Cherry Blossom Festival and Kite Festival

Today we had a great time in Washington, DC, at the Mall. We took the Metro into town and it was totally crowded. We even had to wait in the parking lot for someone to leave so we could park our car at the station. That's how busy it was. The kids and I got to experience our first trip on the Metro. We all thought it was fun! Grace did notice a strange smell coming from somewhere or someone, though. She survived it. Now I need to try to navigate the Metro without Andy. Maybe when my parents come to town in a couple of weeks.

The people in Andy's class had arranged an outing and picnic on the Mall, and though we saw them, we kind of did our own thing. It was great motivation to get out! First we tried flying kites kind of in the middle of the mall closer to the Capital, but we weren't having much luck. We decided to try flying down by the Washington Monument, where we saw kites were flying much higher and the flags surrounding the monument were completely outstretched in the wind. Great idea! We did much better there! It was so cool to see how many kites were in the air, and so many different kinds, too. We really liked one that looked like a pirate ship, one that was a Blue Angel jet, and a couple of really beautiful butterfly kites. We liked ours too, of course--a dragon, a Barbie, and a spinning box kite. Sarah and Jake flew kites, Andy and I helped them, and Grace took care of Rachel on the blanket. Grace is a great helper.

After we flew kites for awhile, we walked down to the river to see the cherry blossoms. So pretty! It was neat because they made shade all over, but the shade wasn't dark, it was light and airy. Hard for me to describe, but it was beautiful. I kept making Andy take pictures of the kids by every tree I thought was pretty. I edited the pictures pretty well for the slide show! The kids thought the blossoms were very soft. It was such a contrast to the last time we were at the Jefferson Memorial...it was rainy and muddy and all the trees were bare. Have we really been here that long? I loved Rachel's response when I told her to look at all of the flowers in the trees. She said, "They're not flowers Mom, they're blossoms."

We did a lot of walking today, and the kids didn't complain about it. We brought drinks this time, so they didn't complain about being thirsty either. We didn't bring enough for lunch, so they were a bit hungry(and so was I). And, I didn't bring warm enough coats for Sarah and Jake, so they were a little chilled. Grace shared her sweatshirt with Sarah, and Jake just toughed it out...no whining about it either. Overall, it's getting a little more fun each time we go for a trip into downtown. We've almost figured out how to plan the perfect day trip!

Happy Easter!

We had a quiet, but really nice Easter this year! We made sugar cookies, colored eggs, read the scriptures about the Resurrection of Jesus, and enjoyed a delicious ham dinner(thanks to Andy)! The Easter Bunny came to our house too, and left us toys and treats, and hid eggs for the kids to find. Sunday was our first day in our new callings...both Andy and I are helping with the nursery. I'd say there's about 30 kids, and about 10 leaders, so it worked out really well. Anyways, we came home, had a nice meal, the kids finished up their homework assignments for the spring break, and we went to bed. It was quiet, but like I said, it was nice to spend time together with just our family.

The Sculpture Garden, Vietnam War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial

This last weekend we visited more DC sites. Andy had read that it was supposed to be very busy with lots of Spring Break-ers visiting...but we didn't know how busy! Wow! We wanted to visit the Museum of Natural History, so we headed there first. Almost wall to wall people. We walked through one corridor with the dinosaurs, then we left. I plan on taking the kids sometime this week. We thought we might try the National Archives. We waited several minutes to get in, but the line didn't even move, so we gave up on that one too! Andy mentionned seeing a memorial or two, and that worked out great, even though there were still lots of people around. It was kind of fun with so many people...it felt like we were in the city.

So, we visited the Museum of Art Sculpture Garden, which we skipped last weekend because of the rain. It was pretty cool. The family favorite was called "House" by Lichtenstein. As you walked past it and kept watching it, it kind of moved. We loved it. There were a couple of eery one's too...a large spider, and a group of girls with no heads. It was funny to try to think of what the artists were thinking or the message they wanted to portray.

Next, we visited the Vietnam War Memorial, or "the wall" and we listened to a park ranger talk about it. Lots of symbolism. The names of those soldiers who died are listed chronologically and begin in 1959 and end in 1975 at the apex of the memorial. The designer wanted the names of those who died first and last to be together. It also looks like someone took a big dagger and cut into the ground, which is symbolic of how the war tore the country apart. It was neat to see people taking pictures of names on the wall. The other cool thing was, I think Reagan said, that people will find the names of their loved ones in their reflections. The polished granite acts like a mirror. Anyways, it was neat.

We saw the Lincoln Memorial next. I've wanted to see this one since we arrived here. There were lots of people sitting all over the steps up to the memorial, looking out over the reflection pool. It was really pretty. Lincoln was huge! It was neat to read his words from the Gettysburg address. It really has been cool to think about the great men who led this great country in it's beginnings.

Air and Space Museum, Museum of Art, and the Jefferson Memorial

I'm finally getting some pictures up from Saturday, March 8th. We visited the National Air and Space Museum, the Museum of Art, and the Jefferson Memorial. I apologize if I am messing up the names of places, but you get the idea. It was a little rainy that day, so we got a great parking space on the mall. It was really cool to be there and finally get to see a museum. The Museum of American History is under construction until the fall, so a few choice items were relocated to an exhibit in the Air and Space Museum. We loved the stuff we saw there, and I also loved seeing all of the awesome works of art! I might go back and visit the Museum of Art by myself, then I can take my time! We found out that our kids can last about 2 1/2 hours in museums, and then they want to do something else...good to know for when grandparents come to visit! The Jefferson Memorial was pretty cool too. The kids were excited because they recognized it from the movie National Treasure. Our new pasttime is figuring out where the actors were standing in different scenes of the movie.

The Abyss(my classrooms)

Today was my first day of school at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School(thats a mouthfull). And also I got a locker for the first time. It wasn't really the best thing in the world but it was cool. Anyway, I started the day in one of my homerooms, I change everyday with the other teacher across the movable wall. Then I had Science and I learned about the five kingdoms that make up the living orginisms that make up our world(animals, plants, fungi, etc.). then I took a placement math test, both with Mrs.Mueller. Then I did Language Arts with Mrs. Hockenberry. Next, I went to lunch with my friends Conner and Drew and with about ten other people who liked me. After that I went to recess and played four-square. Then I went to Advisory with Mrs.Hockenberry. Advisory is when the teacher kind of chooses what you do. AfterwardI went to Music class. And to wrap it all up I made pudding in FACS. So that's my day.

Jake

My New School

I think my new school is fun. It's called Thomas Jefferson Elementary,but everyone just calles it T.J. I'm going to start walking to school next week. I have this really fun thing called PE. Today we had PE inside the gym, and we were playing with parachutes. We went under them, did merry-go-round with them, and flung balls up to the ceiling with them. I made a few new friends named, Ann, Grace, Kaylie, and Mary. I think Mrs. Hull is nice.
by Grace

First Day of School! First Day of School!

Today is Jake's first day of school at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School! We met with his guidance counselor yesterday, and she was so helpful! He picked a keyboarding/tech class and an art class as his electives for the rest of the year. The guidance secretary was also great and took us on a tour of the school, and answered so many of my questions. I've been more nervous about Jake going to middle school than Jake was, but I'm happy to report that neither of us were very nervous when I dropped him at school this morning (at 7:20am).


Sarah and Grace started school on Tuesday. Sarah's school is called Mt.Daniel and is a kindergarten/first grade school. Her teacher's name is Ms. Payne, and she has made friends in her class(though she forgets their names) and loves the new playground. She has been so excited to go to school every morning!


Grace's school is called Thomas Jefferson Elementary(or TJ) and has grades 2-4. Her teacher's name is Mrs.Hull, and she also has made several girlfriends. She was a little frustrated her first day, because they went to spanish class and she didn't know the songs or vocabulary. Other than that, she is doing great too! I am so happy with the schools and the adults working in them! I'm not sure yet if they kids will be behind their classes or ahead...maybe they'll just pick up right where they left off in California!

We're Here!

We arrived here in Virginia this afternoon! We are staying at an extended stay hotel very close to the townhouse we'll be moving into next weekend. I was so excited to be here, we drove into Washington, DC, so I could see some things. The pictures aren't great...we stayed in the car. We hope to go back sometime next week! The kids like our hotel suite...it feels more like a home.

The Gateway Arch

We stopped in St. Louis on our way from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Evansville, Indiana. It was huge! Very cool. We parked down by the Mississippi River, climbed a ton of stairs up to the ground level of the Arch, then went underground to enter the National Park. We bought tickets for the tram, then headed further underground to board it. I thought it was funny that we went so far underground before going so high up in the Arch! The tram is crazy. It is a little train made up of these small round cars, each with 5 seats. We all fit in one, because Rachel sat on my lap. The little doors had windows in them, so we could see all of the cables and wires inside the shaft. Grace was certain we were all going to die, and though I didn't think we were going to die, I was a little nervous at first! Rachel kept calling it the alligator ride...we still haven't figured out why! At the top, at the center it is 680 feet high, and we could see pretty far. I bet it is really cool on a clear day...it was pretty overcast when we visited. We learned it was built as a monument to expansion, and is called the Gateway to the West. For us it was the Gateway to the East...we did it wrong.