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View of the DC skyline from 13th and Clifton Streets NW. This is one of my favorite spots in the city. As you can see the block is under construction. By the end of the summer, my favorite view will be no more. Makes me a little sad.

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Favorite breakfast: scrambled egg with red shreddy tofu. This tofu can only be purchased in Taiwan. D always brings some back from me when he visits there. I do not share much with others.

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On the left is K on her first day of school (September 2011). On the right is K on her (nearly) last day of pre-K (June 2013). My baby is all grown up.

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Home

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K and her friends were running through the sprinkler. She went inside to "go to the bathroom". And came back in a new dress, winter tights and dress shoes. She continued to play as if running through the sprinkler fully clothed is normal and accepted.

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Family

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Tomorrow is T. Grandma's birthday. We're making cards, which we will take pictures of and then send via iMessage to SE Asia. Technology...

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Rented a car to drive to Pennsylvania for the weekend. Got a brand new Ford Focus with 9 miles on it.

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Today is trash day, which is C's favorite day of the week. He usually stands on a yellow bin full of dress up clothes to look out the windows when the trucks are nearby. This morning that bin was in the basement (K had a playdate yesterday and the girls did a princess fashion show downstairs). Needing to see the trucks, C climbed from the stool to the bookshelf to the windowsill. He's a smart kid and a good climber. He did need help getting down once the trucks were gone.

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Beehive play ground.

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Zoo

We can walk to the National Zoo from home. As a result, we go to the zoo A LOT; often weekly and sometimes twice per week during the summer. Frequently we go late in the afternoon after naps. The crowds are leaving and the lions are hungry and roaring. It is so fun. Since the new American Trail opened last year, we spend a lot of time with the sea lions. Watching them above and below the surface is high on our list of favorite things about the zoo.

I'm going to miss this SO much...

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Spray park is open.

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Friends joined us for pizza dinner. One had a gluten allergy. Here is my first attempt at chickpea flour crust. It was the right texture, but definitely needed more salt; possibly some other spices like rosemary and oregano. Looking forward to trying it again...

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 It's that time of year... time to go barefoot!

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Went out for drinks with my friend, C, tonight. Best.Night.Ever.

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Mesmerized by lawn mowers.

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Menu for the week.

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Gardening.

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First mosquito bite of the season. Right between the shoulder blades.

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Fun drinks at the Farmers' Market.

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Graduation party decorations.

I take on all the really big and important tasks at work --- like planning, hosting, and decorating the post-convocation ceremony this spring. The cookie bouquets were quite popular!

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Taking a load off after a busy day at Grandma's.

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Spring.

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Love this place!

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I love windmills.

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Storm.

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Loved ones day at K's school. She's making coffee for them now.

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K and all of her classmates huddled around three chicks. The family of one of her classmates has pet chickens. The chicks seen here were two days old. So sweet. The excitement among the kids and adults was tangible.

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Bite marks. It's hard being the little brother and painful to be the big sister.

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Love him. Even when he is grumpy.

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New shoes

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Pittsburgh, PA at the Clemente Bridge at 6am. Enjoying the sunrise.

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Pittsburgh, PA

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Developing her own sense of style

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The first of many sad good-byes in Washington DC.

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Ah... Rock Creek Park.

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This all occurred the week I started my new role as a full time stay-at-home mom. (Please note: I am still working -- grading, writing, editing, doing two new course preps -- oh, and we have to pack our entire house and move in a couple of months.)

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Training for the 2028 Olympics has begun...

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Today we visited the National Arboretum to see the azalea collection.

We go every year, and it never disappoints. The colors are amazing.

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Last night we had dinner at our friends house. After dinner, K and her friend, A, disappeared for a period of time. When they finally came downstairs, they were covered in marker. K had a full beard and mustache on her face -- red. They had spots on their stomachs, backs, necks, and legs. K went so far as to color her legs, which you can see here. Most of the marker was washable and came off simply with a wet paper towel. The marker A used to color K's back was not washable. She's going to have orange dots on her back and neck for some time.

We've created a new rule in our house: no drawing with marker on your body.

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K didn't have school today. We ventured downtown to visit the dinosaur museum (better known as the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History). After the museum, we had snacks on the National Mall. We rode the carousel. C did not enjoy it. We had a picnic lunch under a big oak tree. And then we walked over to the Sculpture Garden. That's where I snapped this picture. K lead the way to the fountain. She took really good care of C.

I hope they are this close in 20 years...

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Closed: Washington Monument. Damage from the earthquake in August 2011 will soon be repaired.

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This pink plastic vacuum has brought much joy to our home. The sidewalk in front of our house is cleaner than any other in DC.

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Our weekly menu.

SUNDAY CONFESSIONAL

Truth be told...

1. Yesterday I had a glass of wine and bowl of granola for dinner.

2. I'm a little behind on laundry. In the past 24 hours, I've done seven loads, and I'm not finished. Everything is folded (which took a good chunk of my time); however the thought of bringing all of those clothes up two flights is more than I can handle. Laundry is SO much work.

3. In addition to my laundry piling up, I'm behind on grading papers. I have more than 50 position papers to read and grade. The end of the semester is brutal on teachers. To compound the problem, our school switched email servers this weekend and students are clueless as to what is going on. Numerous were unable to use their school email accounts this weekend and probably won't be able to do so for weeks to come.

4. K has been sleeping on a mattress in our room for months now. We set up the little bed so she wasn't bothered by C, but now that C is sleeping through the night she still needs to sleep with us. I don't know how to break the cycle. She doesn't like sharing a room with C and even if we get her into the bed in her room she always ends up on the floor in ours. With everything else going on, I don't have the time or patience to break her of this habit. Instead I'm putting it off until after we move. Her bedroom will be right across the hall from ours in the new house. I'm hoping that such close proximity and a new bedroom -- all to herself -- will get her out of our room.

5. I love Neil Diamond. Watching him perform at the Red Sox game on Saturday brought tears to my eyes.

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Red bud, how I love you...