old Town.  Everyone was pretty exhausted so we opted for an easy dinner in the new National Harbor area.  Rylan, of course, fell asleep on our 10 minute drive and was a bear for the first part of dinner.  But we had some amazing food at Nando's and it was well worth putting up with him :)

The new Gaylord hotel was a couple of blocks from the restaurant so we walked over to see if they decorate like the Gaylord hotel here (Opryland).  They had some cool stuff but nothing like the hotel here.

The boys were bonkers when in the hotel room and since it wasn't bedtime yet (we were still operating on central time), we drove over to the FDR Memorial.  We seemed to be the only people there and were a little nervous with how dark it was so we ended up not staying.  Of course, as we were pulling away, a tour bus full of people showed up :)

The next morning (Tuesday) we drove downtown and found street parking close to all the Smithsonian museums.  We were there before the museums opened so we stopped by the Smithsonian Castle.  There was a cool kiosk that made pictures out of photos of Smithsonian exhibits.  And we were able to email this picture to ourselves (it's much cooler in higher resolution!) ...

Our first stop of the day was the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  Tickets to the first planetarium show of the day were free so we decided to try it out.  Gray only made it through about 10 minutes before I had to sneak out in the dark :)

The boys always enjoy learning about space and had fun exploring the museum.

We ate lunch at the museum and after a little more exploring, headed out to see more of the memorials and monuments.  We drove close to the FDR memorial and left the car there for the afternoon.

The FDR Memorial is one of my favorites, and a good place for the boys to run around a little.  Unfortunately none of the water was running at the memorial which definitely took away the impressiveness of it, but it was still fun for the boys.

We found another letterbox in this area and then walked along the tidal basin towards the MLK, Jr Memorial.

The MLK, Jr Memorial was constructed since the last time I'd been in DC.  The design was really impressive.

Then we continued on to the Korean War Veterans Memorial ...

And the Lincoln Memorial.  The boys have been learning more about presidents in school (as well as what is on the front and back of money).  They were pretty excited to see this memorial.

Even though Rylan whined a bit with all the walking (and cold), the boys did great visiting all the memorials and monuments.  The big boys listened as we explained what every memorial and monument was for and genuinely seemed interested.

We visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and then decided everyone was done for the day :)  The boys and I ended up playing in the park while Brian went to get the car.  Gray had just really started walking well at this point and enjoyed some freedom :)

We stopped by the hotel for a little bit and decided on where to go to dinner.  I interned in DC while in college and lived in Alexandria.  I spent a lot of time in Old Town so we decided to find a restaurant there.

We stumbled upon the perfect place - Bugsy's Pizza Restaurant. It was very kid friendly, the food was surprisingly amazing, and the NC State basketball game was on the TV closest to us!

The next day (Wednesday) was our last day in DC.  We planned on only spending about half the day there so we could drive back to Raleigh and get in at a reasonable time.  We expected traffic to be rough with Thanksgiving being the next day.

We were out of the hotel early and made a quick stop at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.  Gray had fallen asleep in the car so I stayed in the car with him in a bus loading zone.  It was empty and it worked out great not having to find parking!

Our next and last stop of the trip was Smithsonian's National Zoo.  It was huge and we ended up spending more time there than expected.

Some of the animals weren't out because of the cold.  And the orangutan lines were closed for repairs (apparently they can travel to different exhibits via cables in the air).  But the zoo is pretty awesome.  Especially the newer American Trail area.

I don't remember what time we finally got on the road, but the normally 4 1/2 hour drive took a lot longer (something like 7 or more hours - I've blocked it out).  Gray melted down for a few hours and screamed and screamed.  I think he even made himself throw up, but again, I've blocked it out!  It was a tortuous drive!

We finally made it and had a very nice Thanksgiving in Raleigh with lots of family.

Brian and I were even able to sneak away on Friday night for an NC State basketball game (on our own!).

Math vs. Verbal

This may be why I scored an 800 on the math section of the SAT and only a 640 on the verbal.  On the GRE, I got only 480 on verbal (I got a 780 and 800 on the two math sections)!!!

I just don't agree that Carter's answer to this question is wrong!  I think there are two correct answers.  You can take Brian's argument that there is a better answer, but I still think Carter's answer is correct.  And that's not just because I'm his mom and think he's perfect (because he isn't of course).  This is just the beginning of me being frustrated with schoolwork, I know :)

Resolutions

Carter made this at school ...

I love all his resolutions for the year!  Here it is with correct spelling (he's definitely getting better though at his spelling!) ...

2 goals I have:
To move my clip up to blue or pink.
Writing.

The kids start each day on green and then move their clips either up or down depending on their behavior.  Carter generally stays on green, which is where most kids stay, I believe.

I will try harder to:
Not use so much paper.

I get on Carter all the time about taking a stack of 12 sheets of paper and cutting a little square out of the stack - to make 12 squares - and tossing the rest away as scrap.

1 book I want to read
Goosebumps

I recently ordered a Goosebumps book from the free book promotion Kellogg's has with some of their boxes of cereal.

5 things I want to learn:
To do indoor soccer.
Cook.
Say prayers.
To learn Spanish.
How to play football.

Carter started indoor soccer this winter.  No idea where cooking came from or saying prayers.  Carter decided at the last minute he wanted to do Spanish class before school on Tuesdays again this semester.  I think the 1st graders have started playing football at recess instead of just soccer.

Carter's Progress Report

Carter got his progress report for the third period on Friday.  He's still doing great!  In case you can't read it, here is the comment on the bottom from Mrs. Hess ...

Carter is doing a great job!  He is always participating and helping others.  He does well rising to challenges.

Snow Days

The big boys have been out of school the last two days due to snow.  Currently, Carter has a one-hour delay for tomorrow - hopefully that doesn't change!

Yesterday the snow covered everything but wasn't thick enough to sled.  The big boys still went outside for awhile and played in the snow with some neighbors.

Overnight it snowed another inch or more.  So this morning we ventured out to try out some sledding.  Since Brian was at a meeting, I had to take Gray with us over to the hill we use for sledding.  He's been standing at the window squealing at the snow coming down since yesterday.  He acts like he loves it!  I was unsure how today would go though since last time he hated it.

Gray was very curious and wanted to walk around and touch the snow.

But he eventually fell on the hill and landed face-first into the snow.

He was not happy!

I held him for awhile and he eventually recovered.

The snow wasn't super thick so sledding was a little slower than normal but definitely do-able and still fun for the big boys!

It was pretty too :)

The historic home in our neighborhood is gorgeous covered in snow.

Gray was even happy for me to put him down again - I just made sure he didn't fall again!!!

We stayed out about 30 minutes before I made the big boys come home so I could get Gray warmed up.

Carter and Rylan decided to come in as well and all cuddled up on the couch while I made lunch!

Rylan's Report Card

Rylan got his report card for the second quarter a couple of weeks ago.  He is doing great!  I still LOVE his school and though we haven't decided if he'll do kindergarten or first grade at Clovercroft next year, I'm very happy we send him to Otter Creek Kindergarten this year.

The Comments say ... "He is a very good student with above average behavior.  He is showing a good understanding of concepts about reading and writing for meaning.  He demonstrates strong math skills.  He is a kind friend."

While I want Rylan to do well academically, I'm most proud of the good behavior and kind friend comments.  Go, Rylan! :)

Carter's Kindergarten Program

I'm (finally) going through pictures from the last year so there are going to be lots of posts here soon (hopefully!) of stuff that happened awhile ago.

Since Carter's first grade program is coming up later this month, I should probably post about his kindergarten program :)

Carter's kindergarten program was called "E-I-E-I Oops!" and was a farm themed musical.  It was back on May 14th, 2015 - a week before school let out for the summer.

Each of the six kindergarten classes got to perform one song with the other classes providing support.  When it was their turn, a class would come off the risers and perform at the front of the stage.  Based on what song they were singing, each class was assigned different farm animals to dress up as.  The song that Carter's class did was not about a specific type of animal so each child could choose anything they wanted.

Carter decided to be unique and picked a mouse - he was the only one dressed like a mouse!  I made his costume and it turned out pretty cute, in my opinion :)

Carter with Ian before the performance (Ian is the one boy from Carter's kindergarten class who is also in his 1st grade class).

Waiting for the performance to start in the gym ...

Grayson was so good during the performance!

Carter is second from the left, third row from the top ...

 

 Carter's class came up to the front for their song ...

During that portion of the performance, Carter got to "dance" with Whit (who was a rooster and had one of the biggest speaking parts) ...

Carter didn't have a speaking part but only a few kids from each class did.

I saw him singing the whole time though and he seemed to do great!

After the performance with Nicholas (who lives in the neighborhood across from ours - his mom and I have become good friends and we try to get the boys together often) ...

Each grade level has a performance and I'm looking forward to Carter's 1st grade performance in a couple weeks.  Carter even has a small speaking part this time!

Big Boy Bath

Poor, deprived Gray is definitely a third child!  Because the big boys always take showers and I'm always in a hurry to just get Gray clean, he's still been taking baths in the baby bath tub.  It doesn't take as much water and he's done in 2 minutes.

I finally decided it's time to transition to the bathtub.  So I got out all the new bath toys I've been accumulating and put some water in the tub.  Gray FREAKED OUT!  I even asked the big boys to join him - it didn't help.

Carter and Rylan had a blast though with all the new toys :)

I've given Gray one more bath since and he did a little better once he was distracted enough with getting to put his hand in water I continuously poured from a cup.  Even though the tears stopped (mostly), he never sat down.  Maybe next time will be a little better even.

Crazy Saturdays

Our insane sport Saturdays have already begun!

Carter had a basketball game at 9am, followed by team pictures at 10:30.  Brian is the assistant coach on that team.

Then Carter had baseball practice at 1pm.  Again, Brian is the assistant coach.

And last, Carter had indoor soccer practice (which we did outside) from 2 until 3:30pm.  Brian's the head coach for that team.

All of us went to everything even though we didn't have to.  Rylan got to practice baseball with Carter's team and then play with Charlie & Whit's little brother on the playground during soccer practice.  Gray was a trooper.  Basketball was by far the hardest as it was nap time and he had to stay with me and not wander.  He loved playing on the baseball field for awhile while the boys were practicing in the outfield (he didn't give up his baseball all day).   And soccer was fine as he could wander all over the park.  Unlike the other boys who would never wander far from me, Gray will.   Eeeekkkkk!