What's New

It's HOT in DC. Just really, really HOT! It has been 90-100 degrees (or hotter) for what seems like forever. You just walk outside and melt. But besides that, we've been having a great summer.

Jake turns THREE in a week - wow! I am not shy to say how proud I am that we got him totally potty trained before his 3rd birthday. I think he was the easiest kid ever to potty train. He just got it, and figured it out with minimal accidents. He moves to the 3 year old room (Preschool II) pretty soon and he'll be reunited with a lot of his friends who have already moved up to that room. I can't believe he will be starting kindergarten in two years. Jake had a very exciting adventure today -- the movie theater for the first time! Auntie G watched Josh and Paul and I took Jake to see Toy Story 3. We figured he would sit through it (he has a pretty good attention span) but weren't exactly sure what to expect. He sat on my lap and almost didn't move a muscle the whole time! He was totally into it from start to finish and we're excited to take him to more movies (with the exception of being horrified at how much it costs).

Josh continues to be the happiest baby ever and still sleeps like a champ. He is in bed by 7:30pm and sleeps until about 8am (if Daddy doesn't wake him up earlier to go to school). He only takes one nap a day but he's kind of always had that routine. He is FINALLY eating fruit (thank goodness) but still refuses (for the most part) a sippy cup. I don't know why.... he gets one at pretty much every meal and he just throws it. He prefers an open cup but isn't quite coordinated enough to drink from it on his own. He still drinks 3-4 bottles a day. I am going to be in trouble with his pediatrician when he goes in for his 15 month check up in a couple weeks! He's talking some but seems to be in about the same place as Jake at this age... maybe a little further along. He says "go", "whoah", "uh oh", and I *think* he says "mama" and "dada". I mean, he says the words and it seems to be in context of getting my attention or Paul's but sometimes it just sounds like babbling.

Swim lessons started a couple weeks ago. Our class is at the Freedom Aquatic Center in Manassas on Saturday morning at 8:30am. It's a perfect time for the boys because we're already up and they are always in a good mood in the morning. Then afterwards we go out for breakfast. Both of the boys are water babies. They both make a mad dash to get into the water. Jake does all of the activities really well and has blowing bubbles down pat. Josh just thinks it is fun to splash and sing silly songs!

Paul closed on his first house last week (woo hoo)! He was the purchasing agent on this one. He is the listing agent on a condo in Falls Church and is working with an offer that someone put on it. He is also the purchasing agent for another family and it looks like they will be picking a place in the next couple of days. He loves the schedule flexibility and what he's doing. Paul is back to playing softball which he also loves.... and helps him feel like he is still active. He plays on an all men's team that plays doubleheaders on Sunday evenings.

Me, well, I feel very content and satisfied with life lately. I am so lucky to have two beautiful, amazing, and healthy little boys who keep me on my toes and make me smile every day. It has also been so nice to have Paul home more -- for dinner, on the weekends, for bath night (even though he tries to get out of it!!). It's just a little bit of a relief to have someone at home to help out with whatever is going on, and he never complains about it. I can tell that Jake has been really happy to have Daddy around more too. The two of them are best buds. They hang downstairs and DJ together (Jake is learning a lot and loves it!). I have been feeling the itch for another baby, but have the willpower to hold out for a little while. I have always felt like I wanted to have 3 kids and while I still go back and forth some days, I ultimately think we will have one more. I have to at least try for a GIRL! I promised Paul I wouldn't get pregnant in 2010 so we will see what 2011 brings. We're thinking that waiting until Jake starts or is about to start kindergarten would be the smart thing to do so we're not paying for 3 kids in daycare full-time (crazy expensive -- $3K a month is a mortgage!).

I am very happy with my career at Booz Allen. I know I definitely made the right decision leaving General Dynamics to go to BAH. If you haven't seen the news, Booz Allen filed with the SEC to become a public company... in my role, I am doing a lot to support the actions and activities for being able to report as a public company so I am having the opportunity to learn so much and work with so many different people. I work with a FANTASTIC team who make me look forward to go to work every day. There is something to be said for working with a group of people whom you know will always have your back, and are always there to support you, even when you're having a bad day. (Also nice to work with a group of people who completely support work/life balance and understand that sometimes you have to leave early to pick up a sick kid, or work from home because a kid has a fever). My one year anniversary is coming up and so I just finished going through my annual assessment process. It's a hardcore, 360 degree review process, but I think it's a great concept. The outcome of my review was a promotion to the next level, which I couldn't be more thrilled about! I know my manager really went to bat for me and made it happen. Promotions don't happen every day at Booz Allen so it was an honor to be promoted after only being with the firm for a year.

Next up for this summer is Jake's 3rd birthday (and party) in early August and then our family trip to the Outer Banks at the end of August. I CANNOT WAIT for a week long vacation with Paul and the boys. Jake and Josh are going to have so much fun at the beach this year :-)

Sprinkler Splash!

Last weekend, my mom and I took Jake and Josh to this splash 'n play "sprinkler park" (I don't know what else to call it) right down the street from my parents' house. It's a small place but it has a lot of different sprinkler/fountain things that spray (warm) water all over. It's designed for smaller kids. As you can tell from the pictures, the boys had a blast (as did my mom and I)!

Celebrate Fairfax Fair

The fam went to the Celebrate Fairfax Fair in mid-June (yes, a little late with posting the pics) and Jake had a great time being able to go on some of the BIG KID rides this year. I thought he would be scared of the ride that went up about 25 feet in the air and then dropped straight down, but no, he laughed hysterically through the whole thing and insisted on riding it multiple times. That evening we stayed for the Rusted Root concert -- the boys' first concert! They both loved it. They ate ice cream and danced. Josh fell asleep in my arms about halfway through but Jake stayed up for the fireworks at the end of the night. It was a great way to start off the summer!

Slideshow of pics below...

Fly, Jakey, Fly!

This probably ranks up on the top 10 list of coolest thing that Jake has done thus far in his three years of life!

(Celebrate Fairfax Fair, June 2010)

Happy 4th!

It was a HOT weekend in DC, but we enjoyed the festivities on Saturday and Sunday. We started the 3rd with the traditional parade through Fairfax City with Oma and Pa. This is my third year attending with Jake (Josh's 2nd) and we were blessed to have Paul join us this year for the first time! (Another one of the perks of working in real estate -- he doesn't have to work every holiday weekend.) After the parade, we walked up the street to the old-fashioned firemen competitions. It's a lot of sirens, cheering, and water. This is honestly one of my favorite days of the entire year and is such a fun family tradition with the boys.

That evening we went to Fairfax High School to watch the big fireworks show that they put on every year. We got a great spot on the grass and as we watched the fireworks explode overhead, it literally felt like they were right on top of you. AMAZING. Both of the boys thought they were great -- Jake yelled "I saw GREEN!" every time a green one exploded and Josh burst out into applause at several random times. Then they both proceeded to pass out about halfway through the show. Can't say I blame them. It has been a long, hot day.

On Sunday (the 4th), we mainly took it easy after brunch and then headed to my brother's for a Grant-style BBQ and fireworks. Jake did his first sparkler and enjoyed watching Daddy blow things up. Jake especially enjoyed checking out Uncle Nick's new tools in his shed!

And today (Monday) was a much needed day of R&R. The boys and I took a nap this afternoon and then Paul grilled some steaks. I finally felt like I got a little rest after these 3 days. Ready for the grind to start up again this week.... and countdown begins to OBX trip at the end of August!

(Enjoy pictures below from this weekend!)

Cruising!

Watch out world! Josh is cruising all over the place! (see video below) He finally figured out that he is able to walk around about as fast as he could crawl so he has taken up the new activity. Beyond that, the rest of this video shows a typical "sharing" interaction between the boys. It goes like this -- Josh tries to play with Jake's tools, Jake gets upset, we remind Jake to share, Josh gets to play with one of Jake's lesser-liked tools. Everyone is happy. Fun summer days!

Congratulations, Paul!

First 'For Rent' sign going up with his name on it!

The first 'For Sale' sign will be going up in mid-July!

We're very excited about Paul's career change. He is building a successful business and customer base, is happy to be doing it, and is home WAY more often! It's been wonderful.