Vacation is Good for the Soul

I think everyone knows now that I am pregnant.

I really should dedicate a post entirely to that, but to save time I won't. We invested 2 emotional months and we have another miracle on the way. I am 12 weeks along and due on April 6. How special is that? The boys were due near Christmas, and this baby is due near Easter. We feel so blessed and are grateful beyond measure.

That said, I've been feeling sick and tired and when Josh said he was going to Washington for a week, I asked him if I could come along.

We spent the first several days with Grandma and Pepaw where we all got spoiled to death. I took 2 hour naps every day! I had my meals made for me, my laundry done, and my boys taken care of. I could feel the exhaustion and nausea fading away. I soaked in the sights of the green trees and the sounds of the singing birds. Our house has pigeons, but it's not quite the same.
Here the boys are feeling Tio's (Uncle John) and Pepaw's whiskers.
Then we piled into the rental car and drove down to D.C. I met my friend and her baby at the mall where we let the kids play on the indoor playground. It was cool and rainy and I was in heaven again! Who knew I would miss rain!
In D.C. we stayed the first couple of nights downtown with Josh in his hotel. We took the boys to see the Washington Monument, which they still pronounce "Mommy-ment." We took them to the Capital Building. I couldn't believe I had worked there for a year. It is the most spectacular, uplifting building and I didn't want to leave.

In front of the Supreme Court Building.

Next stop was the National Gallery of Art. I was so happy to be there! I used to walk there on my lunch break from the Senate and take docent tours. This time we took the boys to see an exhibit on Armor. They were in heaven! They love playing knights and were thrilled to see some suits of armor for knights and their horses. We ate lunch in the cafeteria and bought them toy knights and horses, one of which is already lost. This is the fountain in the cafeteria.
Sunday we spent with the Lowe's. Matt gave his homecoming talk in church and it was just like old times to eat Sunday dinner with them and spend the afternoon at their house. Michael and Sam have been arguing over who gets to marry their cousin Lydia.


It was a special treat to visit my friend Melanie. I met her over two years ago while we were both walking our babies around our apartment complex parking lot. Actually, we were both walking to the near-by grocery store for some social interaction with the employees there! She has been and continues to be a huge blessing in my life. Somehow we just "get" each other. She is a comfort to my soul and I hated to leave her! Her daughter played with my boys like they had never been apart and sat on my lap for half an hour being a cat. Her new son is sweet and good tempered and we had a great visit together over her homemade chicken soup and mixed berries with yogurt.

On the airplane out and back, Josh sat with the boys and let me rest. I read a book. I thought deep thoughts. I thought. I listened to the quiet. I listened to my boys chattering away a few rows behind me and I smiled.When I got home I felt rejuvenated. I have been cleaning everything that has been dirty for the last 4 months while I haven't been feeling well. I think this is the first time I've cleaned out my fridge when I wasn't moving, just for my own enjoyment. I put up our fall decorations and changed around a few of the pictures on our walls and am feeling more and more at home here. On our trip, my prayer was that I would come home and not be homesick for D.C. anymore. My prayer was answered and I feel more confident and sure of myself than I have in a long time.

Now, on to enjoying my second trimester and blooming where I'm planted.