Monday, April 25, 2011

White House 2011

These pictures go with our last post -- I just hadn't pulled them off of my phone yet. Enjoy!


Forrest Gump put it best when he said, "And wouldn't you know it. A few months later, they invited me ... to visit the White House. So I went... again. And I met the president of the United States again." That is pretty much what happened with the Moreira and Taylor families.


Except unlike last time, we got to take pictures outside the front entrance!


As we walked away, we saw Secret Service agents (snipers) repositioning themselves on the roof
so hopefully we weren't doing anything we weren't supposed to!


We later learned that the White House has around 40 bathrooms and is 6 floors! It has a movie theater, basketball court, and bowling alley. among other things.




Thursday, April 14, 2011

Cherry Blossom Parade 2011

This year the cherry blossoms came in a bit different because of all of the cold and rain so late in the year. Nonetheless, we were determined to make the journey into D.C., fight the crowds, and get some good pictures and exercise!

Our best investment ever (and by "our" I mean our grandparents) No, I don't hate my Dad for trying to take back his tie. I pity the fool, and I will destroy any man who tries to take what I got! You know what Spring means, right? UPSKIRT TREE PHOTOS!


Look how cultured we are...Tao and American all in the same location. The Taylors came along with us too, which was exciting for them because they had never been to the festival before. Remember that scene in Superman I? This is not it.




Man can that boy laugh!


Next up: White House Tour and...

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Experts: Low-Risk Breach Has High Stakes

----- The New York Times reports that privacy experts say a large-scale data breach at e-mail marketer Epsilon has put millions at greater risk of being scammed through phishing attempts. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/business/05hack.html?_r=1&src=busln ----- The bottom line is that this: no company, organization, bank, etc. that you do business with will call you and ask for password, account, or other user information. If you get a call or e-mail from someone asking for this information, never give that information. If you suspect that the call or e-mail is semi-legitimate, hang-up and call back the institution yourself with contact information you find from a valid source. Remember: 1/3 of Americans will become victims of identity theft in their lifetime!!! And the numbers go up every year...

Monday, April 4, 2011

January - March 2011

Here is a quick recap of everything not included in the pictures: 1.) our family was sick for all of January with several different ailments, including family pink eye, and 2.) we went to the Temple for the first time since Troy was born and had someone babysit in the visitor's center for us.
Onto the pictures --



Troy seems to learn best (worst?) from his friends these days. Too bad Addie recently moved away :( Troy has become increasingly agile. He now likes to roll "one-handed" (not pictured).


Mom is serious when she says "NO ONE in the kitchen."


...some are more distressed than others about the kitchen restrictions...



Best pals share everything together. EVERYTHING.


Cristy and Nathaniel bought discounted tickets to the Newseum and the family took a trip there one Saturday. Here are several slabs of the Berlin Wall...


...the other side of the wall was quite progressive.


The recovered antenna tower on top of the World Trade Center tower. This was a very emotional exhibit.


A visual depiction of which parts of the world have freedom of the press (green is free, yellow is restricted, and red is none).


A touching memorial to fallen journalists around the world...


...there are quite a few more names than we expected.


Our boy is getting clever and sneaky.


...as is Mama Bear. Those little orange chunks are ground carrots, which she neglected to tell Nathaniel until he had already admitted to liking the sweet potatoes.


On this day Troy learned how to swallow food from a spoon. His parents were so happy!


"Thanks Abuelo for helping me with my pants," says Troy. "Your badge tastes really good too."


Troy says, "This vibrating toothbrush is pretty cool Mom. But what does it taste like?"


We (read: Cristy) decided that Troy needed a haircut. This is his story.


"Mom! What did you do to my head?!? I want to be your baby boy forever, not look like a little toddler already."


All that cutting for this little hair!


Like all boys, Troy isn't very helpful with the chores at all.


It's all fun and games when Mom is around.


Work Smirk.


Laundry? That's what Dad does while Mom and Troy play.


Oh Hi Dad. I was just folding this laundry with Mom ;)


Troy and Dad actually play a lot too. Some of our favorite games are "Upside down Troy."


"Fingers in Your Face."


"I'm Gonna Getcha!" (Trademarked by Mom)


And Nathaniel's personal favorite, "Mi Casa Es Su Casa."


One thing Troy loves when Dad gets home from work is too eat his clothes, especially his accessories (e.g., belt, tie, rings, etc.) The more things he can get into his mouth at one time the better.


By the end of March Troy had four top teeth and two on the bottom. He uses those teeth to eat utensils and other non-perishable items. Sometimes, if we're lucky, he eats a half-cup of blended baby food.


Regardless, Troy's diet is intense enough that it fuels him for his rigorous workouts of the day, to include crawling, climbing, flinging, lurching, plopping, gnawing, screaming, shrieking, crying, and pull-ups.


"Watch this Dad," Troy says. "I'm gonna do zero again."


Next Up: A Video, the White House, and Cherry Blossoms.