Our Trip To D.C.

Del and I recently got back from our trip to Washington D.C. We stayed with my cousin Jennifer and her husband Will for a couple of nights, and then in dowtown D.C.
We had such a good time! Jennifer was an amazing tour guide. This girl knows her stuff! She made sure we hit all our must sees and then some. We can't thank her enough! It was so fun to get away. I love history and we got our fill of that, and we got to catch up with Will and Jen.
Spending a few days with Del was also nice. My mom and dad were so great, and flew in to watch our kids for us. Knowing they were in such good hands, and having such a nice trip, I wasn't ready to come back to reality!

This is an absolute picture marathon! But we all know I will never get around to scrap-booking all of this, so I better record it all here!

Us in front of Mount Vernon

Standing by the Potomac






Del at the Pentagon. This is a memorial for all those soldiers lost in Iraq. Touring the Pentagon was so neat. Jennifer's friend was able to get us in and show us around. It is pretty amazing! So many people walking those confusing hallways. It is a city within a city. Post offices, banks, restaurants, dry cleaners, you name it. We also got to see the memorial chapel for those lost on September 11th, but I didn't take pictures inside. It was very touching to be standing where lives were lost.
Giving our Department of Defense press conference.

Me and Jennifer enjoying the cherry blossoms.


Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Arlington National Cemetery amphitheater. How convenient is this seat?

Arlington House up on it's hill. The home of Robert E. Lee.I loved this house! The history was so much fun to learn about! It was so cool inside.

The Lincoln Memorial


Me and Del in front of the Washington Mall.

The Vietnam War Memorial


Spring had sprung in D.C. I loved these trees!
The Korean War Memorial. "Freedom Is Not Free."

World War II Memorial


The Washington Monument

This was so cool! Jennifer talked to a man on the street in front of the White House, and he told us that we could get tickets to go inside the gates to a garden tour. We were right up close to the White House, walking the garden and listening to a band play in the outside rotunda. It was one of my favorite things on the trip. The grounds were so pretty!


Me and Del in front of the Rose Garden


Del in front of the Oval Office.

The President's view.

A little Presidential basketball anyone?

Maybe some tennis?

Me with my gigantic popsicle, with the Capitol Building in the distance.

Well, that is our trip. We also went to the Holocaust Museum, but you can't take pictures there. That was overwhelming, and emotional. It is worth a trip to memorialize all the victims, if you get a chance!
Thank you so much, Del, for such a nice trip! It was so nice to be with the one I love, without the kids that I love, for a few days! Thanks for being such a trooper, even when you were tired of reading! (Lots to read in Washington D.C.) Love you forever!

A Few More Of Wally's Greatest HIts

It has taken me some time to cope with the potentially horrendous outcome that this story could have lead to, so I have not written it down. But now that some time has passed, I can post it without almost crying. So I will document yet another thing for Wally to read when he is one day dealing with his own crazy five year old boy or girl.

I was folding laundry in the family room. I could hear Wally and Will playing up in Wally's room. All seemed right with the world. My doorbell rang. I answered. There is man with a startled look on his face and his car stopped in the middle of the road standing there. He hands me a book. I recognize the book as one of Wally's. He says," Your kids are on the roof."

Long story short. Me, heart-attack. Shut door, and run upstairs. By this time Wally, off roof. Will, not hanging out window. Man, standing on my front lawn looking up at me like I should be in jail. Me, saying thanks, I will take care of it. Me bawling my head off, asking Wally if he is crazy, calling Del hysterical, calling mom feeling like a failure. Del, using ladder to collect items thrown out onto roof by boys. Me debating packing a bag for the twenty to life I will surly be looking at for child neglect, and or, negligent homicide. Now, breathing sigh of relief I have not seen or heard from startled man with book again. One DCFS visit, enough for one year.

Nothing life threatening in the next story, and in some parts of Appalachia, probably even considered the norm.

I was putting Wally in the tub. His favorite. He was very excited and had stripped completely naked. He loves to play with plastic whales and sharks in there. While my parents were here they bought him a new killer whale. He couldn't find it and asked me if I had seen it. (Keeping track of my children's favorite toys could be a hired out full time job at our house.) I told him no, go down stairs and check around. I filled the tub, got Will undressed and towels laid out. (Okay, I kind of forgot he was looking for the whale.)

He came back up to the bathroom, and said, " Mom, I looked all over for it. I looked down in the basement, in the toy drawer, outside...."

I said, "Did you say outside?"

He said, "Yes."

I said, " You are totally naked! You can't go outside naked! I'm sure the neighbors saw you."

He said, "Yeah, but I was just by the garage.

Again, DCFS anyone?

Tiny Tantrums

Today has been rough for Georgia, just a touch ornery. So, I followed her around with the camera knowing that the following would happen:

First tantrum (I set Georgia down.)

Tantrum two ( I wouldn't let her touch the DVD player)

Tantrum three ( I don't remember the cause)

Continuation of tantrum three

Finally worn out. All that emotion will take it right out of a girl.

Happy Birthday Will!

Today Will turns three! We can't believe how fast these kids of ours are growing up! Will Hankins was almost a tax day baby, born a little after midnight. He was the quickest, and least painful delivery. Will was a tiny little guy when he was born, just 5lbs.1oz. So, we took to calling him Little Will. Like his older brother, Will gave us a good scare when he was born. Del and I recognized the sound of his labored breathing from Wally's birth, and knew that he was having problems with his lungs before they even told us. Once again, our newborn was wisked away before we had the chance to hold him.
Will gave a good fight at the hospital he was born at, but was airlifted the next day to a larger NICU facility by helicopter. It is never fun to watch your baby fly away without you. After improving at the larger facility for a few days, he was transfered back to the original hospital, and finally came home.
Will is a funny little guy. He is our most reserved child, always cautious about taking a risk. He is the one that has more fun running around the center of action, rather than jumping right in. Will is also extremely accident prone. He is constantly falling, dealing with a bruise or cut somewhere. He showed no interest in sitting up or rolling over until he was well past six months, and now I wonder if in his baby wisdom, he was just delaying the injury rate. He has impaled the upper pallet of his mouth with a screwdriver, cut his eye open on a guitar, of all things, and just about bitten through his lip more times than we can count.
Will is also a sweetheart. He will suddenly declare that he needs a hug in the middle of the grocery store or a restaurant. If he is in another room and hears me sneeze or cough, he will call out," You okay mom?" Will loves to sing and I am constantly surprised by the songs he sings along to in the car.
When Georgia was born, Will pointed at her and said," Fafars." We weren't quit sure what he was trying to say, but evidently, in his mind that was how to pronounce Georgia, because it has only been in the past month or so that he has stopped calling her "Fafars," and now he does say Georgia. Although is does sound more like "Jaja."
I love my Little Will so much. He isn't so little anymore, and we actually wonder now how tall this boy will get! He is a cute little boy, that loves his family and friends so much. He idolizes Wally and Del, wants to make sure I am alright, and attempts to include Georgia in his play. As ill fated at that may be at times. We are so happy to have Will in our family, and I can't wait to see what kind of man this well liked, sensitive little boy becomes!
Will, thank you for being mine!

Happy Tax Day!

The Ultimate in Un-Cool

Our little neighborhood park was finally completed this fall, right before the snow set in. So now that it is Spring, the place is hip-hoppin' with people checking out the new slides and swings.
So I took my kids down the other day to get some energy out. What I have found from all of my recent visits, is that this park has become an after-school hang out spot for all the neighborhood tweens. You know, those junior highers that have nothing going on after school. As usual there was a big mob of them on the equipment when we got there. But apart from telling one little dude that the left over snow he was throwing was hitting Georgia in the face, they pretty much played nicely beside my small children. When I arrived the group of girls separated from the boys and they all went and lined up on the swing set.

After a while, of course, Wally and Will wandered out of the playground bounds, and found a gigantic mud swamp in a grassy field. When I noticed them getting ready to dive in, I jumped up and ran over telling them to get back up where they should be. They, again, of course, didn't listen the first time. So now I had to get stern and tell them if they weren't back up by me by the count of three, no more park.

I had to walk past the swing set while calling to the boys. And let me tell you, when I whipped out the "stern" voice, those girls, without saying a word to each other, were up off the swings, and out of there! Boy do I know how to clear a playground! At this point another woman from my street was there with her kids. When I got back to the bench and told her how hilarious I thought it was that they evacuated the scene so quickly when I got mad at my boys, she said, "Well yeah, mean mom alert."

And it was a sad realization, those twelve year -old's don't see me as a cute, young mom, I am a big meanie! They probably came to the park to get away from their own mothers, just to run into another yelling nag! So the day of my being somewhat cool has officially come to and end. It was a little surprising, and I felt kind of old. I now wear the title of "wet towel," with the tween crowd. Oh well, to tell the truth, I wasn't that cool to start with!

Will, going down the only slide he will go near. All others are too big.


Georgia on the swings. She loves them, and me, too young to see the nag in me yet.

A Little Sparkle For Georgia

Well, today during some time to kill between appointments, we ended up getting Georgia's ears pierced. She looks SO cute! She was such a good girl too! She was being such a cute little sweetie to the lady, and she was so surprised when the first earring when in. It was sad. She stopped crying until Del walked into the store with the boys. He took them on a walk for the big event. She only wanted him for a few minutes. Don't worry, she perked right up when we went to lunch afterward and she got to eat some yummy soup. She has been such a good girl about them so far... so let's hope that continues! Now girl's got some bling!

Big smile!

Showing off her new look.

Georgia with her bag that says she got her ears pierced.

Easter

We had nice Easter this year. We went to Uncle Scott and Aunt Sandy's house for dinner and the egg hunt. It is always nice to see so many of their great neighbors and ward friends. Our kids were definitely hard to miss among all the adults and almost adults. Especially Wally, who refused to sit anywhere but at the table with all the teenagers. He bumped poor Brittany from her spot at the table, and she was kind enough to eat off to the side at a folding table with Will. Who do we think we are rolling in to town and demanding seats at the head of the table anyway? Oh, well, Wally is anything but easy-going! We had a great day, and it was so nice to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Group

The Hunt

The Loot

Ice Cream!

Me and Georgie Girl

Brother and Sister

More ice cream with Aunt Sandy

Will and his new toy from Uncle Scott and Aunt Sandy

It it is all worth it when...

your children give you compliments. Yesterday Wally told me that I am "the best girl in all the world." So nice of him to notice! And those are the moments when the stress of life, and the day just doesn't seem to matter. But that compliment makes me realize I have a lot to work on!

Mac and Me

Good ol' Mac and Me. I am not the only one that remembers the movie from the 80's by that title by the way. I know I am not. You know it is familiar... the aliens who find themselves suddenly in California somewhere, boy in wheelchair, dancing in McDonnell's, and something about windmills? They eventually attain their U.S. citizenship. So admit it, you know the movie, and like me, loved it. So if you do, you better comment and confess.

Today, I am not referring to THAT Mac and Me. I am referring to the fact that we have joined the ranks of the iMac owners. To those of you who are Mac owners, it is like we have joined the fold. We have come home to the place where all decent computer owners should be. I cannot believe how excited people are for us. It is like we have had our fourth child. On the other hand... the PC people out there usually just look at us with a confused stare and ask,"Why?" "PC snobs." I am stealing that title from my friend Kathy, who outright told me she is one.

Well, right now I must tell you, I am wondering why? myself! I am super frustrated with the learning curve involved in this change. As is Del. I know that once we get it down, we will be as happy as all you other Macies out there. But right now, I can't find my files, or my pictures, I don't know how to get into several websites because it says to use Firefox, and although it is downloaded, it doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Configurations? Some nonsense like that. And when I download a file successfully, it disappears into a galaxy far, far away, and I can't figure out how to access it. I need Mac 101. I have however figured out the photo-booth feature. Now that is fun! So at least I know how to post those pictures, since I can't find any others! I know I'll love it, Mac and I just need to get to know each other on more personal level.

Me, finding the photo-booth. Hmmm....

Discovering the potential.

Fun!

SUPER Fun!

Why can't I figure this thing out? It might lead to baldness. Or going gray early.