Confused Princess

This little girl thinks she is a princess.

(Thanks to her sweet cousin MaKenzie she can now dress like one.)

No one told her that princesses do not bear arms.

But she can't help herself in a house full of boys.

She must defend herself.

And it appears she must also shoot the poor bunnies out the window.

She is figuring out the Nerf Guns - she loads them up and then brings them to me -

And asks me to "cock it Mom".

Then runs off to find a victim.

Usually a willing brother.

Her confusion extends beyond the gown/pistol dilemma.

Yesterday McCall and I headed into the city, just the two of us.

We were bringing some treats to the office for the Senator's birthday party.

I pulled up just outside of the Capitol to snap this picture on my phone.

She got VERY excited and exclaimed,

 "Oh, Mommy, look!"

"It's the castle that my Daddy works in!"

She must really think her Daddy is Prince Charming.

(I know I do!)

She was in her element at the birthday party.

She had 40+ adults all clamoring to hold her, give her treats, coddle her and all together spoil her.

She entertained and charmed the Senators and staff and she has no clue.

It was a great afternoon.

**sorry for the poor quality of pictures - phone pics!

Findings in Virginia

We just had Tom and Lani out to visit us in Virginia.

It was WONDERFUL!

After dropping them off at the airport I had a car full of crying children.

That's the downside I suppose.

But we had a wonderful time.

We were able to see and experience a few new things while they were here.

Here are a few of them:

 Gallon sized jars of pickled pigs feet.

At the local (west/central Virginia) grocer.

Not only were these available, but they must be a popular item because they were taking up

valuable real estate as an end cap - and stacked 5 foot high!

This one really got me.

Were people waiting for this so they had to advertise that NOW they finally have the coveted gator meat?

I thought that was illegal.

You should know that this was also on the end cap of  a grocery store -

Virginia's finest!

What I didn't get a picture of was their "fresh meat" section.

We were able to dig through and find some decent hamburger.

But it was slim pickings.

Too bad we were not in the market for some "fat back" - because there was a plethora of that!

No joke people!

There were different cuts and flavors and seasonings to choose from.

Who would have thought?

I should point out that my dad would have LOVED this grocery store.

Straight out of his childhood - minus the gator.

In hindsight, I should have looked for possum and squirrel.

**more to come on our adventures with Tom and Lani!

New Career Path

While eating our lunch today Gage informed me that he no longer wants to be an NFL player.

Really?

Why?

What has swayed you?

I'm hoping for bigger aspirations - doctor, dentist, scientist ...

Nope.

He found out that if you get hurt or injured you have to sit in an ice bath.

He hates to be cold.

And if that wasn't bad enough ..

"Your coach and teammates watch you and you are {naked}!"

Both good reasons not to be an NFL player.

Weekend of BESTS!

BESTS!

Ryan and I had the BEST time in New York City.

We were with the BEST people.

Eating the BEST food.

Enjoying the BEST that NY has to offer.

 It kind of turned out to be a foodie trip.

We wandered the streets of NYC and made our plans around meal times.

It was most enjoyable.

Brent conquered his small sandwich.

 I ordered something small off the menu - so I could have dessert.

Unfortunately it was this huge egg salad sandwich, which was delicious.

And I still had to have dessert.

 Ryan ordered this small plate of ribs.

 And Luci had this tiny piece of fabulous cheesecake -

We all had to help her finish it.

 We stayed at Times Square.

Enjoyed watching the crazy people and street performers.

Chinatown, Little Italy, Central Park, the Met, Ground Zero Museum.

It was all so much fun and I can't wait to do it again!

And thanks to Brent and Ryan who let us do all the things we wanted to do!

Great Urban Race DC

I just completed the Great Urban Race DC 2011

With these fun ladies!

Myself, Stacey, Natalie and Corinne.

Oh so much fun.

We were given a sheet of clues that sent us running all over the city to complete tasks.

We ended up in several bars in DC - probably the only way I'll see the bars of DC.

We had several challenges to do.

They ranged from doing a yoga course to trying different Indian sauces and identifying them.

From math problems to asking strangers to do a congo line with us.

We had so much fun and I can't wait to do it again next year.

The question is - which destination next time?

My thoughts - Boston? Toronto? Vancouver? Salt Lake?

If you get a chance to do one of these races in your area over the summer I would encourage you to!

You won't regret it!

And how did we do?

We were team 151 of 375 teams.

Not too shabby, and loads of fun!

Gettysburg

This is a must see.

Gettysburg is fantastic.

I am so grateful for the brave men who fought here and for the local residents who banded together to care for the wounded - numbered in the thousands.

The museum is worth the time and $ to go to.

When I went a few years ago with my mom and sisters I fell in love with the place.

Only I have to go back just to go to the antique shops and darling cafes.

Oh, and the drive there ... GORGEOUS!

 This is Gage's favorite President.

He lovingly refers to him as his friend Abe.

Perhaps he was precocious child as well?

Flat Stanley made the trip with us.

We will be sad to have to send him back to his school in Utah.

Thanks Halle for letting us have him as a guest for the past few weeks.

He has one trip left in him - New York City!

Then back to Salt Lake City.

Mount Vernon in April ... Lovely!

We love Mt. Vernon and were so excited to take Jessica and James.

Of course, Flat Stanley made the trek with us as well.

He has been to a lot of fun places.

 Our first stop was to visit Lady Washington.

She was absolutely charming to visit with.

She told us many stories about her and the General's life.

She allowed for any question.

Connor waited very patiently to ask something.

"How long was General Washington gone from Mt. Vernon during the Revolutionary War? And who took care of his farms while he was away?"

SIX YEARS! He was gone for 6 years! Only stopping in once as the army was literally marching right past.

Wow. That is committment.

His cousin took care of things while he was away.

But no one took care of things like the General and everything was in disrepair when he returned and had to start again from square one.

 The grounds are absolutely beautiful.

Trees that George Washington planted himself are still there.

He kept immaculate records, with detail about everything.

Which tree he planted where and when.

Each field and which crops it had been planted in for how many years.

The rotation schedule for crops.

Which slave had which blanket, etc.

He didn't miss a thing.

 We decided to eat there before leaving and a fun thing happened.

Tate finally lost his very first tooth!

He is almost done first grade and his first tooth just came out!

He told me afterwards that his goal is to lose all his teeth at Mt. Vernon.

Oh, the grand dreams of youth.