Washington DC--It's a Barlow/Chiles weekend!

I just came home from a 4-day trip to our Nation's capital, Washington DC. While I was sad to leave all the boys for the weekend I was soooo excited to hang out with my lil sister's fam and my Uncle. The trip went so quick, with pretty much 2 days of flying but it was so worth it!

Day 1:
No pics sorry. I flew to Denver (about an hour) and then to DC (3 and a half). I don't remember the last time I flew alone without children, a long time ago. It was surreal, I felt half sad and half glad. Denver to DC was a really bumpy ride, and I felt SICK! Needless to say I was glad I didn't have a toddler to entertain afterall! I arrived at 4:30pm and met for Fran, Dev & Violet who came in soon after. We drove to our hotel in Rosslyn, VA and it was SO green and humid. I loved driving the winding roads and felt a little like I was back home. Fran and I went out to grab some take out dinner (Dominos pizza) and in truly American style a big gulp from 7/11 for Devon!

Day 2:
Fran & Dev were up at 4:30am with Violet, honestly she did SO well with it being her first night, it could have been a lot worse. But lucky me, I slept in! This was one of the funnest days ever....we walked to the metro station and took the train downtown. Let's just say DC is a ghost town at 10 in the morning, but it was amazing. We walked to all the monuments we possibly could, until we were all exhausted, the 100% humidity didn't help! The we met Adam & Noah (my uncle and nephew) at the Washington monument and went to a museum restaurant for lunch. This was followed by museum fun and more stops for drinks. I cannot remember the last time I was this truly exhausted, or the last time I've walked this much in one day, especially being 13 weeks pregnant. But we had a blast, took in some amazing culture and best of all chatted all day. Violet, my 3 month old niece, was truly a patient little angel and was perfect! Here's some shots from our day:

Me & my lil sis Fran next to the White House

The Lincoln Memorial was amazing

The man himself--he is huge!

Gorgeous WWII war memorial

Fran & V chilling in the fountain

At the end of the day all tired!

Day 3:
Today was SO fun too. We went to the Iwo Jima Memorial right next to our hotel which was truly spectacular, and Adam gave us a driving tour of the things we probably wouldn't have seen otherwise on our tour of DC. We drove up to where my Uncle & Aunt used to live up by Capitol Hill, by the way the state Capitol is pretty amazing too. We had lunch outside and walked through the inside and outdoor markets, and checked out the gorgeous houses. I would definitely live in this area! We then drove by the Pentagon and on to Old Town Alexandria, VA which I also LOVED. Tons of cute boutiques and market sellers in the road lead to a cute pier where we sat for a while and chatted. What an amazing day! We finished the day off heading to "Ben's Chili Bowl" downtown DC, a famous hot dog place. Pics (I'm so mad i didn't take more!):

Iwo Jima--Spectacular

Capitol Hill markets

A taste of old town alexandria

Ben's Chili Bowl!

Me & Uncle Ad

Devon (my sister's husband) devouring his chili half-smoke

Fran & Violet

 Day 4:
Today was sad because we were both flying out, me back to Lubbock, Fran & Dev to Vegas. We had a few hours in the morning so we went to H&M (we don't have one in Lubbock so I'd been dying to go there) and shopped around a little bit. Then we went straight to the airport. Luckily our flights were leaving around the same time so we ate lunch at Dulles and then said goodbye, it was sad! I was really excited to go home and see the boys but we really needed a couple more days!

My gorgeous niece

Right before boarding :(

So we had an amazing trip, I would definitely go back and I felt like there was so much more to see! I arrived home late night so the boys were already in bed but the house was surprisingly organized and tidy, thanks Tim! And thanks Adam & the Barlow's for a fantastic weekend!

Families are Forever

Today I found out that my lovely friend from BYU, Britian Soderquist, lost her tiny baby boy. He was in the NICU immediately following birth with heart and lung problems and passed away a few days after he was born. The picture is of her husband's hand, her hand, and baby Frederick's hand. Her strength and faith is astounding. I have to believe that she will see her little boy again, I know she will. Here is what she said about what happened:

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you so much for all the prayers, fasting, love, and support you have given us this past week. We feel truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Little Frederick returned home to his Heavenly Father on Friday afternoon. We now know that he was an especially valiant son of our Heavenly Father, because all he needed out of his mortal life was a physical body. As Joseph Smith taught: "the Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again."

We wish we could have kept him here with us, but we feel very privileged that Heavenly Father would send us such a choice son. We feel very grateful that he was willing to stay with us in his adorable little body for a whole week so that we could get to know him a little better. We love him and miss him, but we know that he is sealed to our little family and that we will have the joy and satisfaction of raising him in the resurrection. Until then, he will go about the Lord's will on the other side, and we will strive to live worthy to join him there someday.

We have received several messages offering help in the last few days. We are grateful for your thoughtfulness and are touched by your concern. An account has been set up with America First Credit Union for those who wish to help provide a nice headstone for Frederick's grave. We would ask that this be used in lieu of sending flowers or other gifts. You can contact any America First and tell them that you wish to contribute to the Frederick Soderquist Memorial Fund.

Once again, thank you so much for your prayers and support. We have felt your love over the last week and are so grateful to each and every one of you.

We love you all,
Andrew and Britain

12 weeks and it feels like forever...

I am officially 12 weeks and still feeling sick, sick, SICK! It's time for life to get back to normal and for me to get some energy and usefulness back! For the past two months Tim has literally been doing EVERYTHING around here. Poor guy has been cooking, cleaning, changing every single nappy and basically been doing all the things I can't do because I spend 2 seconds in the kitchen and then have to go throw up.....smells are evidently my downfall. I cannot wait until I can take charge again around here and get stuff done, plus being able to eat would be wonderful! I would rather go through a thousand labours than these 3 months again....seriously!!! Thank you Tim for being a stand up guy.

Make way for Baby Oblad # 3!

So our journey with Baby number 3 actually began earlier this year. We found out we were unexpectedly pregnant in March and had a baby due in December. Even though we felt like this was soon to have another baby we were excited. Then 2 weeks later we had a miscarriage. Luckily I was only 7 weeks at this point, but it was still painful and sad. After losing this baby so early on we decided maybe we might be ready for another baby after all. When we found out we were pregnant again in June, I was apprehensive to get excited or tell people too early on just in case we lost this baby too. Now we're 10, almost 11 weeks and we're so excited! (Baby due March 21). We saw our little peanut at an ultrasound yesterday. The baby was upside-down and wiggling all over the place! I think it's a girl. I hope it's a girl!

Crazy Kids

Oli has recently developed a quip we find funny. If he ever hears the words "me too", without fail Oli will reply: "me three". So I put him on time-out for an hour (not really).

JJ is quick. If you're about to catch him opening up the fridge, or lifting up the toilet seat, or opening a snack, he'll see/hear you coming turn around to the object and shake everything about as much as possible before he is snatched and put on time-out for an hour (or sternly reprimanded).


Oli also enjoys replying to others in 3rd person. "No, Oliver doesn't want that, okay?" Or "Oliver wants to sit in Oli's chair." Funny thing is, he usually only uses 3rd person to others and not ourselves, another thing we often hear from the other room: "No, JJ I said No!" Followed by a Jage scream or cry.

In fairness to Jage, he often beats Oli by taking an object whilst turning and takes off running. He isn't afraid of the size difference and Oli often chooses to complain to me rather then step up and sit on him...hundreds of dollars wasted on that toddler boxing class.

Oliver was able to catch a ball before one, today he can do various athletic things, including diving into a pool which shocked me today (Aug 17). JJ has always been a jumper/hopper to music. He loves bubble guppies and that's about when we noticed the difference, JJ and Oli both sing, but Oli only just started. JJ sings (sounds bad) and dances (really cute) all the time. Gnomeo and Juliet really got Jage pumped, and gets embarrassed now because he knows we're watching (a secondary characteristic developed during toddlerhood-he's not an infant anymore...sad). "Yes" is his word of the day.

Today was $1.00 bowling night. With bumpers up, Oliver beat Ally 103 to 102. Ally got serious at the end and needed 2 strikes and to make it close, she got 2 strikes in the 10th, Oli was on his knees hoping she'd fall. Her third throw was just off the mark and needed 1 more pin then she got. Revenge is set for next wednesday.

Oli & Brooklyn caught discussing Obamacare

Makayla sharing a secret

Oli finding it hilarious (or is it a cousin kiss?)

JJ cannot bear to watch!!!

JJ: Crocodile Rockin'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPM9UlLfU0k

Tim's Man Vs. Food Pilgrimage: San Antonio with the Iversons

First Stop: LuLu's. Home of the 3 pound Cinnamon Roll, Wade and I nearly consumed the entire thing (bought 2), but thought it would be fun to throw the rest at Red Squirrels 4 stories below, you did that to, right Wade?

Second Stop: Chunky's. Home of the 4 Horseman ($21.00) Burger, made with Ghost chiles, and other crazy hot spices that only 7 people have ever been able to eat. Adam Richman did it on TV (4th ever) and threw the table in celebration/anger. Wade wanted to do it...maybe next time man (I believe in him). No pics from us, but they had incredibly amazing food for amazing prices. They get my Pick of the Pack...or something more clever that doesn't sound lame. Go to Chunky's...but don't let the name fool you, every 4 pound burger is topped with lots of veggies (smothered in greatness).

Third Stop: Big Lou's. Home, nay, resting Place of pizza ingredients. They have a 42 inch pizza that takes two employees to carry out to tables. Each party seemed to be 10 or more people. We decided to go for a cheaper, albeit massive 20 inch, whilst enjoying the environment of crazy obese people, and nice families from the area. Pizza was delicious by the way, the employees need some work. I decided to tell one waiter that we're here to see the pizza, not you (she didn't take it well).




 
Oh, ya, we also visited the Alamo-a very sobering experience that shaped Texas (and America) the way we know it today. It was special to be in that building, and neat to see the markings of men during their possible last moments, and also fun to connect to that part of history. In lighter news, I made an offer on Davy Crockett's Bear Knife, they made me leave...105 degree days made it difficult to do other things, but we had a blast swimming, eating, playing, and stealing hotel pens.
We also rode the Riverwalk Gondola style...pretty fun and interesting. Did you know 13,000 pounds of glass were used in a hotel? Who knew, I didn't know what to do with all that knowledge, but when my next qualifying exams are up, I'll be sure to recall that stuff.