Workin' the soil Colonial style

While Maryland may not be the biggest state in the union geographically (since you can cross the entire state in the amount of time it would take you to drive from Missoula to Bozeman back home) there are still a few places around here we haven’t been to yet. So a couple of weeks ago we went just a couple of miles down the road to the National Colonial Farm. At the visitors center we met a box turtle whose name I forget, and a little old lady who was overjoyed to have visitors (I’m guessing they don’t get the kind of traffic that other sites in DC get). She told us that the site was originally planned to be a sewage plant, but its position directly across the river from Mount Vernon caused the ladies who operate that more often visited site to not want the view from George’s back porch to be a human waste facility, along with the smell that would probably waft across the river. So they turned the area into an operational colonial farm where they could grow farm things like pigs and vegetables the way the colonial people did. They had baby sheep, goats, geese, lots of plants, tobacco, killer Uncle-eating chickens, and all sorts of other things colonial people would need. Unfortunately, most of the people who work on the farm still die in their twenties from malaria and dysentery… so we didn’t stay too long. But we did get these pictures!

Paul stopped for a moment to get a picture taken, something he rarely does... because it's very painful for him anymore.

And Becky actually got one of them together where they're both looking, and both giving genuine smiles... another rarity.

Adam was not too sure about the pigs, but to be honest, they were pretty massive, hairy, weird looking creatures. And we steered clear of the farm chickens...

But it was another beautiful breezy and cool day around here. Thankfully, the humidity hasn't jumped up yet and the days have still been great to venture out to places like these. I'm sure as June approaches that will change, but for now we're loving life and the weather in springtime Maryland.

Easter at the Beach

My long lost brother came to visit us a week or so ago (ok maybe he wasn’t long lost since we did see him the month before, and maybe he didn’t come to see us… he actually came to see the beautiful sites in Emmitsburg, MD, and if you’ve never heard of Emmitsburg, you should visit, it’s amazing this time of year). After his class at the fire academy he came down to hang out with us and we drove on down to Virginia Beach, since none of us had ever been there. We stopped off at Yorktown to see where we finished off the British a few years back, and then headed down to spend the afternoon at the always amazing, but incredibly freezing, Atlantic Ocean. The sun was out, so the day was warm, but the water was like Montana creek water in July: unbearably cold. But of course, when you’re 97% salt water and a native Floridian like Paul James Sellers, not even bone numbing ocean water will stop your enjoyment of the rolling tide!

Yep, that would be the Jacksonvillian right there. Not much has changed.

Adam was a big fan of the sand. Gotta love throwing it, eating it, and getting it all over your head.

The freezing water? Uh, not so much, not so much at all.

It was actually a pretty busy day on the beach, but that's to be expected with some of the first few warm days of the year.

On the way back north, we stopped in at the Capitol of the Confederacy, here in Richmond, VA.

Paul and Josh did their Rocky impression racing to the top of the steps.

And then looked for a place to break in.

And also checked out Mr. Washington himself, hanging out in Virginia atop this here statue.

Adam took a time out to pick some wild flowers in Yorktown.

And it was a great way to spend Easter weekend! Good to see Uncle Josh, good to see some new sites, and good to see the ocean again. Who could ask for more?

Eggs and Dirt

It’s springtime in Southern Maryland and that apparently brings rain followed by sun, followed by rain, followed by sun, and on and on. But the sunny days have been beautiful and the world around us is very green now. A couple of weeks ago it was Easter, and of course we did a little bit of the Easter thing, the eggs and the chocolate and all that. We spent the weekend in Virginia Beach (see next post), but before that, the boys played in the yard and Adam apparently had a little bit of fun helping his mother plant flowers in the front yard. Get a little dirt, and add a little water, and this is what you get:

Just a messy kid.

That's alright though, if you need something sprayed off with the hose, Paul will gladly take care of it.

And as I said, we did the egg thing. Boiled, dyed, and stashed around the house for Paul to find. Except for that one we never found, but something under the couch smells really, really bad now.

Yep, he had the most fun of all. We basically had to just keep Adam from throwing them on the hard floor and making a mess. But both boys did love all the chocolate. Hope everyone's Easter was as good as ours!

The Boy is One!

Yesterday was the first birthday for Adam Michael. One year old already… and the time flies by. Today he took four steps before falling, so it won’t be long before he’s running right after Paul and walking on my head to wake me up in the morning... like Paul. But here are a few pictures of his day, which went as you’d expect a first birthday would go: too many presents that he’ll never remember, and too much cake for the rest of us. Seriously though, thank you to everybody for the presents, the love, and for just thinking of this little boy on his first big B-Day!

Yeah, balloons!! Wait, aren't these things extremely dangerous for children under a certain age? Uh, forget you saw this picture...

Would you like some cake, sir? Well yes, don't mind if I do. Will there be any ice cream? Only if you're mother hasn't eaten it all by now. Alright then, no ice cream.

What? Isn't it normal to smear cake all over the floor when you eat it? It's performance art...

Birthday time means... TOYS!! AAAAAHHHH!!! Toys, toys, TOYS!!

YES!! Thank you! Thank you! You truly are the best fans in the world! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake eating! Come back next year, please!

Gotta love a good birthday! Let's do this again next year! Oh wait, we have to do this again in like two months...

The Cherries are blooming...

With this mess in Washington concerning the budget, a possible shutdown, and left vs. right-side politics, the boys thought they ought to go down to Capitol Hill and set things straight. So that’s just what they did. Ok, maybe not, but they did go down on a sunny day to enjoy the cherry blossoms… kind of. Around the capitol it was nice, warm, and plenty of parking. Around the tidal basin where most of the trees are, it was another story. But we did get to see a little bit of it, sitting in the row of cars trying to get through the winding mess of tight roads that is the National Mall. But hey, now we say we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival. Kind of.

Yep, those are the blossoms. They're pretty much just flowers on a tree. Who would have known?

Adam didn't care either way, he was just happy to see the sun after the long cold winter.

We tried to get Paul to have a good time, but he was too stressed out over where we could possibly find room to make another $38 billion in cuts and still afford to buy him something from the Target toy aisle. Thankfully, they figured it all out Friday night, and all is now right in his world.

Back Home for a moment...

So we went home to Montana last month. It was the first time I’d been back in over a year, and the first time my whole family was together at home in almost five years. It was a house full of people, a lot of noise, and a week that disappeared all too fast… as vacations normally do. But it was great to be home, and great for everyone to be together, since it’s something that doesn’t happen all that often unfortunately. A lot of photos were taken, but most of the people in them already have those pictures, but here are just a few from the family reunion:

Everybody look at the camera! Not always an easy thing to do...

A few more people in the photo compared to the last time we were all home together.

And I had to include this photo as proof that Hobbits do exist outside of fantasy books.

As I said, it went by too fast, but hopefully it won't be as long until the next time we all get to spend some time together.

Cheap Entertainment

Sometimes for just a dollar at a party store you can be easily and affordably amused. That's what we discovered the other day, and now we have these wonderful photos of the boys.

It's a me, Mario!! Probably off to save the Princess or racing his Kart!

I swear I saw this guy on that red can of potato chips my grandmother used to buy for me.

Do not pass Go! Do not collect two hundred dollars!

Well, I say, Orville! We should build a flying contraption so that man can fly like a bird! Right-O, Wilbur! Then let's be off!

What happened to my Ferrari, Higgins? And why did we move off of Hawaii again??

Enough of that messing around, just give me a hug big brother!

I said hug... eh, Paul... you're choking me!

A sunny day when it's still technically winter? You just can't help but smile.

Nothing like dressing up your children to laugh at them... and best do it now when they're still young enough to not complain too much.