A Walk Around the White House Gardens ✿

We have been here almost three years and FINALLY got some tickets to visit the beautiful White House gardens. It was such a warm spring day and although we had to wait a little longer than we thought in line, it was so worth it in the end to be where so much history has lived. Almost every president has planted a tree near the White House including President Andrew Jackson. They keep the grounds immaculate and I loved everything from the trees and flowers to the playground built for the Obama girls. Our next goal is attending the Easter Egg Roll on the lawn hopefully with our little one in tow.

Loving this little one already.

I told Kyle I was secretly pretending that we were there invited for dinner and just walking out in the gardens before going inside.

President's seal in the background...official business.

It really is a pretty house far away AND up close. 

I was DYING over these lavender trumpet vines on the stairs railway. They smelled so sweet and I imagined wearing a Scarlett O'Hara type gown and gracefully walking down these steps. The hoards of people visiting kept getting in the way of other pictures but I somehow got this picture people free.

HOARDS of people again. But a great shot of the
Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in the background. 

The Rose Garden! Full of tulips now but I would LOVE to see all the roses once they come into bloom.

I keep wanting to label these pictures as a 'baby's first' but I think we may
have to wait until they are actually here in person for it to be official.

Thanks Mr. President for letting us attend your little garden party!

Bumpdate: 14 Weeks

I can't believe we are already up to 14 weeks! It's been so surreal to know that there is a little one inside me but not really seeing proof until most recently. Yes, a tiny bump has been showing up and it's so fun to see it starting to poke.

AND.....the bump! It's barely there, but you can definitely tell through my workout clothes.  

And I got this little gem the other day and it made me so happy! I know most moms to be look forward to getting out of the first trimester due to morning sickness and being tired but for me, it's just exciting to see this little one keep growing!

This Week's Details:

How far along? 14 weeks!

Size of baby? A lemon!

Stretch marks? Not yet. I have a ritual every morning and night of rubbing in cocoa butter. Who knows if it will work, but it's a nice thing to do just in case.

Sleep? Last week I was pretty sleepy and felt like I wasn't getting enough rest but this week so far has been fine.

Best moment this week? Seeing the beginnings of a bump!

Maternity Clothes? Not quite but I think I may need a couple of new skirts soon.

Missing? Turkey Subway sandwiches! Isn't that funny? We have a Subway right by our work and I always have to remind myself that it's just safe and smarter not to get one. You never know with deli meats.

Movement? Nothing yet.

Food cravings? Besides turkey sandwiches, I haven't had any other major cravings. I do find that if I get hungry, I tend to want crackers and cheese but I think that may be my body's way of saying it needs grains and dairy? Not sure.

Food Aversions? Meat is still a little hard. Kyle had friends in town the other day so we went to Good Stuff Eatery and looking at the hamburgers was starting to make me a little sick. I'm happy to stay away from them for now.

Bump? Tiny tiny bump! It shows more when I'm in exercise clothes.

Gender? Still thinking it's a boy but who knows? We have less than a month before we find out!

Names? We circulate different ones every now and then but we definitely have our favorites!

Labor Signs? Nope.

Looking Forward To? Our next ultrasound in May where we will find out whether our baby is a He or a She!

A few more details as of late: 

General Conference is my favorite. We love listening to the prophet speak and the opportunity to be inspired the whole weekend. Kyle's cousin Mary stayed with us on Friday night so we still had our second mattress set up...which made a nice spot to lay back and watch from.

My work got us free tickets to the Washington D.C. filming of Jeopardy! It was so cool to be there in real life and see how the filming works. It was kind of like a celebrity edition but these were 'power players' or big political talk show hosts from nearby. They each played to win money for a certain charity. I keep telling Kyle he needs to get on the show because he does really well anytime we are watching at home.

Alex Trebek was really great and would come down during the commercial breaks for audience Q&A's. Filming took place in the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall. We had to wait about an hour and a half in line, with a rainstorm hitting halfway through but we were lucky enough to be moved down to the floor since they needed some extra people to fill the spaces. It was so cool to be so close!

Afterwards, we stopped in Georgetown to grab some brunch and I saw the most beautiful scene of these tulips in front of this old church with a bright red door.

We went out with some friends to visit GlowGolf, a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course. I hadn't been mini golfing for a while so it was fun to figure out the best angles to hit the ball. Kyle and I made a bet...whoever lost would be cleaning the bathroom for a month. Let's just say, by a lame 2 points, that I lost that bet.

Boo Radley LOVES Kyle. Anytime Kyle is on the ground, he likes to cuddle up by him. They both fell asleep like this the other day. I can't wait for this to be our baby!

Hello spring! Why don't you stay for a while?

Spring is here in the Nation's Capital! Well, at least trying to fight winter and show it's here. It's been so nice to break out the skirts and wear short sleeves again (in all reality, I still wear a cardigan because office life tends to be on the cool air conditioned side). It's made me so happy to see warm weather and greenery appear again. So happy, in fact, that I had Kyle meet me for lunch near his work, next to the park by the White House. 

They have the cutest little stone tables and chairs with an engraved checkerboard
just if you happened to bring your checks or chess set along to play.  

This lunch was so good! Corner Bakery Cafe never disappoints.

Hi pretty flowers outside my work! Thanks for popping up to say hello.

Oh I love Capitol Hill row houses. Always so colorful.

We drove into Georgetown one afternoon to explore Dumbarton
Oaks Park. I want to go back once everything has bloomed. 

We also took a trip out to the Potomac Waterfront for a stroll.
There was a family of Canadian Geese that had the same idea.

My absolute favorite thing so far this season has been a pair of eagles (appropriately named "Mr. President" and "The First Lady") who made their home at the U.S. National Arboretum. They noticed them making a nest and then discovered two eggs were getting ready to hatch. A camera was set up and I found most of my coworkers had the live feed on in the top corner of their screens. They eventually hatched and there is a contest in naming the two eaglets. 

Angry mom!

The first baby.

So fluffy!

I was surprised to see how quickly they started eating whole foods
including the fish that Mr. President would bring into the nest.

A second eaglet! I think he had just fallen over on his back.

Mr. President eventually discovered the camera and wasn't too happy about it. 

Wings around each other. I died when I saw this. 

A happy D.C. family!

Another spring to the district means another season with the Cherry Blossoms! I love them every year. And every year we learn to avoid coming during the day to avoid the crowds. It's funny how a year can make you forget things because we always end up showing up during the day again! We can't stay away!

I even met Kyle after work one evening where we rented bikes to go see the blossoms by sunset. 

So beautiful!

And of course, we made a stop at our favorite gelato
place, Pitango (more about this heavenly spot HERE).

Chocolate and banana for the win.

I'm sure there will be a couple of teaser rain and snow storms, but
I am so happy to see you spring and hope you are here to stay!

Washington National Cathedral

We finally got up to Northeast D.C. to visit the National Cathedral. Kyle, the lucky duck, has been to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris but this was my first time to one of this size. It was breathtaking and I felt a lot of peace, being in an area where so many come to worship. There were times it reminded me of a castle and I pictured myself transported to a medieval period, thinking what it would of been like. And I thought a lot about Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast's castles. Just because Disney happens to be on the brain a little too much. It's fine. We love taking the time to explore these amazing sights!

Also we thought a lot about Hogwarts and Kyle prepping to go play Quidditch down on the field.