Karate and more Arlington Cemetary

Grant had his first Karate competition last Thursday night. He wasn't the best one at his "moves", but he was such a good sport when he "lost" the match - he clapped for the other boy, and nodded his head like he knew that was the right decision. Grant really enjoys karate...now if only he wouldn't use it on his brothers! Hmmmmm....

Here's the family in front of John F. Kennedy's grave. Wow, there are some great quotes etched in marble here. At the bottom right side of the picture you can see the "Eternal Flame" which was very fascinating to my always-thinking Grant.

Someone finally ordered in FALL! The leaves are just breathtaking - who knew it would happen in the middle of November?

This is at the Amphitheater right behind the Tomb of the Unknown. I couldn't resist this pose, and I think it turned out really cute!

Happy Veteran's Day

We are so blessed to be RIGHT HERE in the heart of it all, so we celebrated Veteran's Day the right way! Grant took this picture of us at the beginning of our walk up through Arlington

Cemetary on Monday. It was a great day

The cross is at the head of Robert Kennedy's grave, about 100 feet from his brother, John F. Kennedy. We couldn't get over how green this grass is! Faith is wearing a "boy" coat because she lost hers at school - the coat monster must have eaten it, because I looked at the school too!

This is the soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During the off season, they change the guard once an hour. If you have never seen this, it is a MUST! The reverence and respect shown is amazing! Even the children recognize the respect, and sat in SILENCE (I know, it's hard to believe) for over 10 minutes while the ceremony took place. We have seen this 3 or 4 times now, and they are silent everytime! It brings tears to your eyes to see them show such dedication to their responsibility!

This man is playing "Taps" on his bugle after they placed a wreath from the Capistrano Valley High School. You could have heard a pin drop - what awe and amazement I have for the men and women serving our country. We can't say "thank you" enough!

Mimi and Papa in front of the Washington Monument. Mom has sure been a good sport this weekend. She WANTS to do everything, despite the fact that she was on oxygen just 4 days ago! We have had to force her to take it easy - we know she loves us, and wants to support us in everything!

Water fountain at the WWII Memorial. The sun was starting to set, so I got this amazing shot of the fountain with the sun behind it.

Daddy and John. If Andrew goes bald, we'll blame it on all the service he gave by carrying kids on his shoulders. They use his hair (or ears) to balance themselves, which is NOT comfortable for Dad.

I CAN SEE! On Thursday morning, I had LASIK eye surgery, and I am a new woman! I have worn glasses since 3rd Grade and contacts since 6th grade! This was a life-changing event for me, and my Mom & Dad were here to experience it with me. These are my "cool" sunglasses that I have been wearing everywhere (including inside the house). They could be much worse (see next picture). Although my eyes aren't perfect yet, I have hope that they will continue to improve!

These are my night-time goggles - good thing only Andrew gets to see me this cute! We got laughing last night because I just looked so ridiculous, but they certainly help me to NOT rub my eyes in the night.

We visited the World War II Monument this afternoon, and this is in front of the waterfalls. There is water EVERYWHERE at this monument, and Grant wanted to see how close he could get without actually falling in. So, he'd run and then jump right BEFORE he reached the water, giving his mother a heart-attack everytime! But, I was a water-loving child, so I can't get too upset!

Papa and Johnny at the World War II Memorial. We have called him Johnny so much, that he forgot his name was John. I called him John at gymnastics the other day, and he started laughing and said "My name isn't John, it's Johnny Ottley Croshaw!" Silly Mommy! We have two "big" friends that are named John, so for now I guess he's John-knee Ottley Croshaw!

Mr. Incredible in action! Isn't he adorable? By the end of the evening, he knew that by simply saying "Trick or Treat" brought a GRAND reward. John was caught visiting with each person who would answer their door. He didn't want to hurry through the experience at all - he would tell them about his muscles, and how he could fly, and they would fall in love with him!

This Halloween, we certainly had a TREAT! We got our Mimi & Papa come out to visit us! They arrived on Halloween night around 6pm, so we ate a quick pizza dinner and then headed out the door to the Trick or Treating fun!

We ended up with SO much candy, that we might just put it away for another upcoming holiday (wink)

Faith LOVES her Papa. He is her personal chariot and will carry her at any time! She has Papa wrapped around her cute little finger - and he is just fine with that!

Here are my two little Super Heroes. Clark is a green Power Ranger, and John is Mr. Incredible or Dash (whichever one he is in the mood for). John told everyone he encountered, "I can fly!" Last time I checked, he couldn't, but he sure felt powerful with his "muscles".

Grant is Buzz Lightyear for the 3rd year in a row! I know, I'm terrible, but I paid a LOT of money for that costume, and we were going to get our money's worth! Each year, we have added an accessory to the costume - last year was the glasses, this year was the Laser gun! I promised that we'll do something different next year - he was a great sport about it!

My little Princess decided to be Cinderella this year! We found her the perfect headband, and Cinderella shoes that light up when she walks! She was a happy little gal!

Here's my Power Ranger in action! This is so funny - I bought this costume WAY after Halloween last year for about $2! I never dreamed he'd actually want to WEAR it for Halloween, just more as a dress-up for the box. But, he fell in love with this costume and wouldn't have anything else! Sweet boy - he can rescue me anyday!