fall on the east coast

We've been enjoying some gorgeous fall weather here in Northern Virginia, which means we've spent a lot of time outdoors -- either playing outside the apartment building with friends or rotating our time at several of the local parks. The tree leaves are currently a rainbow of colors and the sunshine feels so good on a crisp autumn day. So perfect takes your breath away. My dad was right: nothing really beats fall on the East Coast.

That said, we definitely won't mind trading in our fabulous fall weather for some true summertime sunshine when we leave for Mexico this Friday. We're meeting up with my entire family, minus my brother Chad who is valiantly serving a mission in Mexico (sadly, we won't get to see him) for the LDS Church. That means my parents, eight "kids," three spouses, and four grandkids will be celebrating Thanksgiving on the beaches of Playa del Carmen.

Let the craziness begin.

christian's room so far

This post is for Auntie Megs. She asked recently if we had finally decorated Christian's room. The answer is yes and no. We started putting it together after Meri left in July (Christian slept in our room for his first year, since we had sweet "naunties" living with us to help care for him). These pics were taken back when we first got things organized. The mirror is now actually hanging on the wall but we still haven't put together the Dr. Seuss picture wall over the crib so I don't have anything more to show just yet.

Christian's favorite part of getting his room set up was officially inheriting Shane's old Kermit the Frog. As you can see, he's obsessed with Kermit's mouth.

happy halloween

This year for Halloween we attended a Trunk or Treat party at our church last weekend and a costume party this weekend. And that's about it. We bought pumpkins but never got around to carving them. Somehow, I don't think Christian will hold it against us. Shane's school and work schedule is keeping all of us busy so we were just happy to attend those two events together as a family.

The best part of the holiday was probably getting to watch Christian's confusion as people dropped candy into his plastic pumpkin bucket. He soon decided to turn the tables and started handing out the candy he collected to those passing it out. Pretty darn cute. As per usual.

Of course, soon after we arrived at the church building for party #1, Shane let Christian have a cupcake and then conveniently handed him off to me as Christian proceeded to smear frosting all over himself and me (someone actually came by and wiped it off my face -- I didn't even know it was there!). I wish we had more of an "after" shot but he was such a mess at that point we were no longer posing for pictures.

We toyed with the idea of letting our "Bamm-Bamm" go shirtless for authenticity sake but we decided it probably wasn't appropriate for a church setting. Besides, it's finally starting to cool off in the evenings around here so he needed the extra layers.

We had hoped to all be in costume as the famous Rubble family but didn't pull it off in time for the church party. However, we finally got our act together for party #2. I hope to post a picture soon.

packages

Who doesn't like getting packages in the mail? Lucky Christian has received TWO recently and he couldn't be more pleased about them.

First came the dinosaur package from Aunt Janny. Perfectly timed, considering he's showing interest in all things dinosaur lately. (Just like his dad, who wanted to be a dinosaur when he grew up.)

This finger puppet is too cute for words. So fun and well-made.

Ahem, I guess he wanted to be the one playing with his toy.

***
Okay, package number two arrives. Christian insists on carrying it himself (we had to pick it up at the post office) all the way up the stairs to our apartment. While the box was light it was also fairly large and so while Christian held onto the box, I held onto Christian. I'm sure we made a pretty funny parade.

I had to post this series of pictures. Christian gets the box all the way into the apartment, opens it up, only to find that he can't get past the plastic bag. Look how furious he is. (To be fair, this was at the end of a long work day so he had been at the sitter's for nearly 10 hours.)

Notice how quickly his mood changes after I bust a hole in the plastic.

There's our happy little man.

Say, what are these for anyway?

Ahh, got it. He really is one smart cookie.

an open letter to dittmar co.

Dear Dittmar Co.,

The D.C. area is known for some pretty extreme temperatures -- and loads of humidity. But, there are times in the spring and fall when the climate is just about perfect. And so normally I enjoy a good long fall or drawn out spring. Not this year.

Let me say, before things get personal, that we really do feel very fortunate to be living in our apartment complex. After living in Arlington during our dating days we frantically found ourselves searching for less costly living arrangement once we married (going from three roommates to one isn't easy on the wallet in this area). Luckily, some good friends suggested Edlandria Apartments to us, owned by the Dittmar Company. Not only did we find a clean, two-bedroom apartment that felt like home for a fair price, we also stumbled upon fabulous neighbors and an excellent management staff. And, on top of all that, utilities were included in our monthly rent. What's not to love, right?

Well, we soon discovered that the problem with utilities being included is that our entire apartment complex switches from a/c to heat or heat to a/c at the same time. Now, we know we can still adjust the thermostat in our apartment, but once the a/c is shut off and the heat is turned on for the winter months, there's no going back.

And herein lies the problem: with winter holding off, we are roasting in the sunshine during the day and sweating in stickiness by night. These past few weekends have been downright miserable. The breezes are few and far between and even with fans on in every room, we are uncomfortably hot. The evenings aren't much better. While the temperature does tend to drop a bit, it's usually stuffy and and sweltering. Even as I type this I feel my back sticking to my shirt. And opening windows in the evenings is tough because the lights in the parking lot come right through our windows.

Sorry to complain, Dittmar Co., but it had to come out sometime. We've come to appreciate so many things about living in Edlandria Apartments, but the a/c issue is not one of them. It's turned on too late in the spring and turned off too early in the fall. If we could make an adjustment to that, we'd sure appreciate it. Especially since the temperature over the next few days will be back in the 70s with a fair share of humidity.

Oh, and while I'm on my soapbox giving suggestions, we could sure use some overnight guest parking around here.

Thanks for listening,
Your sweaty tenants in #146

savory pumpkin soup

I don't think I've ever met a pumpkin recipe I didn't like. This one came along during my early, single days in D.C. My fabulous friend and roommate Tammy Richards Reynolds was quite the hostess and she asked me to track down this recipe from a mutual friend because we had heard it was delicious. And it was.

And this week, as the weather turned cooler, I couldn't help but make it again. And it was as good as I remember it.

So good, in fact, that my selfish side was greatly relieved to see that Shane had yet to dig into the leftovers when I dug into the fridge the next day.

• 1 lrg. onion, peeled & finely minced
• 1/4 cup butter
• ½ lb. fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped (Romas work well, but canned are fine too)
• ½ lb carrots peeled & cut in lrg. chunks
• 3 3/4 cup chicken broth divided (I use vegetable broth, works great)
• 1 cup (16 oz.) solid pack pumpkin
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbs. minced fresh basil or 1 Tbs. dried
• 3 Tbs. heavy cream (optional)
• grated Swiss cheese for garnish
• toasted curried pumpkin seeds or croutons (optional)

In large pot, saute onion in butter 4-5 min. Add tomatoes, simmer 5-6 min. In another pan, simmer carrots in 2 ½ cups chicken broth. Combing cooked carrots, hot broth & pumpkin in blender and puree. Add remaining stock. Add pumpkin mixture to pot, season with salt and pepper. Fold in cream and heat but do not boil. Garnish with cheese and croutons.

Note: Because I try not to take in much dairy, I've never added the cream and this soup is still fabulous.

Oh, and if anyone has a good recipe for a sweet pumpkin soup -- you know, the kind with nutmeg and maybe some apples -- please share.

first day of nursery

{modeling his "scripture specs" from nursery}

Christian officially attended nursery for the first time during the second and third hours of church this past Sunday. Some kids really struggle adjusting to nursery but when Christian saw all the kids and toys I don't think he even looked back. No shock there. Not only is he super social, he's been getting dropped off with a babysitter each week since the beginning of July. Still, it was a big deal for Shane and I to let him go because it means he's growing up, whether we like it or not.

Of course, this new development means I was able to attend Shane's Sunday School lesson for the first time in months. It's good to be back. Although now I'm afraid he will start cold calling on me again which means I had better be prepared.

still my baby

Feeling a little cooped up after nearly a week (going on two now) of laying low due to sickness, Christian and I ventured out Friday to the National Zoo to get some air and work out some wiggles. Besides, it was Christian's big half-birthday, and I figured we should do something to mark the big day.

Christian went wild. He spent maybe all of five minutes in the stroller over the course of three hours. Climbing small boulders, slipping around landscaping fences, insisting on pushing the stroller all by himself, following older kids around while trying to copy their every move -- needless to say, we were both exhausted by the time we made it back to the car.

And, of course, when we were less than 10 minutes from pulling into our apartment parking lot, Christian nodded off in his carseat, despite my attempts to keep him awake.

But, it turns out he was so tired that he had totally zonked out. Which meant I got to cradle him in my arms and carry him up the stairs to our apartment, down the hallway and into his room. As I stared into his sweet sleeping face, it was nice to be reminded that he still needs me. That even though he masters new skills daily, he's still my baby. And he's still got a lot to learn that Shane and I get the privilege of teaching him.

totally in denial

...that this little guy will be 18 months old in just two days.

This is what I get when I tell him to say cheese.

It's not easy saying no to this face.

Who gave him permission to grow up anyway?

freedom isn't easy

...and that's what I had to tell myself while running the hilly "Freedom's Run" half marathon in Shepherdstown, WVa. this morning.

In some ways it was less grueling than I thought it would be. That's not to say it was a cake walk by any stretch of the imagination. I definitely felt pushed to my limit at times. But I was blessed with fabulous running partners, a scenic and historic route through a national park, and insanely perfect weather. Not to mention a wonderful group of cheering fans encouraging me to finish strong, including my handsome (and very supportive!) husband and sweet son.

some of our cheerleaders

To be honest, I'm already thinking about where I will run next.

But then again, why mess with perfection? Could it really get any better?

Besides, I'm probably still on my runner's high, right? Just wait till I wake up tomorrow stiff and sore...
But for now, I can triumphantly declare: I did it. We did it. And I think I'd like to do it again.

***

This post wouldn't be complete without a sincere thank you to Julianne, who sent an e-mail around back in June that sparked what some have lovingly labeled "a four-month therapy session." I never would have started running like this at this point in my life if it wasn't for her example.

I also want to publicly thank my husband for all of his help along the way. He sacrificed a LOT of his own time by letting me disappear four mornings a week to train. And I didn't always show my appreciation for it the way I should have. There is NO WAY I could have done it without his loving support (and gentle hints to get out of bed at 5:30 am). Love your guts, handsome!

{More photos to come. Unfortunately, none of the group shots are on my camera. These are just a few from the handful Shane snapped at the end. In fact, I hesitate to post these photos at all, because this race was definitely a group triumph and I don't want anyone to think it was all about me or that I could have ever done this on my own.}