A weekend worth of activities in one day

Fall is such a great time in Baltimore and this weekend had no shortage of events. Saturday was a rainy day, but Sunday was packed full and my parents came down to join us in the festivities. We started out at BARCtober fest, which is a festival centered around dogs. Walked with Taj in the Hallowee-ones Parade in Canton Square. Then watched the Great Lantern Parade in the park. It was great to be able to dress Taj up in his bunny costume.
Huh moment: Eating at Gecko's with the whole fam and Beth asking my mom, "Would you rather me get another hole in my face (she has her lip and nosed pierced) or get another tattoo?" Without taking the time to ponder the question, my mom said "Tattoo! Actually, I've been thinking about getting one myself. I just don't know what I would want." Then the conversation just went down hill thinking about the different tattoos my mom should get. I think I decided that she should get the family tree on her back.

Here is a small photo shoot from our rainy Saturday:

This is one of my favorites!

The Pagoda

Sunset over Patterson Park

Skeleton Birds in the Parade

Star Lanterns

Grumpy pants

Sunday morning I was a little grumpy and with being a little sleep deprived, I told R. that I was tired of having mommy responsibilities and just wanted to not being responsible for Taj for 15 minutes. To me, 15 minutes is an eternity without a kid. Normally I can't go to the bathroom by myself or take a shower without wondering, "Is he ok?"
To help me out, R. went grocery shopping (a chore he doesn't normally do) and came back with a present for me. Chocolate? No! Instead, he brought home a Gran Poder candle. I was kinda confused by this, so I asked him what his thought process was. (Basically in his eyes it's A+B=C)
He knew I've been burning candles a lot lately with the cold weather and he knew I needed some sort of help with my 'tude, so in the end he bought me a Supreme Power candle with a picture of Jesus. I probably would have gone for chocolate, but in the end it's a sweet thought and Jesus in wax form is proudly being displayed on our dining room table.

Huh moment

On Sunday, Taj and I visited New Song. All the kids were excited to meet him and touch him (trying to ignore all the germs and H1N1). When I told them his name, I expected "Huh?". This is the response we normally get as people practice repeating his name over and over until I say "Yup, that's it!". I never realized that 3 letters could be confusing to some people.
In Sandtown though I got a different response. "Oh, I know a Taj! He's 16." I knew that Taj was a Hindi name, but I thought we were being original. Of all places, there is a Taj in Sandtown. A place that can't tell Brita and I apart half the time. At least I know they'll remember Taj even if they often forget my name.

I want real food, not just that white stuff!

Taj tried "cereal" for the first time this week. It actually went well. He smiled and laughed. Some went in his mouth. Some went on his bib. And a good majority found it's way lodged under his chin.

Weekend Warriors!

Last weekend I thought it would be a good idea to sign R. and I up for the Baltimore 5K. Sometimes, I think I have the best ideas and then when it comes to them playing out, I realize I was a little over ambitious. Like the time I convinced Claire and Leigh to go riding down to Annapolis to study for our NCLEX- we rode 40 miles, I could hardly walk, and in the end we didn't study at all. Or the time in high school where I thought it'd be a good idea for my sister and I to go out on a long run of 10 miles. We finished when it was dark to come home to find parents that weren't exactly happy.

Saturday was slowly turning out to be one of these events. 3.1 miles doesn't seem like a lot after running the marathon and half-marathon, but it's a lot when you've done close to no running since having a baby! I'm carrying a few extra pounds and have a lot less endurance. Thankfully, I have a husband that knows the words "Yes, dear" and was willing to go along with me on this one. We finished without walking, which was my goal. And I think it sparked something inside to to seriously start running again. (Think is the key word. Ask me where I stand in a month.)

Sunday, R had the urge to go hiking. So we woke up early and drove down to Shenandoah National Park. We started out on a trail that has 3 waterfalls, and I quickly learned that viewing 3 waterfalls means that there are hills involved, steep ones. R thought it would be nice to do a circle instead of backtracking so we hiked along the ridge (still uphill) and down the other side of the canyon. 9 miles in all, R carrying his cute little hiking partner the whole way, and me trying to contain mine so she didn't drag me down the hill with her. In the end it wasn't so bad. Very invigorating and surprisingly we weren't sore at all. Just hungry.

Our little man posing and showing off his new skill of sitting up.

Me with our hiking partners

Self explanatory: R and a rock

My husband sliding down a natural water slide into freezing cold water.

If you are going to hit someone with your car...

...at least make it someone you know. That's what we learned on Sunday. When Taj was born, I thought that R's driving would improve. And it did, the day we bought Taj home. Quickly, R. has gone back to his old ways. Speeding. Accelerating through yellows. Taking turns at daring speeds. Weaving through cars on city streets as if he's in a Fast and Furious movie.

You'd think that going to church at 8:30AM would be a leisurely drive...but no. We were late and R. was determined to make up the time on the East Baltimore streets. We were taking a left turn and he got a little confused by the traffic medians and the light turning yellow (it is a confusing intersection, I admit) and before we knew it we were heading towards an African American man taking a jog on this sunny Sunday morning. Many things were rushing through my head but the main thing was, this is not going to be good!

Turns out the guy we were going to hit was R's old neighbor Monty. Smiley and bouncy gait Monty. No hard feelings, just happy to see us this Sunday morning and say "Hi".

It's fall...and that means one thing

Apple picking! It's a tradition that R. and I have every year. Pick way too many apples and bring them home to make apple crisp and fritters. I don't really like eating apples...but picking them is a lot of fun and this year we got to includeTaj is our festivities.