Holma-Ritualo

Addicted to two new TV shows

2012-01-02T10:51:00.002-05:00

For Christmas I got the Nook Tablet. I love it so far. I got it as an early Christmas present so that I could take it on my trip to Africa. In Africa, I primarily used it as a reader. I finished The Book Thief which I highly recommend and started to reread the Twilight books. I know, I know...but sometimes you just want a book you can breeze through without thinking, especially on an airplane.

Yesterday, I started playing a little bit more with the Netflix streaming and put a few shows in my instant queue:
Coupling (a British comedy they tried to make in the US but it flopped-it definately was not "the next friends")
My Boys (an American comedy, started in 2006, that didn't do great but I really like it)
Gavin and Stacey (a British comedy that Thotlady turned me on to...really funny...like a cross between Friends and Absolutely Fabulous--not sure if Thotlady would agree)

The other show that I added which I have never watched before is Vampire Diaries. I started with the first episode of season one last night. I am not into Vampires. Sure, I love the Twilight trilogy but that is pretty much the extent of my Vampire show watching. I don't watch movies about Vampires (unless it includes Vampires with the last name of Cullen) or TV shows (no Buffy for me) but I've heard this series was good so I decided to try it.

I'm addicted. But I'm also afraid. Most people who know me from when I was young know that I am a bit of a fraidy cat. I never watched scarey movies with my mom and Heather. Never read scarey books. Sorry Mom, I will never read a Steven King novel. So when I started watching Vampire Diaries last night after the kids went to bed, I watched two episodes and got a little scared and had to turn it off even though I was so tempted to continue. I had to watch Coupling and My Boys to lower my anxiety but I'm still hooked! I'm still a little scared but totally hooked!

At the same time, Aidan and Jason got hooked on a new TV show too. You'll never guess what it is. Wait for it....wait for it...

Finding Bigfoot (on Animal Planet)

They are totally addicted too. I think it might scare Aidan a little but he still wants to watch it. It's like he knows he shouldn't but he can't stop. It is a show about people who search all over the US for Bigfoot. Jason loves Animal Planet so of course he loves it too. I think it's hilarious and they don't like it when I tease them about the existence of Bigfoot, the sounds apparently Bigfoot makes, or the clues that lead people to believe he exists. Ha!

So I wanted to know what you think about Vampires and Bigfoot. Check out the two polls on the right of the blog.

P.S. If you're wondering about Leo, he's not into Bigfoot or Vampires. He loves Wii Go Vacation. He's been snowmobiling, expanding his Villa, skateboarding, snowboarding and exploring.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T15:45:00.001-05:00

2012. Seems impossible.

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Winding Down

2011-12-15T12:49:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we leave for the good ol' USA. Finally! I can't wait to see my boys! All three of them.

We leave at 11:15pm on a direct flight to DC. We finished our last set of meetings today. Finally no presentations. Afterward we had a very late lunch at the hotel restaurant situated on the water. I had grilled tilapia (the whole fish, head and all!), jolof rice and a bitter lemon drink. It was fantastic.

Here is me (no, I'm not drunk-just a bad picture)

A view of the beach from one of the hotel restuarants

A little lunch friend (these lizards like to hang at the pool too)

See/talk to you soon!

Love you!

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Ghana

2011-12-12T06:33:00.002-05:00

We left Dakar at 3 am this morning and we arrived in Accra Ghana at 8 am. The hotel we are staying in is modest but there is a pool and it is on the ocean.

We had a very busy weekend visiting villages where the whole village (at least 40 people) came to meet us. It's overwhelming and undeserved but it's interesting. These villages farm for their own consumption and now farm crops to sell. They farm maize (corn), millet, peanuts, and some vegetables like peppers, cabbage and lettuce. The women are amazing and do everything from farming, caring for children, cooking, cleaning, and they are learning to read and write. And I thought I was busy. Hardly.

My feet are covered in mosquito bites and my stomach is off and on quesy but not bad. Others have had more severe stomach issues. Cross my fingers I will remain well.

From Dakar to Accra via Banjul (the Gambia - yes, Jason it is a country) we flew Air Nigeria. That is my first and last time flying that airline.

We are here until Friday and I can't wait to go home. I wish it was today.

Live and miss you!

Hotel in Accra

My favorite tree in Senegal, baobab tree-they make candy and drinks from it.

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Senegal

2011-12-09T03:09:00.001-05:00

We left Kenya on Wednesday for Senegal. I really saw nothing of Kenya but my hotel which was really great. We stayed at Tribe Hotel if you want to google it.

I think Senegal might just be my very favorite place in Africa. Here is our hotel and view from my room.

Leo and Aidan you would love it here at the hotel! The pool is awesome. I think the reason I like Senegal so much because it's on the water. I was feeling a little tired and down on the way here but being by the water was just the uplift I needed.

My room is terrific. Obviously the view, I have 1.5 baths, it's big, and they brought me a mid-day snack of water, fresh fruit and some like applesauce but with mire exotic fruits.

On Thursday we went to a market and it was interesting for about 20 minutes and then it became exhausting. There are people everywhere trying to get you to buy their goods. They would say 'pretty lady, come and look in my shop', 'looking is free, you come here', 'you promised to look in my shop', 'i give you good price'...and at the end of the day they didn't want to give a foreigner a good price and i didn't buy a thing. i just couldn't take it anymore.

Tomorrow we go outside of Dakar to visit some farms and then we leave Dakar at sunday night/Monday morning. All i can say is Mon Dieu.

Love to all

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Spirit Week

2011-11-03T08:27:00.002-04:00

This week is Spirit Week at Aidan and Leo's school. Today is crazy hair or hat day. Our kids went with crazy hair!

Leo's been dying to spike his hair up and wear it to school! Viola!

Aidan's hair always looks beautiful because he has luscious locks! -- which I proudly take credit for. It's a Foster thang!

Word big bird!

Yesterday was pajama day which they loved and Tuesday was twin day. Aidan and his friend Max dressed alike.

This is the first year we've really been into spirit week. It's fun!

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Happy Birthday Grandpa Russ

2011-10-10T16:29:00.000-04:00

Ooops! We meant....

We love you and hope you have a super great day!!!

Kindergarten Field Trip

2011-10-07T17:26:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Leo's class went on a field trip to Homestead Farms to pick pumpkins. I was selected as one of the parents who got to help. We had such a great time!

On the bus...

Arriving at the farm...

On the straw ride...apparently it's not hay it's straw don't cha know...

Picking the perfect pumpkin...

I had 4 really great kids with me. I was so lucky to have one of my friends' daughters in my group, Emma. It is a lot of work keeping four kindergarteners together and having fun. My kids were SO, SO good. I told them how proud I was of them and what a good job the did listening and staying together.

I always made my four stick close together because I was NOT going to be THAT parent. The one who lost a child (there was a girl who got separated from her parent and class!) but we found her.

I had great fun and again was awed and inspired by teachers, especially Kindergarten teachers!

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Driving home from beach weekend

2011-10-02T17:17:00.001-04:00

Sadly, we left the beach and are on our way back to reality. It takes about 4 hours to get from Virginia Beach to Rockville. Here is a glimpse of our ride:

Such a good driver...

Living the dream on his birthday

Crashing in the car...

Blogging ...

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Sand Sculptures

2011-10-02T13:48:00.001-04:00

Neptune Festival Sand Sculptures

First place teams

First Place Solo

Awesomeness

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Sunrise on Aidan's 9th Birthday

2011-10-02T06:36:00.001-04:00

At Virginia Beach...

Happy Birthday to Aidan!

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Virginia Beach

2011-10-01T07:59:00.001-04:00

The boys got out of school early and we headed down to Virgin Beach to celebrate Aidan's birthday on Sunday and Uncle Marc's Birthday on Saturday.

We left at noon, stopped in Fredricksburg for lunch and still we didn't get here until 6 pm. Despite leaving early we still ran into a ton of traffic. It is always a puzzler to me when we leave so early in the day and run into so much traffic. I mean, aren't people supposed to be at work.

Still, even though we didn't arrive until 6pm we got our swimsuits on and headed down to the beach. I LOVE, LOVE the water.

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Leo's first soccer practice

2011-09-24T08:35:00.001-04:00

Leo had his first soccer practice of the season. He just loved it. He's fast, has good control of the ball and the best part is he loves it!

He scored 6 or 7 goals--we stopped counting and one of his sweet teammates kept telling him "good job Leo!" He is so cute running up and down the field with a humongous smile on his face and so proud.

Here is our little speedster (in the colors of the Dutch national team):

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Jack

2011-09-14T12:26:00.001-04:00

Here is a picture of our new love!

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New Cousin Jack

2011-09-14T09:38:00.001-04:00

Aidan, Leo, Ethan and Riley have a new cousin, Jack Michael Peryam. He was born at 4:39 this morning (AK time). He weighs 8 pounds, 1 ounce and he is 20.5" long. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. Oh boy, is he ever going to be loved by many!

I'll post a picture as soon as I can. I'm so thrilled I can barely stand myself! I'm an Auntie for the third time.

Rushell kindly started a blog to share information about her and Jack's lives in AK. The link is on the side bar to the right!

1st Day of School

2011-08-29T10:46:00.002-04:00

Well the day finally came-the end of summer and the beginning of the new school year.

Aidan started 3rd grade and Leo started kindergarten. Leo got the teacher we hoped for, Mrs. Stewart. She was Aidan's kindergarten teacher whom we adored.

Last night we let the boys choose the menu for their last night of summer vacation meal. Not surprisingly we had papa johns pizza and ice cream sundaes. Our friend Tina came over to celebrate the last night of summer vacation and we challenged her to bit of Wii dance party. She rocks the Katy Perry songs!

This morning the boys were up at around 7am got dressed in some new school clothes and we took a few pictures. Breakfast was a bit thin for both of them due to nerves but they were both in high spirits.

Doggy snuck away to school in Leo's backpack. When we arrived at school Leo got right in line with his class. You could tell he was a bit nervous because he got quiet and his face was serious but no tears and he was ready to go. He has dropped off and picked up Aidan from school for 3 years now, I think he was happy to get to do it all on his own this year too. Aidan wanted Jason to walk him to his classroom and when he arrived he had a few tears due to the nerves but marched into class like a real trooper. We are so lucky that his best friend William is in his class too and about 4 or 5 friends from soccer are also in his class!

Mom on the other hand had lots of tears when we left school. I know that Leo is more than ready for school but I still find it very sad for all that it represents, growing up, independence, separation, years if schooling ahead, etc. They have done amazing and we couldn't be more proud but the tears are flowing today. I'm at work for a few hours trying to keep distracted then will go home for pickup! I really can't wait!

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DC Earthquake

2011-08-23T14:54:00.000-04:00

You may have heard that we got shook with a 5.9 earthquake today at around 2pm. I just wanted to let you all know that we are fine. Our cell phones aren't working too well right now so if you are trying to reach us, the home number is the best way.

At the Park

2011-08-12T07:58:00.001-04:00

I've been working at home a bit since we got back from Seattle. I have an assignment that just requires a lot of reading and concentration. I basically lock myself in the basement.

Yesterday Jason took the boys to the park yesterday afternoon so they could play and let off some steam. It worked because for the first time since we got back from Seattle the boys were asleep by 9pm. Phew!!

Two guys!

Leo in a web!

Aidan way up high!

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Bigger Bikes

2011-08-11T13:34:00.001-04:00

Okay, now that we have mastered two wheel biking, the boys completely out grew their bikes. We had no reason to invest in bigger bikes if they could not ride them.

Now that Aidan and Leo are bikers they need proper bikes. So we got Aidan a much bigger bike and Leo got Aidan's bike which was frankly practically new. (of course we fully understand that Leo can not always be getting hand me down bikes!)

Here they are, in all their glory:

Aidan

Leo

Don't they look so grown up???

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Stampin' Up Cards by Amy & Leo

2011-08-09T22:14:00.001-04:00

I realize I should probably be putting up pictures of our trip to Seattle but that requires much more organization and time than I have!

While we were in Seattle we had a Stampin' Up card making party by our own, very talented Ellen Wright! Check out her website link on the right...we made 5 superduper cute cards (Doris, H, Symantha, and Barb with our cheerleaders Mom and Joan).

Using the techniques I learned from Ellen, Leo and I made cards. His turned out way cuter than mine! He picked the colors, patterns and stamped and cut. Okay...I tied the ribbon...

Leo's

Amy's

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Homemade Ice Cream

2011-07-09T20:57:00.000-04:00

Do you think scrambled egg flavored ice cream would be good? I don't! I'm trying to make homemade vanilla ice cream but it smells like scrambled eggs. You have to cook milk with 2 eggs and sugar until it is a thin pudding consistency. I stirred my mixture for about 45 minutes and it never turned into a thin pudding consistency it went straight to scrambling my eggs. I strained the mixture but it still smells like scrambled eggs. I'm going to put in the cream and vanilla mixture, cool it and see what happens. Sadly, Jason just bought vanilla ice cream at Trader Joe's and it taste pretty damn good. Why am I doing this?

To be continued...

Success! We have two boys that don't need training wheels

2011-07-06T20:28:00.000-04:00

Aidan and Leo both set their minds to learning how to ride their bikes with no training wheels and we had super success!
It started out a little iffy after they first tried it on Thursday. They were whining that it was too hard, that they couldn't do it, and that they were tired. I gave them a pep talk and told them that they had to have a positive attitude, that everything they did the first time was hard and that they have to keep practicing. And once they got it, they wouldn't even have to think about it. That day, I proclaimed that they would be able to ride their bikes without training wheels by the end of the 4th of July holiday weekend!

They didn't prove me a liar! By Friday, Aidan changed his whole attitude. When I said "you guys are going to be able to ride your bikes!" Aidan yelled "yeah!!" and guess what?? they did it! Leo's attitude changed by about Sunday but we went out everyday to practice. Their bikes are a little small for them but they mastered it! And their mother and father high-fived because we achieved another huge hurtle in parenting. It's up their with potty training, reading, and eating with a fork!

The look great on their bikes!

Preschool Graduation

2011-06-06T14:10:00.000-04:00

Friday, June 3rd was Leo's preschool graduation. We were all so excited, even Leo. At home we had been doing cheers and chants in preparation. Leo was so proud but not sure what it all meant. Aidan got to stay home from school to attend because we think it's a big deal and wanted Leo to have the support of his whole family. Aidan was excited to see Leo's school because he'd never been and has asked about it numerous times.

When we first arrived Leo was happily playing puzzles with a couple of his teachers and other students. Then it hit, they had to line up and march across the classroom and sit in front of dozens of parents and siblings. He did not like that! He cried when they were lining up and his teachers were trying to console him but he didn't like all the fan fare and attention. Still he put on the little cap and marched out, crying, and sat down in the chair. One little girl said loudly "why is leo crying?!" It was heart breaking. He was crying, and gasping for breath and he shut his eyes and sat until he was calm. I almost thought he was sleeping. I wanted go up and grab him and say "you don't have to participate in this! Who cares anyway, let's go home and have ice cream and celebrate!" When they handed out the diploma's they were supposed to walk up and shake the assistant principal's hand and take their certificate. The principle just bent down and handed Leo his. Thank goodness.

But he made it through. I'm not sure if he is better for it but he did it. Some times I don't know why we have to do these things. I guess sometimes you just don't know how they will react and other times they are important moments. I know how he and Aidan both feel about this kind of stuff. I don't like it at all.

On Sunday, Aidan had one of this last soccer games and afterwards the team and the parents went out for pizza. It was nice but those types of events are really hard for me too. I don't feel comfortable in these situations either. I think about them a lot afterwards and later I feel completely exhausted and drained. Jason is amazing. You could drop him in the middle of a room with 20 strangers and he could stay for 2 hours talking. It's really a gift. A gift, I think he gets from his mom.

I'm really not ready for Leo to go to Kindergarten. He's ready but I am not. Check back with me at the end of summer.

Leo and his preschool teachers: Ms. Alayna, Ms. Emma and Ms. Pokeress

Fun in the Sun

2011-06-06T13:42:00.000-04:00

I wrote this post weeks ago but didn't have pictures to add so I never posted it. Well here it goes...(last week really wasn't mother's day)

We have had some really fun weekends over the last couple of week. After Easter, Jason and I went to a Nats game with Auntie Thotlady and her sister and brother-in-law who were on business travel from the midwest. They love baseball and every where they travel try to get in a game or two or three. Embarassingly enough they have been to more Nats games than we have (and we live here!!! Shameful, I know). The Nats lost. They were down 2-1 in the last inning, bases loaded, two outs, 2 strikes, 3 balls and the guys struck out! Now THAT is shameful. I'm on a diet but the half-smoke, cheese fries and 3 beers I had are not! But it was good and fun.

Our good friends Becs and Jake were brave enough to agree to watch the boys while we went to the game. The boys had a super great time. They played outside almost all day and night, made personal pizzas and loved them (even Leo), they went walking around the neighborhood with flash lights (even a head light) and played games. They were happily exhausted when we picked them up (so were Becs and Jake, I think!) and they fell asleep immediately when we got in the car. I don't think we even got a block away from their house before Leo fell asleep.

During the week DC United played the Seattle Sounders. Sorry friends and family but DC United ended their 6 game winning streak! Surprisingly, I was really wanting to see DC win and a group of Seattle fans sitting behind us were annoying the heck out of me. A couple of times, after DC scored, I wanted to turn around and yell "in your face!" but some how I found it in me to control such urges. I'm sure you are all thinking their is now way your sweet little Amy could think such things. I know, shocking isn't it?

Last weekend was Mother's Day and we had such a nice weekend. Aidan played soccer on Saturday and did really, really well. He was mad at me after the game because I kept "coaching" him during the game. I apologized afterwards and said I wouldn't do it any more but it drives me crazy, almost to the point that I can't watch. Can you "competitive"? Ha! Aunt Cindy knows because she watched his game a couple of weekends ago and she yelled just as much as I did.

After soccer we stayed out at a hotel near Dulles Airport. It was rather cheap and a wonderful way to get away from the Laundry, dust, dirty bathroons, unvacuumed floors, clutter, etc. and just be a family. We had a wonderful dinner in Reston and were reminded of when our friend Sarah had her first baby Liam almost 2 years ago!! and it seemed just like yesterday. We also went to a gelato shop which makes the best gelato in the US. Pitango. I don't know really but it seems like it. I had gianduja and cinnamon, Leo had vanilla, and Aidan had lemon and crema and Jason had vanilla too. Amazing!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T17:14:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter Family and Friends!

Although we are not with you at Easter we are thinking about ya all so much.

Marc and Cindy are here visiting us for Easter and our friends Becs and Jake are coming over so we are getting to spend the holiday with family and great friends.

I'm cooking today. Here is le menu:

Porchetta

2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 5 1/2- to 6-pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), excess fat trimmed with thin layer left intact
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth

Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried crushed red pepper. Grind to medium-fine consistency (not powder).

Place pork in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Rub garlic all over pork, then coat with spice mixture. Loosely cover pork with waxed paper. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Place roast, fat side up and coating intact, in center of sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Roast pork 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190°F, about 3 hours 15 minutes longer. Transfer pork to cutting board; reserve baking sheet. Let pork rest 15 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour all pan juices into 2-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to top. Place reserved baking sheet across 2 burners. Pour wine and broth onto baking sheet and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add degreased pan juices and whisk to blend. Pour pan sauce into small bowl (sauce will be thin).

Thinly slice roast. Serve with sauce.

So, the porchetta has a special place in my heart. Not only do I heart pork, when I went to Italy I discovered the delicious goodness of porchetta. I had dinner at a friends house while I was in Rome. We went to the grocery store to pick up a few things and they had samples of porchetta. I fell in love, right then and there. The next day we went to this little sandwich shop and they made me a porchetta sandwich with arugula on a nice crispy fresh piece of bread. It really doesn't get better than that!

We also had:

Acorn Squash

1 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Turn acorn squash upside down onto a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven until it begins to soften, approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove squash from the oven and turn onto a plate so that the flesh is facing upwards. Place butter and brown sugar into the squash, and place remaining squash over the other piece. Place squash in a baking dish (so the squash wont slide around too much) while baking.

Place squash in the 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven and bake another 30 minutes.

Spinach and Orzo Salad
Courtesy of Rebecca "Economists in the Kitchen"

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo pasta
1 (10 ounce) package baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in spinach, feta, onion, pine nuts, basil and white pepper. Toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Refrigerate and serve cold.

Note: This makes a ton, but the leftovers keep really well.

Scallop Potatoes: Very Good!
Courtesy of Pam Cooney

1 half stick Oleo or butter melted
1 pint sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup (can also use cream of mushroom)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 medium onion chopped fine
2 lbs. hashbrown shredded potatoes frozen

Mix melted butter, sour cream, cream of chicken soup, cheese and onions together.
Pour over hashbrowns.
Toss until potatoes are well coated.
Put in baking dish (13x9, spray with cooking spray).
Top with breadcrumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

These potatoes make the house smell delish and they taste amazing.

Finally, the piece de resistance Bec's almond pound cake, strawberry, vanilla pudding, whip cream trifle. It was absolutely delish!!! We also had easter cupcakes which were oh so good!

Happy Easter!! We love you!

10K Race and Cherry Blossoms

2011-04-04T20:40:00.000-04:00

Before the race

This weekend we went down to Richmond because Jason was running in his first 10k (Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K). We drove down on Friday after work and school. Doris came with us but she ended up driving on her own. (We tried to get her to ride with us but she wanted to drive on her own.) It was a sad, sad, day for Doris. She couldn't get into the HOV lane and spent hours miserable on the highway. We met her 1/2 way down, about an hour away in Fredricksburg VA at the Red Robin. We got down there about 1.5 hours earlier and entertained ourselves at the Target and Five Below store (Aidan really, really wanted a basketball--who knew?!?). We had dinner and Doris' stress level went down by a thousand points. I rode with her the rest of the way and we got into Richmond at about 9:45pm. Marc and Cindy were waiting for us and they were so kind to put us all up and show us a super good time!

Jason getting ready to give five to Uncle Marc

Marc and Jason ran the race and their supporters (us!) were trying to catch them near the finish. Marc finished in 49 minutes and 19 seconds and Jason finished in (an amazing!) 59 minutes and 18 seconds! Marc came in 2,901 place and Jason came in 9,999 place. On the face of it one might think that is not so good but there were...wait for it, wait for it...41,314 registered participants!! We saw Jason about 200 yards from the finish line and when we saw him he was looking really good! He was running, and fast, and he had a smile on his face!!! He did amazing. Afterwards, he and Marck took a nap (as did Leo...to be fair he did get up really early) and Jason's knee was really aching. Today (Monday) he said it was feeling good. He even went to the gym today.

After the race

Later in the afternoon Cindy, Doris and I went to Careytown and shopped a little and when it started to rain we finished the shopping and went to Cafe Caturra for wine (great bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio) and snacks (breads and spreads). It was such a nice, nice weekend.

Right now is Cherry Blossom season so at work I took a nice little walk down to the tidal basin to see the beautiful, beautiful cherry blossoms. My new office is just about 5-7 minute walk from the basin. It's wonderful. In the second photo, you can also see how crowded the tidal basin is!

DC United (3) and Columbus Crew (1)

2011-03-25T20:07:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we went to the DC United home opener. It was the most exciting DC United game we have ever attended. They scored 3 goals...more in one game than the sum of their first 10 games last season. Maybe that is an exageration but not by much. We had seats in the uber-fan area so we ended up moving to the other side of the field so that we could sit down for the second half of the game. Leo was cheering and getting all excited during the game and Aidan was remaining as cool as ever. Leo also kept looking for the cotton candy guy. Jason let us leave about 10 minutes early so that we could avoid the rush and get out of the stadium calmly and without the bum rush of a crowd. It was a fun game.

On the Sunday following, we got up and drove down to the Lincoln Memorial and ate breakfast on the steps between the Lincoln Memorial and the Potomac. We haven't been there in so long! Leo said, "What Mom? Has it been 5 years?" I told him that he remembers coming there so maybe it was about 1 year ago. Time has no meaning when you are five.

After we had breakfast, we took a trip to my new office. We dropped off some books, pictures and tres important papers. I really don't know why I kept some of the things from my old office and then brought them to my new office because I have the feeling I'm not going to use them but whatever...it was fun for the boys and Jason to see my office. The building is enormous. We figured out that you could walk around the building just on one floor and walk 0.6 miles. Lots of people walk at lunch and at the end of the day around the building.

8 days on the job

2011-03-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

Officially, my new job started two weeks ago...on February 28. When I arrived I didn't even have a place to sit. Fortunately, I had planned to take the rest of the week off so that I could regroup and refocus and relax. My new organization was extremely kind.

My second day was then Monday, March 7. I arrived with an actual place to sit and to my surprise a telephone! The computer on the other hand was a totally different story. At 5pm on Tuesday, March 15th I finally entered the electronic age and have a computer. Could you imagine that it takes an organizations with 100,000 employees all over the world over 2 weeks to get an employee a computer? At this point there have probably been over 20 people involved in this process. Each day I met someone new who claims to be working on this computer request or who thinks they can help.

I feel like a new person connected to the world again. Okay so I can't really complain that much because I got an iPhone during the same time. (Love It!) But I digress... Today was an actual efficient and normal work day. I felt good. We had meetings and they went well. Reflecting, I can't believe I have really only been there for a week and half and I'm already telling people what they should do and how they should it (that is my job). I'm scared that my honeymoon phase is leaving too quickly. I was hoping for more time to reflect, read, and become aware. That seems to be slipping away so quickly.

I took a picture of my new cubicle. It was put together while I was out of the office. My colleagues, very kindly, were concerned with my privacy (because I have none) so they tried to help me with it. I took a picture with my old cell phone and I am trying to download the picture. Stay tuned because it results in a bit of a chuckle.

I hope everyone has a Happy St. Patty's Day. Inspired by Barb, I am cooking corned beef, cabbage and potatoes--only I am cooking it on Friday instead of tomorrow! There is only so much you can do on a week night.

mydogspace.com

White Chip Orange Cookies

2011-03-04T11:41:00.001-05:00

Possibly the best cookies in all the land. My friend and colleague, Ronnie Campbell, shared her white chip and orange cookie recipe with me. I think it is one of the best cookies to be made and eaten. Since the recipe is not online, I thought I would include it here in a post for all of you to try the next time you feel like making cookies.

I made them today on my last week-day off because I have been planning to make them for about 6 months and just have never gotten to it. If you want to know why I haven't really gotten to it in the last 6 months check out thotlady's most recent blog on cooking and baking.

I'm also going to try to start a new tab at the top of the blog with recipes, especially those that can't be found online. For other great recipes check out the side panel on the right which has links to some of my favorite online recipes...I just added the pork shoulder recipe which is simple to make, it just requires time since the pork shoulder needs to marinate for at least 3 hours and it takes 45 minutes/pound to cook (I'm cooking a 5lb pork shoulder today).

White Chip Orange Cookies

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 to 3 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups (12-ounce package) Nestle Toll House Premier White Morsels

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and orange peel. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to racks to cool completely. Makes 39 cookies.

I used 3 teaspoons of grated orange peel and Ronnie often uses 4 teaspoons so depending on your tastes you can mix it up.

One thing that I found funny is that Ronnie said that it makes 39 cookies. Jason and I were saying "how do you get 39 cookies?" It is SO precise and it is not even part of a dozen or an even number. Hilariously, when I made them, it made 39 cookies!! Without any thought, I made 4 sheets of 9 with 3 extra! When I told Jason we just started cracking up. Why I ever doubted Ronnie on numbers is beyond me because Ronnie is a retired auditor who has spent several years in the Office of the Inspector General for a number of organizations! What was I thinking????

Enjoy!!

Aidan got a haircut!

2011-03-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

Aidan has been growing his hair out for about 6 months now. It started out short and then he just let it grow and grow. He has beautiful blondish-reddish hair with a bit of a wave. His hair grew so long that it was so long that it covered his eyes. He liked it that way, mom didn't. He could wipe his nose with is bangs. Come on...he didn't...but he could.

We took him to Hair Cuttery near our house and he and Jason both got their haircut this afternoon. We went after school and he was not thrilled. I had to bribe him or threaten him..whatever (I told him his friend couldn't come over tomorrow if kept whining and complaining about it). He was pretty quiet after that. I just wanted her to style it a little and cut the split ends.

Aidan got his first grown up haircut! She shampooed his hair and trimmed it and he was smiling the whole time. When we were going home, he said he was trying not to smile but he couldn't help it. I promised him that I would not let her cut a lot off. I gave the stylists instructions right in front of him so he could hear and he seemed content.

He looks great and so happy afterwards. How come kids just won't trust that parents know best, especially when they are 8?

(Aidan with his new hair cut and his "whatever mom, bob of the head, i'm too cool for this" look)

New Beginnings

2011-03-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

I have a new job. I started on Monday but I am taking the rest of the week off so I that I can reboot. On Monday, I spent most of the day filling out paperwork and taking a tour of my new building. I feel like a kid, getting to know my new building, figuring out where the bathroom is, where the cafeteria is and trying not to get lost.

It's fun and exciting and seems silly. I'm happy.

I miss my friends at my previous job but I know we will always be friends. Besides, I'm only 8 blocks away or so, on the other side of the national mall.

My great friends and colleagues took me out to lunch to celebrate new beginnings. I'm so fortunate to have such kind, fun, good humored, and thoughtful friends. We had a delicious meal at Oyamel and laughed and talked. It couldn't have been better.

(Doris, Amy, Becs, Sarah and Joan)

I'm hoping with my new job, that I will have more time to write on the blog and start again to share our goings on.

Better Late than Never

2010-12-05T07:33:00.002-05:00

Here are a few more pictures from the cousins visit. We went to the Natural History Museum and saw the dinosaurs and the big elephant and then rolled to Georgetown, we went to the Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport (on a side note, this is Leo's ultimate favorite museum and he wanted to take everyone on a tour of the museum. He was so excited to present the space shuttle to Auntie Heather, Ethan and Riley), on Saturday we Thanksgiving and on Sunday we went to the Baltimore Aquarium and saw the cool sting rays, sea turtle with one fin, sharks, and a super Dolphin show.

Here are a few more pictures from our visit.

Here is a picture of the boys getting ready to head out for the day. We rented a small car during the visit so I usually drove the big boys and Jason usually drove the little guys. We rocked it in the rental car.

The boys at the aquarium. The Baltimore Aquarium is pretty fun. The Dolphin Show is the best part of the Aquarium. I also really love the sting rays pool. Ethan and Riley were excited to see the Sharks.

The boys played out on the tennis courts and the playground that are in the back of our house.
They played soccer, rolled cars down the slide and played on the swings.

We went to this restaurant in Baltimore before we went to the Aquarium and apparently they thought it was a good business plan to open a restaurant where the waiters are rude and treat customers badly. It was pretty funny and we had a great time but I thought this was kind of risky. What if people don't want to be back talked by their waiter, get their own food, and where a hat that says "I'm a world champion booger-eater".

This is a side ways picture of Ethan, Riley and Leo at the Aquarium. Just lean your head to the left.

Here is another picture at the Aquarium. We are waiting for the Dolphin Show to start.

At the end of the trip we were all sad that they were leaving. We had tears a few times but we had a really great time and look forward to their next visit.

We were happy that Riley's black eye and Leo's goose egg had faded and they made it home safely. Their trip sounds like a bit of nightmare since they came home to snow, snow, snow. It took them hours to get home from the airport when it should have only taken 20 minutes. I told Heather please don't let your travel home affect your decision to travel to DC again!

Cousins reunited at last!

2010-11-17T20:07:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Dad and Joan the cousins have been reunited again! Heather, Ethan and Riley are here! And thanks to Pa, Ma is here too!!!

The kids have not stopped playing. Last night Aidan and Ethan didn't go to bed until midnight and in the morning they got up before 6am (DC time!!). They were on fire non-stop. Leo and Riley loved playing together too and all the kids played really well together too. They have been running, jumping, laughing, giggling, and occasionally screaming. We've had no fighting and only one crying incident.

Tomorrow we are going to go downtown to the Natural History Museum.

Thanks Dad, Joan and Pa! We are having a great time!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:10:00.001-04:00

We had a fun Halloween! We did so much today. Before lunch Leo and I went to Tuesday Morning looking for a new bath mat. On the way home Leo put some fun sunglasses on that Sarah bought me for Halloween and he looked like a Diva. Okay, maybe not a Diva but he is Cute with a capital "C".

After a little shopping we came home and carved pumpkins. We have some pretty great pumpkins. The boys got totally into it. For the first year Aidan actually got his hands dirty and cleaned out the guts of the pumpkin. Go Aidan. Leo designed his own pumpkin with fangs and everything.

After carving pumpkins, we made caramel apples. And after that we had some friends over for pizza, salad, snacks, apple cider, and a Halloween cookie! Doris came over, Aidan's friend William, his sister Queenie and mom Elsie. Also our friends Mauricio, Misty, Magda (the pretty fairy), and baby Santiago.

Aidan was a clone trooper and Leo was Iron Man. William was Darth Vader and Queenie was a cheetah. Magda was a pretty fairy and is two years old. She was cracking me up because she left one house and said "that was trick-or-treating" and she said it like "Now THAT is how you trick-or-treat!"

Aidan Won an Award!

2010-10-27T20:10:00.000-04:00

Aidan won the Principal's Good Citizenship Award for community spirit and outstanding leadership in the 2nd grade at school the other day. They announced the award at the school's town hall meeting last week. We couldn't be more proud.

Announcing Two New Members of the Holma-Ritualo Family

2010-10-24T21:38:00.001-04:00

Aidan and Leo have wanted a cat for a very long time. A couple of years ago Aidan and I made a bet with Jason that if I didn't watch QVC for 100 days and Aidan didn't watch Cartoon Network for 100 days we could get a cat. Well we moved to a new house and we can't have a cat in the new house so we didn't get a cat. I really don't like not paying up on bets.

We didn't get an animal and we didn't we didn't get an animal. It hit me hardest when this year at school Aidan had his picture posted outside his classroom with a paper that had information about him (i.e. his favorite food (pizza)) and one statement said "Name of Pet" and Aidan wrote "I don't have a pet." How sad right???

So for Aidan's 8th birthday we decided to get him a guinea pig. Since we went away for the weekend we gave him a book about guinea pigs and promised on Sunday when we got home we would get him a guinea pig. He was so happy! If we weren't having so much fun at the hotel he would have wanted to leave early. We read the book about how to care for guinea pigs and it said that they are social and like to live in families. Aidan is quick! He asked if we could get two. Aye!

So on Sunday, October 3rd we brought home Edward and Biscuit. We went to the pet shop and bought their home and then we went to another pet shop and fell in love with 10 week old Edward (I got to name him!) and Biscuit. Aidan has a very kind heart. When he saw the two of them sitting in the cage he was more concerned about leaving one behind than he was about taking two home. I'm a sucker for animals and for Aidan so he asked me quietly two or three times while we were in the store and I said "yes".

They are a little hard to tell apart but Biscuit has the darker hair at the top and Edward is lighter. We took them to the vet and found out we have two boys (thank God). They seem a little scared and nervous all the time but we love them and we think they like us too.

Auntie Rushell in Pakistan

2010-09-04T14:24:00.000-04:00

Auntie Rushell left for Pakistan last Tuesday (August 31) on a Humanitarian mission to help with the flood relief efforts. She is going because the army is sending 18 helicopters and she repairs helicopters. The Department of Defense (DoD) has posted a briefing on Rushell's deployment and I have copied and pasted it at the bottom of this post. Also, here is a map of the flood areas in case you are interested.

I couldn't be more proud of Rushell. She will help people that have lost their homes, don't have food, clothing, or medical care. So far, the US military has transported over 3 million pounds of humanitarian relief supplies and rescued over 11,000 people.

Rushell left in a C-17 and we heard from her when they landed in Germany. In true form Rushell posted a picture of an Audi on her facebook page (it was on the base in Germany). She also included a photograph of her and her colleague (what's the right word?) on the C17. I thought it was really informative because I wondered what it looked like on the inside. How do you sleep on a plane like that for what must be a 15 hour flight?

She sure has had a very different experience traveling to Germany than I ever had. I get to fly commercial and get felt up at the Frankfurt airport traveling through security. It's the kind of inspection that you feel like you should have gotten a promise ring before that type of interaction-at least a nice dinner and glass of wine.

We haven't heard from her since she left Germany (Dad and Joan: if you have please let me know) but I have been watching the US Embassy Pakistan website. On September 1st two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters arrived in Pakistan on a C17. They arrived at the Pakistan Air Force Base Chaklala, Rawalpindi. On September 2nd, the Embassy posted the arrival of 4 additional helicopters (it sounds like these are Marine helicopters). They note that the 18 additional helicopters from Alaska will arrive over the week and will arrive at the Chaklala Air Base and will eventually be moved to Ghazi Air Base. Chaklala Air Base is in Rawalpindi which is in the northern part of Pakistan. The map shows it in the Northeastern part of Pakistan, below Islamabad.

So, I know very little about Pakistan except that coincidentally when Rushell called last Saturday to tell us that she is leaving I happened to be reading a book called Three Cups of Tea which is the story of an American mountain climber who has devoted his life to building schools for Afghanistan and Pakistani children. After attempting to climb K2, unsuccessfully, he spends time in many small remote villages in Pakistan. Because he was a climber, the book talks a lot about the geography and natural environment in Pakistan-he even talks about the River Indus which is where there is significant flooding. I was happy I happened to be reading the book when she called to tell me she was leaving. I really recommend the book. I am more than two-thirds into the book and really enjoyed it. Joan is reading it too.

I'm not thrilled that Rushell's first trip out of the country is to Pakistan. I wish it had been to Italy. But I am in awe at what she is doing and I imagine that the next few weeks and months will be tiring, exhausting, and truly challenging and a really good reason for us to go to Italy when she gets back!

Additional U.S. Helicopters to Deploy to Support Pakistan Flood-Relief Efforts

The Department of Defense announced today the deployment of 18 additional helicopters to Pakistan as part of the expanding U.S. contribution to flood-relief efforts.

The aircraft, which include 10 CH-47 Chinook and eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and associated personnel are assigned to the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The unit will operate in partnership with the Pakistani military throughout flood-impacted areas.

These helicopters are expected to begin flood-relief efforts in Pakistan in mid-September.

This is the latest in a series of deployments in response to Pakistan's urgent request for flood-relief assistance. Approximately 15 U.S. military helicopters and three C-130 aircraft already supporting flood-relief efforts in Pakistan have transported more than 2 million pounds of humanitarian assistance supplies and rescued more than 7,000 people, delivering much-needed aid and providing transport to people who urgently need emergency assistance.

Since the floods began July 29, the U.S. has provided $150 million to support immediate relief efforts and has allocated an additional $50 million to assist with re-establishment of communities impacted by the floods.
For information on the supporting unit for this deployment, please contact Army Alaska public affairs at 907-384-1542.

The latest information on U.S. government support to Pakistan's flood relief is available on the U.S. Embassy Islamabad Web site at: http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/flood_relief_assistance_2010.html .

First Day of Second Grade

2010-08-30T20:04:00.001-04:00

Our big second grader did awesome at school today. He rules the school! (Like the "T-Birds"). We were a little concerned because when we went last friday to school to find out who his teacher was he didn't want to go and when we went to introduced ourselves to his teacher he got teary eyed and didn't want to go. He was ready to leave the minute we walked into the door. On the positive side, his friend William is in his class so when he saw him as we were walking out his face totally lit up and then both of them acted so cool like it was no big deal but inside they were ready to totally burst. It was SO sweet.

So this morning we all got ready to go, when we left the house he was a little quite but totally cool. I asked him if he wanted all of us to walk to the door with him or just him and dad and he said "just me and dad but you can pick me up." So we got to school, Jason and he got out, walked to the door, Jason said "so, do you want to go in here?", he said "yes" and they said good bye outside at the door and he walked inside to the gym. He was fantastic!

After school, I made it to the metro just in the nick of time. I seriously thought I was going to miss picking him up but I got there just before 3pm. I waited for him at the usual tree, anxious as could be and he came out smiling. I asked him "thumbs up, side ways, or thumbs down?" He said "thumbs up". I guess you can't ask for too much more than that. In his usual style he didn't talk about a whole heck of a lot. He said his teacher talked for a while, they went to gym, his teacher talked some more, they went to lunch and recess, his teacher talked some more and then they packed up. It's really what he said. I tried to ask about what she talked about. Math? Reading? I got nothing.

After school we went to get ice cream to celebrate. It was a great day! He is growing right before our eyes.

I could end the post without sharing this picture of Leo with you. He fell asleep at about 6pm this evening before dinner. After dinner I came up stairs and this was how he was sleeping.

Pants Down Races

2010-08-22T14:03:00.001-04:00

Last Thursday, Jason told me a really funny story about the boys so I told him to write it down so I could put it on the blog. So here it is, as told by Jason:

I was in the kitchen making dinner and I could hear the boys running around upstairs and having a good time. After I was done, I went up stairs to see what all the noise was about. Here what I was told:

Jason: "What are you guys doing up here?"
Aidan: "We're having pants down races."

Without wanting to know too much, here's the explaination of a "pants down race." You pull your pants down to your ankles and then race to a stuffed animal. I didn't ask but I'm hoping at that point the race is over and you pull your pants back up until the next race. Leo was cracking up hysterically playing pants down races.

Now pants down races has become a family game. Just kidding!!

So for those of you checking in, Leo is doing fantastic after his surgery. He is eating, sleeping and behaving as usual. He is in such great spirits. We have to remind him that he can't run, jump, or play too hard. We are still resting a lot and yesterday he took a really long nap and then at night at about 8pm he asked if he could go to bed. I said, "you want to go to bed?" and he said, "yes. it's so dark outside." I can't believe how well and how quickly he has recovered but I couldn't be happier. He is such a big, big boy. Thanks so much for all of the checking in.

Using my beads

2010-08-15T21:54:00.000-04:00

I have a lot of beads. I have gotten in and out of jewelry making for the past six or seven years or so. It seems to go in fits and spurts about two to three times a year or less. I have taken a few classes here and there (even got to use a mini torch to make silver pins) and quite enjoy it but time is always an issue. I got into it again about two months ago and so far I have made two necklaces. It usually takes me a weekend to make a necklace, it's just that I don't do it every weekend.

One of the necklaces that I made is out of string and includes glass beads (that sparkle like a crystal), swarovski crystal pearls and coin shape pearls. I really love the coin shape pearls; they are one of my favorites. So...this one is made out of three strands of beads that I knotted on string. I put them all together and fastened them with a clasp. After I finished it, I took it upstairs to show Aidan, who at the time was laying on our bed watching a movie. After he looked at it, I layed the necklace delicately on top of my jewelry box. When I came upstairs about an hour later, I found my necklace in a knotted mess on top of the dresser. Oh my goodness I could have died. It took all my strength to keep it together. Aidan was playing with it and made it into one gigantic knotted mess. After about 45 days of cooling off, I finally, one night, had the patience to try to fix it. It was after the kids were in bed and I was watching Jersey housewives (New York is my favorite but I'm totally addicted to Jersey and DC housewives too). I had to take all the strands off the hook and use tweezers to work with the knot. About two hours later (seriously!) I fixed it and was able to wear it for the first time.

With this second necklace, I am trying a little bit more technique mixing materials. This one is made with silver chain, swarovski crystal pearls (lt grey), rectangle faceted black onyx and Norwegian blue moonstone. I wrapped each of the beads and then hooked them together. It is a longer necklace, I didn't measure it but it is probably 36" or so. I made the entire thing this weekend and Aidan helped me pick out the beads. Leo and I made it while Jason and Aidan went to the DC United game (DC United lost 1-3 and the 1 was from on own goal-pathetic really). Leo watched looney toons while I made the necklace and watched it get longer and longer, he even put one of the beads on when I wasn't looking. :) He is so helpful.

Aidan's Birthday and Christmas List

2010-08-11T19:56:00.000-04:00

Aidan was constantly telling us all the things he wants. I want to get this...I want to get that. Not really demanding it or crying about it but he would see something on TV or at the store and say "I want to get that." At the same time he hasn't wanted to practice his writing much this summer. So to take advantage of the situation and put a little pause on the list of "I wants" I told him to make a list for his birthday or for Christmas in his notebook and every time he sees something he wants write it down and keep a list so he wouldn't forget. He seemed to go along with it and he made the following list. He asked me to put the list on the blog so I scanned it (truth be told Jason scanned it).

His penmanship is quite good and he has some interesting things on the list. I can't believe he put a "mattress pad" on his list. We got it for him this weekend because he actually did need it.

Questions and Answers

2010-08-04T21:01:00.000-04:00

Aidan and Leo came up with some really great questions they wanted answers to tonight. Aidan suggested that we find the answers on the internet. So here you go...these are mostly Aidan's questions:

1. Why do mosquito bites itch?
A: Normally when you get a cut, the blood clots up. Otherwise, you would bleed to death from a little tiny cut. This is a problem for the mosquito, because the mosquito wants to suck your blood, not get stuck in a clot! So the mosquito injects some chemicals that prevent clotting. A side effect of those chemicals is that they cause itching. It is interesting that humans have more of a problem with this than, say, rabbits. Many animals don't have any sort of an allergic reaction to mosquito bites. -see Scholastic for answers to other cools questions about insects.

2. How long do ladybugs live?
A: A ladybug can live from one to two years, but the life cycle, from egg to adult, is about a month. - WikiAnswers

3. Why do horses wear horseshoes?
In the wild, horses walk on meadows, dirt and other softer surfaces. But horses in captivity walk on gravel, roads, rocks plus they are carrying an extra weight. The horseshoes provide protection to the hooves and maintain a relatively flat surface. - WikiAnswers

4. Does marking an "X" in a mosquito bite stop the itching?
There doesn't seem to be much concensus on this one. At least that we could find in the 10 minutes we spent searching the internet. eHow suggests that you should "get yourself a butter knife and place it directly on the mosquito bite. Press down and make an X with the knife. This spreads out the protein in the bite and stop it from itching for about an hour or so. Works just like your fingernail, just cleaner. Unless of course you have completely sanitized your fingernails." - Read more: How to Stop Itching Mosquito Bites. Other people have given other explanations like it distracts you from the itch and pain, spreads out the pain into q"quadrants" and all kinds of other silly things. For some (40!) great tips and remedies for mosquito itch see tipnut

5. How does liquid soap turn into foam?
A: The process is incredibly simple - the foaming pump works because it injects a bunch of air into a small amount of soap as it pumps. --And to discover how to make your own soap solution to refill the a foam pump click on the link.

Leo had some great questions too but much more difficult to answer:

1. Why is this (binder) clip so hard to push?

2. What is stuff made out of?

3. Why do airplanes have wheels?--Aidan answered this questions: so the bottom of the airplane does get scratched.

Favorite article of clothing

2010-08-02T19:32:00.001-04:00

I am getting ready for bed. I undertook my usual ritual of walking in the door after getting home from work, heading upstairs to change out of my work clothes and putting on my comfy clothes, usually my pajamas. So I look into my closet and my go to shirt is an OLD, OLD shirt. It is a nursing shirt from when I had Leo! I know! It is totally OLD. I love it. It is black, loose but not long, light weight, three quarters sleeve and it is the softest cotton I have ever felt. I don't know why I love it more than any other shirt that I own but I wish I could keep it forever. I CAN NOT keep it forever. It is so much better than an old t-shirt. I have never really had a favorite old t-shirt.

What is your favorite article of clothing? The article of clothing that you wish would last forever. That you could wear every day if could?

I'm upstairs sitting on our bed. Leo is sleeping, snoring actually. He feel asleep at about 6:50pm. Jason is downstairs playing Wii FIFA Soccer with Aidan and he is losing. Aidan just ran upstairs saying he beat Daddy.

Weekend Entertainment

2010-08-01T19:49:00.000-04:00

Over the past couple of weekends we really have tried hard to do nothing and we have succeeded! Work is so incredibly draining that I have absolutely zero energy by the end of it. Thank goodness the rest of the family is on board.

On Friday, I got my haircut. I had rescheduled the appointment twice. Jason had a horrible migraine. I took the metro to Grosvnor and then a cab to the White Flint mall. Doris picked up Aidan and Leo and they met me at the mall and we had dinner at Bertucci's. Apparently when Doris picked up the boys Jason barely even acknowledged that they were leaving. While Doris and Aidan are fumbling around trying to figure out the car seat thing Jason was throwing up he was so nauseous. Poor Jason. Meanwhile Doris is cracking up outside putting the boys in the car. We tried to stay out as long as possible so Jason would have some peace. Aidan, Leo and I slept downstairs so we didn't bother Jason.

On Saturday, Jason felt much, much better. Even still we did absolutely nothing during the day except I went to the grocery store with the boys quickly to pick up the needed ingredients to make dip. For Bec's birthday she was throwing a dip party. It was so fun. Bec's and Jake always throw the best parties. The party started at 5pm but at 2 o'clock Leo said, "I'm ready to go to Becs and Jake's house now." Becs made a delicious Moroccan carrot dip and a spinach dip, Doris made her 6 layer dip, Sarah made delicious spring rolls with a peanut dip sauce, there was edamame hummus, warm bean dip, shrimp dip and to top it all off there was a beautiful and super yummy big bowl of peach, strawberry, vanilla, coconut ice cream. Leo especially loves their house because of "Reggie" the cat. Leo loves Reggie. He wants to constantly watch him and follow him around. And I love Liam and wanted to constantly watch him and follow him around. Liam is Sarah and Kevin's adorable 1 year old son and he is always so super happy, curious and loves everyone. I taught him about light switches and "on" and "off". He's fantastic.

Today Sunday we all woke up after 9am. I got up at 6am with Aidan and Leo sleeping in our bed. Leo was close to me with his head near my feet and his feet near my head. I was worried about kneeing him in the face so I went downstairs to sleep some more and woke up at 9:30! I couldn't believe it. I have not slept in until 9:30 since I had kids. It felt glorious. Right now, we are all watching iCarly, I'm making dinner and we are relaxing.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

How we beat the heat

2010-07-28T21:13:00.000-04:00

It has been so hot this July. I have been sleeping in the basement for most of the summer. Aidan and Leo take turns sleeping with me downstairs. I'm not sure why they like it so much but they do. I suppose it's like camping for them. I don't know how Jason does it but the heat doesn't really bother him at night. I can't stand it but he makes fun of me because I like to sleep downstairs where it is so cool that I have to use three blankets. I just think the blankets covering me make me feel cozy and comfortable.

This past weekend the boys stayed cool while spraying each other with the hose. The wanted to do it on both Saturday and Sunday. We don't have a front yard really but we know how to make the best of it. All the while making sure our plants are watered too.

Right after the boys got done playing outside with the hose we got this crazy, tornado storm that flashed through the city in about 15 minutes but left over 200,000 households without power including ours. We lost power at about 3pm on Sunday and didn't get it back until about 1:30am the next morning. That was totally lucky because Becs and Jake and Dorisita just got their power back today (WEDNESDAY!!). When we lost power we decided to all sleep downstairs because it was way hot upstairs. When the power came on, the washing machine started, the TV upstairs was blairing with static, practically all the lights were on upstairs--it was crazy and really bright! The storm cooled things down for a couple of days which was great but its hot again today.

The boys have been trying to stay busy but also find things to do that are outside the house. Jason is super good at thinking of things to do that allow them to stay cool while entertained. They went to the Baltimore Aquarium yesterday after swimming and today they took advantage of the free movies and saw Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian.

The boys need to get to bed so I'm going to stop here. Sorry I didn't have a chance to reread the post.

Nighty-night.

DC United versus Seattle Sounders FC

2010-07-16T18:00:00.000-04:00

DC 0 - Sounders 1

Sad.

Jason and I went to the game last night. We weren't sure who we would root for but as it turned out we wanted DC to win. In the 89th minute Seattle scored their one and only goal.

Doris babysat the boys. She is nice to help us so much. We are so lucky to have Doris in our lives. When we got home at 10:45pm she was sleeping on my side of the bed, Leo was sleeping close to the bottom and Aidan was sleeping on Jason's side. They made a triangle of sorts. The TV was playing Princess and the Frog. The were so cute!

It was so hot at the game even though it was at 8pm. We were sweating just sitting. At 10:45 at night it was still 77 degrees. Feeling hot, hot, hot!

Earthquake! Yes, I said "Earthquake"

2010-07-16T11:21:00.001-04:00

We had an Earthquake in Maryland this morning at 5:04am. The epicenter was located in Gaithersburg (by the target we go to...you know the man-made lake, Hamburger Hamlet, shopping area, etc). It was a 3.6 and Jason and I both woke up to experience it. I only woke up because there was a loud boom and Jason woke up from the boom and he felt the house shake.

Everything is fine. Many people didn't even feel it including Doris (to be fair, she had a really stressful week and needed some serious, knock-me out, sleep). The metro was fine-miracle of miracles-because Metro is affected when it rains, its too hot, or a feather falls on a track.

I was late getting in today because I was watching the news for too long because I just couldn't believe we actually had an earthquake.

Living the Good Life

2010-07-12T20:24:00.002-04:00

It's summer vacation and life doesn't get better than this. Eating popcorn, laying in sleeping bags, and watching Scooby-Doo Marathons on a Monday night no less.

When did we stop enjoying life like this? Was it when we got a job? Gained a car payment? Took out student loans? Got a credit card? Started to get headaches? Back aches? Had children? Started planning for retirement? How did it happen?

This looks way more fun. Maybe we should all get out our sleeping bags this weekend and eat popcorn and watch old reruns of Family Ties, Facts of Life, Three's Company, Flintstones, Silver Spoons, smurfs? Or perhaps more realistically we should just put the kids to bed early, lay in bed, eat popcorn and watch a movie so we don't wake up with a backache.

Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina

2010-04-18T21:56:00.000-04:00

No excuses. It's been a very long time. I'm trying to catch up!

After I returned from Geneva on that Saturday we decided to get away and spend the night at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina. I had earned a free night at any Hyatt and we were planning to just stay in downtown DC but my great, brilliant friend Bec's told me about this fantastic place on the Chesapeake Bay. It is a little less than 2 hours away and about 30 minutes after driving over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

We had such a fantastic time. The hotel has two outdoor swimming pools, one indoor swimming pool, a game room (shuffleboard, foosball, ping pong, air hockey), three restaurants, outdoor volleyball, miniature golf, pool, golf, and they played movies (G-Force). There was a small little sandy beach and swimming in the bay. The rooms were fantastic, big and so comfortable. We all had such a marvelous time.

We arrived at about 1pm on Sunday. We walked around the hotel to check everything out. We changed our clothes and went to the outdoor pool and even though it was really cold, it was sunny and we swam. The indoor pool was pretty crowded and you know how Aidan (and his Ma) feels about crowds so we totally avoided that. Leo and I got a little cold so we went up to the room and changed while Jason and Aidan kept swimming. They enjoyed the hot tub that was connected to both the outdoor hot tub and the indoor hot tub (you could swim under the building wall!). After swimming, we played air hockey, ping pong and foosball. I'm pretty sure I beat Jason at ping pong.

Jason and I had a beer at one of the bars/restaurants and they boys had apple juice and sprite. We explored the hotel a little more and then we had a nice dinner at one of the restaurants. The boys loved it because they had a kids' buffet which had Mac n' Cheese, chicken nuggets, burgers, hot dogs, jello, salads, fruit, yogurt, chocolate milk, and lots of other stuff and cookies! After dinner, we went to our room played a little, jumped a little on the beds and then watched a movie.

The next day, I got up before everyone else and went down to the little market/cafe ordered a latte and read my trashy little US magazine in a cozy chair in the cafe area with a beautiful view of the Chesapeake Bay. I'm obsessed with the whole Sandy Bullock story but shhh...don't tell anyone. Once everyone was awake we went to the market/cafe and got some juices, bagels, donuts, muffins for breakfast. It was pouring down rain on Monday so we didn't do much else but relax and hang out around the hotel (did a puzzle in a seating area, played pool).

We had such a wonderful trip. I completely recommend it to anyone who wants a little break, wants to visit the Chesapeake Bay or wants to golf. It is especially great for families with kids. And oh yeah I didn't try the Spa but they had everything and it looked wonderful. Next time!

THANKS BECS for recommending such a great hotel!

2010-03-24T19:28:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Geneva yesterday (Tuesday) at 7:30am. Our flight was delayed by about an hour. I ended up being on the same airplane as a work colleague and so we taxied to the hotel together. We arrived at the hotel and they told us that they were overbooked and we both had to move to one of their "sister" hotels basically across the street. I was supposed to be staying at the Epsom and now I am staying at the Jade. Besides being a little inconvenient, the hotel is really nice as you can see from the pictures. My favorite part about the Epsom was the wonderful breakfast. The one here is nice but they get their food from the Epsom so the choices are fewer but otherwise it is great. I slept less than an hour on the flight so when I arrived I was exhausted also my room wasn't ready when we got in so I had to entertain myself for an hour or so.

I didn't have any meetings planned for Tuesday so I did a little shopping for an hour returned to room and slept for an hour or so. After, I showered, I dressed and headed out to get some fresh air and shop around. I had lunch at a creperie near the cathedral. The weather on Tuesday was amazing. It was sunny and mildly warm. I got my souvenirs for my family and friends.

Later, I did a little bit of work and then I met some work colleagues for dinner. We went to one of their houses and she cooked amazing Thai food. We had fresh spring rolls, soup with prawns, curry chicken, and salmon in a very fresh chili sauce. For dessert we had movenpick vanilla ice cream with bananas flambe (including the flame). She is an amazing cook and I only wish I could cook half as good as she can.

Today (Wednesday) I have been in meetings all day. I arrived back at my hotel at about 5:35pm and worked until about 8pm on a statement I have to deliver on Friday. I met my previous boss for dinner at a wonderful restaurant and arrived back to my hotel at about 11:30pm. I am not that tired but I know I will be in the morning. I will take some Nyquil to see if it will help me sleep.

I talked to Jason today and it sounds like the boys are doing great. Leo got new swim goggles and is so excited to use them tomorrow.

Hint, hint Aidan and Leo.

These are for you!

Love you all day, love you forever. Love you to the farthest star in the sky and back!

New Moon Release

2010-03-20T13:28:00.001-04:00

Today is the release of the Twilight New Moon DVD. Yeah!!! Last night they had a midnight release party at borders books so Doris and I decided to go. We thought about it all week. To be perfectly honest, I just didn't think I could stay up until midnight but yesterday at about 4pm we decided to give it a shot. We planned all kinds of activities for ourselves so that we were not sitting around getting tired and wanting so desperately to fall asleep. We left work at about 5:45pm to make the 7pm showing of the movie Remember Me with, of course, Rob Pattinson. Apparently Doris said the movie got a D+ in the reviews so we were feeling a little ambivalent about going but this was not about the movie it was about seeing Edward. We both thought the movie was good. It wasn't great or anything but we thought it deserved more than a D+. It is a really sad story in many ways but it was good.

After the movie, we went to dinner at a trendy Sushi restaurant in Rockville (well it was as trendy as you can get in Rockville). We had this amazing crab and avocado salad and then we both order sushi which came out really pretty and colorful and most importantly delicious! We then had a chocolate molten cake with warm bananas and vanilla ice cream dessert. By this time, it was about 10:35pm and we were feeling pretty good. The restaurant was just getting lively because apparently they bring in a DJ at 11pm and set up the area more like a night club with a little dancing and swanky seating. We thought we'd better head over the new moon party since it started at 10pm and we didn't want to miss anything exciting and especially the give-aways if there were any.

We got to Borders at about 11pm and we were totally DISAPPOINTED. It was such a buzz kill. There was hardly any one there--maybe 25 people. And of course, as we expected they were all 20 years younger than us except for the moms that brought their tweens. It was Lame with a capital L. We sat around answering trivia and guessing who said what quote. Doris raised her hand to answer one question and the woman running the show said "mom in the back" and Doris looked behind her and of course everyone behind her was 14 or 15 and we started cracking up--Doris was the mom in the back! Finally it was time to get in line to buy the movie and we were standing there and Doris said, "OMG, we are SO lame, Amy!" and the two women (yes women!) in front of us started to crack up and said "we thought we were the only ones." Doris laughed and said she didn't mean to say that out loud. Apparently these two women put their kids to bed and came to the launch party too. In any case, we had a great time last night, we stayed awake until after midnight and I got the New Moon DVD! Yeah!

Amy: Team Edward
Doris: Team Jacob
Heather: Team Edward
Crow: Team Jacob

Which team are you?

Elephants running amok in the streets of DC

2010-03-18T21:14:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, there were Elephants walking up 3rd Street outside my office! We heard they were coming so we tried to plan our lunch around their walk. We missed them when we were outside but we could see them from our 5th floor office! The circus is in town so they were marching them around the city. Fun

Shutter Island

2010-03-16T14:55:00.002-04:00

Check out Jason's newest movie review of Shutter Island (see link above)

Weekend Update

2010-03-15T21:55:00.001-04:00

FRIDAY: I was planning to stay at work a little late. Doris had left a little early to go to the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit. At about 5:55pm Becs sent me an email to ask if we wanted to have dinner at Mi Rancho in Silver Spring. I called Jason immediately and asked if he wanted to go too. Sometimes Friday's are tough for Jason to go out to dinner because he's had a long week at home but even though he had already cooked the boys a couple of burgers (though they hadn't eaten them yet) he was totally up for it. I sent an email back to Becs telling her "YES!!" She couldn't believe it. She thought it was totally a long shot and wasn't even going to ask us but I told her, "invite us to dinner where we don't have to cook and throw in margaritas and Jason and I will almost never say 'no'". Becs, Jake and I all rode the metro to the restaurant and Jason packed the boys in the car. Even with the rain, we had a great time. The pitcher of strawberry margaritas and Dos Equis helped but best of all it was the great company and Doris surprised us and showed up too (we texted her on her way to the restaurant).

SATURDAY: Saturday had it ups and downs. On the up side, we had a nice morning. Aidan and I played Wii tennis before breakfast. He said if he wins, I had to make him breakfast in bed. I took on that wager and ended up making him breakfast in bed. He loved it, took full advantage of me and acted like a king!

After getting ready we went into my office. Leo was so cute and asked "am I going to work with you?" I told him "yes" and his face lit up and he said, "thank you so much mommy. I get to go too? and Aidan?" He was so excited. The boys helped me clean up my desk. My cubicle was a disaster. It looked like a paper hurricane had landed in my cubicle. There were papers on the floor, on my desk, still sitting in my printer, in the overflowing recycle bin, everywhere! The boys had the run of the office and they loved it. They ran back and forth between my cubicle and the recycle, we filed stuff in the filing room (Aidan thinks the filing room is 'spooky'), we cleaned up my bookshelves, they washed my coffee cups, cleaned out my drawers, shredded papers, put books on other shelves and wiped down my countertops. Aidan and Leo loved it, Jason was a good sport and a super helper. Jason went to the potbelly's and got us sandwiches and we ate in our conference room. They asked if I had meetings in here and where I usually sit. The boys had so much fun that Aidan asked if we could go to my work on Sunday.

Aidan also had a birthday party to go to later in the afternoon. On our way home from work he asked if he could take a nap. I told him "yes" but that we were almost home and he had to go to his party. He started to cry and said he didn't want to go. Jason was frustrated because he hates it when Aidan rsvp's for a party and then the day of the party doesn't want to go. I hate it too but sometimes when you get there he warms up to it and ends up having a good time. I offered to take him but Aidan wanted Daddy to take him. So, nervously I watched them head out the door. Leo wanted to go to the party too but since he couldn't I promised him we would do something. We ended up making a St.Patrick's Day cake. Halfway through mixing the batter, I heard two car doors slam shut. I looked out the window and saw Aidan and Jason, unhappy as can be, walk up the stairs. Jason said Aidan cried when they got to the party and didn't want to go in so Jason took the present inside and said Aidan wasn't feeling well (which obviously is true). The birthday was at some sportsplex-a place Aidan had never been.

When Aidan came home, I told him he had to go to his room for a while. Surprisingly, he went without a fuss. I sent Jason to the book store and movies (this is clearly the only fun thing he got to do), Leo and I finished the cake, and I went up to talk to Aidan. I told him that the reason that we were upset was because he had told us earlier that he wanted to go the party so his friend's family paid money for Aidan to be at the party, they had planned for him to eat pizza and cake, so we had wasted their money and that most of all his friend was looking forward to him being at his birthday party and he was disappointed on his special day. If he RSVPs to a party it is important for him to go because people are planning on him being there. Jason said that even if they would have gone inside he would have hated it because it was loud and crowded and unfamiliar--all the things Aidan hates. I don't know if it was the right talk but it was the talk we had. The rest of the night went really well. They were all in a good mood, ate a super dinner (even Leo) and we frosted the chocolate cake with green frosting and put on green sprinkles.

SUNDAY: Aidan started swimming lessons again and again, it was another activity he didn't want to do. I didn't put up with that one. My whole shpeel about swimming is that once they can swim easily in the deep end of a pool without any help they can cut the swim lessons but until then they will go. It simply a matter of safety. No ifs and or buts. How parental is that? Sounds like something my parents would say.

After swimming the boys dropped me off at Doris' house for the monthly Creative Memories scrapbooking event. I had a great time but I realized where Aidan gets the anxiety of crowds and noise because there were lots of people at Doris' and lots of loud talking which towards the end gave me a little anxiety. I worked on Leo's first year album (no comments please) and made some great progress. I am on the very last month (February) and working on his 1st birthday party. I love the pictures. The boys are adorable and I can never get enough of looking at their baby pictures. They are too sweet for words. After I got home, as is tradition, we looked at the new pages I did and we looked at both their albums. They love looking at them too, maybe not as much as me but they like it.

While I was scrapbooking, Jason took the boys with rain boots and all to the airplane park. They walked around in the mud and the puddles for a little while. Jason sent me a cute picture of Aidan and Leo standing in the middle of a gigantic mud puddle.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Sorry there are no pictures.

Oscars

2010-03-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

And the winner is...the Hurt Locker. Only one person guessed it correctly and to be honest I think it was Jason. Surprise, surprise! Go Jason! Why do we live in DC? We should in live in LA and we should be living off Jason's skills.

Weekend Fun

2010-03-09T13:17:00.000-05:00

It's Tuesday and it is shaping up like a crazy week. Last night I left the office at 7pm again. By the time the boys picked me up it was close to 8pm. Leo didn't have a nap (Jason doesn't consider sleeping in the car for 5 minutes a nap-go figure) so when they picked me up he was already asleep. Aidan was awake but it was already time for bed by the time I scarfed down a piece of meatloaf, some mashed potatoes, and a salad. Of course everyone had already eaten.

This week I have decided to bring my little netbook to work and take some time at lunch to eat a place that has free wi-fi (love Starbucks!) and spend some personal time blogging and searching the job announcements. Right now as I type I am at the Potbelly's close to work and using the Starbucks' free wi-fi (Starbucks is right next door to the Potbelly's).

This past Friday I left work early and after we picked up Aidan from school we headed down to Richmond for the night. Once we got down there we met Thotlady and Bogey at a local pizza place for beer and pizza which was really fun. After dinner, Jason and his brother, Bogey, went to the Alice in Chains concert. Jason's Dad is cousins with the father of the drummer so that makes Jason the second cousin to the drummer (I think). In any case, Dennis called his cousin and they got free tickets to the concert. They really wanted to meet their second cousin (the drummer) but it just didn't work it. I can't believe the drummer didn't want to meet Jason and Bogey! The boys and Cindy and I went back to their place and got the boys ready for bed and we all watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was a lot of fun.

In the morning Cindy went and got bagels from Einsteins (which we love!) and around lunch time we went Careytown Teas which has some super amazing tea choices. We bought a couple of different kinds (my favorite is vanilla rooibos (an herbal red tea grown in South Africa)). After that we had lunch at a sub shop and then we went for a nice walk downtown along the river. It was a beautiful day. I think we all enjoyed being outside and the boys loved throwing rocks in the river. After that, at about 4:30, we left and headed back up to DC. We had a great time and enjoyed the time away and the wonderful hospitality.

On Sunday, we had an appointment at Target to have Leo's four year pictures taken. If you recall from last year, Leo hates getting his picture taken and we barely managed to get a 3 year photo of him where he is not crying. This year, after a bit of preparation, he was all ready. The photographer managed to get 5 shots of him and that was it. Three shots were great and the other he had his eyes closed or he was on the verge of tears. She took a couple of pictures of him standing up, with his hand in his pocket, he smiled his ever charming smile with dimple, and after that he was done. She asked him to sit on a stool and he started crying. Thus ended the photo shoot.

After the photo shoot picked up a few things for Aidan's room. After a terrible night Saturday night of getting Aidan to sleep we offered to help Aidan redecorate his room to something that he loved. He was complaining and crying Saturday night that he didn't like his room so I calmly offered to help him on Sunday redecorate it. Don't get me wrong, I was not calm during the whole escapade. He wanted to change his desk and dresser around and we got him a small cube of shelves with baskets to store some of his things. He did a great job cleaning and organizing. By 8:30 we had to order him to stop cleaning and when he woke up on Monday morning he jumped out of bed and went straight to organizing his desk. He is so cute!

All in all we had a fun weekend. We hope yours was great too.

We also hope you all have a great week. It is sunny and 60 on our side of the continent.

Long time no blog

2010-02-25T21:19:00.000-05:00

You can always tell when things are up in the Holma-Ritualo household without even talking to any of us. What are the clues? No blog posts for one. This past week has been a really long and tough week. Full of ups and downs. No just downs. Work has been tough. I have been staying until at least 7:30 every night and I leave not because I have finished what I needed to do but because I can not physically do any more. Or because if I stay longer I can not get a ride home because the boys will be a sleep. When these kinds of things happen I kind of disassociate myself from everything. I shut down. Riding the metro 15 stops or so is exhausting and lonely at night. Having someone turn the lights out on you in the office because they don't think any one is still in the office is just plain sad. Trying to manage to pull it together in front of your family after having an exhausting week takes so much will. Crying while talking to your sister and walking to Doris' house from the metro at 8:30 pm is kind of pathetic.

I am grateful for:
Having a job in this economy.
Having health insurance for my family.
Having two wonderful boys who still love their mom after she has been late at work every night this week.
Having a husband who only tries to make it easy for me and make me feel better.
Having a husband who keeps it all together.
Having a sister who doesn't care if she gets a call from a blubbering idiot.
Having family who love us.
Having bosses who appreciate and respect my work.
Having friends who I can lean on.
Glee
Shaun White
Nyquil
Sleep

Good night!
PS I will try to put pictures up of Leo's Birthday. Better late than never right?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!!

This morning we gave small valentines to the boys. In keeping up Papa's tradition we get the boys the Russell Stover's red heart-shaped boxes of chocolate with the red cellophane wrap. All the special girls in Papa's life used to get them and so we have carried on the tradition in our family by giving them to the boys every year. They especially love the chocolate because they get to have a piece of chocolate in the morning. The only two days that justify chocolate in the morning is Valentines and Easter! We also gave them a small little toy that we found in New York at the Disney Store. Aidan got the Goofy Darth Vader action figure and Leo got the Stitch (from Leo and Stitch) Yoda action figure. They are really cute. They also had Minnie Mouse Princess Leia and a few others.

Last night Furio came over for dinner and we played Wii Resort Sports. Aidan taught him how to play speed slicer, he kicked my butt in canoeing (though, truth be told he is a canoer and if I would have gotten one or two more tries at it, I think I could beat him), I beat him badly in frisbee (I know not the most glamorous sport but still!), and we came out about even in table tennis and he is really fast at the speed slicer. For Leo's birthday we have devised a tournament of champions for the Wii Speed Slicing game. I can't wait. It should be great fun. I will take pictures and post them tomorrow or Tuesday of the tournament and Leo's Birthday Party.

This afternoon, we just finished some last minute birthday party grocery shopping and tonight Doris and I get to go the ballet. We are going to the Mariinsky Ballet's performance of Sleeping Beauty at the Kennedy Center. This was our Christmas present to Doris. This is her first ballet. I hope she loves it. We actually had tickets for Wednesday but the show was canceled due to the snow and they added this show so those ticket holders like us were able to see the show. I am very excited.

Finally, I wanted to note a few things about the blog. Jason finally got to doing his movie reviews: Yeah Jason!! He has his own page dedicated to his movie reviews. You can get to it by clicking "Jason's Movie Reviews" at the top of the page. As he goes to the movies he will keep trying to write reviews. If you are planning to go to a movie check here first to see if he has written a review! I also added a section called "Amy's Beauty Bag" that lists all of my favorite beauty products. I am going to try to update it more and more but I have so many favorites. Also take some time to vote for your favorite Oscar worthy movie. We will keep the voting open until 3pm the day of the Oscars. Last but not least...we love it when you post comments on the blog so keep it up. It gives us encouragement to keep blogging. It takes time to post them so we like to know that people actually read it so keep commenting and BECOME A FOLLOWER. On the left hand bar there is a place to become a follower of our blog: thank you so much to our fab five who have become followers and all of the rest of you...join in and become a follower! We love to know that you are checking in once in a while and reading the blog!!!

Happy Valentine's Day! We love you!
Amy, Jason, Aidan and Leo

THANK YOU Auntie Rushell!!

2010-02-13T22:22:00.001-05:00

Auntie Rushell sent Leo a package with his birthday present. It came in a gigantic Disney box and Leo was so excited to get it. We couldn't torture him by not letting him open it. So even though it was a little early (his Birthday is on Tuesday) we let him open it. Inside the box was a Disney Cars tool set (did you know Leo loves Cars?) with an electric paint sprayer and electric drill with different drill bits. He was so excited he said, "This day just keeps getting better and better" and "I love it so much." He has also been walking around the house saying, "Now I can fix our car." I don't think we will let him at the Saturn any time soon as it is our only car but maybe, just maybe, he will grow up knowing how to fix cars and other mechanical things. We should be so lucky as no one else in his immediate family is that talented. Let's just say the car repair shops love it when the Holma family drives up!

Leo is so excited for his birthday it has been hard for him to contain the excitement. He is also very anxious for it to arrive. The other day he started crying a little bit saying "It take so long, it take so long." It's tough being almost four. Aidan is having a little bit of a tough time with all of the Leo Birthday talk but he is managing very well also. Originally we planned on staying a night or two at a hotel for his birthday. He wanted the hotel instead of a party. I told you...the boys love staying in hotels as does their Mama! But given all the snow and the weather issues past and possibly in our future we just didn't think it was a good idea so instead we have put together a little impromptu birthday party of very kind and wonderful friends. We will have a little brunch and cake and ice cream. Leo picked out an ice cream cake from Baskin and Robbins that has Iron Man on it. He loves Iron Man. We also picked up a few Spiderman plates and we got a few balloons. I hope he likes it.

Auntie Rushell also sent the boys two totally awesome t-shirts from Hawaii. She got them at an ice cream shop and they are super cool. The boys tried them on immediately after opening and wore them for the rest of the day. THANK YOU Auntie Rushell!

Snow Update: Part III

2010-02-10T09:01:00.005-05:00

Snowmaggedon 2010. Aidan's school has been cancelled through the remainder of the week and they had a scheduled day off to celebrate President's Day on the upcoming Monday. As you can imagine he was thrilled when they closed school for the rest of the week. He is starting to realize, however that the more school he gets off now the longer he has to stay at the end of the school year so he is excited but I think it is with mixed feelings. We are also off work today though I have been doing some work at home. I have to say that it has allowed me to actually get work done that I wouldn't normally have time to do in the office so in some ways this snow is just what I needed. I think others are thinking the same thing. I have 5 long evaluation reports that I had to read over the last two weeks and I just couldn't find time in the office to do it. I have finished 2.5 and will finish another 1.5 today. It is a huge relief to be honest.

Back to the snow report, Tuesday night we were expecting blizzard like conditions and another 8-12 feet of snow. It started to snow in the early evening around 6pm last night. It was very light and barely covered the car and the street. If it weren't for the 8-10 ft snow banks leftover from the weekend the snow would be nothing too spectacular.

Start of the snow Tuesday, February 9th at 8:55pm

At about 9am on Wednesday, February 10th it is snowing much harder, the wind gust are between 20 and 46 miles per hour depending on where you are and the visibility is down to 1/10 of a mile. Occasionally we can hear these huge gusts of wind and see the snow falling out of the trees and I am talking about huge amounts of snow because it is leftover from the last storm. I'm feeling a little nervous about losing our power but (knock on wood) we still have it.

Snowmaggedon: Wednesday, February 10th at 8:50am

As of this morning our car is covered with about 4-5 inches of snow and the roads are completely covered with snow. Just to give you some idea about road coverage, our parking area was plowed about an hour earlier and you still can not see the road way. They are telling everyone to stay inside. There are McDonald's and Starbucks which are staying closed for the entire day. Right now (at 9:51am) we are getting hit hard with snow.

Entertainment during the Blizzard of 2010. We have computers and Iron Man.

We are trying to figure out ways to entertain ourselves. I am updating the blog, Aidan is playing Wizard101 on the computer, Leo is playing with Iron Man and now Leo and Jason are playing Wii Lego Star Wars. I think I will make some white chicken chili today which sounds nice and warm and hearty (see recipe on the side bar-it's one of my favorites) and maybe we will make some cookies.

Snow Update: Part II

2010-02-08T20:46:00.004-05:00

Terracotta Warriors Exhibit, National Geographic Museum

A couple of weeks ago we bought tickets to an exhibit at the National Geographic Museum called Terracotta Warriors. We also bought Jesse a ticket because he was supposed to be here too.

Here is a brief description:
Soldiers. Charioteers. Archers. Musicians. Generals. Acrobats. Nearly 2,000 years ago, thousands of life-size clay figures were buried in massive underground pits to accompany China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, into the afterlife. Their discovery outside the city of Xi'an in 1974 is one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20 century.

Since we have been couped up inside for a couple of days we thought we should venture out and see the exhibit. If the exhibit staff could get to the museum (OMG did I mention my office was closed today?!?!) certainly we could make it to the museum right? We did have a few obstacles in our way. Obstacle #1: Metro was only running underground. That means the metro closest to us was closed so we had to drive three metro stops toward the city before we could get on. I had heard on the news that Wisconsin Ave was pretty clear but that was SO untrue. The roads were a bit of a mess. They still had at least an inch of snow in many places, there was slush and standing water every where and 15 foot mounds of snow every where too. After jumping puddles and stomping in the slush we made it to the metro. No problem. Down in the metro was Obstacle #2: the metro was only running every 30 minutes. Okay no problem: we are prepared parents with electronics (1 Nintendo DS and 1 Ipod please).

Leo, Terracotta Warrior, and Amy at the National Geographic Museum

We made it to the Museum 30 minutes before our schedule time but they told us no problem because they were letting anyone in that could make it downtown. The exhibit was very interesting and the boys seemed to like it as well. We got 1 audio tour and took turns listening to different areas. Leo was listening to something where they made mention of the "milky way" and was stuck on that and telling everyone who would listen about the "milky way". As many of you know Leo loves space! We also looked at a photograph of the actual site of the Terracotta Warriors where they were excavating and he asked if there was a "rover" on that planet. We told him that it looked like Mars with the waves of land but that it was here, on our planet Earth, in China. Very cute!

Aidan and Leo playing one of the Terracotta Warrior interactive computer games

After the museum we went to Bertucci's in Dupont Circle for lunch. We were the only people in the restaurant for most of the time. On our way home we were interviewed by abc news but unfortunately we didn't make it on. I guess we just were not exciting enough to make it. Cute most definitely, exciting I guess not!

We finally made it home. We stopped at the REI because I could really use some snow boots and they had NOTHING. The boots I have are getting my feet totally wet so I am looking for something warm and waterproof. I may go out in the morning to find something else because, brace yourself here, we are supposed to get 10-15 more inches of snow!!! I know! It is unbelievable. I just don't know where we are going to put it. Our island outside our house has 15 feet of snow piled on it. We have the same amount on the bench to the right of our house. I can not imagine where we are going to put this snow.

Aidan doesn't have school tomorrow and they have just announced that my office is closed tomorrow as well. The snow is supposed to begin around noon tomorrow. We will keep you all up to date on what is going on.

On the down side, I have had WAY too much time to watch QVC. I want to buy everything. Don't worry. I have not bought anything but I can't tell you how tempted I am. I wanted to buy the TSV (Today's Special Value) but I am resisting. Jason thinks I'm insane because I am torturing myself but I just can't help it!

Snow update

2010-02-06T12:16:00.007-05:00

Here we have chronicled the snow fall through pictures starting yesterday evening and going through lunch time today. We woke up around 8am and opened our front door to about 18inches of snow. We couldn't even get the door open without shoving snow out of the way. You can see more from the pictures below.

Yesterday, Friday night at 7:34pm

Yesterday, Friday night at 10:17pm

We went to bed very excited in anticipation of the snow. On the news they said it would look very different in the morning compared to what it looked like when we went to bed. They sure were right!

Today, Saturday morning at 7:57am

Today, Saturday afternoon at 12:37pm (after shoveling out our car and part of our sidewalk)

We went outside around 11am this morning to check it all out. The snow is very deep. We have about 22 inches now. We went for a walk around the neighborhood. There are few cars on the road except for the snow plows. Even the busy street outside our house is covered in snow although they have been plowing all morning. We tried to find a good hill to sled on but didn't have a lot of luck. The hill in the back is not such a good sledding hill anymore because there are tree branches down all over the place. We are (and I hate to write this for fear of jinxing it) very lucky in that we still have power. Apparently 90% of the people in our zip code are without power, including Doris.

Today, Saturday afternoon at 12:37pm (our back porch)

During our walk we decided to walk home on the trail that goes under the street (near the pond) but we didn't make it there at all. I got stuck in the snow! I tried to get out of the street to walk towards the trail and fell over face first in the snow. I reached my hands down to push myself up on all fours but the snow went up to my shoulders and my face was planted in the snow! I was cracking up and tried to turn over on my back but still couldn't get up. I had fallen and I couldn't get up! Jason had to come and rescue me but it was even hard for him to reach me because the snow was up to his knees. We decided to stick to the street and walk home which was probably a good idea.

This morning for breakfast we made some sausage and banana chocolate chip muffins. We gave the rest of our muffins to the poor guys who are outside shoveling all the walks in our complex. They work so amazingly hard all day and all night plowing our complex and shoveling our walks.

We are really enjoying the winter storm of 2010!

It's the Big One

2010-02-05T19:51:00.008-05:00

Gracie and Leo Bust a Move

This past weekend we did a prep run for the big snow that we are expecting this weekend. Allen, Marcia, Gracie and Sabrina came over to sled, play in the snow, eat cheese, drink hot chocolate, and bust a move. As you can see from the video the kids had a great time dancing around. We were dancing to Bust a Move as sung on the TV show Glee. Cha and Doris love Glee, they got me into it, I got Marcia into it on our trip to Philly, she got Allen into after she got home and I got Jason into it. If you haven't seen it you should download a few episodes from iTunes and believe me you will be hooked.

Sabrina eating cheese

Anyhoo, that was a TV show tangent. We have fun with them. The kids had fun sledding. Gracie cruised down the big hill though I'm pretty sure she was supposed to stop before going down the big hill. Sabrina went down with a neighborhood 2-year old and they seemed to have fun. After they wore themselves out outside, they came in and had chocolate and of course marshmallows. Leo likes to take one bite of the mallow and hand it to me. Can you say "Sticky!" Gracie said about Aidan, "He is bigger than me, but he still let's me play with me." It was very cute.

Gracie Bustin' a Move

Jason and Allen chillin' after a hard day in the snow. I mean really, who doesn't love a Negra Modelo?

So now we are supposed to get a ton of snow dumped on us. This is the announcement that I received from Montgomery Country on the expected snow fall:

-----Original Message-----From: Alert Montgomery [mailto:msg4319@alertmc.info]Sent: Friday, February 05, 2010 10:24 AMTo: Alert Montgomery Users Subject: Alert Montgomery

The National Weather Service has increased the amount of snow predicted for Montgomery County to 20 - 28 inches. To assist the county in clearing streets of snow the Montgomery County Department of Transportation is requesting residents limit on street parking to areas where off street parking is unavailable. Please park in driveways and off street as available. This will facilitate snow removal operations.
Thank You

Of course everyone is going crazy. The stores are packed and people can't get enough Milk, Cheese, and toilet paper. Do people really not have enough tp to get them through the weekend? Doris went to the grocery store three times. Jason went and said that some guy whooped in the store because he finally found ground beef! I think it is slightly bad as well because people are trying to prepare for the superbowl. Here is a picture Jason took with his camera when he was at the grocery store. This is the cheese isle:

Who knew that cheese was a storm staple?

Today I worked at home because of the impending snow storm and because I had a meeting with a contractor that is about 1 mile from my house. They had early release from school and a four hour early release from my work. Of course because I was teleworking I didn't benefit from the extra four hours. Hardly seems fair but I guess that it the whole point right? I think it was the right thing to do. You don't really want a bunch of crazy panicked people exiting the city at dark. That would be quite disaster.

Sadly this amazing storm has meant that Jesse couldn't come visit us. He tried to change his ticket to leave on Thursday but that didn't work out and then he got on an earlier flight on Friday but that just ended up getting cancelled as well. It seems that all flights to DC were cancelled today. We are totally bummed and we know he is too. We just hope that he gets to visit us in nice DC weather when we can take him out to see the sites. Aidan was terribly disappointed. I think he was looking forward to having someone to pound on properly! His old dad is just to fragile :)

We will keep you posted with regular updates on the awesome snow storm.

New Recipe and Wednesday

2010-02-03T21:12:00.004-05:00

Last night we got about 5 inches of snow. I was hoping for a day off of work at the very least a 2 hour delay. I brought work home and my computer fully expecting to be out a day. Completely preparing myself for not being able to make it in.

As I am laying in bed this morning at about 6:30am, just starting to wake up, I am thinking "oh please, oh please, oh please let us be closed today". Jason was already awake and I know he already knows but I am afraid to ask him for fear of being disappointed but I have to know. Imagine my disappointment when I hear we are on "unscheduled leave" which basically means nothing -- well okay something -- you can ask for the day off without advance notice. What a royal bummer. I ended up staying home anyway working for part of morning and then taking the rest of the afternoon off because I had a doctor's appointment around lunch time.

Aidan had the day off and he was thrilled. After my doctor's appointment, Jason went to the movies. He went to see "Up in the Air". He won't tell anyone about it and just says, "you'll have to wait to read the blog". I'm still waiting for the review of "Youth in Revolt" and "Avatar". By next Oscars we should get a good review of the movies for this years Oscars :)

I tried a new recipe tonight. It was really flavorful and hearty and quite good. I give it 4 out 5 stars. Here is the recipe:

Smothered Beans with Leeks and Collard Greens

Ingredients
1 cup dried Great Northern beans
1/4 cup dried pinto beans
1 quart water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 2 large)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound collard greens, chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped

Preparation
Sort and wash beans; place in a large saucepan. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours. Drain beans. Add 1 quart water and return beans to pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Cool. Drain beans in a colander over a bowl, reserving cooking liquid; set beans aside. Add enough water to cooking liquid to equal 3 cups; set aside.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until leeks are tender. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer leek mixture to a large bowl; add greens. Toss well to combine.
Place half of greens mixture in bottom of Dutch oven; top with beans. Spread remaining greens mixture over beans. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Pour reserved liquid over greens. Cover and simmer over medium heat 1 hour or until beans are tender, stirring once. Uncover and stir in tomatoes; simmer 10 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 153 (24% from fat)
Fat: 4.1g (sat 0.6g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 7.5g
Carbohydrate: 24g
Fiber: 7.8g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 2.3mg
Sodium: 382mg
Calcium: 158mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2002

I used can beans because I can never prepare well enough in advance. Since I didn't have the bean liquid I just used leftover low-sodium chicken broth and water which worked great. I also used diced tomatoes and not whole. Who needs the extra step of cutting? It's good. I had a lot of leftovers but it will be good for lunch. The kids were not fans but we really liked it.

We may get up to 24 inches of snow this weekend. We're a bit concerned because cousin Jesse is coming to visit us on Friday. Aidan can not wait for him to arrive. He keeps asking when he is coming. It is very cute.

BINGO!!!

2010-02-02T21:29:00.003-05:00

We found Doggy!

Actually Leo found Doggy. We were upstairs getting ready for bed and I was looking for our missing tv remote control (can you see a pattern here?) and I opened my closet door and Leo saw doggy in my closet, on the bottom shelf, on top of a box of sweaters. Leo grabbed him and said "Doggy's not lost" and we all jumped up and down, screamed, hugged doggy and hugged Leo. We are all so happy to see him. Last weekend, Doris and I scrapbooked and she a couple of pictures of Leo and Doggy and it was so sad to see him in the picture when he was actually lost.

I guess you can imagine how happy we all are right now!!!

Just quickly, it is snowing again. We are supposed to get 7 inches of snow. I am hoping and hoping and hoping we get that and more so that we get the day off work. Oh, how glorious that would be!

We've got snow!

2010-01-30T15:39:00.003-05:00

The weather channel was right! We got snow. I'm not sure what time it started but the boys took a shower upstairs, got dressed and ran downstairs at about 10am and yelled "mom! look outside!" and the parking lot was covered with snow. It was amazing. Let me just back up a little bit by saying the boys were upstairs playing while I was downstairs cooking breakfast (Jason was at work) and they come downstairs completely naked asking if they can take a shower. It was very funny. Apparently, they had also cleaned out our shower buck naked as well. Boys!

Today we have relaxed, lounged in the living room, watched QVC Bare Essentuals, made oatmeal m&m cookies (we don't have any chocolate in the house because Jason apparently made 4 smores yesterday in the microwave) and now I am making split pea soup with our ham bone from Christmas (it was frozen). It is such a good day for lounging. Jason got home about 2pm and now the boys are all outside playing in the snow. They immediately went outside and flopped down and covered themselves in snow. Let me also say it is so incredibly cold. It is about 18 degrees out today! FREEZING.

Snow?!?!

2010-01-29T20:44:00.007-05:00

So, I hear we are supposed to get some snow this weekend. Sometime mid-afternoon through the evening it should fall. Apparently only 2-4 inches but areas South of here (Thotlady and Bogey) are supposed to get upwards of 10 inches. Why can't the winds change to bring a lot more here? And can you please, please tell me why the snow always comes on Friday or Saturday and not during the week where I could possibly get the day off or at the very least I would settle for a "2-hour delay". I mean really is that too much to ask for.

Not a lot planned for the weekend. Jason is supposed to work tomorrow (not too long) and Doris may come over to scrapbook Saturday evening after the boys go to bed and other than that no plans. Tonight I didn't get home from work until 8pm (I know) but when I got in the car Leo asked if we could sleep on the blow up bed so we are going to sleep in the living room tonight.

Today, Aidan took another spelling test and got 100% correct (10/10). Hello! Look at that penmanship. He studied really hard and it paid off. We are searching for a preschool for Leo that is affordable (not an easy task) and hmm...what else? That's about it.

Still no doggy.

Ahem, where is Jason's movie review blog?

MIA: Doggy

2010-01-27T19:54:00.011-05:00

REWARD

For the safe return of "Doggy"$2 from Aidan

1$ from Leo

We have sent out the search and rescue. Doggy is missing in action. Leo's special stuffed animal known to everyone as "doggy" is missing. We have searched high and low, retraced our steps, and called in the reserves (Doris) to look for doggy with no luck.

We have cleaned the boys' rooms from top to bottom, tore off the sheets, removed all the stuffed animals, picked up their closets, searched under the beds and we can not find doggy. We looked in our room, in our closets, under our bed and we can not find doggy. We can not find him downstairs, under the couches, in the car, or in the extra bedroom. We can not find him any where!?!

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "whatever" and 10 wailing crying Leo is about a 5 and Aidan is about a 7. Leo said he was sad, yelled at Doris one day that he "didn't wanna talk about it" and asked me if I thought Doggy was scared. Aidan wants to know why Leo isn't more broken up about it and if I was sad. This was good opportunity to talk about Aidan's new vocabulary word, "grieve" that he learned during their school lesson on "Hansel and Gretal". I explained to him that people "grieve" in different ways...some people cry, some people just want to be alone, and some people are their normal selves but that all ways were okay.

Not to get too far down a tangent but Hansel and Gretal is a crazy story for 1st graders to read.

Here are the major points of the story:

1. Dad remarries to a mean lady

2. Dad abandons children deep in the woods

3. Children are on the verge of starving (other vocabulary word taught was "famine")

4. Children pig out on candy house

5. Crazy old lady kidnaps kids

6. Crazy old lady forces Gretal to be her domestic servant

7. Crazy old lady locks Hansel in cage to plump him up to eat him

8. Gretal pushes old lady into burning oven

9. Old lady dies a terribly painful death

10. Children return home and live happily ever after with Dad because Step mom dies

Great! That is not at all scary for 7 year-old first graders.

Back on point: So we are all sad we can't find doggy and we are all totally perplexed as to where he could possibly be. Leo asked me if I thought doggy was scared and I told him probably not because he gets to sleep all day which doggy loves and when Aidan asked if I was sad I said "yes" but that doggy lived a long and good life. Aidan totally agreed. We reminisced about doggy's history, born in Switzerland, entered our life as a gift from Jennifer and Craig (our special friends in Geneva) to Aidan and then was specially selected by Leo to love.

Any ideas of where doggy could be. If you find him there is a $3 reward!

Pa's Birthday Weekend

2010-01-24T17:16:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday Pa! We hope you have a super great day. Burgers and fries with Crow, H, Ethan, Riley, and the Fosters sounds great. We wish we could celebrate with you but know we are thinking about you.

We don't have much going on this weekend. We had dinner with Doris on Friday night. Doris and I picked up take out from Hamburger Hamlet on our way home from work and we went to our house to eat. We all got really yummy burgers and fries. It was a day off the diet for me but I am back on the wagon.

Yesterday Jason worked in Leesburg and the boys and I hung out at home in the morning and then we went to Tyson's Corner I and II with Doris. Doris was getting her haircut and so we went with her. Jason met us at the mall after work at Tyson's I. The boys used their gift cards at Barnes and Noble (thank you Pa and Crow!). Aidan got a book on UFOs and Aliens and Leo got two books about Space. I also got two books with my gift card. After that, we went to Gordon Biersch for dinner. Aidan had a cheeseburger, Leo had a grilled cheese, I had a seafood Cobb salad, Jason had fish and chips and Doris had Mahi Mahi. It was great especially the locally brewed beer.

Today we went to the Dulles Expo Center for a train exhibit. Leo loved it and Aidan could have done without it but he was a good sport. Jason is at a magic lecture at the magic shop tonight and I am trying a new recipe from cooking light. I have no doubt that the boys are NOT going to like it but I'm trying it anyway. It is called Lombo di Maiale Coi Porri (Pan-Roasted Pork Loin with Leeks). If I like it, I will put it in the recipes section on the left of the blog but if you are interested just click on the link.
I am trying to update the recipes section of the blog and I have also added a few new pictures to the left. They are pictures of places we have been over the years and that I think are extra special. In this case, Jason is probably correct that he took them (except for the Palace picture which I took) but let's be honest any more these days the pictures were taken by me, with my new camera (thanks to Jason!).

We're still waiting for Jason to write his movie review. Let's see how long it takes (wink, wink). I'm also trying to really clean out my closet and get rid of clothes and other stuff that I have not used for a long time or know, deep down, that I am not going to use it or wear it any more. I see this as a long term project with me starting with my closet and extending to every floor of the house. We need to down size. Too much stuff stresses me out. Of course it doesn't help that I just bought a few (okay well maybe more than a few) things from Stampin' Up and CM but this is what I love so how could that stress me out?

Tomorrow is Monday. Now that stresses me out. Aidan has the day off. Lucky Dog!

The "Family" Blog

2010-01-21T21:28:00.002-05:00

It’s been hinted/told to me that the family blog has become Amy’s blog again. I’ve been told that with the boys giving quotes for Amy to use in some of the blogs, they are actually contributing more than I am. So I have been asked/bullied into contributing material to the blog again.

So without further ado, let me present to you my current and ongoing contribution to the Holma-Ritualo Blog is…the pictures. Nearly every picture on the blog from day one was taken by me. So if you think about it, I’m usually contributing 2-3 items for every one post that Amy does. Just think how boring this blog would be if it wasn’t for all of my hard work. Sure, Amy’s words paint a pretty vivid picture of what was going on or what the boys look like now, but it’s my images that really give this blog some, shall we say, pizzazz. So, sit back, read the blog regularly and enjoy all of my hard work.

I’ve just been told/berated by a certain someone who was reading over my shoulder that my taking pictures that she then has to download to the computer before uploading them to the blog and then edit them to fit into the text, doesn’t constitute “contributing” to the family blog. So after serious consideration/deciding what would be the next easiest thing to do, I’ve decided to start doing movie reviews again.

It’s been awhile since I last did a review so I’m going to start fresh. I’m moving all of the previous reviews from the left hand column and adding them to the end of this post so they will be available to read if you missed them the first time. The new reviews will now be posted in the left hand column starting with the most recent movie I’ve seen, Youth in Revolt.

Recount

An HBO movie about the legal battles that took place in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election that help determine the winner.

A well made film about a somewhat complicated and possibly boring story. There were two things in particular the film makers did that I liked. The first thing was the way they combined actual news footage with the actors to tell the story. The second thing was the way the movie was shot. It was shot using a lot of hand held cameras which gave it a documentary feel. Combined with the news footage and the quality acting, it made if feel very real.

That said, I still wouldn’t recommend this movie. Even with the current change in administration it’s still a little too fresh in our memories to relive this period of political history. And if you were a Bush supporter, you won’t be real happy with the portrayal of your political party. The Republicans weren’t necessarily vilified but there was a definite bias.

So unless you’re a Nadar supporter or just enjoy that feeling of anger building up in your gut, I’d stay away from this one.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal, an orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is accused of cheating when he is nearing the top prize of India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. It’s with flashbacks during the police’s interrogation that you see how Jamal’s life history provided him with the answers to these nearly impossible questions.

Slumdog Millionaire is winning or being nominated for virtually every movie award out there this year. It just recently won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama, and was nominated for Best Picture by the Academy Awards. I can honestly say that I agree with them. I’m sure this is making all the film critics out there breathe easy knowing that I feel they made the right decision. But anyway, this is a great movie. You really care about the characters. You feel like cheering for Jamal’s triumphs and shuddering at the horrors he goes through. It’s very well done from the direction to the acting.

It’s a great film but I can’t imagine India’s tourism board is all that happy with it. I’ve always felt that India is one of those countries I’d never want to travel to, and this film only validates those feelings. It feels like you could actually get hepatitis just by watching this movie.

If you’re a germaphobe I’d recommend staying away from Slumdog Millionaire, but if you’re up to date on your tetanus shots and want to see a good film, go see it.

Caddyshack

This isn’t a new movie. It’s a movie everyone has seen and usually loves and considers a comedy classic. Over the years I’ve seen bits and pieces of it but I’ve never seen the entire thing from beginning to end. So when I saw the DVD at the library I had to get it. I had to see what all the fuss was about.

As I said before, a lot of people consider Caddyshack to be a classic, one of the funniest movies ever. I think the people that feel that way are probably people who saw it for the first time around the time it came out (1980). Comedies are like that. I don’t think they hold up as well 20,30 years down the road for a first time viewing. I think for someone who saw it when it was new and loved it, could still love it and think it was funny today. That’s because it reminds them of the first time they saw it. When, “Did someone step on a duck” was new and funny. I had heard that line so many times by so many different people that when I heard Rodney Dangerfield say it it seemed more like Dangerfield doing an impression of my dad than the other way around.

I’m glad I saw it but if I was in the mood to watch something funny and was looking for something to see, Caddyshack wouldn’t ever cross my mind. In case you’re wondering, I would go for something like 40 Year Old Virgin, SuperBad, Role Models or anything by Kevin Smith

Dad's Night Off

2010-01-18T20:06:00.003-05:00

It's not much but we try to give Jason "time off" as much as possible so that he can have some piece and quite or do something he wants to do. He "works" constantly and rarely gets down time. Most of the time his "time off" usually consists of getting to go to the movies alone. I think he enjoys it because he loves the movies. He gets a "movie night" every couple of weeks or so--it's not enough but we try. Occassionaly he gets a little more, thanks to Doris.

A week ago this past Friday, Aidan, Leo and I spent the night at Doris' house so that Jason could have a night of rest. He gets to do whatever he wants, watch movies in peace, play Fifa Wii, watch TV or go to the movies. The best part of the whole evening is that he gets to sleep (really sleep) for one whole evening.

The boys love Doris' house so it is a lot of fun for them. We played games, had dinner and watched Disney Pixar's "Up" in bed and the next morning we made pancakes. We had a lot of fun and really appreciate Doris being so generous and kind to us.

(Extended) Mother's Night Out

2010-01-18T18:34:00.008-05:00

Thanks to Allan's generosity, Marcia and I enjoyed an extended Mother's night out. It was only Marcia's second time overnight without the children and it was my second or third night away not on business. On Saturday, we road the (Acela!) train to Philly arriving at about 2:00pm. We headed straight to hotel Sofitel (Bonjour!) where we were staying and while we were waiting to check in and waiting for our room to get ready we spent about 40 minutes with the hotel Concierge planning our trip. He arranged our dinner reservations, evening entertainment and spa treatment for the next day. He was the best!

After we checked into our room and tested our our super comfy beds, we did a little window shopping. We had a wonderful dinner at Sampan where we tried many different (not so small) modern Asian dishes. You are going to drop dead on the floor when you read this but one of my favorite dishes was the brussel sprouts. I know! I also loved the Papaya and Kobe beef salad and the lobster goyza.

After dinner we went to a play called Becky Shaw which was a 5 person cast show. The playwright is Gina Gionfriddo who is a producer/writer of Law and Order. It is a funny and serious story about a date set up and the date is a little wacky and sets in motion a number of events that the family then has to deal with. I have to admit that when I first sat down and the show started, I was expecting them to break into song. Musicals are the only shows I have seen recently. Also there was quite a bit of swearing in the show. I kept thinking "what's with the swearing?" and Marcia and I would keep looking at each other thinking "what with all the swearing?". I think it's because we both have this heightened hearing for swear words...whenever their is swearing on the TV or radio we change it so the kids don't hear and I haven't been to an adult play/musical for a really long time. After dinner and the play we went back to our hotel and had fresh, homemade ginger ale and an apple tartin with cinnamon ice cream in our hotel bar. Yum!

The next day we went to the Spa, Marcia got her hair cut and I got a facial. After that we did some more shopping and then had a fantastic late lunch at the Continental restaurant. It was delicious and probably the best meal we had. I had the veggie burger and french fries and Marcia had a corn, pablano and cheese omelet. For dessert we shared the "liquid" chocolate french toast which was totally to die for. After lunch we headed back to the train station for our 4:12 departure and we got into DC at about 5:45pm. It was a really nice and relaxing trip. We had such a great time.

While I was in Philly the boys went to see Princess and the Frog and ate dinner at McDonald's. They totally love it when I go away because they get to eat at McDonald's. The next day they were home most of the day because we were getting Direct TV installed. Sadly, our run of free cable has ended. Over the last year, the channels kept dropping and dropping. It was a good five year run!

Today we went over to Becs and Jake's house for a wonderful lunch of butternut squash lasagna, salad, baked ziti, roasted cauliflower and garlic bread and for dessert Bec's made the most delicious pumpkin chocolate bundt cake. It was such a wonderful meal and amazing company. Doris was with us and Kevin, Sarah and beautiful Liam. He (Liam of course) was so amazingly good the entire day we were with him. He sat quietly and content in his chair while we ate and he was happy to let us all play with him and hold him. He's a fantastic baby. (I'm going to try to add the cake and lasagna recipes on the sidebar of our blog too!)

Aidan and Leo love Becs and Jake's house because they are super nice, let the boys play Wii and because they have two cats, Reggie and Dewey. The loved watching Reggie jump in and out of the cat window/door, they also loved playing with him and his toys!, and they thought it was super cool that Reggie likes to play with (real) mice. They were mesmerized by the (real) mouse split in half in the front yard. Gruesome, I know, but boys like that kind of stuff. Leo was funny and got some toilet paper to pick up a dead bug for Becs and he used toilet paper to get a stink bug for her too! Bugs and mice how cool!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T21:29:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year!! We had a very fun New Year. We rented a cabin in Belle Isle Virginia State Park. The State Parks actually rent cabins! Actually it was called a guest house because it was next to a mansion that could also be rented. The cabin slept 8, well actually, probably 9 but we had 8.5. Barb and Dennis, Thotlady, Bogey and Bramwell (cute dog in the pictures) and us 4. Thotlady found it and it was a bit of a risk because none of us had scene it before but it was fantastic! It has a well stocked kitchen, big family room and big dining room. It had one bedroom with double bed, one with bunks beds with the bottom bunk a double bed and the two couches in the living room folded out into beds (our room). It was right on the water. The back of the house is literally 5-10 feet from the water. Belle Isle is bordered by Deep Creek (where our cabin looked out on to), Mulberry Creek and the Rappahannock River.

As you can see we work up to beautiful views out on the creek and in the distance beyond we could see the enormous Rappahannock River. There were a ton of birds surrounding us and we went for walks every day. The last day, January 2, 2010 was freezing cold, unbearably cold but the other days were cold but great.

We took walks in the State Park which we pretty much owned because there was no one else staying in the park while we were there. We played cards, a little old maid, 31, and phase-10. We had lots of snacks (I love snacks) and ate great meals. We each took a meal time. I made chicken enchiladas and rice on New Years, Thotlady made Monkey muffins (yum-o), Barb made Lasagna and Jason made pancakes in the morning.

The cabin had a DVD player and direct TV so we watched Night at the Museum and started to watch Harry Potter, Half-Blood Prince and to my chagrin but in Crow's honor Sponge Bob.

When I asked Aidan what his favorite part of the cabin was he said the "shells". We found some really pretty oyster shells and other shellfish. We saw lots of birds but not a lot of other wildlife but we did see evidence of their existence including deer droppings, deer tracks, and other four-legged animal tracks.

December 31, 2009. Arrival at the cabin. It was quite foggy the day we arrived but beautiful nonetheless

Jason and Leo on our nature walk

The boys searching for shells

Amy playing solitare

Happy New Year everyone! We wish you a wonderful, peaceful, healthy and happy New Year!

Christmas Day

2009-12-27T20:06:00.007-05:00

Our Christmas Tree

We had a wonderful Christmas. On Christmas Eve we had fondue and lots of white wine. We opened presents from family that we would usually spend Christmas Eve with, the Fosters and Ritualos. The boys had a great time. Later in the evening, we set cookies out for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. In the morning, they were gone and stockings were filled and Santa left presents for Aidan and Leo. They must have been very, very good. On Christmas morning the boys woke up around 7:30am--a respectable hour--and ran downstairs to see if Santa had come. He did!!! Leo got a RC Jumbo Jet and Aidan got a Nintendo DS. After Aidan opened his DS game Oma asked, "Did you ask Santa for any games?" Aidan's face went long and serious and he sadly said, "no." No matter because his family came through for him and Grandpa Russ and Grandma Joan and Pa and Crow got him some new games so he was set.

Aidan and Jason playing the DS

Leo was very excited opening presents. Every time he opened a toy he had to take time to open it and play with it. The first toy he opened was Mater the Greater from Grandpa Russ and Grandma Joan--which required lots of assembly--but he loves playing with it. Uncle Marc kept teasing the boys that they were going to get underwear and socks. When Aidan finally opened the underwear that crow got him he couldn't believe it and he yelled "Uncle Marc, look I got underwear!" When Leo opened his underwear (Thomas the Train) he threw them down and said he hated underwear! Little do they know that getting underwear from Pa and Crow is a tradition!

Aunt Cindy looking a her new cookbook and Bramwell sniffing around for something exciting.

After we opened presents from the Holmas we took a bit of a break to have Cinnamon Rolls and pumpkin bread. We make Cinnamon Rolls because Grandma Joan always made Cinnamon Rolls for us in the morning. Oma loved the house sign mom found at the Puyallup fair that says, "Oma and Opa's house"-they couldn't believe you found it and look forward to putting it up on their house. I got a new camera which was exciting and these pictures are from my new camera. I still have a lot to learn about using it. On a side note, the users manual comes on a CD and not in paper which means I am much less likely to learn how to use it! The camera was one of the last presents I opened which is why I have so few pictures of opening presents! I also got an Edward and Bella "New Moon" fuzzy blanket. Good one mom! Aidan hates it!

Christmas Dinner at the grown up table: Jandan (our neighbor), A. Cindy, U. Marc, Oma, Jason and Opa

We had a wonderful dinner of spiral honey ham, Aunt Pam's yummy potatoes, Unyun's Green Bean surprise and salad. We had good music, good food, and good company. We had a lovely Christmas. I missed so much the rest of our family. The boys really, really loved opening your presents and I wish you ALL could be here to watch them open them and see the excitement. We are so lucky to have such a large and loving family. Thank you so much!! We are forever grateful for your love and kindness.

Christmas dinner at the kids tables!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-24T15:28:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful, happy Christmas. Enjoy the next two days. Drink and be Merry!

We have had a great couple of days. Oma and Opa were here over the weekend and they left on Monday to head back to Richmond after the big snow storm. We have been making cookies for Santa and will frost them tonight. We finished all of our shopping and shopped for all of the food for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We will have fondue tonight and Ham and Aunt Pam Cooney's famous potatoes.

The other night Leo and Aidan were going to bed in Aidan's bed and Aidan fell asleep immediately. Leo was tossing and turning because he took a late nap. He was being very good and trying very hard to sleep. Finally, I asked him if we wanted to lay by me and he said "yes". I was sitting at the edge of Aidan's bed reading my book (Eclipse, the third in the Twilight series). Leo looks up at my thoughtfully and said, "Is Santa going to land on our roof?" I said, "yes, he is going to land his sleigh on our roof." He then asked me, "do we need to make a present for Santa?" I said, "we don't make him a present but we will make him cookies and leave carrots for his reindeer." He then thoughtfully asked me if we would leave the cookies and carrots outside. I told him we would leave them by the fireplace because Santa would come down the chimney. Leo said, "okay" and fell asleep.

Last night we talked with Pa and Crow they said that we could open a present this Christmas Eve morning. Leo told Pa and Crow "no, not until Santa comes!" He was very adamant about not opening any presents until Santa came. We all convinced him that we should open one of Pa and Crow's presents. He finally agreed and said, "that sounds fine to me." This morning we each opened a present. I got a really cute Georgetown sweatshirt, Jason got two bath towels (ha!), Leo got a batman car, and Aidan got a star wars lego set. Leo ran around saying, "I love it, I love it, I love it!" He said he was going "play with it all day!"

I had to work half a day today so I left home at around 7:45am and the boys came down to work at lunch and we had lunch together with Sarah, Kevin and Liam (great friends from work). Liam is about 6 months and completely and utterly adorable with his soft, smooth skin and beautiful big blue eyes and fuzzy hair. After work we went to the botanical gardens to see the train display. They always have an amazing train display and beautiful poinsettias.

Barb, Dennis, Marc, Cindy and Bramwell are all heading up to our house now. Aidan and Jason are putting together Aidan bazillion piece lego star wars ship and Leo just woke up from a nap and is playing with his batman car.

On our way home from work we were reminiscing about Christmas Eve days. It is interesting that when I think back to Christmas Eve days I remember memories from long ago and not recent memories. I think of working at Foster Office Equipment and the employee party we used to have with Mom's chili, Auntie Mickey's deviled eggs and family and friends stopping by to say Merry Christmas. We would get off work early and get ready to go to Auntie Pam's house were we would eat good food and laugh until our stomachs hurt. After that we would walk across the street to Dad and Joan's and celebrate the way only the Ritualo family knows how to celebrate...lots of good food, desserts really since we came so late (Uncle Fred!), good drinks, lots of presents, and lots of laughs. I wonder what memories Aidan and Leo will have when they are 36 like me.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas filled with lots of fun and laughs.

We are sad that we are not with you. Miss you all!

Snow Update

2009-12-19T16:52:00.003-05:00

Well it looks like we now have about 20 inches!

Snow, Snow, and More and More and More Snow

2009-12-19T14:06:00.004-05:00

Yahowza! It is snowing so much! The snow started at about 9pm last night and has not really let up. It is supposed to continue through tomorrow morning. Right now (on Saturday, at 2:05pm) we have about 15 inches. They say we should get 14-20 inches! They have been talking about this snow storm for the last couple of days. They said, "it's a record breaker!" By "they" I mean the weather people on the news. Now, I love, love, love the snow. It is so beautiful, lights up the sky, and there is nothing more fun than playing in the snow.

Aidan laying in the snow. The boys liked laying in the snow. They also liked to purposefully fall down in the snow.

Last night was our 10th Anniversary. Yes. I said, "10th Anniversary!" (I am getting to the snow story). Oma and Opa are here so Jason and I went out to dinner. We went to the Blue Duck Tavern in the Park Hyatt Hotel. It was a delicious meal and wonderful dining experience. Jason had the braised beef short rib and I had the crab cakes. For dessert, we both had ice cream. Jason had vanilla with homemade caramel sauce and I had the mascarpone fig ice cream. It was superb! Thanks to Cha for the recommendation! Oh and no big deal but the restaurant is also where the Obama's celebrated their anniversary. Back to the snow...in one second. I have the best husband in whole entire world. I couldn't be more happy with our marriage. I feel so lucky that Jason picked me to spend the rest of his life with. Okay SNOW...after dinner around 9pm it started to snow and we decided to go the shopping mall to pick a few last minute things without the boys. We stayed for about an hour and when we left, already the ground and the main roads where covered in snow. The big red car did not do so well in the snow. The tires were spinning and spinning up the hill and we were barely moving. I was a little worried that we would not make it home. But we did, thank you big red car.

Jason is doing the hand measurement on the back of the car.

Today the boys went out in the snow. They must have stayed out there for 1.5 hours. In some places the snow was up to Leo's knees. They threw snowballs at Jason and went sledding. Jason went down with Leo and I went down we Aidan. We laughed the whole way down. The sledding hill was about a 20 degree decline and then had about 75 degree decline between two trees ending in front of the tennis court fence. After the first run Leo declared that he wanted to go by himself. I said, "no" because it's too steep and he could run into a tree or the fence but he kept begging to go so I finally gave in. He and Aidan did it all by themselves! It was hilarious. They can be fearless sometimes.

Snow on the back porch at about 2pm.

Oma and Opa were planning to go back down to Richmond tomorrow. I don't think they will make it. Let's see what Monday looks like!

Yeah...SNOW!!!

Spelling Tests

2009-12-19T08:39:00.005-05:00

Aidan's first grade class started weekly spelling tests. The tests are on Friday! He had his first one on December 11. He practiced all week long. His teacher sends a weekly packet which include daily assignments to practices like alphabetizing the words and practice tests (on Thursdays).

He got a 100 on his first test! He did so good and they were a little tricky like including "their" and "there" - on his first test! We are so proud of him. It has been a learning process for his parents as well. We learned that Aidan is a bit of a perfectionist. When he practices and he misspells a word he gets very frustrated and says, "I just want to get it right!" Gosh, where in the world does he get that from? It's a mystery.

It's also been a new challenge in parenting because we want to encourage him and tell him to study hard and do great but then we don't want him to feel too disappointed if he does end up getting one (or (gasp!) two) wrong. On his second spelling test this week he also said he got all of them right. He has done really, really great and we are super proud of him!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

2009-12-05T16:05:00.002-05:00

It is snowing here! It snowed pretty much all day. It was a very wet snow but it started to stick to the ground and the roads after about an hour or two. At about 4pm DC time it stopped snowing and now it is very wet and slightly rainy. Even still the boys played in the snow and had a snow ball fight and after, some hot chocolate.

We also as you can see from Leo's picture below painted the bathroom. Leo rubbed up against the wet paint and got paint in his hair and on his sleeve. The boys are great painters and good workers. Jason had to work today--in this crazy weather.

Also Leo wanted to take a picture of the blue toilet water. Who doesn't want a picture of blue toilet water really? It is rather artistic! Enjoy!

Pink Glove Dance

2009-12-04T19:56:00.004-05:00

I thought this video was great. It is for Breast Cancer Awareness and was put together by Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Oregon.

Thanks Joan for sharing!

Busy Week

2009-11-29T19:22:00.008-05:00

We have had a busy week and a half with Crow here. The boys have been having a great time with Crow or as Leo calls her "Tow". Crow has been teaching Aidan how to play Lego Indiana Jones or wait, maybe Aidan has been teaching Crow. They have been playing Candy Land, cards, dominoes, Legos, ball, reading books and they worked outside raking leaves. Most importantly, we had a super great Thanksgiving dinner. I forgot how much I love a really good turkey dinner.

On Friday, we went to the Aquarium which was great fun! When we first moved to the DC area, Jason and I were never really impressed with the B'more aquarium. We thought it was way overpriced and overrated. But we have changed our mind. They have added a number of new exhibits including a jellyfish exhibit, Dolphin show and Australian exhibit and it is fun and impressive. Crow even liked it.

Crow has done some serious Christmas shopping which has been great for me as well because I have gotten a lot of my Christmas done as well! I still need to make a list but I don't think I have much left to buy. How great is that?!

Today we ate a delicious lunch at Mario's (don't be jealous Pa and Sarah!). Crow and I split a "Lefty's special" and the boys had pizza. For dinner, Crow made us chili which we now have frozen for dinners later in the year. And today we put up a lot of Christmas decorations. We put up just about everything but the Christmas tree. It was great! Crow, Leo and I put the decorations up outside and Leo had a great time. He is really getting in the Christmas spirit and excited. Leo made us go to the other side of the street and admire our handy work!

Tonight we are going to play Wii. I'm going to show Crow how tight rope walking is really done!

Tomorrow is a very sad day in the Holma Family household. Crow is leaving tomorrow in the evening. We will all be so sad but will be awaiting her return in April (& Grandma Jackie!)

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T08:33:00.003-05:00

What were thankful for:
Amy: I am thankful for the good health of my family and friends
Jason: I am thankful for two great kids
Crow: I am thankful for being here with the Amy, Jason, Aidan and Leo
Aidan: I am thankful for me and Wii
Leo: I am thankful for thanksgiving so we can put up our Christmas tree and the plane game

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bugs and Bats

2009-11-03T18:47:00.004-05:00

So I am ready to go back to Jakarta to the comforts of the Grand Hyatt. I am constantly tired, dirty, sweaty, sun burned, puzzled by the toilet situation, sick of bugs and thirsty. Yesterday was the day to end all of days we were constantly on the go talking to people here and there through an interpreter. It was exhausting. We ended our day with dinner at a restaurant on the sea which would ordinarily be beautiful and a lovely experience but instead the restaurant was covered in stink bugs.

They were miniature versions of the stink bugs we have in DC but there were thousands of them. They were landing on our clothes, in our hair, smacking in our face, and landing in our food and on our table. It just got exhausting. At that point I was done with Aceh and ready to leave. As wonderful as the lime and pineapple juice was, and the fresh shrimp and fish and of course the company, the dinner was not pleasant because of the contant bug attack. They are harmless bugs but incredibly annoying. I don't do bugs well.

Alternatively, yesterday I had a fruit called rambutan (check it out Aidan and Leo it has a fun outter cover) which was delicious though the shells were a bit covered with ants which was annoying. Also I had my first fresh coconut, cut directly from a tree and opened with a machete. It was good, surprisingly tart, and it seemed like it had a bubble like a weak seltzer. I also had this delicious and amazing honey bread which melted in my mouth.

Also Aidan and Leo I saw a Fruit Bat today, actually I saw lots of them flying in the sky. They are huge and look to be the size of a crow. I took a picture but in the picture they look only like a speck. There must have been 10 of them flying around. I couldn't believe I saw it. Remember Aidan when we were looking in your bat book and we saw the fruit bat and I made you quickly turn the page because it was so ugly and big? That was it!!!

Today we have more meetings, visit one more school, and then we head to the airport to go back to jakarta.

I had some pictures but I am down in the breakfast area and they are up in my room. I will share them with you soon. It's too hot already at 7am to want to go back up to my room.

Aidan and Leo: your last surprise before I get home is somewhere in the house. I will give you one hint: it is upstairs in mommy and daddy's room. You can search all over our room to find it! I hope you love it and I can't wait to see you in a few days.

I'm missing you so much. Love you all day! Love you to the fartherest star in the sky and back.

Mommy

Banda Ache

2009-11-02T19:03:00.005-05:00

A view from the top of a barge that landed about 2 miles aways from the water.

A beautiful Mosque in the center of the city.

I don't have a lot of time because my computer is running out of power but just wanted to let everyone know that I am now in Banda Aceh. We made it safely yesterday (it's a 2.5 hour flight from Jakarta), went to our hotel, went shopping a bit, and then had meetings all afternoon. After work some one from the Save the Children Office took us around to see some of the wreckage and impact from the Tsunami that occured the day after Christmas in 2004. There are no words to decribe what we see here today. It is unbelievable the impact the Tsunami had here (it was the closest place to the epicenter) and yet people from here speak about how amazed they were with all of the help that came to this area after the Tsunami. It's hard to imagine the toll that it has taken on people mentally. The person taking us around said that it was still hard to see it all.

The area is beautiful. There are big mountains, some 10,000-12,000 feet, right on the water, and with lots of palm trees. It is not covered in cheap tourist stores like Bali and it is has a busy, vibrant downtown.

A veiw of homes that were destroyed by the Tsunami that were never

claimed or never rebuilt.

A large ship that landed on tops of homes. The Mayor bought this land and is turning it into a memorial or museum.

The other half of the ship on top of a home.

We leave here tomorrow to return to Jakarta. It feels like we have been here for months rather than a week and a half. I am definately ready to go home.

Love you all!

Bali and Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T06:38:00.007-04:00

Sunset view from the hotel bar "sunset bar" at about 6pm

View of the beach from the hotel (10am)

View from my balcony

We went to the airport on Friday for our flight to Bali leaving at 6:15pm. The flight was delayed by about two hours which totally stunk because Bali is also 1 hour ahead of Jakarta time and 12 hours ahead of DC time. So, I didn't end up getting to the hotel until after 11pm. We had some issues with the taxi but in the end didn't fight the $7 extra cab far. It was too late to bargain or fight. Friday was an exhausting day. We spent all day at two centers that work with children (street children and children at high risk of working in exploitive labor). We meet the center staff, parents and students. It was inspiring, fun, interesting, totally hot and utterly exhausting. You can imagine how annoyed, tired, and dirty I was when I arrived.

Children in a center for street children singing and playing guitar

However, once the taxi (finally) dropped me off I was in completely beautiful surroundings. My hotel is fabulous. When I got to the front desk they offered me a refreshing lime drink, the offered me a lower price than I had expected, and they upgrade me to a better room. Now I have the room one down from the presidential suite. Not bad! Plus they gave me free laundry service for 5 pieces which I was totally excited about (sad but true).

Breakfast area

My room is great. I have two bathrooms, a nice king bed, a living room and a dining area. I have an enormous balcony and wish my family were here so we could stay in Bali forever. I showered and slept well and got up on Saturday morning at about 8am. I went to breakfast and had an amazing breakfast with the best Mango, loads of other fruit and guava juice. Some of the fruit I had never scene before and it was quiet fun! After breakfast, I went to the beach and sat on the beach for a few hours and swam in the Indian Ocean. I never thought I would swim in the Indian Ocean. After hanging out on the beach I went to the hotel pool and stayed for a couple more hours, had some lunch and a dip in the pool. The sun is so hot here. I got burned. I have to stay out of the sun tomorrow. After the pool I went to the spa and had coconut scub, flower bath, and balinese massage. It was so fantastic. I went to my room and just vegged out on my bed so relaxed and calm.

Swimming pool

Another sunset view

Not wanting to miss the sunset I forced myself out of bed (at 5pm) and went to the sunset bar. I had a Bintang Beer and watched the sunset. It was quiet romantic, missing Jason and the boys but absolutely beautiful. When I asked for a table the waiter said, "Are you alone?" like what's wrong with you. I proudly said "yes" and we talked for a bit. I finished my beer and now I am sitting in the hotel's cafe that has free wireless and watching soccer on ESPN. I am debating going shopping this evening but to be perfectly honest I think I am just going to go back to my room, lay in bed, and read. I am reading the last book in the twilight series. hoo-hah!

Tomorrow, I have another appointment for the spa (you really can't beat it), then I think I will hang at the pool a bit and then shower, check out of my room at 2pm and then maybe do a little shopping. The spas are great here. They are not cheap at the nice hotels like mine but quite a bit cheaper than at home. You can go to some smaller places and get a massage for like 5 bucks but that's not very convenient and I don't know how much I trust the cleanliness with those places. I'm sure it's great but whatever.

Sadly, our flight leaves at 8pm to go back to Jakarta. After that we head three days to Aceh in the northern part of the island. I may not have internet connect there but let's see.

Happy Halloween Aidan and Leo. I hope you have a good time trick or treating. Save some candy for me and the good candy! Not just the kind you don't like. I can't wait to see snake eyes and buzz lightyear holma!

Miss you and love you lots. On Monday, Grandma Joan and Grandpa Russ come to visit you. They will be so excited to see you! I hope you have lots fun. See if Grandpa Russ can help you learn how to ride your bike, Aidan without the training wheels! Leo be sure to show Grandma Joan your collection of bats.

Love,

Momma

Thursday: Meetings Inspiring

2009-10-29T10:06:00.006-04:00

Can you guess where I am? Keep reading...

Today we had more meetings. This email will be quick because I have to pack for Bali. We are leaving straight from our site visits tomorrow. There is a slight change in plans for Bali. I was planning on travelling with someone but as it turns out we have different expectations for our trip. She is looking for cheap $12/night villa and I am looking for Spa and Luxury (D and Becs keep it to yourself). We are flying together but then splitting up. C'est la Vie.

Today we had meetings to disucss our project. These are three girls who were rescued by our projects from trafficking. They have amazing stories and happily they are going to middle school now. They are all beautiful. The picture below is of a young man who was working as a child in the footware industry in the early 2000's. He was working in dark, dusy and hazardous conditions and he is now at the University. He is also an artist and a writer. He was doodling a beautiful drawing on a piece of paper and I asked him if I could keep it and he said "yes". It was significant to me because he was doodling the name of my office. They are all really special kids.

Our meetings were being held at another government office and they had the same kind of toilet I wrote about earlier. This time I took a picture. I had to use the bathroom so I tried it out. I am just no good at this. It was disgusting and a mess and I won't say anymore about that! You squat down and pee in that hole and then use the water in the bucket to flush it down. The whole floor is wet and messy. Uck!

After our meetings ended at about 5pm today we went back to the office with the driver. We decided to go out to dinner with a colleague and on our way he stopped off at Obama's elementary school. It was great. There is a plaque right outside the building, you can see it on the left. The school is beautiful and really well kept for the visitors/tourists I'm sure. In one of the classrooms I peaked in they had a huge movie sized poster of Obama right in the middle of the class. It was really fun.

Bec's this is for Jake. He will be happy to know that Chili's is in Jakarta. Isn't that crazy. They are also really BIG on dunkin donuts. The shops are EVERY WHERE. I think they have more dunkin donuts than Boston. They also have oddly KFC and Tony Roma's. Wierd right?

Surprise: Aidan and Leo

2009-10-28T20:00:00.002-04:00

Hi Aidan and Leo. I have hidden a surprise for you in the house. You have to follow these directions to find your surprise: Good Luck, and Have Fun.

Start: Stand in the middle of the kitchen with your pinky finger on the freezer door handle.
1) Walk to the living room and look under the couch. Not there?
2) Walk down stairs to the basement
3) Go into the bedroom in the basement
4) Stand in front of the mirrors
5) Turn around 3 times
6) Run upstairs to mommy and daddy's room
7) Look in Daddy's dresser to find your surprise

I hope you love it.

I love and miss you so much!

Wednesday: Down Pour

2009-10-28T12:04:00.002-04:00

This morning I got up at 6am and went to the gym. They have an awesome gym with individual TVs for every machine. I did the eliptical machine for 30 minutes and then went to the whirpool which is only luke warm and then into the steam room which was hot, hot, hot!

We had a breakfast meeting this morning at 9am and then we left for a meeting in Bandung at noon. We thought it would take no more than two hours but the traffick here sucks so we got there an hour later which was fine. We had no role in the meeting and just went to hear what other were doing on trafficking. Bandung is a bit up in the mountains and we had a down pour. We were drive in the back roads trying to find the hotel that was hosting the meeting and water was gushing down the road like an active river. Imagine a DC rain storm with 3 more feet of water. I thought our car was totally going to get stuck. We were in a small SUV so the water came up to my car door. A little car had water half way up the door and some people were riding on motorcycles soaked and stuck! It was crazy. I was a little nervous we would get stuck and I would have to get out in the gushing river but we didn't and once we got to the hotel the rain stopped. On our way from Jakarta to Bandung we saw a lot of tea plantations and rubber trees. It was interesting.

The meeting was fine. We had dinner at the hotel of the meeting with some colleagues and drove home at 8pm. We arrived back at the hotel at 10:30pm. It was a long day so I am off to take my nyquil read some breaking down and catch some zzzz's..... We bought our tickets to Bali today and now we just have to figure out where we want to stay.

Love you all.

Tuesday: More Meetings

2009-10-27T09:05:00.003-04:00

This morning I went down to breakfast at 7:00am. After taking some Nyquil I slept great and woke about at about 6:00am. I promised I would take a picture of these beautiful juices. They thought I was crazy but it is such a beautiful rainbow of colors. I had my usual american breakfast of coffee, juice, eggs, toast but today I tried a few indonesia dishes. One was noodles with eggs, carrots and cabbage. The other was fried rice. It is so weird (to me) to eat these foods at breakfast. I'm hoping at some time I become a little more adventurous and have the Udon noodle soup for breakfast!

Orange, watermelon, honey dew, pineapple and cucumber juices.

View from the ILO offices on the 22nd floor.

We left at 8:00am for our meeting at 9am. We didn't want to be late and figured it would take 30 minutes to get there at the most. We were going to the same place as yesterday but we didn't really pay attention yesterday to where we went because we travelled with a person we work with who lives in Indonesia. We had an address from an invitation we received and we did not realize it had changed. So we went to the wrong building. When we got inside they didn't speak English so they found someone in the Ministry that did. She told us they have another building and we needed to take a taxi there (our taxi driver left already). So she took us to the street hailed a taxi and she gave hime directions. She was so NICE and KIND! Finally we arrived to the right building 45 minutes later and 25 minutes late! But as it turned out everyone was slow today and the meeting had not even started. I was to present first so it was a bit of a stress but the presentation went fine. My presentation had to be translated into Bahasa Indonesia (which is the local language) and that was interesting. The meeting went fairly well and after my presentation I didn't feel like I wanted to hide under a rock and never come out.

We had about 8 minutes to eat lunch before we raced off to another meeting. This time we (directionally challenged) got to take the ILO car to the ILO offices so we didn't get lost. Again, the presentation went fairly well (no hiding) and the meeting was really worth while and interesting. I was sure if yesterday's meeting was worth us attending but today I thought was interesting and great.

View of housing area out of ILO 22nd floor offices.

After we left the ILO we walked down the street lined with trees (vertical line of trees) to our hotel. It was an interesting walk through a neighborhood. There was lots of little food stands. I'm extremely skeptical about the food in these stands so I have never had anything. There was also lots of garbage every where, dirt and dust. Some of the homes on these streets were actually pretty beautiful thought with stained glass windows. While we were walking there was a call to prayer and people were walking, bicycling, and motorbiking to the mosque.

When we got back to the hotel, I went for a dip in the pool sorry for the night time picture. There were bats flying low to the water which kind of creeped me out so I didn't stay in the water too long. After that I went to the hot pool and then the sauna. I showered in the gym and came back up to my room and decided to stay in. I feel exhausted. So I order room service and am going to read, relax and watch Thomas Crowne Affair in bed. Tomorrow we have a breakfast meeting and then we have rented a car to travel to Bandung for a meeting.

You may not get a post from me tomorrow but let's see.

Love you!

A night time view of the pool.

Monday Meetings

2009-10-26T09:36:00.005-04:00

This is a view at 7am from the hotel lounge.

Well today is Monday. I have to work.

We spent the day at a Minstry. They kindly agreed to host the meeting. The night before I went to bed at 12:30am and woke up at 2:30am wide awake(because remember according to my body it is about 2:30 in the afternoon). My alarm went off at 5:30 right before I started to dose off. I literally think that I got 2 hours and 10 minutes of sleep last night. I was exhausted at the meetings today. They asked me at the last minute if I would like to speak. Would I like to speak? Of course not! but I did. I think my voice quivered. I hate that. It looks so amateurish but I'm trying not to dwell on it. I have to give two presentations tomorrow. I hate it but I suppose if I were trying to see bright side, it does give me more experience which certainly can't hurt.

Just one quick comment about toilets. I promise to sneak a picture tomorrow. In the government office they have 3 stalls: one stall with a toilet and a bucket of water with a ladle, one stall where you stand up and crouch to pee with a bucket of water and a ladle, and one shower area. I can't imagine anyone showering. All of these with NO toilet paper. I guess its bring your own (byotp). I couldn't do the stand up one I just don't have good aim to not pee all over my clothes. I ended up going to the first stall with toilet and ladling water down until the toilet "flushed". Also there was a toilet in the meeting room with a toilet seat and toilet paper which I used a couple times during the day but it just seemed so weird peeing in the meeting room which is why I looked for other toilets. In the afternoon I tried this toilet but I'm not sure people know exactly how to use a toilet with a toilet seat because they had taken this shower hose thing and sprayed the whole toilet and the toilet paper. It was so gross. Apparently, the stand up toilets are just "what they do". Even with all the money they would choose a stand up toilet. Whatever!

So after work, I went down to the Spa for a pedicure. It was great. Here is a picture. Afterwards, I went to the pool - OMG! The pool is awesome. I am so going there tomorrow. Aidan and Leo, you would LOVE it. It is ginormica with a fountain, fake rocks, trees, etc. I didn't have my camera but I will take a picture tomorrow. The pool is amazing.

Cool color right? I never get anything but pink. I'm all crazy!

I have to study my presentation so I am off to bed.

Love and miss you guys!

Insanely long flight: Arrive Jakarta

2009-10-25T11:05:00.005-04:00

Depart: Washington DC 6:00am Friday

Arrive: JFK 7:05am

Depart: JFK 10:05am

Arrive: Honk Kong 2:05 pm Saturday

Depart: Hong Kong 4:00pm

Arrive: Jakarta 7:40pm

I left our house on Friday morning at 3:50am: an obscenely early time. I am travelling with a colleague and meet her at the gate at about 4:50am after checking in and going through security. We left for JFK airport on a small, small, small plane that only had 3 seats across. I hate those planes. We got a little breakfast and coffee and got on another airplane headed to Honk Kong. The plane was terribly crowded with lots and lots of screaming babies. The pilot announced that the flight time would be 15 hours and 40 minutes. Are you freaking kidding me???? How could anyone possibly survive on an airplane for that long?

The plane I was on (Cathay Pacific) had over 100 movies! I watched 5 movies: angels and demons (ok), the proposal (really good), the hangover (good but a little dark), and some other movie but can't remember it was from the "recent hits" list of movies. I also watched a few episodes of friends. I ate 3 meals worth of airline food-ugh!! I slept maybe 2 hours and that is generous.

Once we arrived in Hong Kong, I had a cappuccino at starbucks in the airport and then I got on another 4 hour flight to jakarta. I know you are thinking to yourself "how did she get on another plane?" Believe me, I was thinking the same thing myself.

When we arrived in Jakarta someone was waiting for us and took us to the hotel. We are staying in a great hotel. Here are a couple of pictures.

The main entrance to to the hotel

The view out of my room. I am on the 14th floor.

My bathroom. I have a separate bathtub, shower and toilet.

My bedroom. Sorry about the mess. I didn't feel like picking up to take a picture.

When we arrived at the hotel, I took a fantastic hot shower, called home, unpacked my suitcase and went to bed. I requested a wake up call at 9:30am. I slept fabulously and didn't wake up until the phone rang. I went downstairs to the delicious breakfast. They had beautiful juices, cucumber, pineapple, watermelon, honeydew melon, and orange. It is a beautiful rainbow of colors...I'll take a picture tomorrow. For breakfast they had american, european and traditional breakfast with udon noodles, fried rice, dumplings and other food we would typically eat for dinner. I had an omelet, croissant and cheese and watermelon and pineapple juice and cappuccino.

After breakfast, we took a taxi to find a shopping center. We arrived at an indoor mall but that didn't look any different from our malls. They had nine west shoes, perfumes and soaps like you would find in american malls. On the third floor though we found this fantastic market with lots of handicrafts. They have this coffee (kopi luwak) that is supposed to be a delicacy. It is made from feeding coffee beans to a cat like animal and they poop it out and they use that to grind the beans. No kidding. It is poop coffee and it is $150 for a small little container (like a quarter of a pound, maybe less). I found a few really fun things, we had coffee (normal coffee) and then we decided to take a bus to another part of town. The bus was an adventure but we did great.

The other part of town was really poor, dirty and there was not much to do so we decided to get a snack (dumplings and lumpia), a beer (bintang) and water. After walking around that area a little I felt like I had spent three years sucking down exhaust, smoke and pollution. It was terrible. We took a taxi back to the hotel. To be honest there is not a lot to see in Jakarta. Indonesia is supposed to be (and I am sure it is) a beautiful country with amazing snorkling, volcano areas, white sandy beachers, birds of paradise, komodo drangons and beautiful hiking areas. It's just that Jakarta has really nothing to see.

At the hotel I had a hot stone massage, went shopping the amazing mall connected to our hotel and then came back around 9pm, ordered room service and here I am.

Tomorrow we have a meeting at 7am? Who planned that?!?! not me, believe me!

Happy Birthday Oma!

2009-09-28T17:33:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Oma!

We hope you have a wonderful day and have a delicous cake, cupcake or treat! It is the focus of my day!

We love you lots and wish you a happy, happy birthday and wonderful year.

Love,
Amy, Jason, Aidan and Leo

A trip to the Dentist

2009-09-15T18:45:00.005-04:00

Aidan and Leo went to the dentist last Tuesday. Aidan has been to the dentist a number of times before this visit but this was Leo's first visit to the dentist! Whoo-hoo! The day before (Labor Day) we were over at Doris' house for dinner and I remembered they had their dentist appointment and excitedly told Doris that Leo was going to the dentist for the first time. To my surprise he cried and said he didn't want to go! We stopped talking about it immediately! Uh-oh, this did not look good for Tuesday. Let's just say he was not impressed and there is a slim chance that Leo will aspire to be a dentist.

Aidan went first in the chair and as you can see he is an old pro. The dentist said that his teeth look great! She said that he is getting his adult molars and that soon his other baby teeth should loosen and fall out. That was pretty neat.

When the dental assistant came in and wanted to check out Leo's teeth he cried and pretty much refused. She was very nice and didn't force herself or her tools on him and said "let's just wait for the dentist."

When the dentist came, Leo layed on Jason's lap and the dentist's lap and he did really well. No crying and he let her look at his teeth. He allowed her to look at them just enough to count his teeth. She said the first visit is really just to get the kids familiar with the dentist and the procedures and so all they really need to do is just look in their mouth and count their teeth. That was done! So there was a major success there!

Happy Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T20:07:00.008-04:00

I'm not in the mood to blog, maybe it's getting back to the ol' grind after a long weekend, I dunno but here are some pictures with a few comments.

Saturday evening and Sunday morning...

Cousin Ryan, Cheryl, Aidan and Leo

Amy, Ryan and Cheryl sitting around talking. Jason is taking the photo and can you guess where Leo and Aidan were? Yep! Riding their bikes!

Aidan and Leo in the trunk of cousin Ryan's Porsche.

We also visited Connie and her kitties, Nat and Ana, on Saturday morning and ate lunch at a great place called Kiwi in Arlington.

On Sunday Jason finished putting the shelves up in the storage room and Sunday night, we went to the Doris' Parent's (Mommy and Daddy's) house for dinner and had great burgers and hot dogs and puerto rican beans and rice (yum!). On Monday we went to the Aquarium in Baltimore.

Jellyfish Invasion Exhibit

At the Dolphin Exhibit (super cool!)

Sting Rays

Happy Birthday Opa!

2009-08-31T19:35:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Opa! We hope you have a wonderful day. We are thinking about you and wish we were with you to celebrate your special day.

Love you lots!

First Day of 1st Grade!

2009-08-31T16:42:00.003-04:00

Today was Aidan's first day in 1st grade. We've been talking about starting school for the past few weeks. Let's just say that he was uninspired. Every time we asked him if he was ready to start school he would say, "no". Every time someone asked him if he was excited about going back to school he would say, "no". Plain and simple...he did not want to go back to school. Needless to say we were feeling a bit nervous about him starting school all the while trying to talk school up and say how great it was going to be (was it?), how nice his teacher would be (would s/he?) and how much fun he would have (would he?).

There were a few clues that gave us hope. He got this "snake eyes" shirt a few weeks ago and he said he wanted to save it for the first day of school. When we talked about his old friends from kindergarten he seemed happy and talkative. When we went shopping for his Marvel comics backpack and school supplies he was excited and into it. So we held on to these little pieces of hope and continued think things might go well on the first day.

This morning was fine (not great but fine). His mood was kind of up and down and bit sporadic but I think it was the nervousness and part excitement (yes, deep down in there I think there was some excitement!). He took a shower, put on his new snake eyes shirts and shorts and we remembered that we had a new pair of sneakers for him and he thought that was fun.

We got in the car and he did great. We got out of the car and I could tell he was nervous but still fine. He got a little clingy when we went up to the door and Jason said we couldn’t go in. I saw that there were parents going in so I said, "let's go in" and we all headed in. Leo was asking if we had to go in (yes, “had” to go in). Then when we went in Leo said, “can we go home now” – he had bike riding on his mind. Aidan was doing okay when we were waiting outside the door. On of his friends from kindergarten was also waiting outside of his classroom and she said "Hi Aidan" and he mumbled "Hi" back. The rest of his class came up from the gym and it was finally time to go in. Sadly, he hid his face in my shoulder and arm and cried. I felt so bad. I told him how brave he was, how big he was and how much fun he would have but he wasn’t buying what I was selling. I was trying to hold out until his friend William arrived because they were great friends (& Kentaro who he misses so much) and we found out on Friday that William sits in his quad of four desks (plus!). It was starting to get late and William had not arrived so I finally scootched him to the door and his teacher saw him crying and took him by the hand to hang up his backpack and sit in the circle with the other kids. His teacher and I gave each other the nod…mine indicating “he’s upset and nervous” and hers indicating “I understand. I got it from here. Go ahead and go”. After that I went out of the classroom and I told Jason “let’s go”. After we left, I cried too. I just feel so bad that he feels so nervous and unsure. I wish there was something I could do or say to make him feel less nervous, unsure and secure but I couldn't think of anything and anything I could think of didn't work. Jason gave Aidan a special coin to hold in his pocket and touch whenever he felt nervous but he still felt nervous.

After school we all picked him up and he was smiling and happy. He said he had a good day and only cried once in the morning. He said he liked his teacher and said his favorite part of the day was recess. He said he was tired at recess and had no energy because they don't eat lunch until 1:00pm and have recess first. This we thought was crazy...I'm hungry (seriously) by 11:30am. They have snack time earlier but the grapes we sent "were too sour" so he didn't eat too many of them. He said they did computer lab and he was quite talkative (always a good sign). After school we went to DairyQueen for blizzards (Aidan had M&M, Jason had, you guessed it Butterfinger and Leo and I shared Thin Mint). We came home and boys rode their bikes and played with the neighbor kids. Aidan is playing Wii for a bit, Leo is watching Polar Express and playing with a lego car and we will eat dinner soon.

All in all, it was a great day (no throwing up!) that got better and better. I'm sure tomorrow will be better!

More Bike Riding

2009-08-30T17:18:00.007-04:00

We put together Leo's bike on friday and it is non-stop bike riding. If they are not already outside riding their bikes they are asking if they can! Leo can not get enough. He rides for about an hour, needs a 5 minute break, and he is ready to go again. All the other activities of the day are just distractions!

Where's Patrick?

Our "distractions" of the day included breakfast in the morning with Doris and Patrick. I had brought back (Puyallup) fair scone mix and jam from Seattle for Doris and instead of giving her the mix I offered to make the scones for her so that was the focus of our breakfast but we also had sausage, eggs, pancakes and fruit salad. Then the boys went out to ride their bikes some more. After riding bikes we raced over to the Air and Space Museum out at Dulles airport. We didn't have too long to spend out there because Patrick has a work dinner tonight (after all he did come to work) but it is such a great place we wanted to give him a tease so that he'll want to come back.

I love the Air and Space museum at Dulles. I like it because it is really, really big so it never feels crowded, there are great exhibits (and I'm not even an aircraft lover), and the kids can have fun and be kids (if you know what I mean) and remain unnoticed. They can talk loudly, run every once in a while, be silly and see cool exhibits (transformers, star wars, space shuttle, helicopters).

Finally Something to Write About

2009-08-29T17:36:00.008-04:00

Our week was pretty quiet. Besides Doris finally coming home from Puerto Rico on Tuesday we haven't really been doing very much. But that all changed on Thursday when Patrick arrived from Seattle. We were so happy for him to get here. He arrived in the early evening so we went out to dinner to Uncle Julio's a Mexican Restaurant. We hadn't been there since Patrick was in DC celebrating his birthday 2 or 3 years ago. The boys had a busy day, they all came in to town to have lunch with me and Doris and Becs and visit my friends and colleagues in the office. When I got home they still seemed to be pretty happy so we decided to go out and they were great at dinner too. By the time we got home, they were exhausted so putting them to bed that night was a piece of cake.

Yesterday (Friday) was also a very important day (VID). Aidan had his open house where he got to meet his new teacher (Mrs. Hornstein - Aidan got the good teacher!), see his new classroom, find his desk, and see what friends are in his class. He wasn't exactly excited about it but I have a feeling that this school year will go really well, especially the first day. There may be some nervousness, an upset stomach and possibly some tears but I'm confident there will be no throwing up! Mrs. Hornstein is great and we are so happy Aidan is in her class! We also went to see Mrs. Stewart his Kindergarten teacher last year-she is fantastic. Afterwards we went out to ice cream and celebrated the start of a great school year. Aidan seemed happy and talkative so I am happy for and proud of him.

Friday night I went out to dinner with some girl friends-we were celebrating a special birthday. We started off at the Russia House in Dupont Circle and then had dinner at Buca di Beppo. We drank great beer at the Russia House (maybe a little too much) and then had good Italian food but all together we had lots of fun. The Russia House is known for its vodka but after reading the reviews I was a little afraid of getting into the vodka so I passed and had some great Russian beer. Becs is my beerfriend. The boys all had Ledo's Pizza for dinner.

Today, Saturday we had bagels for breakfast and then we all went to Mt. Vernon, Washington's Estate. It was a bit hot and humid but great fun because we had not been there for a really long time. It has changed so much. They now have this fantastic museum and education center that was really fun to wander around in. My favorite part of the visit was sitting on the back porch of the house and looking out into the Potomac.

After a couple of hours at Mt. Vernon we all went to Elevation Burger in Arlington (don't be jealous Heid!). It is a great burger place that uses organic, free-range, grass feed cow meat and olive oil for its fries. It is all about the ingrediants they say. The have great milk shakes too! Plus it's nice that they buy their meat from humanely raised cows.

Tonight Jason and Patrick are going to get out of the house and see a movie. I'm not sure if they decided which one to see yet but let's see if I can convince Jason to write a movie review. Don't get your hopes up but I'll try.

One last exciting thing that has been going on over the weekend...BIKES! Jason finally put together Leo's Thomas the Train bike. Leo got his bike from Pa and Crow for christmas but his mom and dad have been slackers and only now put it together. The boys have been riding their bikes like crazy. They rode yesterday afternoon. The rode before we went to Mt. Vernon and they rode after we came home from Elevation Burger. We left Mt.Vernon because the boys were exhausted but in the same breath they asked if they could ride their bikes when we got home. Leo has only been riding for two days but he is already a pro and Aidan has really become much more confident on his bike. He rides fast, wants to ride up the curb, and while he disagrees, I think he is ready to take off the training wheels. I predict it won't be long. They are both super cute on their bikes.

Our weekend

2009-08-23T19:52:00.008-04:00

The highlight of our weekend was a visit from our friends Rachel and Curtis. On Sunday, Rachel and Curtis came over for dinner (Curtis' daddy is busy working on a huge home rebuild and works tirelessly every weekend). Curtis was born February 4 of this year and is almost 8 months old. It was really fun to have a baby in the house. The boys were really excited for him to come over and thought about what toys he might like to play with and what toys had small pieces. Curtis entartained us all.

Jason BBQ delicious hamburgers and hot dogs and I made a fruit salad and a carrot salad (the recipe for the carrot salad is on the lower left of the blog). Leo as usual did not eat much except a hot dog bun and half a banana and while Aidan is generally a good eater he did not eat much tonight either.

Curtis was happy eating his own carrots and rice cereal. He is pretty new to the world of food so we had a lot of fun watching him eat and remembering how fun it was to have a baby around. He made all kids of funny faces, noises and had a messy face!

Curtis tried for the very first time, mashed banana. As you can see from the picture above he was not particularly thrilled with the banana. He made a funny face and spit it back out off of his tongue. We all got a great kick out of that. Aidan thought he was pretty funny!

When they first arrived we were downstairs playing and Leo went into the back bedroom and came out naked. He said he likes to be naked. We were all surprised and laughed! Well to be honest I'm not so surprised! Rachel took a bunch of baby clothes (18 months - 24 months) which I was so happy about! I'm so glad that Curtis can use them. P.S. Curtis is wearing 18 month clothes now! He is SO cute!

The rest of the weekend was not fun at all. We (read: I, Amy) decided it would be a good idea to clean out the storage area in the basement. We took everything out, cleaned up the area, filled a whole "big red car" full of stuff to go to the dump and bought some storage shelves from Ikea. Unfortunately, Ikea did not have all of the pieces we needed so we have to wait a week. We ended up having to put everything back in and we will have to take it all out again next week when the rest of the pieces come in. Ugh! It was exhausting but its always nice to get rid of stuff and organize a bit. The boys also had fun taking stuff out of the storage space at least for a couple of minutes anyway. We also started to clean and get ready for Patrick's visit this coming up weekend! We can't wait.

Butterflies!

2009-08-20T21:09:00.002-04:00

I missed a few weekend posts so I am backing up a bit, sharing stories and pictures. The weekend after we got home from Seattle (August 7th and 8th) we went to Brookside Gardens which is a huge park with beautiful gardens, fountains, ponds, koi, frogs, bunnies and other wildlife. For anyone who lives in our area I absolutely recommend it. We saw a frog and a bunny which was pretty neat. We walked along a large pond and we stopped to see if we could find any fish or frogs and Aidan spotted the smallest gray frog sitting on a gray rock. The frog was about 1/2 inch and looked almost exactly the same color as the rock he was sitting on. I have no idea how he saw it but he must have the eyes of a hawk.

One of the best exhibits at the Brookside Gardens is the "Wings of Fancy" Live Butterfly Exhibit which goes on from May through September (September 20th). At the start of your visit their is catepillar exhbit where you can see different butterflies in different states of their life cycle. Then you enter the main exhbit where there are hundreds of butterlies flying around. They are so beautiful. There are orange, blue, green, red, black, spotted, striped, patterned butterflies flying, resting, and eating fruit. It really is fun to see.

They also have an indoor learning center, gift shop and other special exhibits. Sometimes they have plant sales, gardening classes, etc. It's always nice to go in the center when it is hot and humid outside like the day we ventured to the gardens.

They also have a small kids area, where the kids can learn about gardening vegetables, pollinating insects, and play in a hollowed log, sweep (or pretend they are a witch flying on a broom stick), play in a house and gnome hut.

After we left the Brookside Gardens we went to lunch at potbelly's and walked around. We had breakfast late that day and ended up eating lunch at 3pm which seemed crazy but it was lazy, breezy Saturday.