And so it begins... but first, a quick Gettysburg Getaway.

Last night I was up to my elbows in dishwater, mentally sorting through to-do lists and calendars and bracing for the hectic couple weeks ahead, when I realized I had been so distracted that I had forgotten to turn off Toddler Radio on Pandora and was being subjected to yet another chorus of the Hokey Pokey. I could hear the water running in the bath upstairs and then Seth yelling, "Finleyyyyyy!" followed by a familiar chuckle that could not have come from the bathroom. I whirled around, soaking myself and the carpet in the process, to see a buck naked Finley, arms in the air as she teetered across the kitchen, boogying wildly to the music. She was gleeful about her escape and temporary reprieve. I didn't catch it on camera, and I'm almost glad I didn't try. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life, and pictures definitely would not have done the scene justice.

We had needed the laugh. This morning kicked off two weeks of Seth cramming for comps with every available second while I juggle Finley duty and my own load of papers and exams, plus the increasingly frequent doctor's appointments we have to keep reminding ourselves to schedule (who has the time?)

For once I'm thankful for daylight savings time, as Finley has handled the time change like a champ and it allows us to continue our post-daycare pickup playground tour of Bethesda now that the weather is on the uptick. The fresh air is chicken soup for both of our souls.

With massive school demands, unfinished pre-baby business, the admin. stuff we've been putting off like grad school enrollment (me) and navigating the West Point CDC and housing lists (ahem, Seth), not to mention the looming specter of taxes, we're on a pretty nutty downhill slide to mid-April. The Easter getaway we had been considering is almost definitely a no-go- so we're pretty glad we squeezed in one last quick adventure before the chaos. We spent the weekend at Gettysburg for Jess' lovely (and convenient!) wedding, at the very cool Lodges at Gettysburg, which we totally recommend. Finley loves vacation, and the opportunity to get dressed up (yes those are Air Jordans with her pretty dress)

and dance (yes, that appears to be the chicken dance.)

She also got to hang out with some real, live war heroes (left to right, Flo Groberg, her Dad, and Aaron Causey)

and soak up a little history. (Although she seems to be aware that that is a very bizarre statue.)

Of course, the jungle gym-like cannons

and the rocks on Little Round Top were her favorites. (By which I mean, she tried to eat them.) Although Seth the history nerd tried his hardest to impart some knowledge between "not in your mouth!"s.

Tough to pick photos of the week, when you have all these in the archive: our proud little walker,

our messy eater,

and our lunch thief. (I taught her to dip her pita in hummus and created a monster.)

But this one- which I took at great personal peril just for you, Mom & Dad- from our Sunday bike ride on the canal is one of my favorites ever. It's tough to make out, but it's Finley in her trailer less than five minutes down the trail, giving me the "all done" sign repeatedly through the window.

Nice try, kiddo.