He's a Little Confused

Grayson has provided our sound track as we toured around DC the last week or so. He really likes to sing, loudly. He doesn't really care if he has the words right, if he can't remember the words he just makes it up as he goes along. Lately his favorite song is American Pie but he also likes the Weird Al Yankovic version The Saga Begins. Rather than choose he just combines the two song and belts it out everywhere we go. Here is Grayson's own special nonsensical version:

Bye bye Mr. Anikan Guy,

May be Vader some day later

'Cept we have a small fly

Good boys were drinking whiskey and rye

Singing that will be the day that I die.

Repeat ad nauseam at increasingly loud volumes as you wander about the tourist sights. Guaranteed to bring some baffled stares.

More Fun at David's Expense

I hate cockroaches. As far I am concerned if you are married it is the man's job to kill any and all roaches. They are horrible disgusting critters. The only problem is that David is even more afraid if roaches than I am.*

The other day Dakota and I took the kids to the Natural History Museum while David was at the office. Dakota and I split up, he took Grayson and I took Alonzo and Colin, then after a while we switched. Later when I was looking through the pictures Dakota took I found this:

Yep that is one of my kids with a giant hissing roach crawling all over him. *Shudder* I am so glad Dakota did that with them, they all seem to love everything creepy crawly. It is really cool that they got to see the bug exhibit at the Smithsonian. It is even cooler that I didn't have to. Instead I go to see the fossil exhibit, twice. Which is just fine with me.

That brings us to tonight, and this is the point at which I get to make fun of David (again). Walking home from the Metro with the kids tonight it was already dark. Not surprising a few roaches ran out on the sidewalk in front of us. The big ugly ones we call water-bugs in Texas. I squeaked. I do that when I am near something yucky - it isn't a scream, it is a squeak, a scream would be louder. Then I moved so that David was between me and the roaches. I don't care if that is mean, roaches are a husbands job to deal with, it is is the vows somewhere, I am sure of it.

Grayson thought the roaches were pretty cool and started following them around as they scuttled along. This just proves to me that even among the very young testosterone causes brain damage. He told Dave that he got to hold one at the museum and wanted to know if he could hold these too. I yelled "NO!" and moved a little farther away just in case. David sucked it up and went along with Gray talking to him about how fast they move, how the antennae wiggle around, how they can survive for days without a head. Further proof they are unnatural evil things.

Things were going along pretty well when David got a bit too close and the roaches decided it was time to fly.** David gave short scream (you know a bit louder than a squeak) and started jumping up and down waving his arms all over the place. I wanted to be supportive but it was funny all I could do was laugh. It was one of those moments that I wished I had a video camera it would have been priceless! Well, maybe not priceless, but worth at least $10,000 on America's Funniest Home Videos.

*Dave says that he isn't afraid of roaches. He just doesn't like them. They give him the heebie jeebies. They terrify him. Yeah I know terrify is synonymous with afraid, but he doesn't seem to think so.
**Flying cockroaches! Ugggh! Aren't they horrible enough without the power of flight? And they always make such a nasty noise when they fly. Sort of like a demonic helicopter.

Ooops!

Poor David. He spent the entire day convinced that he left his cell phone at the Washington Monument. When we went up to the top this morning they told us to put all cell phones, cameras and other electronic equipment in the basket to be x-rayed. He picked up his backpack from the basket and forgot his phone. We were at Arlington Cemetery before he remembered about the phone. He ransacked his backpack and then my backpack. Finally he used my phone to call his hoping it was in some pocket in his pack that he missed. No ringing from his bag and no one answered the phone where ever it was. So on the way home he got off the Metro at the Smithsonian to stop at the Monument and retrieve his phone while the rest of us went on to the hotel. The park staff told him that there was no phone. He insisted he had left his phone there this morning and they needed to check again. Finally he pulled out my phone and called his phone fully expecting to have the phone ring inside the screening area of the monument. Instead all he heard was his giggling wife calling him a dork. I found the phone ringing on the end table in our suite just as I walked into our suite. David had the fun of apologizing to the park staff for insisting they had his phone. Good thing he can laugh at himself!

Only Me

So yesterday we took a long walk around the mall. Today I have what appears to be poison ivy. I walked all around Hematite Lake in Kentucky which was covered in poison ivy and poison oak and managed not to get any. I walk around the national mall looking at monuments and end with a doozy of a case. Since it is only on the back of my legs I can only assume I sat in something when we stopped by the reflecting pool to eat some ice cream. None of the boys or Dave have anything. Only me!

Tired Feet and Happy Tummy

Right now I feel a lot better about all the food I have been shoveling in this summer. Today we walked from our hotel (which is three blocks directly behind the National Musuem of the American Indian) to the Jefferson Memorial, then to the FDR memorial, and the Korean War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial with all those steps, then the Vietnam Memorial. Grayson wanted to see "Obama's house" so we walked over and peered through the fence at the White House. We were headed back to the hotel when a guy gave us a flier with a coupon to Harry's Restaurant so we walked a few more blocks and stopped to eat. I am glad we did. I had the open face roast turkey sandwich, it was like Thanksgiving on a plate. Perfect. Then we walked down Pennsylvania until we got to 4th street then we crossed over the mall and finally made it home to our hotel suite. My feet are tired. My feet feel like it was a 100 miles, Alonzo is swearing it was at least 30. Google maps puts it at roughly 6 and half miles. With 4 kids. That is worth at least a hundred miles. There will be pictures later. For now I am going to eat my baklava and drink a cup of hot tea completely guilt free.

DC Time

Sorry for the blog silence but every time I tried to get on the web in Kentucky it crashed the wireless at Teri's house. No idea why, I guess her system just doesn't like apples. Anyway we made it to DC a just over 2 hours ago. Dave is tucking the kids in and I am enjoying having my computer again. Over the next few days I will try to get a few catch-up posts up on this sadly neglected blog.

Today was crazy busy. Dave got his hair cut this morning, then he mailed some stuff we bought that wouldn't fit into the suitcases, we all took the kids for a goodbye lunch with Aunt Teri and cousin Jorden at Chuck E. Cheese's House of Torture--OK it is really a pizza place but it is loud and chaotic, of course the kids had a blast. By two we were at the tiny airport in Paducah where we checked in, made it through security and onto the plane without too much problem but then we sat and sat waiting to take off. We didn't have much time to make our connecting flight in Chicago and now we were more than 20 minutes late. As soon as we hit the ground in Chicago we sprinted from one terminal to the next and barely made our flight. Side note: I REALLY need to start exercising, even Grayson beat me to the gate and I was the only one wheezing like a geriatric bulldog as we got onto the connecting flight. We were sure that our luggage would be left behind, the gates closed and the plane started moving within minutes of our boarding. We arrived in DC and made our way to the baggage collection and even from across the room I could see the kids bright orange suitcases waiting for us. Incredibly not only did our luggage make it to DC with us but that is the fastest we have ever managed to collect out luggage. Nice!

In our hotel rooms Dave opened a couple of bags to get the kids pj's out and noticed that both bags had been searched by TSA, so he started opened all the bags and of our 8 bags 7 of them had been searched. It is good to know TSA is keeping the nation safe from the threat of diplomats with kids traveling on orders, but somehow they missed a bag.

Tomorrow Dave is off to consultations and the rest of us are off to tour some museums. The kids have been planning this week for months, they want to visit all their favorite museums: air and space, natural history, air and space, botanical gardens, air and space, natural history, and did I mention air and space? Wish me luck!

Sizzling Summer Vacation Spectacular '08

First lets get business out of the way. Kristen at We Are THAT Family is hosting the Sizzling Summer Vacation Spectacular today, complete with door prizes. Make sure to stop by and see what all the fuss is about! You really don't want to miss all the fun!

So how do I fit a summer vacation that encompasses three continents, two states and the District of Columbia into one blog post? I don't know either, lets find out together.

My summer started and ended with boxes. Lots and lots of boxes.  I loath boxes! I loath packing! I loath unpacking!  All you FS, military, NGO and other global nomads, I know you feel my pain! But in between all the boxes was a glorious, sunny, fun-filled summer!

We started the summer in Asia.  Jakarta Indonesia to be specific.  We celebrated the end of our two years there with one last trip to our favorite place, anywhere.  The Sailing Club at Tanjung Lesung.  As always we had an absolute blast.  Thanks to Dave and Sophie for making our last weekend in Indonesia so wonderful.  I hope to make it back again someday.  There is no place else quite like it.

I love this place!  

A week later we were on the other side of the world hanging with freinds and family in San Antonio, Texas.  We had so much fun seeing everyone, going to the river at Guadalupe River State Park, watching the parade and fireworks on the 4th and of course girls night out at the Melting Pot!  We even made it to the circus and got to watch Grandma Sheila show one of her Japanese Chins.

David step away from the camera and no one gets hurt!

Everyone loves a parade!

Look, No Kids!

Wonder what they are looking at?

GO GRANDMA! 

Our time in San Antonio was too short and by mid-July we were in Kentucky letting our red-neck side hang out and enjoying a week-long crazy-family get together hosted by fellow blogger and sister-in-law Terio.  We ate ice cream, had fun in the sun, went four wheeling, and the boys learned a little archery from Uncle Kevin.  The best part was just watching all the cousins spending time together! 

Cousins everywhere!

Keeping cool in the heat!

Volleyball family fun

Uncle Kevin arms the kids, nowhere is safe now

Obviously Paul was at the wrong place at the wrong time!

From Kentucky we headed off to DC where we did much sight seeing, enjoyed a visit from a good friend, and David even managed to accomplish a bit of work. 

Yeah, that's original! Not!

Doug and Dave smile for the camera.

Our last stop and final destination this summer was our new home Frankfurt Germany.  We arrived August 1st.  It is the first time any of us have been to Europe. Well to be fair David visited Norway when he was in the navy but he has never been to Germany before! We are still settling in but I am sure we will have lots of new adventures to share with you.  We are looking forward to exploring castles, Roman ruins, and German culture. 

Woo Hoo Frankfurt at last!  No, that's not our house!

Our first Roman ruins.  Notice the jackets.  It's still summer and we are freezin' y'all! 

Crocs attacked by Escalator

We have been in DC for two days and we had our first run-in ever with the escalator monster. Mind you, our kids have been on and around escalators their entire lives and for the last two years the only shoes they have worn are Crocs. In the history of croc wearing in our family we have never had an escalator attack one of our kids Crocs. However today on our way back we had two attacks. The first attack was on the teal green Crocs that Alonzo was wearing. Luckily for Alonzo the Escalator was not that hungry and we were able to get him and the croc away from the escalator monster with only minor damage to the hind end of the croc.

It wasn’t but 10 minutes later that Colin’s blue crocs were attached by yet another escalator monster. This time the monster tried to attack from the side. It started to drag the Croc with Colin in-tow down to the depths. Luckily for Colin Dad reacted quickly and jumped to the rescue. No major damage to the foot just a few scratches. However the croc did not fair well. The side of the croc was ripped open and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hotel.

Services for the croc were held and tears were shed. But a lesson was learned by Alonzo and Colin because of these two events. They learned that you walk off of an escalator and you don’t put your foot next to the wall as you are going down or next time they might not be so lucky and the Escalator monster will not only eat the Croc but the foot that’s in it.