rehearsal dinner

We're gonna do this one in black and white, just to be classy.

Okay, so not all the pictures are going to be classy, but funny is better than classy any day.

 We loved getting to see Great Grandma and Grandpa Sobey, as well as Great Nana Weisse (aka G.G).

 Great Italian food and great company meant a great evening.

Gus dubbed Great Grandma Sobey "Big Nana."  Not really sure where it came from.  I introduced her as Great Grandma Sobey and tried to get him to say Great Grandma. Then I think I said she was Nana's Mom.  He then looked at her a bit and said "Big. Big Nana!"

From then on, he was pretty much in love with her and wanted to hug her all the time.  

Needless to say, she loved it.
Big Nana and I also happen to share a birthday, which just so happens to be today.
So Happy Birthday Big Nana and Happy Birthday Yesterday to G.G.
And a Happy 30th to me?

bridemaid's brunch

Thursday before the wedding we had the traditional Bridesmaid's brunch at Michelle's house.  It was a pretty laid back event, but people were drinking in the morning, so it ended up being entertaining as well. 

The little peg people I made of Ben and Michelle were on display. 

I never got a picture of them actually on the cake so here they are:

Independence Day in DC

We were in DC this year on the 4th of July, which is a pretty cool place to celebrate.  We didn't quite have the patience with our kids to venture to the National Mall on such an occasion, but we did go right across the river to a park where you can see the mall fireworks.

It was pretty wickedly hot when we got there in the late afternoon, so we scavenged any shade we could find.  They had some fun stuff for the kids like balloon animals and bouncy houses.  Then they had field games for adults as well.  My favorite was the Cool Down Station where you just stand under a bunch of really strong misters and fans.

But, perhaps, even better than the bouncy houses was the fact that it was right by the airport and the train tracks.  Gus was in heaven.

"Ham and Cheese" is Gus' new alternative to saying "Cheese."  

It is also what he asks to eat first thing in the morning, and then many more times throughout the day.

Eventually we moved off of the astro-turf field where the games were in favor of some real grass to watch the fireworks.

Uncle Tony, Aunt Di, and Estella joined us as well, which was fun, especially since Stella and I had matching outfits.

Oooooo...................... Ahhhhhh

Gus does a good impression of fireworks now.  They were a hit.

smithsonian day

On our recent trip to DC, we only got to spend one day on the National Mall, but we saw all the things Jimmy cared about.  

The first thing was Gus' favorite: The Choo Choo.

...also known as the Metro. After his first trip he asked to go on it every time we left the house.

First Stop: The Museum of Natural History

The obvious reason being the dinosaurs.  

T-Rex was, as always, impressive.

Stegosaurus.

A classic.

Diplodocus 

(not to be confused with a Brontosaurus or Brachiosaurus or any other long neck dinosaur)

Triceratops 

(although not technically since his front horn is broken off)

The (Not So) Wooly Mammoth.

(This is more exciting now that we have watched "Ice Age")

Surprisingly, Jimmy's favorite was not a Dinosaur at all:  

The Giant Ground Sloth.

... Not gonna lie, I was pretty impressed, too, since it looked like some kind of monster.

Jimmy liked that it could walk on either two or four legs and was featured in both positions.

But really, number one in his heart will always be the Pterodactyl:

It is actually the one on the back wall, not the ceiling.  We couldn't get any closer because the second story was closed for renovations or something.  We are lucky that tears were avoided.

We also checked out the creepy taxidermy animals, the ocean animals exhibit, and Nano and Dad took Jimmy for a quick look at the gems and the Hope Diamond.  I stayed downstairs with Gus.  I was bored so I tried to take pictures of him.  In this one, he is literally yelling at me, "NO PICTURE!"

Washington Monument. Check.

Next Stop: Air and Space Museum

The Wright Brothers Exhibit:

The plane below to the left was Jimmy's favorite because it was a bi-plane that could also land on water

(apparently, he likes things that are multi-functional)

There was a fun hands on room that the kids enjoyed.

The best part of it was where they got to sit in a real airplane and steer to make the wings and tail actually move.

Let's just say Gus wasn't keen on letting the next kid in line have a turn.

By the end of our walk we were pretty hot so we got some ice cream.  

Jimmy did have to be carried which gave him a nice view of the Capitol Building as we walked to the Metro.