Christmas 2018 for the Win

It's been a looooooooong time since I've written anything here.  I got excited about doing the monthly updates, then got a little overwhelmed with getting all the pictures from my phone to the computer.  I find it a little perplexing that there's still no reasonable iPhone  app for blogging from a phone.   Or at least being able to upload the pictures straight to a blogpost, then typing on the computer.

I guess at this point, it's probably just easier to start with where I'm at, so here goes....

It's been 3 years since we've been all together as a family for the holidays.   We tried to keep our expectations low, in case Cami and Garrett chose to spend the holidays with his family instead, but we were totally thrilled when they announced that they were coming here this year!    

It's been fun to spend time with them both and we've been totally enjoying this time we have with the girls all together again.   

We are also excited to have Spence home from Utah.  He doesn't love pictures being taken of him, so this one of all of us in our Christmas pajamas will have to do.   

Speaking of pajamas...they were pretty epic this year.   I love the "grumpy cougar" design and the kids declared them the "most comfy pjs yet", so I'm calling it a win! 

And I'm pretty sure we "won" for most obnoxious Christmas outfits ever at our ward Christmas party...

Our Sunday outfits were a little tamer...

AnnaLisa definitely won for awesome Christmas sweater ever....haha...her and her narwhals!  

Ellie won for making sure that everyone got one of her drawings in their Christmas stocking this year.   The drawings were awesome and I loved how thoughtful she was in choosing what she drew for each person.   In fact, I think I need to dedicate a whole blog post just to the drawings.   

Can I pull it together and blog twice in the same week again?   

Time will tell, time will tell...

I'm Sort of Famous....

I MADE A FLYER!!!!   

And it was sent out by email to 1000's of people all over the DC area and was posted by two members of Studio C on their Instagram accounts (see here and here)!!! 

Check out my creation....

So, I'm not actually famous, since no one (except a couple of people who helped with the planning) actually knows  that I made it, but I still felt kind of cool that my self-taught photoshop skills got to go to a good use.       

The event turned out much bigger than the planners anticipated, a fact which drew the wrath of the security guards at the Lincoln Memorial and brought the whole night to a premature ending.  Ellie still got to meet the cast members briefly though, so she definitely called the night a success!

Alright, now that I'm done gloating about the tiny little role I played in this awesome event, it's time to shut the computer and get back to real life again....

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Just a Quick Jaunt

March 24: 

Ask me what my idea of a perfect day is and it will certainly include a hike of some length or another.       So when my friend invited me to come along with her kids on a 10-miler on Thursday, I was only too excited to sign us up! 

It was a cool urban hike that had us hiking across a river (where they had to stop and throw a few rocks)...

 and across the Virginia/DC line and onto Georgetown University.  

Despite the urban setting, we still got to see some wildlife, including some deer who were very unjittery around humans....

and a big bullfrog! 

The blossoms were beautiful.... 

and after TWELVE WHOLE MILES (yes, it was two miles more than we expected)...

they were good and ready for a celebratory Slurpee!

Beautiful day, long hike, great company.... 

it was a great day!   

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9/11

One of the best parts about homeschooling is the ability to be spontaneous!   

Last week we visited the 9/11 exhibit at the Newseum and had a long discussion with the kids (and a couple of friends) about all that transpired on that day 14-years-ago.   I was surprised at how emotional I still got talking about it and how interested the kids were in learning more about it.    But even after watching a video, looking at artifacts, and hearing me discuss it, I still felt like they didn't get it.  

So today we made a very spontaneous decision to take a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. (thanks for the suggestion, Mika!)  

It was powerful to be there on this day amongst the graves of so many people who had died fighting for our freedoms.  

We watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier  and had a great discussion about the sacrifice that so many people have made to make our country what it is.

(the video is horrible quality and somehow still sideways despite me correcting my camera position after just a few seconds, but it's still cool to watch)

Then we found  the Pentagon Memorial Marker and placed flags on some graves there.  

My kids were in awe when we walked a little further up and actually saw the Pentagon.   We've seen it many times before, but seeing it in the distance just beyond the cemetery was a powerful moment (that I didn't take a picture of)!  

   

It turned out to be a beautiful visit that was worth about 1000 history lessons from a book.  

God Bless America!  

Priceless!

Baseball Tickets:  $15

Parking:  $20 

Ballpark dinner for 3: $50

Cute pink Nats hat:  $5

Baseball:  free after the ballgirl passed it to her 

Out-of-this-world smile:  Priceless!   

Scavenger Hunt in Georgetown

For a recent summer mutual activity with the Laurels, we decided to go for a fun outing that we wouldn't have been able to do on a school night. We took a field trip to Georgetown, explored for a while, then got a treat at Baked and Wired before heading home. I wanted more of a framework for our explorations around town and thought a photo scavenger hunt would be perfect, unfortunately I could not locate a scavenger hunt that was not run by a tour company that charged an arm and a leg. So I made my own. Below you will see the hunt and the pictures we took along the way. Here you will find a printable version of the hunt.


Georgetown Scavenger Hunt

Founded in 1751, Georgetown predates Washington, and it remained a separate city from Washington until 1871. The name of town came from either reigning King George II of Britain, or George Gordon and George Beall, owners of most of the land at the time the city was founded.

1. Red door

2. Place that sells paintings

3. A historic plaque dated before 1800

4. A gargoyle

5. A place where a president (or other famous politician) lived or visited

6. Store or restaurant whose name could be a verb

7. A cemetery

8.  Someone wearing plaid pants  (bonus if you get them to pose for a picture with you)

9.  An archway

10.   An embassy

11.  A stained glass window

12.  A building made out of stone 

13.  The C&O canal

14.  Something named after one of the US states

15.  A Civil War era site  (1860-1865)

16.  A cobblestone street or path

17.  An address of 4 consecutive numbers (ex. 1234, 5678, etc)

18.  Someone dressed up in an old-fashioned costume 

19.  Something on a sign written in Latin

20.  A sign that says "historic" on it

Cami's Senior Photos

Before I get too distracted with getting Cami settled at BYU, I figured I'd better post  Cami's senior pictures before they're totally old news.   

Our talented friend, Alia, who has a photography business, is the one who took all the photos.  

They spent an afternoon in Georgetown  doing the photo shoot and had a great time together!  

   

Cami's far more photogenic....

than I ever was...

 although I do have to take a little credit....

since I was the one who suggested Georgetown as a location for the photo shoot....

and I did give birth to her 18-years ago.  

We all are excited for her to go to BYU, 

but we're certainly going to miss her when she's gone.  

We sure love this sweet girl! 

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