Vacation Recap: DC Day 1

Our first day in DC started very early. We headed north on the always busy I95 and parked at the end of a Metro line. We spent a good amount of time riding the Metro which the kids loved and I found easier than NYC's subways. We also appreciated the escalators instead of stairs even though the really tall ones made me nervous!

We made the National Zoo our first stop. It opened at dawn and we arrived around 8:30am, making us one of the few people in the park. It was beautiful, peaceful and quiet. The girls loved looking at all of the different exhibits and really loved the misting stations. We were able to see the whole zoo before lunch time.

We stopped for lunch at Ollie's Trolley before heading to the National Aquarium. The restaurant was decorated with a ton of antiques with notes reminding customers not to touch them which disappointed the girls. The food was excellent! The aquarium on the other hand was a bit of a let down, which is why there isn't any pictures. It was located in the basement of the commerce building and wasn't what we were expecting. We did get to see some fish that we haven't before and we there for a piranha feeding which was neat.

After the aquarium, we walked around the White House grounds before heading back to the cabin. The girls were really excited to see the White House, especially Sammie. We started at the North Lawn and then walked around to the South Lawn. George and I were jealous of the beautiful vegetables gardens in the South Lawn. They even had a bee hive near the garden to help with pollination!

Vacation Recap: The Deer

I forgot to mention all the deer we were able to see around the resort. In the evenings we would see them grazing in the battle fields we drove by. They also wondering on to the soccer files near the general store. Our last evening there, the girls wanted to go swimming after dinner one last time and these two young dear started grazing just outside the fence. They still has some of their spots!

Vacation Recap: The Resort

We were able to use Grandpa Clapper's timeshare to stay at a nice resort/campground located in Spotslyvania, VA (not too far from the epicenter of Tuesday's earthquake) nestled between Civil War battlefields which we passed but dis not visit. The cabin we stayed in was beautiful. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (one with a jacuzzi tub that the girls loved!), a full kitchen, gas grill and 2 decks. It did not have very good cell phone service and the WiFi was broken, which some people might enjoy, but we found it a little frustrating. We were able to make most of our meals in the cabin and enjoyed them on the front deck or the dining room table. Our neighbors enjoyed watching us try to light the gas grill. George is lucky he came home with eyebrows! We made sure to yell over that we have charcoal at home so they didn't thing we were completely inexperienced at grilling!

The pool closest to us was the one we visited most often. The majority of the pool was no deeper than 3ft so Erin could swim and play freely without her life jacket. This helped her to practice her swimming skills and she did great. Sammie made friends with other kids at the resort and they played volleyball. I loved this pool because there were lots of benches built into the pool where I could sit and de-swell after a day walking around DC!

The other outdoor pool at the resort featured a really shallow kiddie pool and a larger pool with a diving board. Sammie passed the swim test so she could jump off the diving board while Erin and I watched from the shallow end.

One morning we rented a paddle boat. George and Sammie paddled while Erin steered and I relaxed in the back ;p We were out before the heat of the day, saw a turtle and made friends with a heron.

The resort also had a mini golf course on the grounds. We only played once, but it was memorable! It only took Erin a couple of holes to figure out how everything worked and she was off. Half way through our game, it started to sprinkler. It was down pouring the last three holes and in a true Caddy Shack moment, I shot a hole in one in the midst of the rain! (P.S - I actually won the game by one point.)

We also visited the rec center since it was the only place on the grounds with WiFi. Sammie was able to check her email and I was able to balance the checkbook. The kids used the time to shoot hoops, play with the bouncers and play some ping pong.

The resort also had a general store where we bought Hershey's ice cream from a couple of nights. Our first full day there, we were checking everything out and stopped by the general store. Erin had been complaining of a stomach ache all morning and showed us by throwing up in the truck and then in the parking lot, living up to her reputation. She was perfectly fine after that leading us to believe the milk she had for breakfast did not agree with her!

We really had a a great, relaxing time and I think all of us enjoyed having cable again for a week!

Vacation Recap: Traveling

My new truck is awesome for road trips! The girls each had there own row and there was little to no fighting. The trip down was a little longer because of extra potty breaks and traffic. Erin sat in the 3rd row on the way down and found a comfy way for her to nap. Sammie was able to capture this picture for us!

We were all anxious to get home after the week away which is one of the reasons we stopped less on the way back. This time Erin sat in the 2nd row and still managed to catch a nap, although this position looks a little less than comfy!

The girls were really, really good in the car, which is good because we spent a lot of time driving!

Up next, details about the resort we stayed at!

Family Day

The Browns had their annual free family day at the stadium the day before we left for vacation so we headed up to check them out. It was a regular practice though instead of a scrimmage because of the lockout. We only stayed a short while so that we could head home to pack we but were impressed with what we saw. Go Browns!

New Haircuts

Once again Aunt Tracy did a fabulous job cutting all four of our hair! Sammie is loving her new shorter do and everyone's hair is more manageable. So glad we got them done before vacation!

Dessert on Vacation

The nice thing about the campgrounds is that ice cream is just around the corner...and the cabins have cable. What else could we possibly need?

Rock the Boat

Baby Updates

We found out I was pregnant on May 3rd. We had been trying for quite some time so we decided to wait a few weeks before sharing the news, just in case. On May 22nd we told the girls first and then the rest of the family. I had really started feeling pretty bad at this point and didn't think I could hide it at family dinner. Morning sickness kicked my butt this time around!

After switching doctor's and finally having a real appoint at 11 weeks, I let the doctor know my fear of twins and she ordered an ultrasound. We were relieved to see one healthy baby with a strong heartbeat! The due date was set as January 6, 2012. Finally, I won't be all alone come birthday time ;)

12 weeks baby bump :)

Almost 18 weeks. This baby is sitting so low compared to the girls! I've been experiencing pelvic pain for the first time and my hips are actually spreading. Too bad I'll be having another c-section. This baby feels like it might actually try to make a break for it! We've schedule the anatomy ultrasound for August 22nd. George and I will be taking half days at work for the appointment and we'll be taking the girls so they can see their new sibling! They are SO excited for this little one and are both hoping for a brother.