remember when...

Remember when...
... I used to actually take pictures...? Like with a camera that doesn't first serve as a communication device? Yeah. Those were the days. Working on it...

... my little baby was actually a baby??? She's a full fledged toddler these days. Her latest trick is to grab the dishtowel bar on our island (which, mind you, is about 5 inches above her head) and pull herself up so she can stand on the first shelf and then lean back, elbows locked. All the while looking at us like "Isn't this great??!!??" Yep. Not a baby anymore.

... I used to think sleeping in was sleeping until 9 or 10AM? HA! Yesterday Ruby woke up at 7:30 and I nearly jumped out of bed I had so much energy! 7:30 = MIRACLE! (Granted this was after 4AM and 5:30AM wake up sessions. I don't care though. 7:30 is just fine on a Saturday morning)...

... my house used to be clean? We had a couple friends stop in on their way back from Santa Cruz and when they walked in they took one look at our living room and said "Wow - Ruby sure did tear apart this room!"... this was AFTER I had tidied up a bit. Yeah... my standards have dropped.

... Ruby pooped in the tub? Oh yeah. That was tonight. Off to clean the tub! Oh the joys...

a day at the playground...

Around the corner from our house is a little school/preschool with a full playground that is Ruby's personal kingdom on the weekends... we love it!

shiny and new!

Guess who has a new truck!!!


That guy. And he loves it.





... and Ruby gave her final approval on it...

museum day

Museums are free in DC. AMAZING. We had a great day - starting with brunch (with homemade pop tarts and Benjamin and Laura)...


... a morning at the Air and Space museum...




... an afternoon at the Natural History Museum...



... and a pre-dinner stroll through the fountains and a night cap of fro yo and PJs...


Ruby was such a trooper - so good and well behaved. I mean, we were gone from 9AM to 9PM just about every day and it was about 1000 degrees. Ruby's a champ.

To make a good trip great, we were able to see Sam, Laura and Benjamin, and Kristin and Ben! It was a trip to reconnect, see new things, and just experience traveling together as a family. That's it for DC pics... back to real life!

if only....

... if only you could take the architecture and neighborhood feel and green trees and cobblestone walkways of "the hill" in DC and transport it to the west coast... I would move there.






... in a heartbeat...

but where was martin sheen?

We're in love with The West Wing. In fact, on this very trip we brought back all 7 seasons to Sam who first shared that magical show with us over 2 years ago... Full circle. Anyway, we made it. No sign of Toby, CJ, or President Bartlett, but Josh and Sam (and Ruby and Audrey) made it!

double decker please!

Hop on hop off touring... we took a big double decker bus around the city to get a lay of the land. A perfect way to spend the day and check a lot off our "gotta at least see that" list... It was like 1000 degrees in DC with the humidity but we survived. And now the 85 degree California weather seems like nothing!!

Union station - the pick up/drop off of our tour... Ruby loved the wide open spaces to wander...



Bus...




Monuments...







Sam lives 5 blocks from here!

The Canadian Embassy... of course we had to document it.

Josh being just in front of the Supreme Court...

day one! dc!

We just got back from Washington DC! What a trip! 5 hours on a plane with a 16 month old? Totally doable. In fact - best baby on the whole flight (and there were a few!). That said, I wouldn't make it a weekly activity or anything...

We got to DC on Thursday night and Auntie Sam picked us up from the airport and took us back to her ADORABLE neighborhood and to Spike's restaurant(s) for dinner. Oh Top Chef. It was delish!

Our first full day in DC was spent at the zoo. The zoo is owned by the Smithsonian so it's free. Free! There's so much to do in DC that is free. Like ALL the museums and monuments. It's wonderful.





Anyway - the zoo. We traveled by metro to the zoo and met up with Laura at the gorillas. Ended the day at the zoo with some fro yo and then off to the Nats game with some of Sam's friends!

The game had post-show fireworks and Ruby was all over them. By all over them I mean intrigued to the point of stillness. And when it was all said and done, she pointed to the sky where they were shooting off and asked via sign language "please?" Breaks my heart. So cute.