Washington D.C.

A few weeks ago we decided to take a quick trip to Washington, D.C. I have wanted to go up there for the last few years and R.T. had a long weekend so we decided to take advantage of the time off. Rana was able to work her schedule so that she could go with us. We had so much fun and I loved it there. We were non-stop the entire time we were there. We knew when we left that there were specific things that we really wanted to see while we were there. In order to get everything squeezed into the short time that we had, we had to stay on the go pretty much the whole time. Two of the biggest things we went to visit were The Holocaust Museum and Arlington Cemetery. These two things alone made the trip worth while! Here are some of the pictures that I took while we were there for the weekend.


The first thing we went to see was The Washington Monument.



We then took a walk by the reflecting pool (which was empty while we were there) and then to The Lincoln Memorial.




The Lincoln Memorial was very different from what I imagined it to be. The actual statue of Lincoln is not exposed like I thought. He is sort of "enshrined" although it is still outside. I was under the impression that he was more exposed than he actually is. Anyway, the memorial is very large and very cool to see in person.


Our next stop was the Vietnam Memorial. This was amazing. It was such a somber sight to see just how many people had lost their lives during that war.

Here is a shot of The Capitol.

On Saturday morning we made our first stop at The Holocaust Museum. This was on the top of my agenda and we spent 2-3 hours in the museum. It was so informative and extremely sad. I didn't get any pictures from this because they did not allow us to take pictures inside. After this we went to Arlington Cemetery. It was so important for us to see the changing of the guard at The Tomb of the Unknown. By the time we got to the cemetery there was only one more changing before they closed it to the public. We made a stop at the grave of JFK on the way to the Tomb of The Unknown soldier.






Once we actually arrived at The Changing of the Guard (this was quite a walk), I was able to get a few shots of the soldiers. The entire process was really amazing. Everyone was very quiet and it just made you feel so much respect for the soldiers that have lost their lives and had the honor of being buried at Arlington.

We also got to go into the National Archives where we were able to see the original Bill of Rights, The United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. These were the three documents that we wanted to see but there was SO much more that I would loved to have seen. If we go back to Washington, D.C. I will certainly spend much more time in The National Archives. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Once again, they did not allow pictures so I didn't take any inside. After dinner, we went to visit the White House.

These are taken outside of the Treasury Building.


These are outside of The White House. It was so pretty at night and there was not as much of a crowd.





This is in front of The Washington Monument at night.

This trip was great. I wish we could have toured the Pentagon and seen a thousand other things. We did stay in a hotel that overlooked the Pentagon so that was really cool. The pool was on the top floor and you could see the Pentagon really well. I hope that we get the opportunity to go back up there and see some more things. It was well worth it!

The Newest Addition to Our Family!

So this morning RT tells me he needs to go to Home Depot to get a few things. Four hours later he was still not home. I started to get a little suspicious so I called him. He shows up at the house about 20 minutes later with my birthday gift... a new kitty!!!! He said he went to PetSmart first to adopt one there but that they did not have that many to choose from. He then went to the humane society in Columbus and was able to select from a few more there. Our new kitty's name is Ace which was the one he had already been given. He is 4 months old and very lovable. Right now he is just trying to adjust to the house and his new surroundings. Here are a few pictures I got of him this afternoon.

Our weekend...

The last few days I have gotten some really good shots of Emily doing just everyday normal things that I wanted to share. Yesterday I went to a baby shower for a friend of ours and RT went and shot his gun at the indoor range with her husband. Before the shower, Emily and RT played with the ball in the front yard and here are some pictures from that.

This morning while RT was shaving his face, Emily asked if she could help. She is going through a stage where she wants to help with everything RT and I do. She likes to "help" me put my makeup on in the mornings and she likes to help sweep the floor. She even wants to help RT when he builds a fire in the fireplace. It is really cute. So, this morning RT thought he would let her help out. It went really well with a little supervision from Daddy.

This afternoon we decided to make a stop at the park. Emily loves this particular park and gets so excited every time we go there.

The whole family had a good time this afternoon!

Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and RT had to work a 24 hour shift. Emily and I just hung out the whole day and then decided to meet RT for a quick dinner on post. We brought him a few gifts and I was able to get a few pictures of Emily and Daddy together.


Giving Daddy his card and chocolate covered strawberries.

Giving Daddy Valentine's Day kisses!



Emily being goofy with her glasses.

The Georgia Aquarium

Last weekend we decided to go to The Georgia Aquarium. There was a really large group of us and we had a really good time. We let the kids play in the grassy area outside for a while and then we went and ate lunch at the CNN center before going into the actual aquarium. Here are a few pictures from our trip.




This is Emily, Ethan and Kristen

Emily and the whale

I LOVE their faces in this picture

Emily and Daddy and then Emily and Mommy


Kristen, Emily and Torrez

RT and Josh "petting" the shrimp

Kevin and Abby's wedding

I know that it has been almost two weeks since the wedding but I still wanted to post some pictures from that weekend. Kevin and Abby decided to make the wedding a four day event and although RT and I were only able to get out there Friday, we had such a good time. Friday night we hung out by a bon fire and some of the guys played poker. Saturday was the wedding and the reception (which was beautiful) and then another night by the bonfire. Sunday morning was a breakfast event and then we got to say goodbye to Kevin and Abby. I really think the whole thing turned out great and we were really happy to be a part of it. Here are a few pictures from that weekend.

Our first trip to the dentist

Today was a big day for Emily. This was the first time that she has ever been to a dentist. She does not have all of her teeth yet and so there is very little that they can do anyway. I just felt that it would be best if we started good oral health early! This particular dental office is one that specializes in children and so it was perfect for her. They had a playground inside the office and she got a lot of little "gifts". I kind of looked like the dorky mother taking pictures of her kid's first dental visit but I didn't care. I wanted to have pictures for RT to see since he has to work during things like this. (He was with her the other day for the first time in her life to get a shot. He got to see how heartbreaking it is.) Anyway here is how today went...
This is Em playing while she waited to be called back

Here she is getting her teeth brushed. They don't do a full cleaning on kids that are this young. They also don't do x-rays this young either. So basically they just brushed her teeth and had a look at them.


This is when the actual dentist came and checked her out.

After everything was done with, Emily received a goody bag with Princess stickers and a new toothbrush. She was very excited to get her bag.

She did so well today and I was so proud of her. She was not scared at all and was such a good girl the whole visit.