A few weeks ago, Grandma Scheele wanted to know why I haven't updated my blog...
It's kinda complicated. One, our internet service has been acting crummy for weeks now. The guy has been here the last two days and seems to have fixed the problem. Two, I'm not sure if anyone actually reads this blog. I wondered if I was wasting my time. Three, posting on my blog reminds me of my mom, and that makes me sad. You see, I started this blog mainly for her to be able to see pics of the boys and read stories about their craziness. Since she died, I'm just not as motivated to post stuff.
Now that the internet is working again, and now that I know others want pictures/stories, I'll try to get better about it.
Here's a quick one: Right now, I'm at the breakfast table on the computer, and the boys are on the couch eating their third mini-bag of popcorn. A few minutes ago, Braden gave a big piece to Garrett and told him to deliver the mail to mommy. Garrett came running to me, I opened my mouth, and he put the popcorn in it. We repeated this a few times. All the while, he and Braden were yelling, "Mail for Mommy!" Sweet little boys.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
D.C. trip days 4-7
I can't believe I never finished writing about our trip to D.C.!! I guess we were having so much fun that I didn't stop to update the blog!
Here's the lowdown...
On the evening of Friday (the day we spent doing the monuments/memorials with the boys), Kyle, Linsey, Matt, and I had a fabulous evening out. Thanks a bazillion, Dad and Janet, for watching the boys so we could go have fun! Linsey booked a room at a Holiday Inn on Rhode Island and 15th on Travelocity or some such site for a really good price. The four of us got a little dressed up and walked several blocks to a Metro station.
Life on the Metro is so strange. Most of the traveling (except for out in the suburbs) is underground so emerging from the Metro station is like unwrapping a big present. You have NO idea what is going to surface. Many of the Metro stations are very deep underground and have very long escalators up to the surface. All the Metro trains and stations look the same. Surfacing, though, opens up an entirely new world. One of my dream days in DC would be spent just riding the Metro, getting off at each station, and emerging to poke my head around (kinda like a prairie dog!).
On this evening, we emerged from the Metro at Chinatown, and wow! All of the sudden the world was full of people, sights, sounds, music, cars, etc. When we went down into the subway (at Farragut North or something), there weren't many people around as it was mostly a business district. Chinatown was such a change, but not very Chinese. It was mostly young, hip people going bar hopping or out to eat, or just, like us, exploring the city.
One of Linsey's friends had recommended a restaurant called Zenga, and described it as a Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant. Kyle was NOT interested. He wanted to find a Chinese restaurant with, as he said, ducks hanging in the window. On a somewhat related note: One of the best Mexican restaurants we've ever eaten at was called Los Portales and was in the border town of Matamoras, Mexico. It had goats in the window. Well, it had cabrito in the window. So, his desire for ducks in the window as a sign of authentic Chinese restaurant made sense to me.
Linsey and I were able to talk some sense into him, thankfully. We attempted to convince him that we should eat at a known restaurant rather than just try some random place. We didn't get too far with our arguments until we happened to notice that we were standing in front of Zengo and the menu happened to be posted in the window. One glance at the menu was all it took to convince Kyle that Zengo would make an excellent choice for dinner.
Speaking of dinner...ours is ready. I'm going to post this now and then edit it later to add more.
Yummm.....grilled shrimp and veggies for dinner!
Okay. Back. Dinner was awesome. Thanks, Kyle!
To make a long story short, we had a great dinner at Zengo (http://www.modernmexican.com/zengodc/index.htm) and then went across the street to a way cool Irish pub called Fado (http://www.fadoirishpub.com/washington/image) The Stanley cup finals were on, and the place was packed with a huge variety of people. After a pint, we left and hopped back on the Metro. We ended up in the Adam's Morgan area of DC at a blues bar called the Madam's Organ (http://www.madamsorgan.com/). I keep describing the decor as a cross between the Dixie Chicken and a bordello (not that I've ever been to a bordello). After a few beers served in Mason jars, we were done for the night and took a cab back to the hotel.
The next morning, Kyle and I ambled about DC. It was nice to go at our own pace and not worry about the kids! We walked to Ford's Theater and from there to the Mall. After attempting to find meaning from some of the sculptures in the sculpture garden, Kyle wanted to see the Smithsonian castle building, and on our way there we discovered the most wonderful gardens adjacent to the building. AND it was Garden Fest 2009! I was in heaven! Kyle likes gardening, too, and I enjoyed exploring new plants with him. We began to miss the boys, though, so we went home in the early afternoon of Saturday.
In the meantime, the boys, Granddaddy and Grandma Janet were having a ball! Here's Braden's version of what they did:
"hmmm [lots of thinking going on now]. We watched some movies. We watched Night at the Museum and Bee Movie. I liked Night at the Museum. Some of the parts were scary, but it wasn't live. I think I had pizza for dinner. The next morning we got up and ate breakfast, and then we went to a park with Granddaddy. The park had a soccer field by it and I was on the big slide so I could see everybody playing soccer. There was a digger thing like the back of a backhoe. We had to sit on it and move the levers so the digger would move, and I was doing it for a long time like for twelve minutes, and then I got off and got back on. I did it a lot. Well, not a whole lot. It was green and yellow, like John Deere. And when you and daddy came home, and me and Garrett ran up to you and daddy, and me and Garrett were so excited."
That evening my cousin Kelli, her new baby Sebastian, her friend Megan, my stepbrother Steve, his new wife Anne, and Dad and Janet's good friend Mario all came over to celebrate Dad's 60th birthday. Dad grilled steaks, Matt grilled stuffed avocados, we had baked potatoes, and certainly some sort of veggies (but I've forgotten exactly). Dinner was great! The wine and conversation flowed, and the weather was perfect for dining on the deck.
On Sunday, the big Stutts boys, the little Stutts boys and I all rode the Metro back into D.C. to go to the Natural History museum. I was so excited to see their reactions to the dinosaurs, but I was a little disappointed. They didn't seem awestruck and amazed, like I had hoped. After hauling the kids through the museum, we walked across the Mall to the carousel, which was a big hit. The little boys and I rode while Kyle and Matt took pictures.
Sunday afternoon was pretty easy going, if I remember correctly. I think we mostly chilled at the house. Kyle and I take an evening walk around the neighborhood and oooohed and aaahed at the fancy houses and beautiful landscaping.
Monday was Great Falls day. Janet packed a picnic lunch for us, and we all (in two vehicles) drove to the C&O Canal National Historic Park (http://www.nps.gov/choh). We walked along the canal path admiring the ingenuity of our ancestors, and then walked down the trail to the Great Falls. I was significantly impressed by the falls we crossed over on bridges until Janet told me that those weren't the Great Falls. And they sure weren't! The Great Falls were pretty darn impressive. I hoped to see some kayakers come down them, but, alas, no such luck. Our picnic lunch was back by the canal path.
Afterwards, we thought about going to Roosevelt Island, but really bad traffic changed that plan, so we went to Gravelly Point Park in Arlington, VA instead. A nice description of the park can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/misc-locations/gravelly-point-park,1028013.html. I have one problem with that article, though. It says parents may not want to stay long. I disagree. I could have stayed all day. The planes flying in just over our heads were soooooo dramatic and cool and just delightful! I loved, loved, loved it! One plane came in and made the turn a bit late and wasn't lined up with the runway and made me really, really nervous. They landed just fine, though.
That night, Kyle and I biked about 10 miles on the W & OD trail (http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/wod/index.php) I sure wish we had something like that where we live (and someone to watch our kids while we bike on it!).
Tuesday morning we got up earrrrrly to make our 8:05 flight. We were back in College Station shortly after noon. What a very great trip!
The next time I sit down to blog, I'll add pictures!
Here's the lowdown...
On the evening of Friday (the day we spent doing the monuments/memorials with the boys), Kyle, Linsey, Matt, and I had a fabulous evening out. Thanks a bazillion, Dad and Janet, for watching the boys so we could go have fun! Linsey booked a room at a Holiday Inn on Rhode Island and 15th on Travelocity or some such site for a really good price. The four of us got a little dressed up and walked several blocks to a Metro station.
Life on the Metro is so strange. Most of the traveling (except for out in the suburbs) is underground so emerging from the Metro station is like unwrapping a big present. You have NO idea what is going to surface. Many of the Metro stations are very deep underground and have very long escalators up to the surface. All the Metro trains and stations look the same. Surfacing, though, opens up an entirely new world. One of my dream days in DC would be spent just riding the Metro, getting off at each station, and emerging to poke my head around (kinda like a prairie dog!).
On this evening, we emerged from the Metro at Chinatown, and wow! All of the sudden the world was full of people, sights, sounds, music, cars, etc. When we went down into the subway (at Farragut North or something), there weren't many people around as it was mostly a business district. Chinatown was such a change, but not very Chinese. It was mostly young, hip people going bar hopping or out to eat, or just, like us, exploring the city.
One of Linsey's friends had recommended a restaurant called Zenga, and described it as a Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant. Kyle was NOT interested. He wanted to find a Chinese restaurant with, as he said, ducks hanging in the window. On a somewhat related note: One of the best Mexican restaurants we've ever eaten at was called Los Portales and was in the border town of Matamoras, Mexico. It had goats in the window. Well, it had cabrito in the window. So, his desire for ducks in the window as a sign of authentic Chinese restaurant made sense to me.
Linsey and I were able to talk some sense into him, thankfully. We attempted to convince him that we should eat at a known restaurant rather than just try some random place. We didn't get too far with our arguments until we happened to notice that we were standing in front of Zengo and the menu happened to be posted in the window. One glance at the menu was all it took to convince Kyle that Zengo would make an excellent choice for dinner.
Speaking of dinner...ours is ready. I'm going to post this now and then edit it later to add more.
Yummm.....grilled shrimp and veggies for dinner!
Okay. Back. Dinner was awesome. Thanks, Kyle!
To make a long story short, we had a great dinner at Zengo (http://www.modernmexican.com/zengodc/index.htm) and then went across the street to a way cool Irish pub called Fado (http://www.fadoirishpub.com/washington/image) The Stanley cup finals were on, and the place was packed with a huge variety of people. After a pint, we left and hopped back on the Metro. We ended up in the Adam's Morgan area of DC at a blues bar called the Madam's Organ (http://www.madamsorgan.com/). I keep describing the decor as a cross between the Dixie Chicken and a bordello (not that I've ever been to a bordello). After a few beers served in Mason jars, we were done for the night and took a cab back to the hotel.
The next morning, Kyle and I ambled about DC. It was nice to go at our own pace and not worry about the kids! We walked to Ford's Theater and from there to the Mall. After attempting to find meaning from some of the sculptures in the sculpture garden, Kyle wanted to see the Smithsonian castle building, and on our way there we discovered the most wonderful gardens adjacent to the building. AND it was Garden Fest 2009! I was in heaven! Kyle likes gardening, too, and I enjoyed exploring new plants with him. We began to miss the boys, though, so we went home in the early afternoon of Saturday.
In the meantime, the boys, Granddaddy and Grandma Janet were having a ball! Here's Braden's version of what they did:
"hmmm [lots of thinking going on now]. We watched some movies. We watched Night at the Museum and Bee Movie. I liked Night at the Museum. Some of the parts were scary, but it wasn't live. I think I had pizza for dinner. The next morning we got up and ate breakfast, and then we went to a park with Granddaddy. The park had a soccer field by it and I was on the big slide so I could see everybody playing soccer. There was a digger thing like the back of a backhoe. We had to sit on it and move the levers so the digger would move, and I was doing it for a long time like for twelve minutes, and then I got off and got back on. I did it a lot. Well, not a whole lot. It was green and yellow, like John Deere. And when you and daddy came home, and me and Garrett ran up to you and daddy, and me and Garrett were so excited."
That evening my cousin Kelli, her new baby Sebastian, her friend Megan, my stepbrother Steve, his new wife Anne, and Dad and Janet's good friend Mario all came over to celebrate Dad's 60th birthday. Dad grilled steaks, Matt grilled stuffed avocados, we had baked potatoes, and certainly some sort of veggies (but I've forgotten exactly). Dinner was great! The wine and conversation flowed, and the weather was perfect for dining on the deck.
On Sunday, the big Stutts boys, the little Stutts boys and I all rode the Metro back into D.C. to go to the Natural History museum. I was so excited to see their reactions to the dinosaurs, but I was a little disappointed. They didn't seem awestruck and amazed, like I had hoped. After hauling the kids through the museum, we walked across the Mall to the carousel, which was a big hit. The little boys and I rode while Kyle and Matt took pictures.
Sunday afternoon was pretty easy going, if I remember correctly. I think we mostly chilled at the house. Kyle and I take an evening walk around the neighborhood and oooohed and aaahed at the fancy houses and beautiful landscaping.
Monday was Great Falls day. Janet packed a picnic lunch for us, and we all (in two vehicles) drove to the C&O Canal National Historic Park (http://www.nps.gov/choh). We walked along the canal path admiring the ingenuity of our ancestors, and then walked down the trail to the Great Falls. I was significantly impressed by the falls we crossed over on bridges until Janet told me that those weren't the Great Falls. And they sure weren't! The Great Falls were pretty darn impressive. I hoped to see some kayakers come down them, but, alas, no such luck. Our picnic lunch was back by the canal path.
Afterwards, we thought about going to Roosevelt Island, but really bad traffic changed that plan, so we went to Gravelly Point Park in Arlington, VA instead. A nice description of the park can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/misc-locations/gravelly-point-park,1028013.html. I have one problem with that article, though. It says parents may not want to stay long. I disagree. I could have stayed all day. The planes flying in just over our heads were soooooo dramatic and cool and just delightful! I loved, loved, loved it! One plane came in and made the turn a bit late and wasn't lined up with the runway and made me really, really nervous. They landed just fine, though.
That night, Kyle and I biked about 10 miles on the W & OD trail (http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/wod/index.php) I sure wish we had something like that where we live (and someone to watch our kids while we bike on it!).
Tuesday morning we got up earrrrrly to make our 8:05 flight. We were back in College Station shortly after noon. What a very great trip!
The next time I sit down to blog, I'll add pictures!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
DC Adventures, Day 3
Today wasn't nearly as adventurous as the previous three days. No new forms of transportation. BUT, we did go to the Air and Space Museum (the big one at Dulles Airport:http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/ ). To quote Braden, it was "awesome!" Watching the little boys walk into the hanger and see all the airplanes in the air and on the ground was just really cool. The big boys reacted almost the same way. In fact, Linsey and I kept having to call Kyle and Matt to find out where they were...looking at the engines, in the middle of the hanger, taking a last minute trip through the space wing.
Speaking of the space wing, when Garrett saw the Space Shuttle he said, "Wow! A party airplane!" I wonder sometimes what goes on in that little head of his. He had a great time "taking pictures." He held up his little hand in front of one of his eyes and made a little "pakow" noise and blew his hand up as he took his picture.
Braden rode a simulator with Linsey and Matt, which he declared as "awesome" (we might need to work on expanding his vocabulary).
Some of my favorite things included the only WWII Japanese Kamikaze plane known in to be in existence. How on earth do regimes convince people to commit suicide in the name of their ideals?
I just asked Braden what was his favorite thing today, and he said, "uhhhhhh airplanes."
"Which one?" I asked.
"Uhhhhhhh. The Blackbird." That would be the fastest airplane ever recorded, the Lockhard SR-71A. It was cool.
Kyle, the boys, and I used the Garmin to find a park on our way home to let the boys run off some steam. Kyle was the victor of the jumping off the swing contest, although I came in a close second.
Braden wants me to write, "Garrett was having fun at the Space Museum."
"He was?" Linsey asked. "I thought he was fussy."
"No," said Braden. "When we walked into the Space Museum, and somebody told me to look down, somebody told me that there was a big Blackbird that was the fastest ship ever. I don't know who told me that."
"Braden, tell me about the observation deck--where we took the elevator up," I said.
"I could see cars and trucks. And I saw airplanes landing and taking off. It was cool. I could see people and, what are we talking about?"
"The control tower observation deck thing," I said.
"But Mommy. Just erase everything. Quit. Don't do that mommy...quit it mommy...quuuiiiiiittttt."
And thus ends our session on Washington DC day 3 and blogging with a five year old.
Speaking of the space wing, when Garrett saw the Space Shuttle he said, "Wow! A party airplane!" I wonder sometimes what goes on in that little head of his. He had a great time "taking pictures." He held up his little hand in front of one of his eyes and made a little "pakow" noise and blew his hand up as he took his picture.
Braden rode a simulator with Linsey and Matt, which he declared as "awesome" (we might need to work on expanding his vocabulary).
Some of my favorite things included the only WWII Japanese Kamikaze plane known in to be in existence. How on earth do regimes convince people to commit suicide in the name of their ideals?
I just asked Braden what was his favorite thing today, and he said, "uhhhhhh airplanes."
"Which one?" I asked.
"Uhhhhhhh. The Blackbird." That would be the fastest airplane ever recorded, the Lockhard SR-71A. It was cool.
Kyle, the boys, and I used the Garmin to find a park on our way home to let the boys run off some steam. Kyle was the victor of the jumping off the swing contest, although I came in a close second.
Braden wants me to write, "Garrett was having fun at the Space Museum."
"He was?" Linsey asked. "I thought he was fussy."
"No," said Braden. "When we walked into the Space Museum, and somebody told me to look down, somebody told me that there was a big Blackbird that was the fastest ship ever. I don't know who told me that."
"Braden, tell me about the observation deck--where we took the elevator up," I said.
"I could see cars and trucks. And I saw airplanes landing and taking off. It was cool. I could see people and, what are we talking about?"
"The control tower observation deck thing," I said.
"But Mommy. Just erase everything. Quit. Don't do that mommy...quit it mommy...quuuiiiiiittttt."
And thus ends our session on Washington DC day 3 and blogging with a five year old.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Adventures, adventures
What an adventurous two days!
Braden counted on his hand, and in the last 36 hours, he has been on the following modes of transportation:
1) our truck
2) a bus--his first (really?)
3) an airplane--his first
4) two of Granddaddy's cars
5) a DC Metro train--his first
6) a National Zoo stroller
We've seen some pretty cool things. We flew into Washington DC National airport right over the Potomac River--we could see the Pentagon out of our window. Once we were in Granddaddy's Element and driving to his house in Falls Church, we could see the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial.
This morning we slept late and took our time getting ready (we are on vacation after all!). Kyle, the boys, my dad, and I took the Metro to the National Zoo. This involved changing trains from the orange line to the red line, and all of that was perfectly okay with Braden. He LOVED the trains. He took really funny pictures with his camera: the hexagonal tiles on the floor, the red lights along the edge of the platform, strangers on the train, etc.
We had a long walk to the zoo (the boys were great!) where rented a double stroller (the boys were not so great!). The National Zoo is wonderful, mostly because it is FREE (it is a Smithsonian institution) and visitors can get pretty close the animals. We visited the pandas first, then the elephants, the baby gorilla, the orangatans, the lion and lioness, the tiger, and the alligator. My favorite? Hard to tell: I love, love, love elephants and the baby (several years old now?) was very playful and cute. The baby gorilla was about the cutest thing I've ever seen. It was smooshing its face up against the glass and making funny faces, just like my boys do in the shower! The pandas are just plain awesome. Huge, majestical, and so, so pretty.
Garrett fell asleep on the long walk back to the Metro and I carried his sweaty little body all the way home. He slept all the way through the train transfer and woke up just as we were getting off at the West Falls Church station.
True to their personality, Braden told me his favorite part of the day was the trains, and Garrett just told me that he forgot to feed the pigs (what???).
Oh! And we talked to a very nice Washington DC police officer who was riding a Segway. He was more than happy to show it off and tell us all about it.
More on the plane ride later--tomorrow, maybe? It looks like rain and will probably be an inside day.
Braden counted on his hand, and in the last 36 hours, he has been on the following modes of transportation:
1) our truck
2) a bus--his first (really?)
3) an airplane--his first
4) two of Granddaddy's cars
5) a DC Metro train--his first
6) a National Zoo stroller
We've seen some pretty cool things. We flew into Washington DC National airport right over the Potomac River--we could see the Pentagon out of our window. Once we were in Granddaddy's Element and driving to his house in Falls Church, we could see the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial.
This morning we slept late and took our time getting ready (we are on vacation after all!). Kyle, the boys, my dad, and I took the Metro to the National Zoo. This involved changing trains from the orange line to the red line, and all of that was perfectly okay with Braden. He LOVED the trains. He took really funny pictures with his camera: the hexagonal tiles on the floor, the red lights along the edge of the platform, strangers on the train, etc.
We had a long walk to the zoo (the boys were great!) where rented a double stroller (the boys were not so great!). The National Zoo is wonderful, mostly because it is FREE (it is a Smithsonian institution) and visitors can get pretty close the animals. We visited the pandas first, then the elephants, the baby gorilla, the orangatans, the lion and lioness, the tiger, and the alligator. My favorite? Hard to tell: I love, love, love elephants and the baby (several years old now?) was very playful and cute. The baby gorilla was about the cutest thing I've ever seen. It was smooshing its face up against the glass and making funny faces, just like my boys do in the shower! The pandas are just plain awesome. Huge, majestical, and so, so pretty.
Garrett fell asleep on the long walk back to the Metro and I carried his sweaty little body all the way home. He slept all the way through the train transfer and woke up just as we were getting off at the West Falls Church station.
True to their personality, Braden told me his favorite part of the day was the trains, and Garrett just told me that he forgot to feed the pigs (what???).
Oh! And we talked to a very nice Washington DC police officer who was riding a Segway. He was more than happy to show it off and tell us all about it.
More on the plane ride later--tomorrow, maybe? It looks like rain and will probably be an inside day.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Splish Splash, Garrett takin' a bath
Sooooo.....I'm a good mom, right? And I shouldn't be terribly worried that I forgot about Garrett in the bath tub the other night, right? I mean, Kyle remembered. And Garrett was super-dooper happy:
Notice his plate of crackers on the edge of the tub. Yep, I'm a good mom alright!
Splash Pad
Ahhhh....summer! Time for family, fun, and water! We discovered a new place tonight--the splash pad at Tiffany Park. I'm not sure why it never occurred to us to take the kids there. It is free! And fun! And tiring! They had a ball...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
photographer pictures
About a month ago, we had our first "real" pictures taken since Garrett was born--yes, he just turned 3. The pictures are awesome! Check some of them out:
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