mini catch up....

So, the lack of posting is partly due to excessive amounts of fun being had this summer... (i.e. minor catch up post is below) I know no one cares about all this. But I want to write it down for myself to remember....so, feel free to skip to browsing yahoo.

A family trip to DC over the 4th of July...which was a good time overall, but an epic fail the first day. 

ALTHOUGH - on the drive up we found a FANTASTIC BBQ place! Carter's Pig Pen BBQ, in Mechanicsville, VA.  It was AH-Ma-zing. All of the kids ate like lumberjacks, My Love and I ate our fill, we had fresh made Lemonade (the real deal) and sweet tea (also the real deal)....all for $20.00. People, if you are hungry en route to DC - this is where you need to eat. 

Boy Bean's meltdown in the Museum of Natural History perfectly captures how most of us felt that first day. Between missing breakfast...starting the day with a mile walk to the Metro...choosing lunch at a place that had guacamole on everything (which the Boy made me allergic to) ...

having insane NEEDS for bathrooms immediately (which had long lines, broken a/c, and minimal toilet paper)...dressing incorrectly for the heat (blasted weather forecast!)...and closing out the day with an EXTRA half-mile walk because our gate was closed....we learned quite a few lessons that improved the vacation for Day 2. ;)

 Day 2 - the actual Fourth - was about 10 million times better. We watched the parade downtown - fully decked out in our "Go America!" gear. (As Jumping Bean dubbed the bandanas.) 

The parade was great. The kids loved it - but we didn't stay for the whole thing because it was almost 2 hours long! Instead, we slipped out about half-way (while the happy window was still open) and grabbed lunch before the crowds. Good call all around.

We followed the parade and al fresco lunch with a fun street show by a group of break dancers. Then we let the kids cool off in a fountain. Fantastic urban experience had by all. :)

That evening, we set up camp on this hill, and waited for the fireworks. It was a really great time and some fantastic memories were made. Like Bitty Bean completely ruining her shirt and needing to be clothed with a bandana. We went full redneck.  :)

(This picture was from two nights earlier  - the night of the fourth was very clear)

 The lack of posting has also been due to things going a wee haywire in my corner of the world. My Love is heading out again for a bit, and that always makes me desire control. Which means organizing and clearing out has been happening again. It is my own weird neurosis that helps me feel solid...but more on that later.

~Whitney Copyright 2013