Cookie Monsters

I told you I got smart and doubled my batch! Good thing, they were loved and enjoyed!

mmm! nom nom nom!

Oh my Stars and Stripes!

It was another Memorial Day weekend spent in our nation's capitol for us!  Since Marta Katherine didnt make her grand entrance until 9 days after she was due, my parents were making the trek anyway, AND Uncle Pete-o ('can we call you that?') was scheduled to be honored in the Memorial Day slide show at school, we decided to go!

First stop was the ribbon outlet in Hagerstown. The guys were slightly less enthusiastic...

We got there in time for the fundraising dinner at Fudrucker's! Childhood dream fulfilled for Peter since Kzoo never had one. Reunited with his girlfriend!

 And this is where we first met Marta! Sweet, snuggly, baby girl!

Stickers and a slimball for Sam the one-armed-wonder.

The next morning was the Memorial Day/Grandfriends day at Trinity. They LOVED showing us around!

That afternoon brought a trip to Mount Vernon. Highly recommend! Very kid friendly, complete with a hands-on museum.  There were lots of keen observations, absurd reasoning skills, and several alarms set off; making sightseeing with kids decidedly more entertaining! :)

They met and heard from Martha Washington II, since obviously it cant be the real Martha because we visited the real Martha's tomb on the grounds. Sam was very into mapping our entire route, and very good at it too!

Turns out Mount Vernon was giving out samples of wool. You just had to reach through and swipe it right off his back!

Saturday was kind of a girls and boys day. Rita, mom, Andrea, Marta and I hit the mall while the others went to Bull Run and hung around the house.

We had lunch on Saturday at Taco Bomba, SO good! Rita enjoyed Mickey D's, she could 'smell the delicious' in the drive thru!

She also tried on at least 25 pair of shoes, carefully rating each one based on the amount of sparkles and the noise they made on hard floors.

She and Marta both had just a lovely day! Enormous Red Velvet cupcakes help with that.

Sam loves his Uncle Peter. They love doing and talking about boy things. Ya know - cigars, grinding hearts, etc.

Clara is only a little bit of a baby anymore. She's sweet, busy, and wants to be heard! 

Everyone gets a turn holding Marta, mostly because she demands holding! Grace couldnt even open her own bday gift (a Lake Ann t-shirt! and a week at Lake Ann!!!) because Marta had to be held.

Marta grew even during the time we were there. The photo with Dad is day one and with Peter was the last afternoon. She was decidedly more alert and interactive as the weekend went on.

One of the favorite activities of Memorial Day is seeing Rolling Thunder. They cue up to ride into DC right where their neighborhood opens on to Route 50. So, in order to get to church, we kind of have to watch them! We stood and watched for more than 30 minutes as a steady stream of motorcyclists rode by, the rumble is amazing!

Sam tried counting. I told him I counted 240. He didnt believe me.

Marta was dedicated on Sunday at church. Darling little fluff dress and baby girl!

Sunday afternoon was time for a trip to Arlington Cemetery and the changing of the guard. Lots of education going on for these troops!

The stones were gleaming white making the red roses atop them stunning and the whole thing a sight to behold!

'Are they ever going to do anything else?!' :)

We packed in a lot in a few short days! But we had a wonderful time.

Happy Memorial Day!

Thanks a million zillion!

I didnt know my Peter when he served in the military, but I do know and love the man that it helped him become.  Thank you for serving!

I'm a combat Veteran!

And now I remember

Now I remember just why it is that I rarely make cookies! I've had the idea for these friends in my head for a while, as in, the cutters have been sitting out since I put Santa and his reindeer away.

But a bake sale at work forced my hand, literally. And so, taaaa daaaaa!!!!

I got smart, and doubled my batches, so more to come soon ;)

Funnies Lately

Easter Ham.  Peter and I dont even like ham that well, but we get one every year from his office for Easter. And not just any one, a HUGE one. We typically grill it, have people over, send leftovers home, and end up making at least a soup or two in the fall. This is the before and after 6 people ate from it. Barely a dent!

Fran. She's such a funny kitty. Very interested in everything, especially dairy things; sometimes Peter can barely eat his ice cream because she's all over him begging!

Dana! I'm so glad to have her back in the USofA! We love spending time with her, she's a hoot!

Youth Group kids. I love building relationships with the kids at church, and, I get to have conversations like this. I think her brain is blown bc of my use of slang and a real word all in one sentence. I believe her response to my last statement was an eye roll...

Anywhoo, these among others, have been bringing the laughs and the joy to life lately. :)

Run! Girls Run!

It's been 8 years and counting since Ms. Kari and I did our first River Bank Run together.  We've participated in each event over those years, some years together and some years apart.  This year Peter and I conquered the 5k and Kari took on the 10k.

 Post race.  It was by far the most lovely weather yet.

Cheers to the next 8 years!