NCA: Wed & Thurs

 NCA (the National Communication Association) had its yearly conference in DC this past week. I was presenting two papers and participating on one panel and since it was so close (about 2hours), we all decided to go. We drove up on Wednesday afternoon. All three kiddos were super pumped about being in a "fancy hotel."

They were even more excited when our friends from Indiana came over for a short visit with one of their daughters, Eden Brooks. 

It was a long day- the kids were out by 8. 

The next day was Paxton's 18 month birthday. And boy, he's growing up fast. 

I had a presentation early Thursday morning. After my presentation, one of the other researchers on my panel passed me the note below. Clearly, this was rather great. But the best part was that the note was given to me by the fifth most prolific scholar in the communication discipline, Dr. Michael Beatty. Pretty freaking cool. 

After my presentation, we went to MD to pick up Wes' mom and bring her back to our hotel. We all ate lunch and then jumped on the Metro (a first for Vivi and Pax- Gavin went on the subway about a year ago with Wesley). All three kids were very excited. 

We went downtown to the Natural History Museum, which they also loved. 

We ended the day by driving Grandma back to her neck of the woods for dinner at Panera. So good. 

The perfect end to a great day. 

Above Our Bed

I've been working on our master bedroom since we moved in 2.5 years ago. But somehow, this room kept getting put on the bottom of the list. Well, no more!

This summer, we bought new bedding, I redid two dressers (one by painting it grey and the other by painting it bright teal), I did a few art projects for our walls (see one of those projects HERE), and we framed our 2013 family photos for above our bed. It's definitely coming together. We're not completely done, but it's getting there!

And yes, those sconces are stuck to the wall. They look like they've been there since 1933 when the house was built. I've considered recovering the shades... it's on the list.

Mommy-Daughter Day

A couple of Tuesdays ago, the twins' school was closed due to a power outage. So I decided to take Vivian with me to work while Wes stayed with the boys. 

Vivian was amazing. She was well-behaved, polite, and adorable. 

The cuteness started on the walk to work (we live about 3 blocks from my office). While holding hands, Vivi said to me, "Mama? At lunch time, can I sit at your table?" I know, it was precious. 

She continued to ask me questions like, "What is your teacher like?" and "Where is your class?" It was a fun-filled day. 

We started off with about an hour in my office. I got ready for my first class while Vivi drew, wrote her name, and used my stapler. 

Then we went to three classes back to back. In two classes, she sat up front behind the computer while I taught, but in one class, she sat in a real desk with my students. 

She thought she was so grown up the whole day. In fact, when we were leaving my office to go to my first class, I asked her if she wanted to bring her baby doll or Elmo book bag. At this point, she had already seen college students and she quickly realized that in order to fit in, she needed to act a certain way. She quickly answered my question with, "No, Mom. I don't want to bring that stuff. I'll just bring my notebook, pen, and lip gloss." This one is observant. 

We had a break for lunch. Naturally, we watched a Strawberry Shortcake movie on my computer while we ate. By the way, she thought this was VERY special. 

(Note the pen and gloss on the pad of paper.)

When we walked home at the end of the day, I asked her what she liked most about our day. She replied, "Everything!"

At the Play Gym

He's Adorable

 

I know I'm partial, but he is.

Family Photos 2013

A few Fridays ago, we had our friends, Alison and Derrick, take our yearly family photos. I really, really love them! And yes, we'll be using at least one of these for this year's holiday cards.

Pax wasn't in the best of moods, so just like LAST YEAR, I barely got any photos of just him.

This one is probably my favorite:

See our other family photo shoots:

• 2012
• 2011
• 2010: Part One
• 2010: Part Two
• 2009