It's a Guy Thing

May 24, 2012 - Jude's First Haircut

Jude's mullet had gotten out of control. We decided it was time for his first haircut.

Before (aren't you jealous of those curls?)...

During...

Look at that little lock! It is now in his baby book.

I found the most handsome barber in town!

After! Great job, Ian!

"I'll let you cut my hair every day, as long as you give me a sucker."

Lesson learned: Cutting the little Guy's hair made him look all grown up.

May 23, 2012 - Slurpee Day!

Mark this day in history. Wednesday, May 23, 2012, I enjoyed my very first Slurpee. For some of you, it may seem crazy that it took me over 27 years before I had a Slurpee. My excuse is that I have never lived near a 7-Eleven before. Now, however, we have exactly TWENTY (yes, twenty) 7-Elevens within a 5-mile radius of our house (seriously, I counted on Google Maps). Why did it take me over 9 months of living here before I got a Slurpee? No idea.

Pina Colada! Yum!

Lesson learned: According to my husband, you cannot truly experience a Slurpee without a spoon straw. I guess I will have to try again, as I did not grab a spoon straw.

May 22, 2012 - Zucchini Tots

I had a couple of zucchini in the fridge that I had forgotten about. I then remembered seeing a recipe for zucchini tots on Pinterest. Jude still likes his veggie pancakes, but I wanted to have another hidden-veggie item up my sleeve to keep him from getting bored. Thankfully, the zucchini tots were another hit! Have a veggie-picky little one? Try one of these hidden-veggie foods!

Jude was anxiously waiting for his zucchini tots to finish baking.

Aren't they cute? I tasted one and they really were pretty tasty! The important thing, though, is that Jude likes them!

Lesson learned: There are lots of ways to hide veggies.

May 21, 2012 - Silly Time!

We do lots of giggling around here!

Jude thinks it is lots of fun to go between our legs.

Why ride the bike when you can push it?

What is up with that hair?!

Lesson learned: A home is full of much more laughter when a child lives in it.

May 20, 2012 - Joint Base Andrews Air Show

Sunday afternoon, we went to Joint Base Andrews (formerly known as Andrews Air Force Base) to see the Blue Angels perform. Jude did a great job with all of the loud noise.

We saw a few planes before the Blue Angels. I have no idea what this one is. Sorry!

The pilot popped up on top, along with the American flag.

The Blue Angels put on a great show!

Lesson learned: It is nice to have a child that isn't afraid of loud noises.

May 19, 2012 - Hooray for National Parks!

The National Park Service announced a few days ago that they were giving free annual passes to Military families. That means we can get into any National Park for free! Thanks, National Park Service! That announcement settled our debate on what to do over the weekend. We got up Saturday morning and drove to Prince William Forest Park (we went there several weeks ago). Jude has become a big fan of his hiking pack. He spent part of the hike dancing up there on Daddy's back. Biscuit enjoyed climbing over rocks and drinking out of the creek.

The park was much more green and lush that when we went before.

I have just started playing some with the white balance settings on my camera. I have always known about them, but have never really put them to use. The first picture was taken with the automatic white balance setting.

For this second picture, I used the "shade" white balance setting. I am much happier with this shot! The colors are much more natural, and the photo is so much more serene.

Lesson learned: Use your different white balance settings.

May 18, 2012 - Cousin Visit

On Friday, Jude and I had lunch with my cousin Phillip. He was in town for a week before heading to Baltimore for his summer internship with Johns Hopkins. Yes, Phillip is awesome enough to get an internship with Johns Hopkins. He is the same cousin who spent 2 years in Cameroon, Africa with the Peace Corps.

This was actually Phillip's first time meeting Jude. Sadly, he and Ian have yet to meet since Phillip returned from Africa right after Ian left for Afghanistan. Sorry to disappoint the Seider Clan, but we were busy catching up, so I forgot to make Phillip pose for a picture.

Poor Phillip got on the wrong train to come meet us. Jude and I had to hang out for a while. Thankfully, the weather was perfect and we found this little park-like area near the Metro station.

Jude was getting too big for his britches and thought he needed to wander toward the street. Mommy disagreed.

Lesson learned: The orange line does not get you from Rosslyn to Old Town.

May 17, 2012 - Pool Time!

When we moved here in August, the first friends Jude and I made were Carson (almost 1), Annakaye (age 3, did I spell her name right, Laura?), and their mom, Laura. Laura has become such a great friend and Jude always has fun playing with her little ones. They invited us over on Thursday to play in the baby pool. It probably wasn't quite warm enough, but they had a blast, anyway! I couldn't decide which photos were my favorites, so here are a bunch!

Annakaye cheesin' for the camera.