Sassy Runs in Our Family

My cousin recently posted this on her blog. Her post made me laugh because this is the reality at our house.Such a hard life!

The Road Home

We decided to take a different route on the way home. I had never been to Georgia (unless you count the Atlanta airport) or the Carolinas. And, Yia Yia wanted to stop in Asheville, NC to see the Biltmore Mansion. May I just say that North Carolina is absolutely breathtaking. We drove through the Blue Ridge Mountains to get to Asheville, and I feel certain that had I not been extremely nauseous and on the verge of panic due to the windy road with steep drop offs, I would have totally been in awe of its beauty! Take a peek for yourself.

Believe me, the photo does the scenery no justice!

We spent the night in Asheville at a hotel that has a black bear as one of its frequent guests.

We were advised not to leave the hotel after dark! No lie!

That next morning, we soldiered on all the way to New Orleans. Y'all, you could still see the destruction from Katrina. It was really haunting to see whole movie theaters, car dealerships, and even amusement parks just abandoned. It made me so thankful for my home!

We spent the night in the French Quarter at Le Richelieu Hotel. I really got a kick out of it because it was a very old building with architecture typical of what you think of as New Orleans style. I'm trying to become a better photographer for the sake of this blog. Here are my best attempts at capturing some of the architecture of New Orleans along with my favorite subject! (This is the balcony off our hotel room, btw.)

I wanted to have her peeking out of the door, but she's not one to stand still. I'm lucky I was able to snap the sitting picture before she took off!

A Question of Motive

We were busy packing up for the trip home.

Cora and Dawson were unpacking to make us stay longer.

Or maybe they just wanted some tasty treats!

Family Pics

This is our very handsome and talented nephew, Dawson. He was in love with the drum set from Rock Band. Dawson is stinkin' cute when he lip-syncs some of his favorite songs. I would post video if I had it because I know you would all find it A-dorable!

Here is Cora with her cousin Audrey. I made Cora and Audrey the butterfly onesies, so we had to get pictures with them together.

This was much more amicable than the first attempt to take pictures. Apparently, Cora is unused to having to share the camera lens!

Thank you Uncle Josh and Aunt Amy for being our fabulous hosts!

Sightseeing and Tourist Stuff

Because we were so close to DC, John and I knew that we had to take the opportunity to sightsee a little bit in Washington. We packed up our little family, drove to the nearest metro station and set off to try our hands at navigating the big city with a toddler. We had quite a way to go on the metro to get to our first destination. I was amazed at how quiet it was inside the train. No one talked! I was worried that Cora would get fussy and interrupt the eerie silence, but fortunately, she was easily placated by the random contents of her diaper bag.


Our first stop was the National Cathedral. If you get the chance, please take the opportunity to go see it. The cathedral is a bit of a walk from the metro station, but it is worth the walk just to see the magnificent building suddenly appear looming on the horizon - Amazing!

You have probably noticed that our National Cathedral is in the same architectural style as Notre Dame replete with rose windows and all. The glass in the rose windows is faceted as gem stones are. It is a beautiful effect as the light sparkles and dances when it comes through the stained glass. Because Cora was restless and itching to be out of the stroller and walking around, we did not take the guided tour, but I'm putting that on my list of things to do at our next visit!

After lunch at the Cafe Deluxe, we made our way into the heart of our government, the National Mall. I had been there as a child, but had forgotten that you could pretty much see everything from this central location. You have the White House to the north.

The Jefferson Memorial is to the south though we could only see the dome from the Mall. The Capitol is to the east.

The Lincoln Memorial is to the west.

And, the Washington Monument is in the middle. Our plan had originally included going to the Spy Museum, but from the website's description it is not very kid friendly. So, we threw out those plans in favor of going home and taking a nap. Here is little missy getting a headstart on those plans on the train!

Wordless Wednesday

Virginia, Where Everything is Historical

On the Saturday that we were in Virginia, we took a little day trip to Middleburg. It promised a farmer's market, shopping, and of course, a healthy dose of history. The Red Fox Inn and Tavern located in Middleburg is one of the oldest original inns (it's nearing 300 years old) in the U.S. George Washington visited it in his younger years. While the farmer's market was a bit disappointing - do 1/2 a dozen vendors on a small gravel patch really count as a farmer's market, anyway?! We spent a few hours browsing the quaint shops before noshing on some really great pizza at Teddy's (not historical, but yummy nonetheless!).
When we were ready to leave, I realized we had not taken any pictures of our day. So, here we are on the grounds of the (historical, of course!) Emmanuel Episcopal Church. It was established in the early 19th century and served as a hospital during the Civil War. I am looking forward to taking Cora back again one day when she can enjoy the history of it, too.

These Are a Few of Her Favorite Things

While at Uncle Josh's and Aunt Amy's house, Cora got to play with all of Dawson's fun toys. There were two things in particular that she could typically be found playing with. One was this adorable kid sized arm chair from Pottery Barn. Being an avid climber, she really loved being able to climb up in it and sit or stand on the soft cushions.The other thing she really latched on to was this fun shopping cart. Who cares if it is as tall as she is!! She would walk around the house with it while "shopping" and "talking" to all the people in the imaginary store. Too funny! I have a feeling that a kid size shopping cart may soon make an appearance at our house. . .

A Summary

Here is a brief summary of our trip:

While I wouldn't declare a 3200 mile road trip with a 13 month old easy, Cora was quite the trooper. We didn't stop at all the state signs due to Cora napping, but you get the idea. More on our trip to come!

Wordless Wednesday

Not a Great Start to the Beginning of the End of our Vacation

We were scheduled to leave Virginia today. The bacteria of the world had other plans. Poor Yia Yia and Dado! Poor baby Audrey! All are in bed with some sort of lovely stomach ailment. So, Uncle Josh and Aunt Amy are stuck with us another day. Please keep us all in your prayers because we need to be able to leave tomorrow. We're taking three days to go back, and we need healthy drivers!! We'll see you Saturday?!

Lions, Tigers, and (Panda) Bears! Oh, My!

Yesterday was my birthday. Last year at this time, I was recovering from staying up ALL night with sweet baby girl. It's amazing how time has gone by. It's a whole new world for us now.

We're on vacation this week, and while we are here in our nation's capital, I really wanted to visit the zoo. So, yesterday, we packed up 6 adults and 3 kids under the age of 2, and headed downtown to the Smithsonian Zoo. It's a little different going with small children, but I think we managed to hit all the high points. Specifically, that would be the lions, tigers and panda bears. We also witnessed the really cool orangutan exhibit. The orangs can actually swing over your heads to different parts of the park. We saw Batang cross over top of us while we were there.

Super cool for a girl who loves primates! But enough about me!

Cora had a lot of fun walking around the zoo. We found a neat little tunnel by the lion enclosure. She like to go up, peak through the window and then go down again. We had to spend a lot of time saying "Cora, hold my hand!" She's fiercely independent! Here she is with Dado going to see the lion for the 33rd time.

I like this picture because it looks like she's roaring. We're by the tiger enclosure, so it's fitting.

Speaking of tiger, look at this amazing picture that John took.

Sadly, a rain shower and a grumpy little girl forced us to leave after a few short hours, but I think we hit all the high points.

Later that night, the grandparents twisted our arms into letting them babysit the kids, and we got to go to dinner and a movie. It was a very lovely birthday!

Wordless Wednesday

She Took a Tumble!

She's a little dare devil!


However, diving head first off of the deck chair is not a very good choice. With one goose egg and a bit and bleeding tongue, maybe she has learned her lesson.

But, probably not!