Lately...

Life has been crazy lately.  We've been busy with guests, sightseeing, work....  So here's a snapshot of what's happening.

Loni and Steve headed out yesterday, leaving the house quiet.  We miss them already.  It was a fun and very busy visit.  I may already be planning a visit to Wisconsin to see them.

Our little guy is growing plumper by the day.  I could just eat up his little thunder thighs.  Leo's baldy head is starting to get a fine layer of blond fluff.  I am so excited to see that.  I had fears that he would be bald until he was 2, like me.

 Leo has gotten more busy lately.  He wants to touch and suck on anything he can get his hands on.  We hung up the jumper this week for him to try and he loves it.  He could bounce in there for an hour.  He looks so big when he's in it.  He's not my newborn anymore.

For the first time in my life last week, I invited someone out for coffee.  I guess you could say that I've officially acclimated to VA.  The thing is, I wanted to go out for a post lunch drink/snack/treat but culturally the only word that described this was going out for coffee.  Never thought I'd see the day but I had to get creative.  It turned out really good and I'm making new friends.  There's something to be said about having a community of people who are in the same situation as you because sometimes being a new mom is rough.

We went to the Eastern Market on Saturday.  That is still my favorite place in town.  Neat things to see, shopping and interesting environment/feel to the place.  It's cooler than Georgetown (which I think has a similarly interesting environment) but it's not so snobby and chic.  I found a scarf that I love and really had a good time looking at all of the handmade wares. 

I saw the Constitution and Declaration of Independence again this week.  I am ever surprised at the feeling I get when peering at these documents.  Even with hoards (and I mean hoards) of neon clad middle school/high school kids, I still felt that feeling.  Note to self: never let your adolescent go on a school trip to DC. 

I had the gourmet club dinner at my house.  Yes folks, I threw a gourmet dinner at my house for 12 people.  That really doesn't sound like me, don't you think.  I think for the most part, I fall into the good food/good friends/comfortable surroundings camp but for some reason I signed up to throw a fancy dinner.  Must have been that post baby brain, makes crazy decisions.  It all turned out well though and I really enjoyed working with my partner Rachel.  Together we really pulled it off.  I did not take any pictures but one of the gals did a blog on it here.

On Thursday, my best friend and her sis will be flying in for a visit.  I am so excited to see them!!  Tami has been such a good friend over the years.  I've so missed going to her house and hanging out but now she's coming to mine. 

Japanese Festival

 You know what the best thing about living here is?  Well, there are always things to do.  A couple of weeks ago we went in to a Japanese Festival.  Who just has that in their back yard to go to?  Oh yes, VA.

As part of the Cherry Blossom Festival, there was a festival in celebration of Japanese food and culture.  Heb and I bravely loaded Leo up and rode the metro in.  Incredibly brave, I know.  

I have a fascination with Japanese culture, it has always been on my list of places I must visit.  It could stem from a lot of things.  Perhaps it was that my dad served his mission there and we ate quite a bit of rice growing up (still by absolute favorite food) and saw the art that he brought home with him.  Perhaps it's from the time we traveled to San Francisco in middle school, a city that has a large Asian influence (that trip is ironically the one that also got me started making jewelry.  Pretty influential in my life, but travel often is).

The best parts were 1) the food was amazing!  

 

 2) The people watching was at its best.  You would not believe the costumes that we saw.  It's like hoards of anime fanatics came out of their basements and out to the festival in full costume.  People watching is one of my all time favorite activities.

3) Live entertainment is so worth seeing.  There were dancers, sword fighters, karate demonstrations.  But the best was the team of children drummers.  They practice for four hours every Sunday.  They were so impressive but I'm a sucker for drums. 

And 4) Getting to spend some time with the Blakes.  We like them. 

What a great way to spend an afternoon.  What am I going to do if we ever move?

Sisters

My sister and her family are in town with us this week.  It has been almost a year since I've seen her and I was so happy to have them pull up at our house.  There is no one like a sister, she knows where I'm coming from and who I am better than almost anyone else.  So happy she's here. 

We've had a lot of good times even though she lives far away.  Heb and I have been out to visit their fam in California and Oregon.  With them we ate at hippy farms, we were drenched at Disneyland...now, they get to experience all the DC sites with us.  Really though, all I care about is that we get some time to chat. 

She brought along this little guy too, Ford, born a few months after Leo.  You can tell that Leo likes him already.

Leo at Five Months

Our Leo is almost five months old.  He's rolling, he's laughing and playing.  He's such a sweet little guy.  We love to hear his voice, to see his smile and play with him and to discover him rolled over.

Easter 2012

We celebrated Easter with our friends the Blakes. I decided that I wanted all of the traditional food and so I cooked it.  Ham, of course, potatoes, fruit salad and eclairs.  

I have had such good feelings around the holiday this year.  It was at Easter last year that we announced that we would be having a baby.  It was such a happy little secret.  It doesn't feel like it's been a whole year.  Happy Easter too all of you!

Seeing the City

When our family was in town last week, we did some major sightseeing.  Having never visited DC before, they wanted to see it all (which is pretty much impossible in a week) but we made a gallant effort to see the highlights.

Their trip was a good one for me because we saw so many incredible things and I felt that feeling.  I felt awe, I felt pride.  (Oh, and we had the funnest time with Nate and Nicole.  There is nothing better than seeing Heber and Nate laughing over the same joke.  And it didn't hurt that they brought us a stock of Girl Scout cookies)

At the Botanical Gardens. 

Leo having fun at the Jefferson Memorial.

At the Capitol with our matching pants.  Awesome.

In the Capitol Rotunda.  There is a special place in my heart for the Capitol building.  I love the history, love the art and architecture.  It was quite the experience to visit the capitol because it looked so different from when I worked in the Congressman's office.  They've done a lot of renovation.  It was easier to visit but a part of me missed the small back stairways and ornate hallways. 

Us at the Jefferson Memorial.  One of my favorites.

Heb and Leo at the Air and Space Museum.  Pretty much Heber's favorite place in DC.

Monticello

 Last week, when we had family in town, we made our way out to Monticello.  You know, Thomas Jefferson's estate.  I think seeing someone's home and their personal belongings helps you get a sense of who they really were and Monticello did not disappoint.  The house has been on my list to visit for years but due to the distance from the city (2 hours) we've never been.

The house had all of these interesting inventions that Jefferson designed like doors that would open at the same time (really revolutionary back then).  My favorite thing was seeing his library.  Like me, he said that he couldn't live without books.  He was a man thinking big ideas.

Beautiful scenery.  The home sits on one of the only hills visible for miles.

Our sweet baby Leo.  Such a trooper.

 We capped off the trip with a visit to see the document he penned: the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives.  You would not believe the hoards of middle school groups we had to go through to see the document but it was so worth it.  These documents brought about the founding of our democracy and are truly an awe inspiring site. 

Haircuts

I got my haircut this week.  Yes, it's been almost 5 months since my last.  After a string of bad cuts, I think I've become wary of haircuts.  Since the upside down mullet of '09 (worst haircut ever) it's gone all down hill.  We have the "one really short side" cut of '10 and of course the "stray super short front layers" cut of '11.  It's been some bad hair months, ok years.  bah. 

After a string of haircutters (or as Heber would say, stylists) at salons dotting the west and east coast, I've become wary of having to get my hair done.  (Can you blame me?  She gave me an upside down mullet, it's unforgivable.)  No longer, is it something to look forward to.  Especially now that instead of getting a bad cut for $35 I get to pay $65 in the VA.  It's an extra kick to the gut.
 
I thought haircuts were supposed to be something to give you a boost.  You go in completely scraggly and suddenly you emerge with shiny hair that actually lays where it's supposed to.  But alas, I have been many times disappointed.  

So, I put on my brave face and went for another cut.  Jamie, my good friend, watched my Leo while I went to get it cut (left for the FIRST time.  No, I did not feel a little sad leaving him.  Ok, just a little.)  I got it cut by Leo (ironically) and I think I'm liking it.  Perhaps the string of bad cuts has been broken.  I'm going to give it a few days before settling on a verdict at least it's not epically bad. 

Cherry Blossoms and Change

I've seen the blossoms three times in my life.  Whenever I think of Washington DC, I always imagine it cherry blossom time.  I think it's because the first time that I lived here, the cherry blossoms came at a pretty pivotal moment in my life.  They came about the time I was working in a congressman's office and realized that I wasn't cut out for politics and that Heber was the one for me and that I could potentially marry him (which I did several months later).   

 

The cherry blossom season here usually comes in march and remains in full bloom for a few weeks.  100 years ago, in a goodwill gesture, Japan gifted hundreds of cherry blossom trees that were planted around the tidal basin by all of the monuments.  They bloom white and fluffy and incredibly beautiful.  I'm used to a tree here or there with blossoms but this is blossoms everywhere you looks (even along the highway).   

The second time, one year ago, Heb and I were in DC.  We were looking for housing in preparation to make the big cross country move.  We visited the cherry blossoms and walked along the tidal basin.  I was still secretly expecting our Leo, having kept it under wraps and in the completely sick phase (note to self: don't order chicken while pregnant.  You really don't like it).  We were trying to finish our graduate work and prepare for the move.

Now, we have been in DC almost a year and the blossom season has come again.  It's hard to believe.  I've been thinking about it a lot lately, about what has happened in a year.  We don't have any big life changes this year (thank goodness), we're just adjusting to all the changes.  Oh, and we're looking forward to more visitors in the coming weeks (yay!). 

 This year, storms shortened the life span of the blossoms. Bummer.  So I missed out on the really fluffy stuff but we did manage to find a tree or two.