Cristy and Nathaniel have wanted to go to the National Portrait Gallery for several years, and in September finally found the time to do so. The Gallery has literally thousands of portraits of American historical figures, and we found many neat pictures. Instead of boring you with those, we also snapped some cool artsy shots which are more aesthetically pleasing.
Troy preferred this high vantage point to the stroller.
The Preamble, with plates from almost every state.
Each "state" was filled with television featuring short videos depicting images and movies from that region. They repeated and it was pretty neat.
One of Troy's favorite past times is to act exactly like his parents, and this involves putting on oven mitts in the kitchen (and sometimes outside as well). 
But Troy has always taken to "reading" and will do so by himself for long periods all by himself, though he much prefers story time with Mom or Dad. He even likes books with words and few pictures, including Hymnals. 
Troy continues to look nothing like his father :( and very much like his mother :)
How do you get your pillows to fluff like that?
Troy just loves being with him parents, even if that means sitting on their heads during back-rubs. No pain, no gain. 
On October 1st Nathaniel's Uncle Randy got married in Knoxville, TN, and we made the long haul down there by car. Troy fussed for a total of 10 minutes the whole 16 hour round trip, and both times immediately following naps. What a champ.
We got to spend a lot of time with family, including some pool time the morning of the wedding ceremony.
Nathaniel's Uncle Patrick is only three and a half years older than him and has two kids, the oldest only a few months older than Troy (Brendan). Because Patrick and Troy were flying solo over the weekend, Grandma and Aunt Sarah were quick to lend a helping hand.
Troy says, "Dad...is this how I do it? Just like mama?"
Question: which young man is more focused on the task at hand?
Troy says, "Dad, I always see you put on these shoes like this. Then you walk around. I like it, so I am going to do it too. This is how it works, right?"
PS: How adorable are those eyes?
A week later for Cristy and Vanessa's birthdays we decided to play minigolf. It was a lot of fun and the holes were challenging. Even though Vanessa did not want to keep score, Robbie (Nathaniel's Mom) is a little too competitive for that, and Nathaniel is only a smidge step behind. So they had a 9-hole showdown. Who would emerge the victor?
Nice line on 4 Mom. Too bad there is a giddup' in your swing and you bogeyed the hole, losing the lead :( Who won? Well, it is a gentleman's game, and the winner should never brag ;)
We had a lot of fun and Troy enjoyed throwing, kicking, and chasing the golf balls, and once even putting a hole in one (legit).
Troy: "Sometimes Mom and Dad, I just like to do my own thing. I'm growing up, and becoming my own little man. But don't worry -- it's only one step at a time."
Next Up: Rah Virginia Mil
