The last day of school…..6/12

What a fast school year! The boys did well this year and we have their outstanding teachers to thank.

Mrs. Bednar is a very sweet, gentle teacher but she maintained strong order and had high expectations for her kids. Matthew thrived in her class and came a long way this year.  Mrs. Rill was firm and really pushed Charlie to do better. Charlie was always doing lots of hands-on projects which he loved!

The boys got out of school a day earlier than the rest of the school district because they are tearing down their school and they wanted to give the teachers a day to pack up. They got out at noon which was a HUGE blessing because a massive storm came through and all the other schools in the area that were doing a full day of school kept their students an extra two hours for safety. It was fun to hide out in our basement during the tornado warning. The kids were greeted with Oreos and the movie Goonies when they returned from school. It had been a while since I had watched Goonies and it actually is probably best for an older child but they made it through all the scary parts and enjoyed it. In celebration, we all went to Cici’s Pizza for dinner. The kids had earned certificates from school so it seemed fitting. Cheers for summer vacation- Finally!!!

Tea with Nancy. 5/3

We have great neighbors. One of them is Nancy who loves my kids and is always willing to swing them around and tease them. They really love her and there is a jubilant chorus when she is spotted outside and they all go chasing after her. Her and her husband invited my kids over to have tea with them. She used her real porcelain teapot and had a full spread for them including fruit with whipped cream and cream puffs. They loved the whole experience and nobody broke anything!! She has no kids of her own but mothers the entire neighborhood of children who love her just as much as my kids do.

Charlie, Matthew, Lucy, Nancy, Conrad, and Allen

Ragnar Trail Relay Mud Race!! 6/7

Laura, Jennifer, Sharon, Callie, Natalie, Angela, Erin (Sarah and Kim not pictured)

Is there anything more fun than running in deep mud in the dark??

I had really been looking forward to this trail race. It was only the second trail relay Ragnar had hosted and the design appealed to me more than their traditional distance runs (no vans required). There was a base camp where everyone (and I mean everyone) put up their tents and then there were three loops that started and ended from that spot. Two loops were 6.2 miles and the third was 3.5 for a total just under 16 miles to run in about 24 hours. The other seven women on the team are fun energetic women who I was excited to spend time with. I imagined ourselves hanging out around the campfire, gazing at stars, and enjoying the beautiful trail runs. It was NOTHING like that but in the end there was some fun to be had. It rained and rained and rained! It was cold!! The cold was good for running but the majority of the time I was not running so then I was just cold. The rain created some thick mud everywhere and stranded us in our tents. I was the #2 runner so thankfully when I took off on my run Friday afternoon the trail was still in pretty good shape….there was some mud but it was manageable and the run was BEAUTIFUL!

Notice the lovely conditions on Friday in the lower left picture!

From there the conditions got worse. I lucked out with my night run being my short run. I was terrified when I started. I had a head lamp and I was holding a spare in my hand but it was foggy, and rainy. The mud made it really slow and I was VERY cautious which made me even slower. After surviving I was able to catch a little sleep (after I dried out and warmed up in my sleeping bag).  By the next morning ALL the teams were really behind because of the weather so they said we could start doubling up. We just took the chance and tripled up our last runs so we could be done by 12:30!! They didn’t mind and the run was so much more enjoyable with company.  I’m more of a social runner so that really helped. The rain had stopped and while it was still muddy it wasn’t ripping off your shoes:)We picked up our fancy medals, broke camp, and headed home.

So, would I do it again? I don’t think so. I really really HATED the night run. Maybe if I had a buddy to run the whole thing with me. This is also a big time commitment (two full days with driving) and a lot of down time. My long runs were really beautiful with forest floors covered in ferns and densely packed tall skinny trees.  A girl ran by me on my first run and said, “this is just like being in the Hunger Games!” I responded with, “hopefully we don’t die!” They also provided us with a spaghetti dinner on Friday night, smores, and hot chocolate!

This is right before Natalie, Erin, and I set off on our last run. You had to leave and come back from the bridge in the background!! It was nerve racking flying down it trying not to fall!

Matthew’s Class Play! 6/6

Matthew’s class put on a class play and invited all the parents to come to their classroom to watch the performance. The play was based on the book “The Baby BeeBee Bird.” Matthew was a giraffe and worked really hard on his lines- “It’s the baby Beebee bird. He’s new to the zoo!”  It was a darling play which lasted about 10 minutes!

10 Year Anniversary Date! 6/1

Wow! 10 Years of marriage!! I could never had imagine where and and what the last ten years have brought us. We have lived far from family for eight of those years and grew our family by four. We survived graduate school but I think our real feat will be surviving east coast living. I never really thought about the fact that the person you marry on your wedding day is not going to always be that same person. We all change and that includes me. I’m just really grateful I like all the changes Seth has been through. I love having been married for so long, it brings peace having someone know you so well and knowing someone else very well. It has not been a perfect ten years but we have made it through the hard times a better couple (and the man still likes to bake so I’m never leaving:)

Our actual anniversary was on May 10th but Lucy woke up with a really high fever so all of our plans were cancelled and we enjoyed take-out. Thankfully we were able to reschedule our plans. Our dear friends took ALL of our kids so we could enjoy a full day in Washington DC by ourselves. After living here for two years and many trips into the district, we had never ventured by ourselves. It was such a different experience.

We decided to start our venture at the National Gallery of Art. I took an Art History class in college but it was a summer course and I forgot almost everything I learned the minute I walked out of the final. Seth was in the same camp but we felt like we should take the time and see the famous artists we had heard about. We LOVED it!! Good art up close is inspiring and I’m sure we could have spent the whole day there. Because we only had a few hours we just wandered around and looked at all the highlights. The landscapes were both our favorites with the following being the one we would love to put in our home.

After the Art Gallary we swung by the American Indian Museum to eat lunch. We had heard the food was really good and unique. The bison sandwich did not disappoint!  After lunch we walked over to the Library of Congress. It had never been at the top of places to go but it’s one of my new favorites. It was gorgeous inside!! There are murals all over the walls and the architecture is impressive as well. We were able to piggy back on to a tour group so we learned more about the building process. We were able to overlook the large hall where people can go and do research. We were able to see some of the first maps that were made that included anything in the western hemisphere (purchased for 10 million dollars!) As we were leaving we saw their Gershwin display with his actual piano.

Overall our day could not have gone better (maybe it could have been longer). We had fun seeing the sights and being together. 10 down and eternity to go!!

They had murals of the different sciences. While there was no Immunology, there was a Zoology which made me think of my Grandpa Allen.

Rockville Memorial Day Parade. 5/27

We joined in the fun for the Rockville Memorial Day Parade. I’ve noticed that parades around here are seriously lacking floats and there are way too many politicians. I guess that goes with the territory. The kids had fun collecting candy and we bumped into some friends which made the whole experience more enjoyable. I’m grateful for those who have served our country and protected our freedoms.

Mandy in Maryland! 5/18

To celebrate our birthdays (and a little get away), Mandy and Ethan came to visit us for six days! Mandy came just a few days after her birthday so that meant we needed to have a birthday party right after she arrived. As chance would have it, Natalie was also in Maryland at the same time with Mike who was here for business. They were staying less than an hour away so they came for the birthday fun. It’s wonderful to be reunited with dear friends!!

Mandy and I kept a relatively low profile while she was here but we did make day trips to Great Falls , The Lincoln Memorial, and Mt Vernon. We did as well as you can do when you have three little kids with you.

Mandy and Ethan with “Great Falls” behind them and Mandy, Myself, and the kids in front of Mt Vernon.

 

The Lincoln Memorial! This is my favorite place to visit downtown because of the strong spirit that resides there. He was truly a great man who felt the weight of a nation.

After the Lincoln Memorial we had a little bit of time before we needed to pick up Lucy from her playgroup. Mandy wanted to eat somewhere DC-ish so I thought we should try “Good Stuff Eatery.” It’s a classic American burger place started by a guy who won “Top Chef.” There was absolutely NO parking so Mandy had to run in while I waited double parked. She came running out afterward with a bag of food and a couple of shakes. She just told them to give us the burger and shake that “everyone wanted.” It was glorious!! They gave us the Smokehouse burger which was topped with cheddar cheese, onion rings, and BBQ sauce. The shake was their Toasted Marshmallow Shake and was delicious as well. I eat so infrequently in DC it’s nice to be able to add something to the list of recommendations. Funny side note- the lovely red tray Mandy is holding in the picture is not a to-go tray. She told them it was to-go so when they handed her the tray with the food on it she ran out of their. I have two cute new serving dishes:)

We took an hour drive up north to meet up with more Ann Arbor friend. The Eusabios are darling and it was wonderful to see how their family has grown since we last saw them. I remember going to Michelle’s baby shower for her oldest and now she is expecting #3!  Lucy enjoyed playing with “her friend” Maddie. Oh, and the Cheesecake Factory is ALWAYS good!

4 ladies with their little boys!

We decided to have an Ann Arbor rendezvous with four families on a Sunday afternoon down by the tidal basin in DC. Mike, Natalie, and baby Ethan were visiting from Arizona, Mandy and her baby Ethan from Utah, The whole Costley crew from Virginia, and ourselves from Maryland. We had a laid back picnic while our kids played in the mud and had a ball! It was a fun time until the rain chased us to our cars.

After all the visiting (and eating) Mandy and Ethan said goodbye! Thanks for the visit!!

Piano recital and Bobcat award! 4/28

Charlie and I played in his first duet recital. He played “Pop Goes the Weasel” by himself and then together we played “William Tell.” Charlie did great and had absolutely no nerves. Seth was recording our playing while Conrad made a play for the cookie plate. He was able to grab three and run off before Seth got to him. This will be Charlie’s last recital with his teacher Katie. She is moving to Las Vegas and we will really miss her.

Later on that same week Charlie earned his first major award in Cub Scouts. He earned his Bobcat. They held the pack meeting in the woods behind our church complete with a campfire. Charlie still loves scouts more than anything!

National Zoo with Carolyn! 4/24

I’ll always consider Carolyn my “first friend” of Maryland. A friend in Ann Arbor gave me her contact information when we were looking to move here so she could give us some guidance.  She had lots of wisdom and passed along more contacts. I was called into the primary presidency shortly after we moved into the ward and guess who the president is? I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her and the enthusiasm she has for primary!

Carolyn is a very kind aunt and offered to watch her grand nephew John for a few days. She arranged a play-date for him with Lucy and Conrad  at the zoo. We were lucky to pick a day to go that the weather was absolutely perfect!!! The kids had fun together and kept us busy. We carpooled together so she was able to take us home through some back roads so I could see some of the gorgeous homes in DC. Thanks Carolyn and prince John!

The Gibsons come to visit! 4/18

 

The Gibson family came from Massachusetts for a DC vacation. We were all excited to see our dear Michigan friends again. They were on spring break so they took their kids into DC to sight see while our kids went to school. On Saturday we all ventured down together to the Smithsonians. I was impressed we were able to see the Air and Space, American History, AND the Natural History Museums. At the Air and Space museum they had an activity for kids set up were they were able to become aviators by making their own compass, hat, and scarf. They even got an official certificate when they finished.  They were excited (Matt was REALLY excited) to hear that there was indeed a Café Rio in the East so we had Café Rio for dinner and talked way into the night. They had a long drive back to Boston so they left after sacrament meeting (they got to hear Elder Todd D. Christofferson speak who used to be the bishop of our ward). Thanks for the visit Gibsons!

National Aquarium with the Costleys 4/16

Thanks to our many years living in a college town, we were able to meet lots of incredible families. One of those was the Costley family. They were an MBA family so they only stuck around for 18 short months but in that short amount of time we watched their family struggle and triumph through their three year olds Cancer fight. Thankfully her cancer went into remission and they went off to Texas. My favorite memories of Kerri was shopping the outlets with her and picking raspberries.  After three years in Texas they moved to Virginia about the same time we moved to Maryland. So, after nearly five years we reunited with our preschool kids for a morning at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It was fun to reminisce  and be around fun-loving Kerri again.