Fish tanks in a basement

There you have it...THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM! You would think that the United States of America (the world's leader in all things cool) would put a little more excitement into their collection of aquatic animals. Nope. Fish tanks in a basement. That's what we saw. Luckily, Sabrina has an amazing ability to be enthusiastic about something this crummy. She loved it, and therefore, I loved it! Aren't we all just trying to kill a day anyway?

Subby Convo of the Week

Does it seem like funny statements are all that I ever post? Well, I couldn't pass this one up. We attended the 8th Grade Graduation of Kenmore Middle School this morning to hear Chloe address her peers. She's been the Student Body President this year and gave a great speech to open the program. We were very impressed! The following conversation happened in our home right before we left.

Mom: Be fast eating your breakfast. We are going to see Chloe speak.
Sabrina: Chloe have (not a typo...we're working on tense) a nose, mom.
Mom: She does have a nose, you're right.
Sabrina: She HAVE A NOSE MOM! Chloe's NOSE! (pointing to her own nose)
Mom: Yep. She does. Eat your pancakes.
Sabrina: Are we going to see Chloe, mom? Chloe's beak? (pointing to her nose)
Mom: (Finally understanding her) No, we're going to see "Chloe speak" not "Chloe's beak."
Sabrina: Oh. My green shirt is lovely. (Her change of subjects and new adjectives crack me up!)

Here's a picture of a 1 year-old Sabrina and Chloe. She has a gorgeous nose. No beak in sight.

You may even meet a few CELEBRITIES!!

No. Paul did not see Donovan McNabb at the Giant again. I question whether that even happened. I'm talking about my kids (again). Whenever we are here (in Virginia), people comment on our kids like crazy. It's like they are famous. I don't know what it is; I think it's because they don't see many babies. I've had a few comments that made me laugh as of late (both at Costco).

Old Man: Your children are beautiful.
Me: Thank you.
Old Man: (Looking at Lucy) He's going to grow up to be a fine young man.
Me: (I actually said nothing. Just smiled. I figured I'd make us both feel weird if I did.)
Note: She was wearing a white shirt, no bow.

Cute Asian Lady: You have beautiful girls.
Me: Thank you.
Cute Asian Lady: (Looking at Lucy and Sabrina)You going to be American Idol someday. You going to be American Idol.
Note: There was no singing happening at all, but I'm sure Paula would compliment their looks too.

Happy Happy Birthday, Aish!

My good friend Ashley Nelson Blackhurst is celebrating a birthday today. I saw this classic picture of us as 4 year-old ballet prodigies on her blog and stole it. No one has better stories than this girl, no one unintentionally flirts better than this girl, and no one can put a smile on anyone's face like this girl! Happy Birthday Aish! I wish I were there to hang with you and Kate.

P.S. There is only a 3 month difference in our age. My poor girls have no hope.

RADMALLS!!

We have had the pleasure of having Chad and Shelley here with us this week and have thoroughly enjoyed their visit. We saw Mt. Vernon, H&M (a true sight), Arlington Cemetery, monuments, and many restaurants. They went several other places on their own too without my over-tired children, and I sincerely hope they enjoyed their kid-free time together. We loved having them.

Note: Their flight was canceled. We got them one extra night. Yay for us. Can't say that they were too excited.

Can you get her to crack?

Lucy is a serious baby...most of the time. It takes something special for her to smile. I present these pics as an example of her mood swings. (And, let's face it, she's just cute. I couldn't help but share these with Grandmas).

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Well, we tried to see Randy Johnson pitch in his 300th career win, but it was a bust due to mother nature. Right when we got to Nationals Stadium last night it started raining just about as hard as I have ever seen in my life. I had Lucy in the Snuggly, and Paul was carrying a crying Sabrina. We decided our chances for shelter would be best inside the ballpark so we made a run for it in the pounding rain and right when we took off it started hailing!! Yes, that's right, the hail was coming down on my 8-month old daughter's head. Call Social Services!! How could their mother have forgotten jackets, umbrellas, and to check the weather report?! Did I also mention that I wore a white t-shirt?! Unbelievable. Paul found the first door he could inside the ballpark and to our amazement it was open. There we were soaking wet with one crying child (Lucy NEVER cried!) inside a storage closet. It was quite the sight. When the weather cleared a little, we made our way to our seats, had french fries and hot dogs and watched as they tried to prepare the field for play. On the jumbo screen they were playing the Cubs v. Braves game. Sabrina (calm now) said to me, "MOM! We're watching baseball!" She was right, just not the kind we were hoping for. We could see this was going to take some time, so Paul and I called it a night before they called the game. On the metro ride home they made us evacuate our train due to "mechanical difficulties". And this morning Paul's phone isn't working (got wet in the rain), and I washed his pants with our tickets in the pockets (which would have been redeemable for another game later)! All in all though, a memorable experience. A way better story than if we'd just seen another baseball game!

Pics are of Sabrina with Yvette Yamagata (our good friend and awesome primary president), the wet field, and Chloe playing with Lucy.