M.I.A. and I don't mean my third born.

I realize it hasn't been THAT long since my last post but I feel all empty inside...like I am neglecting a child...I mean, I do that too but I am talking about my blogging child. I favor this particular offspring more often than my own mainly because of her obliging nature and lack of whining. Actually, I have been trying to spend quality time (I mean FUN quality time, not the 9 hour drive on the way here kind) with the offspring of my loins. It is Spring Break this week so we decided to jaunt on down to DC to visit Spencer and Sho, or Spo as we like to call them. They have accommodated our unruly bunch with movies, games, sightseeing and their most delightful company. The kids get to sleep in a tent at their apartment, with the door of the tent conveniently facing the television so they can be appropriately distracted during those times of day that we don't want them ransacking their one bedroom apartment or making so much noise they threaten to have Spo evicted from the premises.
But we have gotten out everyday and enjoyed this city that I really do like, so much. So I will post again when we go home with oodles more pictures and details that you don't really want or need to know. But for now, here is a snipit from our trip.I have decided that driving in DC is almost as bad as driving in NYC. So many pedestrians, cool things to look at instead of the road and at any given time of day, lots of one way streets. Yesterday we ventured out without Spencer as our chauffeur and all I heard was "we should have brought Spencer." and "I am so mad at congress" because apparently Haley believes that congress has something to do with the fact that it took us 45 minutes to find parking yesterday.
We have skipped around the National Mall, hung out at the Washington Monument, played on the stage, visited the National Air and Space Museum and had lunch with Sho (who is missing out on our daily fun because she goes to work like a responsible adult....that is NOT a slam on Spencer who has been working rigorously to finish the editing on his Master's thesis which he totally finished yesterday, hence his absence as our chauffeur.)We did an easter egg hunt and the girls wore the same Easter dresses from last year. Look at my frugal self. The dresses are all about 6 inches shorter on them than last year. I knew there was a reason I buy big. Also, the only candy they had was chocolate...how could I forget the Welch's jelly beans? Oh well, chocolate it was.We played on the steps of the National Gallery of Art which my kids promised me we could visit today as refined and cultured individuals...we'll see if they make the cut.
We had gelato in Georgetown (affectionately called Hogwarts by the kids) and watched crew practice on the Potomac.
Then last night we enjoyed the scrumptious delights of cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes and watched Hazel destroy birthday cake number 2.
I demanded a redo. (I could take the time to explain WHY we were attempting this a second time but it really just has to do with me being a bad, neglectful mother who missed her destroying her cake the first time because I was busy visiting in the kitchen...she IS the fourth child, she has to be neglected somehow, it's in the rule book.) I made up for it last night though. All eyes were on her and we even hired a professional photographer to document the whole thing from beginning to end. OK, he wasn't really hired per se, but I did buy him a fancy lemon blossom cupcake.


Then while I was bathing the birthday girl Mia was trying to climb onto the toilet to get closer to the sink to brush her teeth when her leg went into the toilet, up to her shin. (Not a water efficient toilet, it was deep.)
So I guess the moral of the story is,

Sometimes when you are just trying to get a leg up on the world, all you get is a foot in the crapper.

Well, the moral of that story at least.