The reincarnation of Thomas Jefferson

Allow me a little flight of fantasy with this blog entry. When Jeff and I visited Monticello and toured Thomas Jefferson's home, I felt this weird connection to Jefferson. I am not big into history and really didn't know anything about Thomas Jefferson, other than he was our 3rd President of the United States. I can't really explain it, but after listening to the tour guide do his thing, I've come to the conclusion that Ian was Thomas Jefferson in a past life.

Yes, I know this is kooky. But hear me out; I have a lot of supporting evidence.


1. Jefferson was obsessed with time. He had clocks everywhere in his house. When he'd wake up in the morning, the first thing he saw on the wall, was a clock. When you walked into the foyer of his house, he invented/designed a clock that also kept track of the days of the week.

Um, hello?!?! Have you met Ian? He is obsessed with time.


2. Jefferson would keep track of the temperature and log the high & low temps each day.

Ian reports on what the weather forecast is and will be in the coming days. He has been doing this since he could talk at age 2.


3. Jefferson made french fries and mac & cheese popular in the United States. He brought these culinary delights over from Europe.

Yes, you guessed it...Ian LOVES french fries!


4. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote, "...all men are created equal".

Ian is one of the most fair-minded people I know. No matter what he is doing with his friends or sister, he makes sure it is done in the most fair manner for everyone.


5. Thomas Jefferson was very energetic. He had a lot going on all the time.

Ian is a non-stop body of motion.


6. Jefferson had a desire to see what was on the West Coast and sent Lewis & Clark on their famous expedition to explore.

Ian is dying to go to California (ok, so its to be a contestant on Wipe Out, but still, take this leap of faith with me!).


7. Jefferson had all these wonderful ideas he put into action. He was brilliant and really ahead of his time.

Ian has short-term plans, long-term plans, and ideas up the wazoo with things he is going to do, when he will do it, and with who he will include. Right now, Ian is limited by his age and ability to go places without me. But just wait, if his current level of thinking continues, we will see many great things come from Ian too.


8. Jefferson was best friends with James Madison. He designed a bedroom for him and his wife Dolly to stay at Monticello. They came to visit many times. Jefferson recommended Madison be made the 4th President of the United States.

Ian values his friendships very much and has a deep loyalty to his friends too.


9. When all the books in the White House burned down in 1812, Jefferson gave his personal library of over 3,000 books to Congress for a fair price. In turn, this started the Library of Congress.

I could totally see Ian doing something like this. He is so generous and would think nothing to help another person out if he has the means to.


So there you have it. Call me crazy, but who knows, maybe I have another Thomas Jefferson in our midst. I wonder if Jefferson's mother saw the potential I see when she looked at her son at age 5.

Let the fun begin!

It's happened! Ian officially started kindergarten. I feel like just yesterday I was bringing him home from the hospital and now I've got a kindergartner in my midst.

We got off to a bit of a rocky start when dropping Ian off. He was super excited about starting kindergarten, but when it came time to say good-bye at the school, he got very nervous and didn't want to stay. Fortunately, he got over his nerves and went on to have a fantastic first day. Yay!

And, we continued our first day of school tradition of going out for ice cream after dinner. I think this is a treat for all of us, not just the kids!

Sam starts school this Tuesday. I am just as excited for her. I think she did great at camp this past summer and loved getting to experience what the big kids do. I love her teacher in the 2's class and I know she will not only learn so much, but have fun doing it. The neat thing is that a large majority of the kids in her class are the siblings of kids that Ian went to preschool with. Sam is already very familiar with this younger set and it will be a comfortable setting for her to be in.

To fill in the time, I signed up the kids for a few classes/activities. I am going to be spending a lot of time in the car shuffling everyone back and forth.

MONDAY
Ian kindergarten: 10:25am to 12:30pm

TUESDAY
Sam preschool: 9:30am - 12:30pm
Ian T-ball : 10:30am to 11:15am
Ian kindergarten: 11:40am to 3:00pm

WEDNESDAY
Sam ballet/tap class: 9:30am -10:30am
Ian kindergarten: 11:40am to 3:00pm

THURSDAY
Sam preschool 9:30am -12:30pm
Ian kindergarten: 11:40am to 3:00pm
Ian soccer practice: 5:30pm to 6:30pm

FRIDAY
Ian kindergarten: 11:40am to 3:00pm

SATURDAY
Sam gymnastics: 10:00am to 11:00am
Ian - soccer game: time changes each week

SUNDAY
Ian religious school: 9:00am to 11:15am

I realize this is a lot, but you need to understand that my kids have tons of energy. I want to keep them active. Plus, it isn't fair that I only enroll Ian in activities without letting Sam try some too. Fortunately I have Jeff and we can divide and conquer if there is any overlap of activities/religious school/birthday parties on the weekend. We work well as a team and really do enjoy taking the kids to their events.

My plan is still hit the gym each weekday - with either one or both kids. We will see how that goes. A lot of Ian's close friends have PM kindergarten too, so he will get to see them in the morning at the kids' club at Gold's Gym. This will make it a win-win situation for me. I get to workout and Ian & Sam are happy getting to play with their buddies.

And at 1:00pm each day, I will be home for Sam to take her nap. I am hoping this nap continues through the whole year. Ian gave up his nap by the time he was 2 1/2 years old. It was not a fun time I tell you!

I am not sure how parents with more than 2 kids manage to do this. I already feel like I need to check the calendar each hour to make sure I am where I need to be. This year is going to be tough with all the juggling of schedules. Now that Sam is getting a little older and can do more, the stay-at-home-mom-part of my job is getting less and less being at home. :)

Lego Exhibit - Take 2

Well we made it to the Lego Exhibit at the National Building Museum. We got our tickets in advance and showed up right on time, as the museum was opening. Since we knew we were guaranteed entry, we planned our arrival to minimize any waiting and at exactly 10:59am (1 minute before the museum opens on Sundays) we were pulling up in front, looking for a parking spot. Jeff blew me away with his parallel parking skills (something he doesn't normally excel in) and got the car in a spot, many others I am sure, didn't even attempt to try. This spot was calling our name as it was directly in front of the doors.

Here is a picture of the most beautiful parking job I have seen a long time. I was so proud of Jeff for having an open mind that the car would make it in between these two cars. He didn't even come as close as tapping either the front or back of the cars too. Way to go honey!



We walked inside and discovered, that if we had shown up on this day, without tickets, we would've had no problems getting some. Who knew!?!?!

The Lego exhibit was definitely cool. Some of these models were unbelievable and the amount of time to design and build them were crazy time-intensive. Unfortunately, I think Ian was not as impressed or amazed as we'd hoped. I don't think he realizes the amount of talent that went into building something like this. And, of course, it went way over two-year-old Sam's head. I can pretty much tell you she got nothing from our walk-thru of the exhibit or even understood why we were back at the same building again. But, Jeff and I appreciated the works of art we were seeing and loved that we had the opportunity to check it out.

Afterwards, we went to the playroom at the museum (designed for 2 to 6 year olds) and the kids enjoyed getting to touch stuff and create things. It was time for lunch, and we made our way to the Green Turtle, a restaurant which was 1.5 blocks down from the National Building Museum. To our delight, kids get to eat free when an accompanying adult is getting an entree. Yay!!

The timing for Jeff and Ian's next activity - a Washington Nationals Game with Ian's buddy Ethan and his daddy - was perfect. Sam and I dropped them off and made our way home.

All in all, it was a great day and I loved that we were able to take advantage of this great city we live so close to.

48 hours - on your mark, get set, go!

A few months ago, I hit my breaking point one day while Jeff was at work and it was just me and the two kids. I needed a break! And, even more so, I needed to spend some quality time with my husband. Other than a few hours here and there with a babysitter, Jeff and I hadn't had any time together without the kids for almost an entire year. Something that I feel is very necessary for any relationship.

I looked at the calendar and realized that one weekend we had free coming up was Labor day weekend. And, this particular weekend coincided with our 6 year wedding anniversary. I called up my in-laws and asked if they could take the kids for a few days and give me and Jeff a much needed break.

The amazing duo of Harold and Marcia looked fear directly in the face and said yes. It wasn't Ian that had us worried, it was Sam. She is a big unknown these days on how she will sleep and if she would be willing to let anyone other than her parents take care of her. If she wasn't up to this idea, then it could be complete torture for 48 hours. In addition, if she didn't go to bed easily at night, or sleep through the night, and of course, woke up extraordinarily early, it would be difficult for my mother-in-law to function until we drove back to Baltimore. Our fingers were crossed that all would go well and my in-laws would still be talking to us Monday morning, when it came time for us to get the kids.

Jeff and I didn't have plans to go far; we simply wanted be at the house and not have the kids around. So we drove the kids up to Baltimore on Saturday morning and our 48 hours began. I believe we made amazing use of our time and really enjoyed our two day break.

SATURDAY:

Parkway Deli (Silver Spring, MD) - Jeff wanted to stop here for lunch on the way back home. This is one of his most favorite restaurants ever.

Gym - we were actually going to go to the movies, but couldn't find a movie we had to see. Too funny when you think about it. Going to the movies is the one activity I miss the most, and here was our opportunity to go without paying for a babysitter, and we couldn't find a movie to see. (Full disclosure: I am saving "Going the Distance" for a girl's movie night on 9/21). We each had a great workout and it made me very happy that Jeff suggested we do this.

Rosa Mexicana (National Harbor) - We stopped here for a bite to eat before our next activity.

Sunset Cruise (National Harbor) - We took a 2 hour sunset cruise on the Minnie V (a 104 year old SkipJack sailboat) around the Potomac. It was very peaceful and a great way to relax and end the day.

SUNDAY:

We spent the day in Monticello (a 2 hour drive from the Fairfax, VA area).

Burnley Vineyards (20 miles from Monticello) - We stopped here for a wine tasting and to do a picnic lunch. I researched and researched wineries in the area and decided upon this one because they had a great sounding selection of white wines/sweeter wines and they offered a chocolate wine. I realized I picked just the right vineyard when we drove up and a German Shepherd was there to greet us. Oh my! This was my first up close meeting with another German Shepherd since Bailey. And, let me tell you what a sweetie Cooper was. He was 8 years old and very lovable. Of course, I start tearing up and it was all I could do to not tell Cooper to jump in my car for me to kidnap.

Monticello - Jeff has always wanted to visit Thomas Jefferson's house. Personally, I am not into history and this wouldn't have been a high priority of a destination for me. However, I must say that Monticello is beautiful and we had a great time touring the house. I really enjoyed myself and was surprised at how much I got out of the experience.

Downtown Charlottesville/Historic area (4 miles from Monticello) - After Monticello, we walked the outdoor area that was filled with shops/boutiques and restaurants. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and a nice way to spend an hour or two walking around.

Fellini's #9 (part of the downtown area): I had researched gluten-free friendly restaurants and found this one came recommended. I made reservations and told them I had a gluten allergy. They brought in gluten-free pasta and bread for me. Jeff and I had a very leisurely dinner (meaning we were there longer than 40 minutes!) and enjoyed the food very much.

Now here's a really cool ending to an already fabulous day. I got an email from my friend Kelly telling me she made me a gluten-free treat and asked when she could drop it by. Since I was checking email on the drive home, I called her and said that we could do a drive-by and pick it up. The picture below is what she made. WOWEEE!! And let me tell you, this cake tasted amazing. It was as delicious on the inside as it was beautiful on the outside. I have no idea what I did to deserve such a sweet gesture, but it made our anniversary that much sweeter.



We picked the kids up the next morning (exactly 48 hours later) and went back to full-time parenting.

What a great weekend. And many thanks to Jeff's parents giving us this opportunity to do so many non-kid-friendly activities. Everything we saw and did, we didn't feel like the kids were missing out. We had a great time and didn't worry for one minute that they weren't in excellent care, having fun too.

Sweet Summer Fun - Part 8

Last summer we practically lived at the bowling alley. They had a wonderful "kids bowl free" promotion and we took full advantage of it. Ian and his friends LOVE bowling and it was a great indoor activity to do while the heat was a scorcher outside. We found a very kid-friendly bowling alley to go to and felt right at home inside. No smoking is allowed, it is extremely clean and the staff caters to you, especially if they see you with little ones. Throw in a couple bumper guards, a rail to line up the ball to roll perfectly down the middle and everyone is getting strikes and spares galore!

Believe it or not, we hadn't been bowling once this summer. Not sure why, because our favorite bowling alley was doing the same "kids bowl for free" promotion, but for some reason it never came up in our plans. One Tuesday not too long ago, our plans to go to the pool got rained out and we met up with some good friends (Carol and her daughter Madison) at the bowling alley.

I knew Ian was going to have fun, but I didn't count on Sam having even more fun than all of us put together. She had a blast bowling and loved getting to do a game with a big kids. She played two games and carried the ball all on her own, to the tune of 40 times (2 turns/10 frames each game for 2 games). It was quite impressive.

How far we've come, when not even a year ago, Sam was first learning how to walk and was staggering around the bowling alley. This 2nd video is from October 2009.

Heard and Observed XIV

Recently we watched the Wilson boys at our house one Sunday afternoon. Nathan who is just a few weeks older than Samantha had a dirty diaper that needed to be changed. As I was changing him, Ian comes over and says to me, "See, I told you, Nathan always poops during the play dates. That's why we call him the Poopinater."

********************************************************************************

Thinking WAY ahead:

Going to the kids' club at Gold's Gym to get Ian and Sam after my workout. Ian was talking non-stop about starting school in a few weeks.

Ian: In just 2 weeks, 1 day and a 1 year from now, I'll be starting 1st grade.


********************************************************************************

Ian: I think Batman is the best superhero ever, because he gets an assistant.

*********************************************************************************

Sweet Summer Fun - Part 7

Summer is winding down and we are in the home stretch until school begins. These past 2 weeks have been wild cards and anything goes. Camp is over and each day is a new opportunity to find something to do to keep the kids entertained and busy.


On Monday, August 23rd, my friend Beth and her two kids joined us for an adventure to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Winchester, VA. It takes a little more than hour to get there (1 hr, 11 minutes to be exact) and I wasn't sure what we were going to find. I had asked around and even put an inquiry on one of my mommy message boards to find out what it was like and if it was worth the trip. No one responded and most people didn't know this place even existed. I was very skeptical because when you look at the picture on their website, the museum is not a stand-alone building. It is just a small looking space in the middle of a strip of stores and restaurants.

Fortunately Beth is always up for trying something new, was willing to drive us all in her car (got to love that!) and had the great attitude that anywhere you go can turn into a fun experience for the kids if you put the right spin on it. This is why I surround myself with friends like her.

What a wonderful surprise when we got there and discovered this place was awesome. It was quite narrow, but the space went on and on and on. The discovery museum utilized every square inch of wall and floor space with something the kids could create, touch, or pretend play. It wasn't cluttered or over-crowded with stuff, but well organized. Admittedly, the place needed new carpet, but everything else was in good working order and appeared clean. Sam and Kyle, who are 2 years old, had just as much fun as Ian and Haley, who are 5 years old. And older kids who were there had a blast too. There was something for everyone. Some of the exhibits included: A play hospital (with stretchers, diagnostic machine, x-rays, dr lab coats, wheelchair, crutches, cast), a simulated ambulance, fish aquarium/snake aquarium, play house complete with 2nd story loft for the kids to climb, rock climbing wall, a room to build a race track, with oversize tracks including loop-de-loops, pulley and conveyor belt with apples, buckets, pipes set-up like an organ to play music using flip-flops. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

I do have to say that one of the reasons I think this was so successful was that Ian and Sam each had a friend. In my opinion it helps for them to have someone to check everything out and play with.

Once we had been there for a couple of hours, we were ready to venture down the cobblestone street in historic Winchester and find lunch. The area was filled with all kinds of restaurants and we easily settled on Union Jacks. They had a front patio with outside seating, No humidity, a tasty-looking menu for both adults and kids, and four extremely well-behaved kids who exhausted themselves from playing and discovering something new -- this is what makes for one FABULOUS ADVENTURE!