The Inauguration

In front of the Lincoln Memorial.

The Reflecting Pool, National Monument and US Capitol are behind us.

The masses leaving the Mall.

Street performer as the Statue of Liberty.

President Obama's parade viewing station (from behind).

McPherson Square blocked off.

Ryker watching Barack Hussein Obama being sworn in as the 44th President.

Chiara, Ryker and Isabel watching the Inauguration.

We went to Chiara's home to watch the inauguration on TV. It was too cold to take the kids out for the whole day and no strollers were allowed on the Mall. I baked a cake for us to enjoy. I don't know if the kids will remember this. Perhaps they will remember Chiara and I hugging and crying and laughing. My first memory is watching the landing on the moon on TV when I was 11 months old. Immediately after the swearing, we took the kids down to the Mall to see the crowds and be a part of history. There were swarms of people. Most streets were closed to cars, but it all seemed to move in a very orderly fashion. I think DC did a great job.

Splish Splash

Ryker LOVES to take a bath, sometimes he gets one twice a day just for the fun of it (and because it is super cold here and we're stuck inside...).

Chocolate Fondue

Ryker rarely gets chocolate (unless his Daddy is around...) but I made chocolate fondue for a dinner party. Yummy Yummy! Ryker ate graham crackers covered in it and licked it right off the spoon.

Agua

"Agua" is one of Ryker's favorite words and he really does understand his meaning. If I say "water" (which he can't pronounce), he says "agua." He will point at all sorts of things, including ocean, lakes, rivers, pictures of these (both photographs and paintings), water in a bottle or a cup, the bath, a puddle, from a firehose, on a screensaver, in a cartoon.

He also just likes to say "agua." We were driving in the car and he was pointing at the lake saying "agua, agua, agua" until long after we passed it. I turned and asked him "donde?/where?" and he pointed back over his shoulder as it was now behind us.

It really is fascinating to see how his mind connects and understands the world around him. Now if I could just figure out how to stop the temper tantrums...

Hill of Tara

AVO and Tara had already left, but we finally found the Hill of Tara. It was a hill top in the country, behind a church, with lots and lots of sheep. There is a little tea shop and a couple of parking spaces. That's it. You jump a fence and trudge in the mud amongst the sheep. No signs. There are no signs - nothing but a beautiful view.