Martin Luther King, JR

 The Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial was recently finished and our good friends the Marshalls invited us to get a picnic dinner (at 5 Guys!) and visit the memorial. It was a lot of fun! The boys had a good time driving cars around while we enjoyed the views.

 You can see the Jefferson Memorial so well. I am shameful to admit I haven't been there yet. Soon. Very soon.

Thanks for inviting us guys! As always, we had a good time!

DJ Calder

 Calder loves to play the piano on my computer. If you google 'play piano online' you'll find a great keyboard that you can change the sound from piano to saxophone to organ (Calder's favorite). He doesn't normally wear noise canceling headphones but as Jason was unpacking he couldn't resist.

Columbus

 While Jason went to Oregon to visit family last week Calder and I decided we would go to Columbus! We had a great time and ended up extending our vacation due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene. We stayed with the Bardsleys and loved it! Thanks guys!

 Calder loved Grace and all her toys. She was incredibly patient and shared so well. I'm so glad they became friends and Calder asks regularly when we can go back.

 We went to COSI because it was basically our second home when we lived there. It's amazing that Calder doesn't really remember it but he sure had a good time.

 We made sure to do lots of fun things for Calder and for me. We went to the Park of Roses in Clintonville and we went to Sew To Speak for me. I sure missed Sew To Speak. It is by far the best fabric store I've ever been to. I got enough fabric to make a button up shirt. It is now on my list of things to sew.

 We also visited our old dog, Deebo. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures. It was fun to see him and it is obvious he loves his new house and new family. We drove by our old house and played in our old park.

Spencer was kind enough to let Anna and I have a girls night out with Amy while the kids slept. Calder woke up upset, so he snuggled in with Spencer. It's funny he didn't remember any of it in the morning.

I am so thankful we had the chance to go back and visit. It was fun to see our friends and see what has changed  and what has stayed the same.

Natural History & Annapolis

 We recently went to the Natural History museum as a family and had a marvelous time. Calder loved the little explorer room where he could examine butterflies under the microscope and touch all sorts of shells and skins. He loved the turtle shell and listening to the ocean in the seashells.

 The next day we went to Annapolis. Jason had only been there once about a year ago, so it was fun to go back again. We explored the pier and then went to a park to kill some time before we went to dinner. This is the second park we went to in Annapolis and we have been happy both times.

 Calder thought this large pay phone was a gas pump. He hasn't ever really seen a pay phone and the dial does look like the one on the gas pump.

  Then we went to Mike's Crab House. It was delicious as always. My only complaint is the lingering smell of crab. No matter how many times you wash your hands, they will smell like crab the rest of the day. It is so worth it though.

And, I'll leave you with a funny conversation we had the other day.

Cami [while rubbing Calder's feet]:  When you get married, you'll have a nice wife who will rub your feet every night.

Calder:  No, I want you to rub my feet when I get married.

Cami:  Ok.

Calder:  My wife can rub daddy's feet.

July?

I don't know where the month of July went but we were sure busy. Here's a quick list of things we've been doing:

• Bar taking (Jason)
• Cookie making (Calder and I)
• Finishing work (Jason)
• Lounging (all of us)
• Sewing (me, of course)
• Taking many trips to the library (all of us)

• Going to the Building Museum (finally all of us)

•  Newspaper reading (all of us)

•  Blackberry picking and pie making (Calder & I)

•  Holding family drum circles (Calder's request)

August is shaping up to be a great month around here. It has been so nice to have Jason around ALL THE TIME! I can't tell you how much we've enjoyed it. He turned down our invitation to go to playgroup today but otherwise we've been dragging him just about everywhere.

Oregon 2011

 This last week Calder and I went to Oregon for my sister's wedding reception. We had a great time and I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would like. When I get pictures of the reception, I'll show you. They are adorable!

 Our trip started off rocky. After we were on the plane and pulled back from the gate they told the pilot to wait due to weather. So we sat on the runway for 2.5 hours. Just sat. Calder was awesome. He kept asking if we were up in the air yet. He just played with the headphones they gave him. Then, once we were up in the air, he slept the whole flight. 

Since we had such a long start, we missed our connecting flight and had to stay in Salt Lake for the night. Calder was very disappointed that we didn't get to go to Oregon that night but he was thrilled when he found out he had a queen bed all to himself and free breakfast, he perked up.

 Calder enjoyed seeing the temple that Jason and I got married in.

 Calder had the most amazing experience. His Grandpa John set him up with a garbage truck ride. Calder got to go around the block, drive the steering wheel and honk the horn. It was amazing.

 Home Depot has carts that look like this. He called them Tow Mater carts and cried when we left the store.

 While at the park with Grandma Kate and Aunt Wendy the garbage truck came to pick up the dumpster. Calder was thrilled.

Reading a book in the doll stroller = Awesome. 

We had a great time in Oregon. It was great to see our families and spend time with them. Congratulations to Katie & Chris!

Latest Happenings

 I haven't posted much about what we've been doing this summer. Mostly because we've been really busy. The fountain is open by our house so we are playing there a few times a week. There is also a weekly concert for kids that Calder is loving here in downtown Silver Spring.

 Our garden is growing and Calder is a fabulous gardener!

 We go to the zoo all the time and Calder loves these misting machines. You push a button and mist comes out. Genius.

 We hang out on the roof a lot. Calder likes to take our lunches up there and have little picnics. We also play a lot of tag and hide and go seek.

 More fun at the fountain.

 And more roof pictures. You can see we take reading material up there too.

We hope everyone else is having a wonderful summer! We sure are.

Father's Day & 7 Years

 I am so glad we have a day to celebrate the dads in our lives. I am so lucky to be surrounded by amazing guys. Jason is the most amazing dad for Calder. He is patient, fun and smart. He would do anything for Calder and I love him so much. And, to make the day even sweeter today is our 7th anniversary! Happy Anniversary Jason! You're the best!

 My dad is amazing. Because of the good qualities I saw in him  growing up I was able to choose my husband with similar qualities. My dad is strong, not afraid to show emotion and caring. I love the special bond he has with Calder. He will read as many books as Calder asks him to. Calder's favorite is Curious George and since we have the complete collection it can lead to very long reading sessions. Thankfully my dad is also patient. I love you dad!

Jason's dad is a great dad and a great grandpa for Calder. He is fun and loves to play whatever game Calder comes up with. He will spend hours playing basketball with a rubber ball and laundry basket, if that is what Calder wants to do. I'm glad that Jason and his dad have such a good relationship. Love you John!

Happy Father's Day!

Baltimore Boats

A few weeks ago LuAnn and I went to Baltimore with the intention of taking our kids to the Children's Museum. They were closed because it was Monday. Who knew a museum would be closed during the week? Since we had driven all that way and already fed the meter, we wandered around the harbor. There is a pretty cool boat tour that we ended up doing. We saw the submarine and a really big Navy boat. (I can't remember the name or details of it. Lu?)

Baltimore is a rather funny city. It is beautiful and has some really amazing neighborhoods, but it also has some really scary neighborhoods. I know every city has that to a certain extend but it seems Baltimore has less of a divide between the good and the bad. It also seems to have more sketchy neighborhoods than other cities. I should say, I've only been there a few times, so I could be reading it all wrong. It just seems that way to me.