Finger Picking Good

A couple of weeks back Grayson really wanted this penguin toy at a toy store in the mall. There were three little penguins that all took turns climbing up an automatic escalator and then back down again. Grayson loves escalators so his fascination made sense. I just didn't feel the need to spend $15 on another plastic toy made in China. Not that I have anything against China, but you know what I mean. Eventually all of this stuff just gets thrown into the same pile in the same room and it may as well all just melt together.

Well, JohnPaul spotted a Grayson-sized guitar and saved the day. After two days at home two strings were busted (both oddly at the hands of JohnPaul), but it's gotten some good play time. And a guitar store is across the street so re-stringing the little guy has joined my official to-do list.

Green goggles day



Does T-Rex dig goggles (Smithsonian Museum of Natural History)



Goggles in the day time...



...and goggles at night

Julia Roberts loves a guy in goggles!

More Goggles

Goggles in the Oval Office

Goggles

I don't know exactly when it began or why, but Grayson's obsession with goggles over the last weeks has only slightly waned in recent days. At first we thought he was idolizing Phelps like the rest of the nation, but every time he saw a photo of Phelps on a magazine cover he'd say, "Look, it's Dada!"

Grayson; Stuck Somewhere Between Georgia (U.S., People!) and Serbia

Different Playgroup, Different Day

Today Gray and I joined in on a Foreign Service playgroup at a park here in Falls Church. You guys probably don't know, but a previous client of mine is here with her husband. He is in Urdu language training right now and they leave for Chennai, India in October. When she was in labor at Northside I found out that he had passed the FS Exam and was really excited for them. At that time JohnPaul had also turned in his application, but it was still a distant dream for us. Anyway, I contacted her to find out where they were when we got the notification that he was officially accepted. As fate would have it, she and her (now 14 month old) son arrived here to meet her husband 8 days before Gray and I arrived.

We had dinner down by the grills the other night and today I hitched a ride with her to playgroup. There were three other moms there. One's husband an FSO (Foreign Service Officer), one's husband with DS (Diplomatic Security) and another husband is with USAID (United States Agency for International Development). One of the moms sells Arbonne and is coming over to give me and my friend a mini-makeover tonight. I am looking forward to that though. Makeup is on my list of things to stock up on so I thought I would give it a whirl. Plus she and her family were in Nairobi the same time that I was there, so conversation should be good.

Fly like an eagle, into the future...

A cute pick of Gray outside of the bird exhibit at the National Zoo on Monday 8/11.

D.C. Adventures (Serena)

Gray and I arrived Saturday morning. Short and uneventful flight. I am just happy to leave the stress of "finishing up" in Atlanta. I know we aren't in Serbia yet, but in my mind we are just stopping through D.C. for a nice long vacation before our flight out in late September.

The weather here has been unbelievable. We were transported through time to the beginning of a beautiful fall on the East Coast. High of 80 degrees, cool and dry breezes. Downright chilly evenings with the windows open. Okay, back to reality. I know it's just a fluke and that the heat and humidity of August is on its way back beginning tomorrow, but to me it was like a secret welcome to my new adventure. This is the weather I live for every year. And it was waiting here for me upon my arrival-a brief whisper to comfort me and let me know that I am on the right path. Enough about my obsession with temperate climates.

Gray and I have conquered the Metro and are armed with our maps. We've been to the zoo, the State Department building, Albert Einstein and managed a long stroll through Georgetown (most of which he slept through). I haven't been to Georgetown since I stayed for three days right before flying out to Kenya for Peace Corps in September of 2002.

The exterior of the apartment buildings resemble barracks, but the interior gives way to modern comforts and our two bedroom is pretty spacious. Plenty of room for visitors (hint, hint) with a large second bedroom with full bath. Grayson wears himself out daily thanks to the pool, playground, tennis courts and sand volleyball court on site. It's nice and we will settle in just in time to pull up our tender roots and re-plant a bit further away. Looking forward to it though!