Beach or Bust!

Jonathan's office has been preparing for an HSI Inspection basically since we moved here, and it was finally completed last week. He's had to stay late, work through many of his lunch breaks, and complete projects that had nothing to do with him just 'cause the boss said to, so in many ways it's felt like the residency all over again. As a "reward" the clinic was given Monday off, and we decided to FINALLY make our way to the beach. A major reason we were excited to move out here was because of the close proximity to the beach...needless to say, it hasn't panned out for us much since 10 months later this is our FIRST trip. Better late than never! The day kind of started out like a bust because I had to be back in town to teach my Body Pump class by 5 p.m., so when the GPS was saying it would take 4 HOURS to drive approximately 140 miles to Wrightsville beach, I sorta freaked out, but Jon convinced me we could find a faster way (our GPS is 5 years old and STINKS) and he was right. Two hours and twenty minutes later we were there. These two beach bums were in absolute heaven. Lucy kept asking, "Can't we build a house right here?!?" Even though the weather was less than desirable (75 degrees and rainy), we had a good time. We couldn't keep this girl out of the water. She watched some of the surfers and decided she'd like to try it, so Jon took her out on the boogie board and she actually did catch some waves and did awesome! She has absolutely no fear of the water and even though she got dunked a couple of times she begged to get right back on. The rain really picked up about an hour into our stay so we had to picnic under Jon's makeshift shelter, which was a little cramped but kept the rain off, but not the sand out of the sandwiches.:) While Jon and Lucy spent most (if not all) of their time playing in the water, Zach and I remained on the beach, where eventually Zach was buried in the sand. He found it hilarious to be up to his neck in sand! There are many times I wish I could bury him in the sand when he's being naughty at home... The Sand Monster! He was COVERED head to toe in sand, and enjoyed chasing Lucy all over the beach flinging sand at her. Right before we had to leave Jon took both kiddos out for one last rinse off and tried to catch a couple more waves, which Luce loved and Zach HATED. He's not much for cold water, and I'd have to agree! We'll definitely be spending some more quality time here.

A Memorable Memorial Day

Well, this Memorial Day was memorable for a number of reasons, so we'd better start at the beginning. A few weeks ago we decided to spend Memorial weekend up in DC, and made arrangements with my brother Devin and his wife Sarah (who live in Richmond) to babysit our kids for 2 nights/3 days so we could enjoy the city kid-free. Pretty sweet, right? Well, as luck would have it all that week I'd been dealing with a pretty bad migraine, which when you're preggo there aren't many good pain management options and so they last for days...and days...and days. I was able to take some Tylenol 3 I'd been prescribed, but unless I took a LOT of it, it wasn't really doing much but taking the edge off. By Thursday morning I had completely run out, and we were set to leave for Richmond right after Lucy's preschool concert that evening. I figured I'd tough it out like I did with Lucy's pregnancy (I had migraines for weeks but was too afraid to take any painkillers) and try and make the best of our kid-free weekend. But by Friday morning I literally couldn't stand for longer than a minute without feeling like I was going to pass out because my head was THROBBING, and I couldn't see out of my left eye (the side the migraine was on). I was starting to freak out because I just knew the weekend was going to be ruined if I couldn't get my poor head some help, so I luckily narrowly avoided having to sit in the ER when Sarah suggested I see a PA friend of hers who could see me that morning. She prescribed me some Percocet and within a few hours Jon and I kissed the kiddos good bye and were finally on our way (only a few hours behind schedule)!

I really don't remember much about the drive up to DC because I spent most of it in a drug induced stupor, but I DO remember arriving at the Cafe Rio in Manassas. Hello! That woke me up. I have been craving that pork salad constantly the last 4 months!

After one of my all-time favorite lunches we headed just a mile up the road to the Manassas battlefield. I've always been fascinated by the Civil War, so any time we can squeeze in a visit to one of the historical sights, we do. This one is just a few miles outside of DC and was where it all began at the first Battle of Bull Run. Such history!

The setting today looks much like it did back then, and it was easy to picture the picnickers from DC coming to see the first run-in between North and South and thinking it would be the first (and last) battle of the war. Little did they know it would last 4 long years and consume thousands of lives.

By that time with all the heat and walking around my head was pounding again, so we decided to drive up to our hotel in the DC suburb of Silver Springs. After another round of Percocet (hope no one thinks I'm an addict!) we hopped on the Metro and headed downtown to a restaurant featured on Foodnetwork's "Kid in a Candy Store," called Co Co Sala.

EVERYTHING is chocolate, or features chocolate somehow. We weren't too hungry for dinner (although they feature things like mac and cheese with chocolate covered bacon on top), so we opted to try a couple of desserts. First a chocolate mousse cake with passion fruit ice cream, and second a chocolate toffee cake with ginger ice cream. Both were AMAZING, and for the price I would definitely go back.

With my head finally feeling oodles better we decided to walk around downtown and see some of the monuments lit at night. This is Jon in front of the FBI building, which we felt was appropriate since he was wearing a Batman shirt (that elicited many comments from drunk guys).

After a good night's rest, and some more Percocet (ahhh, sweet, sweet opiates!), we were ready to attack day 2. First we got breakfast at Whole Foods right around the corner from out hotel. Yum!

We hopped on the Metro and found Ford's Theater where I'd reserved some tickets for us to do a tour. We've been to DC several times but never visited Ford's theater, but I just recently read a biography about Mary Todd Lincoln and knew I couldn't pass up another chance to see it in person.

There's the presidential box (decorated as it would have been that night) where Lincoln was shot in the back of the head just a few days after the end of the Civil War. It was SO sobering to picture the scene unfold as news of the president's assassination spread across DC.

Approximately where the the park ranger is standing is where John Wilkes Booth leapt from Lincoln's box (and consequently broke his leg), and yelled "Sic semper tyrannus" ("Thus always to tyrants").

We then headed across the street to the boarding house where President Lincoln was taken. It was amazing to me that at such close range Lincoln wasn't immediately killed, but instead remained in a coma for 9 more hours.

This is the parlor where Mary Todd was required to sit and wait-- she wasn't allowed in to see her husband because she was so hysterical with grief. I can't even imagine being just a room away and not being allowed to see my dying husband!

This is obviously the room where Lincoln was taken after he was shot, and because of his abnormal height for the time period, was lain sideways on the bed so he could fit. The doctors knew the wound was fatal, so all they could do was sit and wait for him to die. I was so glad I'd recently read that biography because not only did it make me appreciate his wife more, but it also made me appreciate even more what an extraordinary husband, father, and president he truly was and the sacrifices he made for this country.

Underneath the boarding house they've made a really nice museum detailing the assassination and subsequent manhunt for John Wilkes Booth. I thought it was interesting that although he felt the South would immortalize him and hold him as a hero, they didn't even like him after what he'd done.

We then headed over to Capitol Hill to check out Spike Mendelsohn's restaurant the "Good Stuff Eatery" which features all farm fresh ingredients. Many of you know my guilty pleasure for years has been watching Bravo's Top Chef competition, and Spike (from season 4) has a couple DC restaurants that have gotten rave reviews.

The place was PACKED but the line moved fast so Jon got the "Obama Burger" which had BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, and applewood smoked bacon. I got the "Michelle Melt" which was a turkey burger with carmelized onions and swiss cheese. YUMMY!! We also tried the hand cut "Village Fries" with fresh rosemary and sea salt which were to die for! Best part of the meal.

We also got the Toasted Marshmallow Shake for dessert, and it was sooooo good. They roast a bunch of marshmallows and then blend them with homemade vanilla ice cream, so there's this crazy toasty flavor throughout the whole milkshake. The drugged look I'm sporting could be from the awesome food...or the Percocet. Not sure...

His prices were totally cheap for it being downtown DC ($6-$7 for the huge burgers, $5 for the shake), so I would DEFINITELY recommend it. Nice one, Spike!

To finish our time downtown we checked out the International Spy Museum, which has the largest collection of spy and espionage gadgets in the world. Picture lipstick tube pistols, disguise kits, and shoe bombs. You weren't allowed to take pictures inside the museum since most of the gadgets are real CIA artifacts, but it was pretty cool. And since DC apparently has more spies than any other city in the world, definitely a museum worth checking off the list.

Sunday was our last day in the city, so we decided to attend church at the stake center next to the Washington DC temple. It brought back lots of memories of trying to babysit kids while moms and dads squeezed in sessions at the temple back during our Philly days when that was our temple. And predictably, I had to squeeze one more visit to Cafe Rio for lunch, since during the first one I was so sick I couldn't really enjoy it.:) Hopefully I got enough of a fix that I won't need it for another couple of months!

And then a quick drive back to the kiddos, who apparently (according to Devin and Sarah who could just be nice) did great. SO grateful to them for watching our kids so we could get some much appreciated alone time!! It was a great, great, trip up to DC and ended much better than it began.:)

Monday morning we got packed up and then headed to Peter Chang's for lunch. Peter Chang is an award winning Szechwan chef with several restaurants in DC and around the South. He just recently opened a new restaurant in Richmond which has been the talk of the town. Devin and Sarah said we had to try the Dry Fried Eggplant which was SUPER spicy and had these crazy tongue-numbing peppercorns and floral spices. I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food, but this was a very different culinary experience! After lunch we headed down South back home to North Carolina. We had a BLAST this weekend and can't wait to go back soon!

Lucy's Last!

Lucy is a lover of many things-- 4yr old preschool potentially being at the top of that list. Her last day was this past Thursday, and she had to bid farewell to her friends and teachers.

Every morning at 11:30 a.m. they'd line up outside the church and be picked up by their mom or dad, which was Zach's favorite part of the the day. He loved when Lucy was finished with preschool so she could go home and play with him! Lucy was once again the tallest one in her class by a mile.

I usually got a tackle-hug from Luce because she was SO excited to tell me all about her day! I will miss that next year if she ends up riding the bus!

Lucy with her teacher Mrs. Gerdes, who was pretty strict with the kids, but Lucy never seemed to mind and really liked her. She learned SO much this year!

Lucy with her BFF Brooke Lynn! Meeting her sure made the transition from Las Vegas a lot easier, and they were peas in a pod all year long.

That night they had one final concert, where they presented "The Fruits of the Spirit." Each preschool class (the 3 year olds and 4 year olds-- so there were like 6 total) each represented a "fruit" and Lucy's class were peaches, which symbolized "gentleness" because you have to be gentle when you handle a peach. Each class sang a really cute song, and recited a poem about their fruit of the spirit, and then they all recited some Latin songs they'd memorized. It was a GREAT program!

Kindergarten or BUST!!

Bun in the Oven!

'Tis true!! Baby Cardon #3 is due towards the end of November 2012. Big sister Lucy and big brother Zachary couldn't be more excited!! Hope our little Tom (or Tessa) Turkey comes safe and sound-- we'll have lots to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.:) We should find out the sex in about a month.... Any guesses??

May Minutes

Seems like towards the end of the month I get a bunch of pictures that haven't really got a theme but need to be blogged, so they get lumped into one big summary blog that well, sums it up! So what's been happening this May? Read on!

I. HATE. THIS. PUDDLE. Our driveway has the unfortunate design of being on a downhill slope, unlike most driveways that incline up to the house. So any time it rains which is quite frequently around here (or the hoodlums get the hose) this little indentation pools the run-off and becomes a BIG mess of dirty, muddy water.

THE. KIDS. LOVE. THIS. PUDDLE. I mean, what compels a child to want to swim in murky brown water when I bought them a wading pool with clean, clear water? Lucy even sneaks inside to change into her bathing suit, which just adds insult to injury.

I got spoiled rotten on Mother's Day when Jon surprised me with a brand new iPad. Neither one of us ever go in much for buying the latest and greatest gadgets, so it was a major splurge but I LOVE it. Guess who loves it more?!? Lucy!! Can you say O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D?? She spends hours thinking about, talking about, and of course, playing MY iPad. I hardly see it/her these days. She is constantly begging me to "go to the App store" and find her new games, so if any of you have some great ((free)) games, comment me some suggestions!

Our little Zachy-poo continues to fall in love with the outdoors, just like his daddy. He begs to go outside, but with our backyard not being fenced in I never feel quite right letting him run wild and free back there without me out there, especially since we saw an enormous (smashed) black snake on the road a little ways from our house a couple days ago. No thank you!

Umm, this is Zach wearing my sports bra. And he was SO proud! Bwahahahaha!! He'll love this in a few years...

And most exciting with this little guy is that he is OFFICIALLY potty trained! It was the most surprising and anticlimactic thing-- one day I broke down and just decided that despite any signs pointing to the affirmative, he was ready for this. I put his new big boy undies on (I keep wanting to call them "panties" much to Jon's chagrin) and he just did it himself. He's had very few accidents, ZERO at night (knock on wood), and it's been about 3 weeks. No more poopy diapers!! Woohoo!! It was way easier than with Lucy, which I totally did not expect.

So how about me? Um, duh, the BABY (see most recent post)!! We are all reeeeally excited (Lucy probably most). It's so weird too because it's been about 4 years since the last time I was preggo, and I have forgotten just about EVERYTHING. I also recently PASSED my Les Mills Body Pump instructor certification which is a big, big deal. HOORAY!! This was a long time in coming-- SO much work! SO much practicing! It often seemed like it was not meant to be (trying to tape a PERFECT 60 minute class while being rocked with incapacitating morning sickness and pregnancy fatigue comes to mind) but I. DID. IT. Now I get to just teach and enjoy teaching, hopefully through all 9 months of pregnancy. I'm planning on pumping right into the delivery room.:)

1st PLACE WINNA!! (And while Jon actually did the push-ups for this competition, I take credit for the win since he's been coming to MY Body Pump class the last few months and seriously, I've pumped him up!!). But in all seriousness, this was a pretty cool "win" for him since he was competing against all the guys in Special Forces who are PAID all day, every day to be in tip-top shape (it's their job), and he, who is paid to sit in an office doing dental work all day, beat them and got 1st place. I guess they had to be "sponsored," so on a lark two of his office assistants put in $20 on him (while some people had pools in the hundreds of dollars), so obviously nobody expected the dentist to beat out these super buff, elite Special Forces/Delta Force guys he was competing against. He did 129 push ups in 60 seconds, which is slightly more than 2 per second. That's my hunky husband!

And here he is, taking a break at the park after our Body Pump class this past Saturday morning. Looks like I wore him out again. Who do you think is tougher, me for teaching and participating while pregnant (and not throwing up half-way through), or Jon for winning the Air Force base's push-up contest?? It's on!!:)