DC Metro Mom

If you’re like my boys and me, you’ve been chasing around space shuttle Discovery over the past week. I heard about the shuttle coming up from Florida to the Air and Space Museum by Dulles a few months ago from one of my wonderful Northern Virginia mommy blogger connections and have had the days blocked off on my calendar ever since then. My twin boys are obsessed with all things space.  

On Tuesday the boys and I went down to the National Mall to see the shuttle fly over atop a modified jet. What I found the most intriguing was the sense of waiting expectantly with so many other people--  on the ground or on the tops of buildings— all waiting for the same thing.  We were by the Capitol, and judging from the crowds on the terraces, there were not many people left inside the Capitol. Everyone looking at the sky.

This past week the Washington Nationals had their home opener. They’ve started their season off with a bang and have baseball commentators speculating that this year if they stay healthy, the Nats will probably be able to be the most competitive that they’ve ever been and a real contender in the playoffs. I’m a big baseball fan and love the fact that we are so close to a pro team here in Washington. But so far this year it is even more exciting that we have a team with a record of nine wins and three losses that is in first place in the NL East!

My husband and I love baseball and we’re teaching our twin boys to do the same. We headed out to the park Friday night to see the first night game. It was a perfect night for baseball—not hot and only toward the very end did it get a little chilly. One of our boys is content to just sit and take everything in—he loves all sports, but especially baseball. He’s not even three yet and he has a favorite player! The other one spent considerable time making friends while dancing in the aisles and sliding peanuts down the seats. We had awesome seats along the right field line, which is a treat for us. We usually just get cheap seats farther up, but my husband got these seats as a birthday gift for me. We were just a few rows from the field. The game was a pitching duel. Both pitchers were right on, and it went into extra innings. Our boys were well behaved and entertained, but after the 13^th inning when it was 11pm, we headed out. The Nats won in the 14^th inning and we heard it on the radio as we drove home with sleeping kids.

I recently saw the movie a "Race to Nowhere".  A friend mentioned that this Indie flick was playing at a local theater for a limited audience and tickets were going fast.  Always intrigued by a "hot" topic, I decided to attend.

It's not the boys on the football team you want to pay attention to... it's the boys that sit next to you in Calculus."
-Dave Synder, my stepfather

That's one of my favorite nuggets of advice from my step-dad, Dave.  His point was not to put down jocks, but to illustrate how there's more to looking for a mate than finding the hip cool guy that's good at sports and popular.  In his way, he taught me that it's important to find a man that can care for you and provide for you.  So what if he runs with the cool group and wears cool jeans?  He also thought that the guys in Calculus had better income earning potential!   He makes a good point.

This weekend, I have been gushing love for my husband.  Not because of some elaborate romantic gesture or piece of jewelry he gave me, but because he's present and plugged in to the silly everyday normal activities of our family.

He didn't complain when our Saturday morning family walk with Emily found a detour through a neighborhood garage sale.  Emily's adorable nature scored her a free stuffed bunny rabbit and teddy bear from a lovely mom that wanted her to have the precious toys her children used to love.  My bargain hunting purchased a HEAVY bag of solid wood blocks, and an entire children's full size bedding set from Pottery Barn for $3.  Good thing Daddy brought his wallet.  He generously cut our walk short to carry home our great bounty.  He didn't mind looking very UNcool while walking home on the popular hike/bike trail carrying a bunny, teddy bear, bag of blocks, and big plastic case full of fairy princess bedding.  Silly me for not bringing the camera along.  Now that is a MAN!