Rocket Man

Leo attended the birthday party of his little friend, Mary Harper last Saturday. It was at a local park, and the weather was actually very pleasant that day (not too humid). Leo had a great time playing on the playground. He also enjoyed playing in the sand box, and eating lots of sand.

Leo liked the cupcakes, although he just licked all the frosting off, and then switched back to his slice of watermelon.

 

They had a pinata full of small toys. Leo came home with a little bag of goodies, which included these cool sunglasses.

He looks like an early Elton John.

Independence Day

Leo and I couldn't think of a better place to spend Independence Day than at our Nation's capital.  We spent the evening on the lawn in front of the Capitol Building watching a free concert and then the fireworks.

The fireworks show was shorter than I thought it would be, but it was still cool to see them shooting off  in front of the Washington Monument. It was a pretty incredible sight.  And Leo seemed to like the fireworks- he pointed at them, and opened his mouth wide, with his 'suprised' expression. 

It was fun spending the evening with a few hundred thousand of our closest friends!  I couldn't believe just how many people were there. It was pretty crazy. 

When the show was over, we just walked back to our hotel room (We found a good deal on a hotel that was just 3 blocks from Capitol Hill) and went to bed at a semi-decent hour.  I'm so glad we did, because the crowds were insane and I know it would have taken us several hours to get home on the metro!

We are so thankful to live in this great nation, and for the many freedoms we enjoy...

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Here we go again!

 It's hard to believe that Leo is 18 months old now. I know it's cliche... but it really does seem like yesterday that we brought Leo home from the hospital. He was so tiny. And now he's a walking, talking, busy little toddler-- full of fun and mischief.

We're ready to add another little one to our family, so we started the adoption paperwork a few months ago, and have now been "approved."  Now we just have to wait for a birthmother to pick us...

If you know someone who is considering adoption for her baby we hope that you will pass our information along. 

Adoption really is about love. It is a blessing for both families, and we have witnessed firsthand the many miracles that occur along the way.  We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our little family. 

Our profile on LDS Family Services website: https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/25727318/ourMessage.jsf


I came across this story on adoption today, and had to share it:
http://www.designmom.com/2010/05/adoption-story-from-anonymous/

Free Summer Fun

One of the reasons we love the DC area is that there is always something to do: free concerts, activities for kids, and other fun stuff. Last weekend we went to a free Summer Concert at the lake that is just blocks from our house.  The weather was perfect that night (the humidity was actually very low) and it was a beautiful setting, overlooking the lake. The sun was setting, and the fire flies were buzzing around. It was lovely.  The band was from South Africa and they played "township" music which was fantastic. I loved it.

On Saturday we went to see "Ryan Buckle and friends" which was a free show for kids at an outdoor amphitheatre. Ryan played great songs on the guitar about animals and science... then Zelda did cool science experiments between each song. All the kids loved it.  Even Leo was getting into the music.  (Ryan's songs are cute and fun, without being annoying to adult ears. We bought his CD, and are excited about his new one that will be all about Space!)

Hooray for free summer fun!

Ding-Dong, it's a new door!

The makeover of our front door and porch area is almost complete...

As you can see from the photo below I started by painting the door black, then replaced the porch light with something more modern.  This week I installed some glass panels with a DIY kit I bought online.  Was it scary to cut 3 huge holes in our front door?  Absolutely!  But it turned out great, and I LOVE the way it looks.

This style is authentic to the period of the house (1960s) and the best part is that it lets in a lot of light. I also removed the glass storm door (having to go through two doors with a squirming toddler and a diaper bag was not easy!).  The house looks so much better without it. I'm loving our "new" door!

Cute faces

Summer in the Pool

Our neighborhood has a pool, and we debated on whether or not we should pay the membership fee this year. (It's about 400 bucks)  Several friends talked me into it, and today was our first day at the pool. It was awesome!

It was over 100 degrees today, and humid to boot. So when a friend texted to see if Leo and I wanted to join her at the pool we jumped at the chance! 

They have a kiddie pool that is fenced off from the larger pool, so Leo and the other toddlers were contained. And the pool is only about a foot deep so they can splash and play to their hearts' content. Part of the pool is shaded too, so we could sit at the edge and be in the shade. Nice!  At one point Leo found the hose that was refilling the pool, and he thought that was the best toy of all.

It looks like we are going to be at the pool a LOT this summer. At least we'll get our money's worth...

Going back to Cali

Leo and I flew to California for two weeks to spend time with our family, and attend my cousin's wedding. We spent a couple days at the beach in Santa Monica, where Leo waded into the water and spent hours playing in the sand. He loves the beach.

Then we drove up to my parents' house where we got to spend lots of time with the extended family. It was great! My sister and her son Bridger also flew in for the weekend, so Leo and Bridger got to play together again.

Leo had a great time in the garage with Grandpa. He followed him around for hours, and just loved checking out all that interesting stuff. Grandpa even gave him a hammer and a board with some nails he could hammer. He was in little boy heaven.

Leo's language skills really took off during our time there. He started saying "Pa" (for Grandpa), and about  20 other words for the first time: outside, down, eat, stuff, bath, chip, sock, drink, etc.  
It was amazing.

Jessie's wedding was really nice. They had tents set up next to the lake, so the setting was beautiful. The weather even cooperated, and the rain held off until the following day. (whew!)

I spent a couple of days doing the flowers, which was really fun. (I really do enjoy it- especially now that I am not doing flowers every day)  It was a fun day, and I enjoyed spending time with all my cousins who had come to town for the wedding.

 

Follow the Leader

Leo's friend Mary Harper came over today for a playdate. Their favorite activity has been carrying around this green snake from both ends. They have been running back and forth, from one end of the house to the other, laughing and giggling the whole time. So cute!


You'll have to watch the video to get the full effect of their cuteness...

Watermelon

Jack loves watermelon. Seriously. On his list of top 'loves', it would have to be me and Leo at the top, and then watermelon would be a close third. During the summer, when watermelon is in season, we buy 2-3 a week. Jack will cut one up, and fill one of our large tupperware containers with the large ruby-red cubes. And then he will eat it, all day long. You've never seen watermelon disappear so quickly.

When I was at the store yesterday I saw them. A giant pallet bin-- filled to the top with the large green orbs. And I'm not going to lie- I felt a lump in my throat, and I had to choke back some tears. It made me sad to think that Jack won't be home for watermelon season this year.

I bought one anyway. And today I cut it up into large cubes, just like Jack does. I filled up a giant tupperware container, and I have been eating it all day. And guess what? Leo LOVES watermelon too. Just like his daddy.

Another One Bites the Dust

I don't know what it is about 16 month old boys... but they can get into trouble in the blink of an eye. Here are just a two examples from a week in the life of Leo:

Tuesday: Mom was on the treadmill in the family room. Leo was playing in the same room, on the other side of the barrier mom made to keep him out. Leo decided to break through the barrier (which he has never done before), and in a split second was climbing onto the back of the moving treadmill. He planted one hand on it and was instantly spun backwards, doing a faceplant on the moving belt as we went down.  Result: Raspberry on the end of his nose, and a big fat lip.

Saturday: Leo scratched himself when he was playing, with an unknown object. Result: Scab on the side of his nose.

Sunday: Leo was playing in nursery at church.  He tripped and hit his lip on the back of a kiddie chair. Result:  Lip cut open from one of his teeth, and LOTS of blood. Mom and nursery leaders very freaked out.

Needless to say, I felt like a horrible mom most of the week...   I hope I can keep Leo alive until his next birthday. Should I keep a football helmet on him, or what?

Swim Lessons

Leo had his first swim lesson last week. He was definitely the oldest one there (16 months), and the other babies were all about 5-9 months old.

We sang songs and splashed and twirled around in the water to get the babies accoustomed to the water. Leo swam a lot last summer, so he was perfectly comfortable in the water. But he did enjoy smiling and laughing at all those babies!




 
 
 
 
 
I know his eyes are closed in this photo, but the expression on his face is just adorable. What a cutie.

The Places We've Been

***Update:  I'm now making these shelves, due to popular demand!  You can find them here:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SouvenirSand?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Jack and I love to travel. We have been collecting sand from the places we visit since we got married almost 8 years ago. (It actually started before that, when I brought home a little bottle of sand from the beaches in Southern France, where I served my mission) Our little sand collection has grown over the years, and I searched in vain for a way to properly display our collection. I eventually made my own wall shelf, and filled it with small glass vials that I ordered online. This project is finally complete! I am so pleased with the results.

As I retyped the labels for these vials I was reminded of all the places we've been, and all the memories came flooding back. I had to call Jack so we could reminisce together. We laughed at some of the memories, and shook our heads at some of the 'adventures' we had along the way. It was so much fun to remember all of those experiences.

In short, this collection has done what we hoped it would. It stands as a reminder of the places we've been, and how life is "always an adventure"...

Our Funny Boy

Our funny little Leo. What a cutie!  I had to share some of his photos from the last month.  This first one show how his 4 top teeth are coming in.  It took him a while (14 months) to finally get some teeth, but they're coming in strong now.

He has recently discovered the power of those front teeth and so he likes to bite off big chunks of food, which fill his little cheeks to capacity.




We went with some friends to a nearby park and Leo had a great time on the slides and the swing.  He also got a hold of mom's hat, which was a fun new toy.



 

 Lastly, a friend gave us this play lawn mower, which Leo has enjoyed pushing around the yard.  (It might be fun for him now, but we'll see how he feels about mowing when he's 15.) I'm not sure what he's pointing at in this one, but I think it was a plane flying overhead. Leo is getting more and more interested in airplanes, which thrills his Daddy. I think Jack is already planning some trips to the Air and Space museum with Leo when he gets home.

This place is a Zoo!

Leo had his first trip to the zoo this week, and he loved it. The National Zoo, which is here in DC, is on the smaller side but it has free admission, which is great. I think it will be a popular destination for us this summer.

Leo can only say 'dog' and 'cat', so he called the lions and tigers 'cat' and eveything else was a dog. I think his favorite was the monkeys and gorillas because they swung around on the ropes and bars, which was pretty exciting to Leo. He also liked the elephant, which I'm sure is the biggest animal he had ever seen.

Leo has always enjoyed pointing at things, from the time he was a baby. And the zoo sure gave him a lot of things to point at...

Dogwoods

DC is known for it's famous display of Cherry blossoms, but I have to say that the real show stopper around here is the Dogwood. The beautiful flowering Dogwood- which is a tree, but happens to be Virginia's state flower- comes in many shades of pink and white.

We are lucky enough to have two of them in our front yard, and hundreds of them throughout our neighborhood. They are spectacular, and I just had to show them off!

Home Improvements

The last few weeks I have been working on the exterior of the house, and the front yard. It is amazing what a difference a few changes can make. It started when I painted the front door.  (I just had to get rid of that country blue color!) I also painted the original 1962 hardware, which I love for it's vintage feel. 

This week I took down the shutters and window boxes so I could paint them black. But when I got the shutters down I realized that I liked the house a lot better without them. And since I'm going for a clean, mid-century modern look (like the era of the house), it makes sense.  So the shutters went out to live in the shed, and the window boxes got painted and put pack up. They even got some new flowers planted in them. The house was looking so much better!  I still plan to replace that carriage style porch light (yuk!) with something more modern that will go with the new house numbers I put up. It's going to look fantastic!

Next, the yard.

First I had to get rid of all those weeds in that bed along the sidewalk.

I have wanted to edge the sidewalk with some nice plants, but it was going to cost me several hundred dollars for that many plants. I wasn't ready to invest that much in it. So when I read on a blog that someone was tearing out a whole patch of lirope from their yard, I promptly emailed them to see if I could pick them up.  It was an hour and a half drive to Richmond, but I got over 100 plants out of it. (Which would have cost me about $500)  Sweet!  And they were the exact plant I had wanted in the first place. Awesome.

Look how full my car was!  (Thanks John and Sherry for hooking me up!)

It took me a couple of days to dig up the weeds, plant the lirope, cut a trench along the edge, lay down the weed cloth, and then spread the mulch.  It was back-breaking work, and I am exhausted now... but it was all worth it. I am so pleased with the results.

Here is a 'before' picture of the house when we bought it a year ago. You can see it with the blue shutters. We're not quite done yet, but we have made a lot of progress...