By the way - I have rarely edited my pictures before putting them on the blog......Took too long and I just didn't want to take the time. But - I've been in editing mode the past few days.
Here are some samples :)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Pictures.....
I have been a little frustrated about my pictures lately.....Not so much with the camera side, but with the editing side. I decided to purchase Lightroom and oh my.......I already have so much more fun and I barely know a thing! :) I really need to take a class and get more set up - but what a difference.
By the way - I have rarely edited my pictures before putting them on the blog......Took too long and I just didn't want to take the time. But - I've been in editing mode the past few days.
Here are some samples :)
By the way - I have rarely edited my pictures before putting them on the blog......Took too long and I just didn't want to take the time. But - I've been in editing mode the past few days.
Here are some samples :)
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Horse back riding
We finished off Washington with the day in the rain (and Georgetown cupcakes) and then headed for Colorado. We celebrated Thanksgiving with the usual yummy food and then did some shopping to take advantage of the sales. BUT - in the middle of that - Charlie was able to go horseback riding for the first and second time in his life! I had to get on with him the first time, but the second time a few days later, he went with Grandpa and was quite happy. I'm hoping we might get a little more horsey time in this Christmas.
Charlie also loved wearing Grandpa's cowboy boots. He thought he was rather stylish!
Charlie also loved wearing Grandpa's cowboy boots. He thought he was rather stylish!
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| That's right - I'm so cool! |
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| Momma - There's a horsey!!!! |
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| Oh - I like horsey's! |
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| Grandpa - his nose feels funny! |
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| Guess what we found while waiting for the horses to be saddled??? |
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| First time with Grandpa - a little unsure! |
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| Momma - I want you!!!! |
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| That's better! |
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| YES - Grandpa's boots again! |
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| What's that - no, it can't be time for bed yet!!!! :( |
Friday, December 9, 2011
Capitol Hill and more....
Monday called for more sight-seeing. We headed off to try and take a family picture in front of the White House and then walk by the Canadian Embassy on the way to Capitol Hill. I've decided that family pictures are tough with toddlers...... The parents can't talk - we have to look at the camera and smile hoping that our little one will also look at the camera and smile. We tried.
We eventually made it to Capitol Hill. Today Charlie didn't want to sleep - which made for a not so fun tour of the building :) We survived the security check - Auntie Pookie barely did.....Lets just say we weren't particularly fond of throwing out food and water bottles (the re-usable ones). AND to top it off, anything that was Charlie's was allowed through - incuding a HUGE 7-11 cup from the day before. Huh??? (and the big cup was not Charlies.....)
After Capitol Hill, we headed to the Air and Space Museum - and on the short walk there, Charlie fell asleep and slept through lunch too. He didn't miss everything and again, woke up in time to see some airplanes.
By the end of the afternoon, there was a light drizzle, so we walked a half hour home in that and then headed out for dinner. It was a good day - but definitely the most challenging of all days!
And now for some pictures :)
We eventually made it to Capitol Hill. Today Charlie didn't want to sleep - which made for a not so fun tour of the building :) We survived the security check - Auntie Pookie barely did.....Lets just say we weren't particularly fond of throwing out food and water bottles (the re-usable ones). AND to top it off, anything that was Charlie's was allowed through - incuding a HUGE 7-11 cup from the day before. Huh??? (and the big cup was not Charlies.....)
After Capitol Hill, we headed to the Air and Space Museum - and on the short walk there, Charlie fell asleep and slept through lunch too. He didn't miss everything and again, woke up in time to see some airplanes.
By the end of the afternoon, there was a light drizzle, so we walked a half hour home in that and then headed out for dinner. It was a good day - but definitely the most challenging of all days!
And now for some pictures :)
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| This was during our Capitol Hill tour. I think I had finished feeding him his cheese - tried to do that secretly. He was hungry and tired.....Notice the half grin :) Lets just say I was trying to keep him happy and not listening to our tour guide at all! |
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Time for the ZOO!
Soooo - Sunday started off a little slowly. As soon as we headed off to the subway station to take a trip to the zoo, Doug realized that one of our tires on the stroller was flat. What to do - we are in the middle of a big city :) We asked a nice gentleman where a gas station and a bike shop were and eventually decided to head in the direction of the gas station to pump up the tires.
On a side note, the subway station we were headed to was closed for maintenance....More on that in a few minutes.
Probably 20 minutes of walking allowed us to find a gas station where Doug and my dad emptied one tire and filled up all three. ALL BETTER!!!! They lasted the rest of the Washington portion of our trip.....Thank goodness, because we were in for a long walking day!
Since the Subway was closed, we decided to walk to the zoo......What we thought was probably 2 miles turned into probably three and lots of that portion was up hill. Thanks Auntie Pookie for pushing Charlie in the stroller :) Charlie eventually fell asleep on the way with his head leaning up against the bar in front of him.
Once we arrived at the zoo, we made a pit stop at Starbucks and 7-11 to refuel. After we rested for a little bit, we headed in! Charlie eventually woke up in time to see the Panda and other animals. It was a good zoo - not the best I've been to, but it was FREE! Which obviously makes it a good zoo :) The only bad part is that it is built on a hill. So we slowly made our way all the way down to the bottom, and when we were ready to head home, we had to walk all the way back up (roughly 15 minutes), just to start our trek home.
We had a good day at the zoo and got some good exercise!!!!
On a side note, the subway station we were headed to was closed for maintenance....More on that in a few minutes.
Probably 20 minutes of walking allowed us to find a gas station where Doug and my dad emptied one tire and filled up all three. ALL BETTER!!!! They lasted the rest of the Washington portion of our trip.....Thank goodness, because we were in for a long walking day!
Since the Subway was closed, we decided to walk to the zoo......What we thought was probably 2 miles turned into probably three and lots of that portion was up hill. Thanks Auntie Pookie for pushing Charlie in the stroller :) Charlie eventually fell asleep on the way with his head leaning up against the bar in front of him.
Once we arrived at the zoo, we made a pit stop at Starbucks and 7-11 to refuel. After we rested for a little bit, we headed in! Charlie eventually woke up in time to see the Panda and other animals. It was a good zoo - not the best I've been to, but it was FREE! Which obviously makes it a good zoo :) The only bad part is that it is built on a hill. So we slowly made our way all the way down to the bottom, and when we were ready to head home, we had to walk all the way back up (roughly 15 minutes), just to start our trek home.
We had a good day at the zoo and got some good exercise!!!!
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| Momma - there's a panda right there!!! |
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| What is he eating???? |
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| Charlie taking his cue from the Panda and eating! |
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| Is the elephant real???? |
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| On Momma's shoulders. Notice how I'm holding his hands....If I don't, he pulls my hair and he can pull hard! |
Here is a short video of the walk to the zoo!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Washington, DC
Doug and I were in Washington for a 1.5 day blitz back in the fall of 2009 before heading down to Williamsburg for a week. To say that there was tons that we didn't see was an understatement. This time we spent 6 days in Washington, and we still didn't make it to all of the 'free' museums :) We met my parents and two sisters down there and thanks to hotwire, had a fantastic (and very affordable) hotel 3 blocks from the Whitehouse.
Charlie did so well with the exception of one night when we couldn't get him back to sleep and he ended up waking Auntie Pookie and keeping us all awake for quite some time. He slept every morning and afternoon in his stroller - usually while we were walking to and from the museums. The best part was that his nap in the morning started while we were walking, but lasted well into the first museum we were visiting. He ate like a pro at the restaurants.....making a little mess on the floor, but never refusing food - unless there was something better on the table that he saw.
Ok - so enough writing. Here are some pictures and some stories to go along with them. I'm going to use the blog as a diary so that I don't forget important moments or funny stories along the way.
Our first stop on Friday was the Museum of Nature and the Museum of American History. Charlie was asleep for 3/4's of the Nature Museum, which was great - he woke up just in time to see the animals!
This was day two - Saturday. We went to the Holocaust Museum, and then walked around to all of the Monuments. It was a sunny day - I wish I had taken a few more pictures....but I tell myself I have them from the last time we went!
So - as we were headed back to the hotel, we noticed they were stopping traffic at the back entrance of the White House. I said that we should stick around as they don't just stop traffic for anyone - plus, 6 or 7 helicopters had just flown by 20 minutes before. I didn't think it would be the President as I thought he flew right to the White House......So I wanted to see who it was.
Turned out it was one of President Obama's children - we think it was Malia (Spelling???). She was looking out the back of the vehicle. These few pictures are the motorcade - there were about 6 o7 vehicles. And by the way - I didn't get to see her because I was holding the camera and acting like a total tourist....After working in politics, I feel silly doing these things.....But I still wanted a picture to capture the memory!
Charlie did so well with the exception of one night when we couldn't get him back to sleep and he ended up waking Auntie Pookie and keeping us all awake for quite some time. He slept every morning and afternoon in his stroller - usually while we were walking to and from the museums. The best part was that his nap in the morning started while we were walking, but lasted well into the first museum we were visiting. He ate like a pro at the restaurants.....making a little mess on the floor, but never refusing food - unless there was something better on the table that he saw.
Ok - so enough writing. Here are some pictures and some stories to go along with them. I'm going to use the blog as a diary so that I don't forget important moments or funny stories along the way.
Our first stop on Friday was the Museum of Nature and the Museum of American History. Charlie was asleep for 3/4's of the Nature Museum, which was great - he woke up just in time to see the animals!
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| Mom - look at the giraffe right behind me!!!! |
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| Fish!!! |
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| I'm free from my stroller!!!!! |
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| I refused to look at the camera when Auntie Crystal wanted a picture |
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| Someone wasn't too happy that they are fixing the reflecting pool :) |
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| Someone didn't care or notice :) |
So - as we were headed back to the hotel, we noticed they were stopping traffic at the back entrance of the White House. I said that we should stick around as they don't just stop traffic for anyone - plus, 6 or 7 helicopters had just flown by 20 minutes before. I didn't think it would be the President as I thought he flew right to the White House......So I wanted to see who it was.
Turned out it was one of President Obama's children - we think it was Malia (Spelling???). She was looking out the back of the vehicle. These few pictures are the motorcade - there were about 6 o7 vehicles. And by the way - I didn't get to see her because I was holding the camera and acting like a total tourist....After working in politics, I feel silly doing these things.....But I still wanted a picture to capture the memory!
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Friday, December 2, 2011
Georgetown Cupcakes
It was a rainy day in Washington and half my family took the train to Baltimore. Sooooo - Doug, Auntie Kendra, and I left Charlie with Grandma and headed to Georgetown. We shared a couple of umbrellas and headed out for a good 50 minute walk.
First stop - Georgetown Cupcakes - otherwise known as DC Cupcakes on TLC. We stopped to take a look and then kept walking to Georgetown University. We saw the Cupcakes van along the way and took a picture. Once at the university, I found a sweater for me and one for Charlie. When we visited Boston a couple years ago, I bought a Harvard sweater, so I went ahead and bought one at Georgetown U as well!
Then we came back and bought cupcakes.....There was a line up out the door, so we waited in the rain :) Once it was time to order, we bought chocolate vanilla, mocha, and salted caramel. But we didn't eat them yet as we hadn't had lunch. Off to Chipotle! YUM, YUM :)
Once we had enough of Georgetown, we headed back downtown and found a Starbucks along the way. We bought our chai lattes and opened our cupcake box in secret :) We indulged in our yummy cupcakes and headed back to the hotel.
Here are some iphone pictures from the day.
First stop - Georgetown Cupcakes - otherwise known as DC Cupcakes on TLC. We stopped to take a look and then kept walking to Georgetown University. We saw the Cupcakes van along the way and took a picture. Once at the university, I found a sweater for me and one for Charlie. When we visited Boston a couple years ago, I bought a Harvard sweater, so I went ahead and bought one at Georgetown U as well!
Then we came back and bought cupcakes.....There was a line up out the door, so we waited in the rain :) Once it was time to order, we bought chocolate vanilla, mocha, and salted caramel. But we didn't eat them yet as we hadn't had lunch. Off to Chipotle! YUM, YUM :)
Once we had enough of Georgetown, we headed back downtown and found a Starbucks along the way. We bought our chai lattes and opened our cupcake box in secret :) We indulged in our yummy cupcakes and headed back to the hotel.
Here are some iphone pictures from the day.
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| Mocha |
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| Salted Caramel |
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| Chocolate Vanilla = BORING :) |
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Busiest travel day of the year - no problem!
The seven of us headed to the Dulles airport at 1pm on Wednesday - supposedly the busiest travel day of the year.....What we encountered was NOTHING!!!! Mind you, we never had any weather issues or traffic jams along the way, but I was expecting much worse at the airport.
We flew Southwest - there was no line-up at check-in and barely much of a line at security. So we had a relaxed lunch and headed to the gate to check in. We got great seats and Charlie slept for the first hour sleeping on Auntie Pookie! Once we arrived in Denver, we picked up our luggage, put it all in the box of the truck and headed for Auntie Crystals!
Even though it was Charlie's bedtime, he hadn't fallen asleep yet, so we decided to make a quick stop for dinner. Dad suggested Chick-fil-A - and I automatically said YES! I have read about Chick-fil-A on other blogs I read and thought we should try it. Funny thing is that I never knew how to say Chick-fil-A.....for non-Americans, it is pronounced Chick filet, but I thought it was chick fil aaaaahhhhh. HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I kept laughing at myself for not knowing how to pronounce the name :)
Sooooo - here is a picture of Charlie and I at Chick-Fil-A!!!!
We flew Southwest - there was no line-up at check-in and barely much of a line at security. So we had a relaxed lunch and headed to the gate to check in. We got great seats and Charlie slept for the first hour sleeping on Auntie Pookie! Once we arrived in Denver, we picked up our luggage, put it all in the box of the truck and headed for Auntie Crystals!
Even though it was Charlie's bedtime, he hadn't fallen asleep yet, so we decided to make a quick stop for dinner. Dad suggested Chick-fil-A - and I automatically said YES! I have read about Chick-fil-A on other blogs I read and thought we should try it. Funny thing is that I never knew how to say Chick-fil-A.....for non-Americans, it is pronounced Chick filet, but I thought it was chick fil aaaaahhhhh. HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I kept laughing at myself for not knowing how to pronounce the name :)
Sooooo - here is a picture of Charlie and I at Chick-Fil-A!!!!
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