July in Washington DC + Books

This summer is moving slowly and speeding by all at the same time. Some days we settle into a rhythm and soak up the loveliness of this city. Our photos are far more memory worth than magazine worthy. And our family is better for it, the memory making.

July, dare I say it, has been gorgeous. No sweltering heat or humidity hovering around 100%. Instead cool breezes are calling us outside day after day. Yes, this month has been equal parts fast and slow. The speeding by whirlwind part of our month began with 4th of July celebrations and departing in the night for our first of two family beach vacations! (We head for our next one on Saturday).

July gets me feeling equal parts nostalgic and patriotic. I intended for this summer to be sharing more of my favorites of DC with you all. It is coming, slower than I had hoped, but it is coming. But one of my recent reader(s) requests has been our favorite books about DC for little kids. These are a few of our most loved on DC books. Smithsonian museum gift shops have shelves upon shelves to explore as well. Whenever we visit I try to read a few to see if they will make the cut. So far, these are the best. But this list is bound to grow along with my kids.

Madeline at the White House - we read this book so often, I think I am going to need a few more Madeline books. But our favorite part is that it mentions a few of the sites/activities in DC not mentioned in other books such as the Easter Egg Roll and the Cherry Blossoms.

This is Washington, DC - by far the best book to learn more about DC, and the story behind what you probably already know. Geared for slightly older kids, ages 4-8.

I Pledge Allegiance - by the authors of childhood favorites Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, this book is not really about DC. However, it shares the rich story of the pledge that we so often recite. I received this as a gift for political appointees when I worked for the White House, which makes it extra special to me.

Good Night Washington, DC - our first DC book and likely what helped Behr first recognize the monuments by name. Whenever we read this book, the other DC books tend to come out so we can compare all of the DC scenery.

What has your July been like? 

And have you ever been to DC (come on, was it a class trip!?) 

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Easter 2014 + Sending Pictures to Family

We had a sweet, filled Easter Sunday. Lots of stops, from our church's first Easter service, to potlucks with our church family and then dinner with neighbors. A few more activities were planned, and then skipped thanks to epic naps. But it was probably for the better. Throughout the day, we quietly reflected on how our every day points to both our need for a savior and his triumphant resurrection.

These two, they look like they are in cahoots with one another!

Over the years, the idea of creating tradition has been belabored here on the blog. We've had fits and starts, but may finally be settling into routines that suits our family. We've settled on some books we read throughout lent, keeping them on our coffee table instead of the book shelf. This is our third year having a low-key Easter egg hunt out front (see 2013, still pregnant with Hudson & 2012). We make an egg casserole the night before so cooking is minimal in the morning -- reducing this helps me be calmer, everyone gets to eat sooner, and as parents, we can be more present with the boys. We also keep our egg hunt simple and try to time it based on when everyone seems to be in a good happy, well-fed state, rather than squeeze it in before church or before naps.

Behr has been telling people there are race cars in Easter eggs, because that is what we did last year. Memory of an elephant, I tell you. To his disappointment, we moved away from the race cars. He loves his race cars, but there isn't much to distinguish between them, and there is even less that points back to God. We opted for Schleich farm animals. The boys were both thrilled by these, and Behr has already been talking about Noah's Ark, God making the rain forests and the jungles and the farms, and how animals have babies too. I am hopeful that over the years as this animal collection will lead to both imaginative play and opportunities for conversation.


A bit about how we keep family in the loop with growing boys on our hands:

I recently realize I am sorely behind in sending letters to the boys grandparents and great-grandparents. Since Behr was little, I have purchased photo cards from Shutterfly to serve as updates with both pictures and a few details about our happenings. Since Hudson joined the party, this has been lacking. But I am picking it up again! Now through Wednesday (4/23) photo cards are on sale from 30-50% off. My favorite is to use the picture folded cards (available in portrait or landscape) so the only design or text on the card is what I choose to add. The quality is great, the grandparents love them. They are easy to share. I order enough for all the family, one for each of the boys "baby boxes" and for Mark and I to each put on on our desks. For ~$1.50 each, they are a huge win for everyone who doesn't get to see the boys every day.


I would love to hear from you. How was your Easter?
Have for formed any new traditions or are you carrying on some from your own childhood?
And if you have kids, how do you keep the extended family in the loop? (especially those not on social media)

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Snow Day...in March?

Monday we had a snow day. Behr woke up before six am, yelling, "Look Mom and Dad, it's snowing!" Apparently we have succeeded in building the excitement about the snow. Now can we create excitement about sleeping in?

Mark took Behr with him to work for a few hours during Hudson's nap time and I was able to sit and think, uninterrupted. It was glorious! When they came back, I went to the gym, alone. Also glorious! But want to know what really made this snow day grand? We took Behr and Hudson sledding for the first time. Or if you follow me on instagram, tubing as some people would call it.

Me: I call sliding down a backyard size hill sledding, even if you are on an inflatable inner-tube.
Mark: Sledding is on a sled, when you use a tube, it is called tubing.

I say if you are going to get technical then why isn't it called "toboggan-ing" when you use a toboggan? Tubing takes place on a ski-type mountain with a rope pull. Sledding is a backyard past time.  Where do you fall in the debate?

our wagon has big wheels, so obviously we took it through the snow.  

 We decided to go to a park with the tiniest of tiny hills. Maybe, maybe a one foot grade change. The beauty was, no one else was trying to sled there. Meanwhile, most people who passed looked at us like we were crazy and told us about the hill in front of the Capitol Building, as if we didn't know there was a hill there! Lots of encouragement for the bigger and better, but we had fun on our slightly slanted slope. Actually we had a blast. It might have been the most fun I have had sledding since I was really young.

The Warmth of the Sun

Throughout elementary school I spent a significant amount of time at my grandparents house. It was full of treasures, a mysterious basement, an attic for exploring, an expansive yard with a detached shed and hammock flocked by huge trees, blackberry bushes lining a hidden path to a neighbor's house with a pool, a creek full of rocks to throw and frogs to catch that ran under their yard (through a tunnel!), and bedrooms galore. In retirement, my grandmother became a florist and my grandfather a jeweler, so you can just imagine the trove that they had under their roof. One of my favorite parts of their house was their collection of reader's digest magazines. They were my size, so I thought they were for me. Almost immediately upon entering their house, I would pick one up and carry it with me throughout my stay. I have distinct memories of reading my little magazine in their downstairs bathroom, next to where my grandmother arranged flowers. I would sit cross-legged atop the toilet seat with rose stem clippings at my feet, the familiar scent of flowers and spongey green oasis filling the air.

Somewhere among the way-too-many pages I read was the idea that as you felt the new warmth of spring sun, it was your loved ones wrapping their arms around you. At the time I read this, several family members had recently passed away and I longed for closure. Without getting into the nitty gritty of heaven or afterlife, I can affirm that this idea has stuck with me. Now, well into adulthood, I have continued to associate the coming of spring with a time of remembrance.

As we walked through the woods on last weekend and through DC again this weekend, the newly warm sun began to peek through winter. As my body welcomed this warmth, I slipped into quiet remembrance. I am so thankful for the grandparents and great grandparents that have loved me well. I miss them fiercely, but I am grateful for the reminder of their embrace by the shining of the sun.

Here is another day we were out and about enjoying warm sun (albeit autumn) and remembering.

And more about my grandparents.

Snow-scapades

We used to live just North of Boston, Massachusetts, so each winter we wish for big snow. This year, storm after storm spared DC from snow, leaving us disappointed. Beautiful instagram shots of snow (have you seen Anna's photos?) left us wishing for our own winter wonderland as we trudged through rain. And then, it started to snow! Here are a few of our escapades outside:

// the first snow, I bundled up the boys and got all the way out of our building to find...grass. By the time Hudson's morning nap was over, everything had melted!

// the next time it snowed I was outside with the boys by 9am eager to document Hudson's "first" snow.

// the first polar vortex had us trekking through blizzard conditions to snap some photos of the Capitol and surround buildings. It was so cold my phone shut off shortly after getting this shot.

// Mark was finally able to play in the snow with us and snow angels abounded.

// and then we got real snow! lots of snow! so logically, we played in our back alley, tried to build a snowman, and realized Behr liked smashing the snow much more than building with it.

Do you enjoy snow? 

What are some of your favorite winter pastimes?

We have been keeping busy with a few special indoor snow activities:

• These free penguin printable worksheets from Meet Penny.
• Playing "Don't Break the Ice" with a wet paper towel over a bowl (use a rubber band to hold in place) and a set of marbles, or in our case rocks. 
• Reading a few of our favorite seasonal books (here, here, and here)

What are your go-to indoor activities?

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Baking with Behr

some of these pictures are almost a year old!

I really love baking with Behr. If you know me, you would know I am a bit OCD with about everything except grammar (I'm terrible) and baking. Baking, at least some baking, needs a level of precision that I don't quite have the patience for. So much so, that Mark recently told a group that I am definitely not a baker. Boy, did I prove him wrong this Fall. All of our waists may now be suffering because of it.

I have ventured into apple pies, german apple pancakes, pumpkin bread, and muffins, and cookies, a failed scones recipe (in which Mark may have secretly deemed himself triumphant), a successful scones recipe, so successful I immediately made a second batch, blueberry muffins, carrot raisin muffins, my old family recipe for the most delicious chocolate chip cookies ever, and now I am embarking on sugar cookies. Why am I making sugar cookies?  Because the dollar spot at target told me to! And I couldn't say no when Behr picked out cookie cutters instead of the stickers. Who could say no to that?

Mostly, I have started baking more because Behr gets so excited. If I pull out the flour or sugar canisters, he is immediately dragging the chair over from the table to stand up right beside me. He wants to hold and pass and pour and measure (which he doesn't quite have down yet). But he sure knows where everything comes from and everything goes. He is my sous chef from the moment he asks, "Help you momma?"

Recently, I have realized that baking with Behr is more than giving him joy. It is connecting him to my past, my heritage. As he places the muffin liners in the tin, I want to grab him by the cheeks and say (maybe I even feel the urge to happy scream), "Do you know how many hands that love you have done this very task!?!"

My Yia-yia, and her mom (Big Yia-yia) and her sisters, and her boys, one of which is your Popouli, and me, little girl me, in pencil straight jeans when flairs were cool in jumpers and pretty party dresses and most definitely in mesh shorts, oh the mesh shorts, and your aunts and uncle, Julia, Michael, and Brooke, all of our hands stood over these muffin trays and did this very same thing. This very same thing! We placed the tins in and popped them down if they started to slide up.

Just like you Behr, just like you. 

My Big Yia-yia taught me how to make family recipes, swoon-worthy greek pastries, with measurements by the green-mug-with-the-broken-handle-full. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to be right.

Here are a few things my Yia-Yia taught me about baking:

1. Make a day of it. Greek cooking takes a long time. This is the most valuable lesson I have carried over into baking with Behr. Make a day of it

2. Measure twice. She measured it out, and then I measured it in. The bowl of flour that I pulled from already had the correct amount, so I was never at risk for ruining anything. But as a girl, I felt like I was given the ultimate responsibility.

3. Taste along the way, it makes it more fun. And don't worry about the raw eggs in the batter, it never hurt her.

4. Bake more. Always. You never know who might be coming over for dinner. Thanks to Yia-yia I have enough food to feed a small army for the winter. And most definitely enough ingredients for a little impromptu baking.

5. Sing while you cook, and cover it in love. Her avgolemono soupa requires kissing the air  "tks, tks, tks, tks, tks" when you mix the eggs into the hot broth, because kissing prevents the sour, and when there isn't sour, things don't curdle.

A few cooking lessons, a life time of teaching. My heritage. 

Linking Up with The Good Life

Thankful for the good and the crazy.

This has not been the year of fancy dinners, dates, or dressing. It wasn't the year of new projects or creative outlets. Nor has this been a year of rest. Cumulatively, I doubt we've neared the recommended hours of sleep for one person, let alone two. We have not had a year of routine, but instead its been a year of learning to adjust. It has not been the year of successful family photos, with four perfect smiles. Its the year we ordered our Christmas cards without a family picture because our photos from vacation were cranky and windy. But a friend offered to take these pictures of my family on a whim. Having known us for years, she managed to make us laugh and capture our personalities shining through. I love them, even if they won't be on our Christmas cards. This year we have had bountiful blessings. We have had our share of long hard days followed by easy dinners and tears. Lots of tears. It has been hard, but good. Most of all it has been crazy.

2013 has been a lesson on patience and grace,

and well, basically every fruit of the spirit. 

We have spent the better part of this year in learning mode. 

All four of us are learning, and we wouldn't change a thing. 

(except maybe a few extra hours of sleep here or there...)

I can work miracles.

Scenes from this weekend.

Opening the dryer, I spotted a shirt that previously had a gnarly stain. I felt deflated, the stain probably didn't come out. I forgot and now it is set. I have ruined one of Mark's expensive dress shirts. I am angry that he spilled something on it in the first place. He ruined it too. As I lifted the shirt, it was spotless, not even a trace of the stain! That stuff I sprayed on it worked. Elation. I am a miracle worker! Wahooooo!

Immediately the self doubt set in. I am not a miracle worker. It was only laundry. << yes, believing I am a miracle worker is a bit over-inflated, especially over laundry. >> There is only one miracle worker. Why would I think so highly of myself? I am just a mother who is failing to keep her family afloat.

In less than the time it took to empty the dryer, my self esteem and worth has been completely attacked and deflated by lies. Lies that I tell myself daily.

Instead, I am here to tell you that I can work miracles. I am boldly laying this claim, which my heart struggles to believe daily. I can work miracles because the spirit of Christ dwells in me (John 14:11-14). That is a hard concept for me to accept.

I am capable.

I am strong.

I am enough.

I can work miracles.

I can celebrate all of the little accomplishments and also the big ones, giving glory to God.

My miracles might be small by earthly standards, but they are the tangible and they are good work. My miracles are God's grace to me and a blessing to others. My miracles are only because of Christ, not my own strength or will. These miracles are for God's glory, not mine. The work that I do is a constant reminder that he is my strength. In fact, it is actually His work.  Because of Him, I can work miracles.

Roosevelt Island on Veteran's Day

Three day weekends are my favorite to stay home. Forget battling everyone else who is trying to drive to and from somewhere. I want to stay home, follow our normal weekend routine and use the time gained from an extra day to go on an adventure. Are you with me?

This year for Veteran's Day, I really wanted to go to Arlington National Cemetery, but we also realized we couldn't remember the last time we had been to Roosevelt Island, one of DC's greatest treasures. We hunted for rocks, kept our eye out for planes overhead, found a good walking stick, spied a family of ducks, and enjoyed the fall colors, slowly changing here in DC.

We wore these boys out, so we didn't quite make it to Arlington, but the drive past allows me to still see the section nearest to my heart. How do you like to spend your long weekends?

Also, this cheesy instagram pic might be my favorite from our day, 

especially our hats which now have new meanings.

The Support of Family

Lately our lives have been full of family. Weekends are packed with visits and visitors. Hudson is content to be held all day. Behr has thoroughly enjoyed the attention. He is hamming it up. He is also taking it all in, sport lessons included. Soccer, golf, baseball and basketball all have found new homes in my son's heart. But family still comes first. The best outcome of these visits is the love that has overwhelmed Behr. He asks and prays for (in one long sentence) Momma, Dad, Hudson, Grandmom, Grandpop, Uncle Ben, Uncle Mike, Yia-yia and Popouli, Brookie, Julia, and cousin Sam and the firetrucks.  Behr loves to pray for our family and the firetrucks, but that is a story for another day.

We moved from Boston to DC six years ago to be closer to family. The past eleven weeks have reaffirmed that move. Now if only I could figure out how to put our family right next door so that when Behr wakes up at 5:30 in the morning he can knock on their door. just like he did to my parents each morning this past weekend. I am so thankful. So very thankful for the support of family.

I am linking up with Blair from Wild and Precious for Life Lately.