4th of July at the White House

The White House invited about 20 soldiers from Ft. Drum (and a bunch from other posts) down to celebrate the 4th in D.C. with dinner and fireworks on the White House lawn. Joe was chosen to go, and he got to bring his family along! We were super excited for a paid vacation in Washington D.C., a place we had not yet visited.

Friday we headed down really early to get the driving out of the way (it's about 8 hours) and still be able to do a bit of sightseeing. We checked in at the hotel around 3 pm and went straight for the metro to go downtown. First we went to the Smithsonian, which is enormous. We only saw a fraction of the exhibits, but it was quite impressive. Then we had some fine Mexican dining outdoors and had to go back to the hotel because the baby and I were not getting along well and I needed some rest.

Saturday we enjoyed the huge Independence Day Parade before getting ready for the evening at the White House.

When we arrived at the White House, it was a bit different than we had imagined based on what the Army had told us. We were gearing up for a semi-formal event (and praying Madeline would behave herself during dinner) with the First Family. Turns out, it was a pretty casual outdoor picnic that was super family-friendly, complete with games on the lawn, face painting, and balloon animals. When I say balloon animals, I don't mean your average dog or sword. They were making Uncle Sam hats with beards, and I even saw one lady with a horse that went around her waist to look like she was riding it. Pretty involved, but that meant that Madeline waited in line (behind seriously about 4 people) for over an hour to get the yellow doggy that she so desperately desired.

Interesting centerpieces, no?

I had to force Joe to take this picture, but I really enjoy it.

Madeline got a flag with sparkles on her cheek. When we got home she thought that had been so much fun she got one of her markers and drew a "flag" on her arm. Hmm...

See what I mean about the balloons?

So, the atmosphere was really fun, but the Obamas were apparently not interested in attending their own party. They came out on the balcony for President Obama to give his short speech, and that was that. I guess the President did come out at some point for about 10 minutes to shake hands for the cameras, but they didn't announce it or anything so we had no idea he even came out until it was over and someone was talking about it on the subway. Talk about major disappointment.

This was the closest we got to having our pictures with the President.

After dinner they had a stage set up for performances by Jimmy Fallon, Michelle Branch, and the Foo Fighters. Joe was standing right next to Jimmy Fallon during the president's speech, but we didn't get a picture with him because I was trying to be respectful of the Marine band that had just started playing a tribute. I did, however, get a picture with Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. Dave (yes, we are on a first name basis) was totally nice and having real conversations with people rather than the obligatory fake smile for the picture. Well, until a huge mob came and then he sort of had to rush to get through everyone. But, nice guy.

The concert was fun, and Madeline had a blast dancing around with her dad, which was so cute. Then the fireworks came and went. I was surprised how short the show was. It was a good time overall, and it was an honor to be invited down there for something like that. Independence Day is easily one of my favorite holidays, so I was especially grateful to be able to celebrate it in such a significant place.

Sunday we decided to stay and do a little more sightseeing before driving home. We went to Arlington National Cemetery and spent several hours visiting the different sites there. We also learned that everything takes about 4 times longer when you have to go at a toddler pace... someday we will go there without kids so we can really see everything without all the distractions. Arlington was really cool. We watched the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which I think was Joe's favorite part of our whole trip. We also saw JFK's grave site, and General Lee's house.

The Kennedys

Changing of the Guard

After Arlington it was starting to get late, but we couldn't visit D.C. without visiting the Archives to see the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. It is awe-inspiring to look at those documents, knowing all that has transpired since then and how lucky we are to live here in this free country.

Madeline adored these fountains in front of the Archives. I think this was the highlight of her trip.

We didn't get to see nearly all the sites, but we had a really nice family vacation, and it didn't hurt that we were getting paid to be there. I am truly grateful to be a citizen in this country, and we owe a great deal to those who are willing to sacrifice so much for our liberties. I am proud of my husband and his hard work and willingness to serve. I am grateful for the founders of this great country and those who have preserved the rich history in our nation's capital.

Madeline Takes the Plunge

I have been thinking about putting Madeline in swimming lessons for some time, and this summer we finally got her signed up. We have some friends who are taking lessons for the first time this summer too, and they generously offered to let us carpool with them (since we only have 1 vehicle that Joe takes to work every day) so the girls could all swim together.

Madeline has been soooo excited to start swimming. After we signed her up she asked to go swimming every day for at least a week. The day she finally started, we had to sit outside and wait for our friends to come because she was too eager to hang out inside until they arrived.

I guess I sat outside while she twirled and danced.

Madeline, Emma, and Lucy

They were champions before they even got in the water!

I know this picture is awful but it was impossible to get a good picture in the pool. One day I'll have a fancy camera that could achieve that, but for now, not so much. Anyway, maybe if you click on it you can see the perma-grin that was on her face seriously the entire lesson. It was really cute. Also, I think it is really funny that when you are in swimming 1a, you wear a floating backback, and have a noodle, and a kickboard, and an instructor right on top of you. Safety first!

I'm not going to lie, she was not the star student that first day in class. She had tons of fun, but was not quite as interested in the whole "kick your legs" idea. She would rather just play in the water and let the instructor pull her around. I will say she has made some serious progress in the 2 weeks since then, and at her last lesson she was actually self-propelled. She likes the arms better than kicking, so when she is doing both, she can get going. Oh, and she loves to jump in the pool now too.

Now that she is a swimming pro, all water is appealing to her. Especially heavy rain and mud puddles. The other day she really wanted to go out in the rain, and I decided to just let her go and have some fun. Rather than rain boots, she chose fleece slippers to cover her feet. Nice. And the umbrella? Just a prop, not intended to keep the rain off in any manner.

Right here against the house is the ideal spot because the water runs off the house in a nearly constant stream, so it is the most efficient way to get drenched.

Captain Carlile

I haven't posted much about Joe lately, but he has been super busy with work. The good news is, his hard work is being rewarded. As of June 1st, he was promoted from 1st Lieutenant to Captain in the Army. This is especially exciting because his promotion came in just under the 3 year mark, which is quite an accomplishment.

Joe had a few friends who were getting promoted in the same time frame, so they decided to go ahead and do one big ceremony for the 4 of them. Here are some pictures from his big day.

Taking the oath.

Giving his speech.

Congratulations!

CPT Couper, CPT Baldwin, Lieutenant Colonel Phillips (Battalion Commander), CPT Toyofuku, CPT Carlile!

Ah, the happy family.

In other news, Joe's unit is scheduled to deploy again this winter, right around Christmas. Fortunately (or not, depending who you ask), Joe has been chosen as the Rear Detachment Commander for his battalion during the deployment - meaning he is not getting deployed! He will stay back at Ft. Drum and be the commander for the soldiers who are unable to deploy for various reasons (getting out of the Army, hurt, etc.), as well as taking care of issues that arise, like new soldiers coming into the unit and getting them deployed. Another aspect of his job is to take care of the families of the deployed soldiers and address the challenges that may occur (of which there are many). The bad news about this job is that it can be very stressful, and the hours are insane. He likes to say he will be a professional babysitter. Of course I am thrilled that he will be here, knowing that he is safe, and especially knowing that he will be around to bond with our baby when she arrives. Joe keeps me sane, and I was struggling with the thought of him being deployed again, so I am happy that he will be here, even if I do barely see him. At least I will see him sometimes. From what I have heard, the soldiers on Rear-D generally wish they had been deployed rather than deal with the stuff here, but we are counting it a blessing that our family will get to be together and Joe gets to stay out of the war zone this time around.

Easter Pictures

We got Joe's computer fixed, so I have my pictures back! Yay! Here are some very belated shots from Easter...

Easter morning.

A matching dress for her baby.Coloring eggs with Addie. Madeline finding eggs with Liam.

Yes, there was still snow on the ground for the egg hunt.

I dyed these really cool Easter eggs using silk ties. The idea came from Our Best Bites, a terrific food blog. Here are the ties I picked up at the local thrift store...

...then I wrapped the eggs up in the silk to make these little bundles...

...and ended up with these fancy dyed eggs! It was a fun project, and even Joe got into it.