Farewell to D.C.

The day before we moved we went down to D.C. one last time. It was a hot day and this fountain was absolute JOY as you can see.

Before and After

June twenty-something 2007 at Grandma and Grandpa Browns house.

June 24, 2008 at Grandma and Grandpa Browns house.

Hello Utah!!

I thought that I might blog while we were on our enormous road trip from Maryland to Utah, but each night when we got to the hotel sitting down too a computer just wasn't tempting. I was either too tired or I figured that it had been entirely too boring to find anything of interest to write about. Our day across Wyoming, for example, would have looked something like... saw some sagebrush.... more sagebrush... and over that hill is some more sagebrush. We weren't really big fans of Rawlins, Wyoming. (Sorry to any of you from Wyoming.) Basically we drove about 4-6 hours a day for 6 days. We had 1 or 2 breaks each day and usually arrived at our next hotel around 7 or so. Each night when we arrived we all made a break for the swimming pool and played until we were so hungry we had to stop. Our first stop was by far my favorite. It was Kirtland, Ohio. This is an important historical place for members of the LDS church. Many revelations were received here and it was really a powerful feeling at many of these places.

This is the Newel K. Whitney home. Newel Whitney was a wealthy business man in Kirtland who had been prepared for the resoration of the gospel. He had been praying to know what the Lord would have him do. Joseph Smith saw his face in a dream and when he arrived in Kirtland he went straight to his store and said, "You prayed me here... what would you have of me?" Joseph and Emma stayed in the Newel K. Whitney home for several months. In the attic of the Newel K. Whitney store was an office that Joseph used and next to that is the school of the prophets. In this latter room is where the Savior actually appeared to Joseph and several others.

This store is the site of the first bishop's storehouse. In 2007, the church gave $260 million in cash donations, nearly 60,000 tons of food and about $750 million worth of material supplies. The humanitarian efforts of the church is something that I am proud to be a part of and so seeing the beginnings of it was really cool.

The sawmill.

The last stop in Kirtland was the Kirtland temple, now owned by the Community of Christ church. Anyway it was really interesting. These bright green doors were kind of a surprise to me. It was beautiful though and remarkable to think about how much they sacrificed in order to build a temple.

The other church history site we visited was Winter Quarters in Omaha, Nebraska. This is where the pioneers were camped for sometime during the trek across the country. There was great sickness throughout these camps and many, many died. I wish we'd had time to go up to the cemetary as well, but we had to get back on the road. I feel really grateful to the pioneers who made such sacrifices for their faith. It causes me to consider how dedicated I am and how much I'd be willing to sacrifice for my faith.

Thanks to the generosity of our good friends Heather and Scott (well their parent's generosity as well) we were also able to stay in Iowa one night in a real live house instead of a hotel. (Thank you guys!) It was so sad to see the enormous damage from the flooding across Iowa only a few days earlier. An RV floating in the water off the side of the freeway was kind of a "wow" moment for Aaron and I because we have never really seen flooding like that. We tried to run to a grocery store that evening only to find it's parking lot an absolute pool of water.

As for the rest of the trip, I was very grateful for a few little games and toys. My mother-in-law sent a game called Rubberneckers Jr. which was a lifesaver. We also had a great time with glow-sticks, books, toy cars and stickers. Lizzy was into "decorating" her side of the car as illustrated in this picture.

My boys all snuggled up.

The kids really did great and I was proud of them. After so many hours together in the car I was afraid they'd never want to see each other again, but thankfully this is them only a few hours after our arrival at Grandma's house. (Sigh of relief) I'm so glad they still like each other.

Traveling

We've just finished our 5th day of travel from Maryland to Utah. I don't have much to say except that I am very grateful for:
Portable DVD players
Our GPS
Hotels with swimming pools
Nap times when the kids actually nap
Dollar stores
And most of all I am grateful that the end is in sight. Only 4 or 5 hours of driving tomorrow.....

Moving Boxes, Garbage Cans and Trolls

We're in the process of moving and have packed up most of our belongings to ship to Utah. Each night while the kids sleep, more and more of their toys have been disappearing. I was at first worried that the kids would get bored without their toys, but it hasn't been a problem. So how are they entertaining themselves? Take a look.







A cardboard house. What kid doesn't love playing in giant moving boxes.

Here they are playing Mom and Dad in their house. (Aaron and I were Grandma and Grandpa)

I scrubbed out our garbage can with bleach and then filled it with water. This was a good half hour of fun for the kids.

.

A vivid imagination comes in handy at times like this. It seems that this big guy on the bed is actually a giant Troll. The kids were trying to tie up the troll much of Saturday evening

Captured... at last.

Happy Father's Day

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Homes

I conducted a little interview of Lizzy to find out what she really thinks of her Dad. It's unfortunate that Andrew can't quite articulate his great love of Aaron. When I asked what is his favorite thing about Dad... he replied "Blue Dad". However, using my women's intuition I can offer my opinion that Andrew loves his Dad very much. I base this upon the fact that he is so excited when he gets home from work. He usually runs to the door yelling "Da-Da". A few days ago we dropped Aaron off at work and then headed to a park. As we pulled away Andrew lamented (after only about 30 seconds) "I miss Da-da". So everything nice in here is, I believe, seconded by Andrew.

What is Dad's favorite color? Orange
What is Dad's favorite food? enchiladas
What makes Dad happy? Giving compliments
What makes Dad sad? Nothing. Well maybe if he's sick.
What cartoon character is Daddy like? Papa bear. (from Berstein Bears)
What does Daddy think about you? He thinks I'm special.
What does Daddy do when he is funny? He shows me silly jokes on the computer.
What is your favorite thing about Dad? When he puts me on his shoulders.
Me: I thought you didn't like riding on shoulders.
Lizzy: Well I like it now that I am 4.

What is Dad really good at? Teaching me.
What is Dad not very good at? I don't know.

What is one thing Dad always says to you? You're a nut.

What is Dad going to be when he grows up? A Grandpa
How do you know your dad loves you?. Cause he shows me. Cause he just loves me.
What do you think about Dad? Well.. I think he's pretty nice. And I love him.
What do you want to tell him for Fathers Day? Happy father's Day!

Aaron is a wonderful Dad. He is so much fun and we all look forward the moment that he walks in the door each day. He is also a great teacher and doesn't miss many opportunities to teach the kids. The kids always want to show off their latest achievements and Aaron always helps them feel so proud of themselves. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father to our kids. Happy Fathers Day... we all love you.

Also a happy fathers day to my Dad and to Aaron's Dad. We love you both so much and appreciate your examples and influence in our lives.

100 107 Things...

I'm sure many of you have seen these 100 things list. I hope this isn't breaking any blogging rules, but my list is made up of 100 things I've learned this year.

1. I love to blog
2. George Washington only had 1 tooth left when he took the oath as the first president of the US.
3. When working a normal job (9-5) Aaron CAN and DOES do the dishes often.
4. There is no better vacation for kids than to the beach.
5. There is no doubt that Washington, Jefferson and other founding fathers were guided by the hand of God.
6. George Washington freed his slaves in his will.
7. These is My Words is a wonderful book.
8. Watching your kids learn to play together is very fulfilling.
9. Many of our past presidents have been war hero's.
10. Often what you feel..is more important than what you know.
11. One of the US presidents was married in the white house.
12. Customer service in the East really is lacking.
13. Koi fish are cool.
14. You can ride an elevator to the top of the Old Post Office in Washington DC and see over the whole city.
15. The white house has it's own theater and a bowling alley.
16. You really don't need as much stuff as you think you do.
17. No matter where you live...there are kindred spirits to be found.
18. Even though it's cold and annoying...I like snow.
19. The Gettysburg Address was about 2 minutes long.
20. Getting Lizzy to wear pants is nearly impossible.
21. The oldest soldier at Gettysburg was John Burns, over 70 years old.
22. The chinese art of Penjing is fascinating and beautiful.
23. Utah really is a desert.
24. People in the East are not really less friendly, they just don't smile at strangers.
25. The hope diamond is just over 45 carats.
26. My kids won't stick their hands inside a pumpkin.
27. A tired kid can fall asleep almost anywhere.
28. Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to be turkey and potatoes.
29. During the month of December there is a different performance every single night at the Washington DC temple.
30. Chris Brewer sits out front and greets every single visitor throughout that month.
31. George Washington was a successful fisherman and agriculturist.
32. I love being a Mom.
34. Kids grow up too fast.
35. The monuments are beautiful at night.
36. The variety of frog colors is astounding.
37. There was 1 civilian death during the battle of Gettysburg.
38. Your kids can love make believe characters almost as much as they love their mother.
39. Riding the Metro is not as hard or scary as it seems at first.
40. Wives of successful men make enormous sacrifices.
41. The bricks of the Washington Monument change color about 1/3 of the way up because the builders ran out of funds and it sat there for many years.
42. It is now the law that a monument project cannot be started until all of the funding is received.
43. Aaron looks good with a goatee.
44. George Washington resigned his position as army general at the capitol building in Annapolis, MD.
45. The sting rays are my favorite thing at the National Zoo.
46. There is a reverent feeling at the Lincoln Memorial.
47. Seeing relics of history is so much better than reading about it.
48. There are portraits of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young at the National Portrait Gallery.
49. If you lose your drivers license ...it takes several months to get a new one through the mail.
50. There are remarkable people in Bethesda, Maryland.
51. Every year there is a kite flying festival on the mall and it is awesome.
52. In the original story of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's shoes were silver.
53. There is something warm and cozy about Christmas in a cabin.
33. My kids don't need as many toys as I think they do.
54. If you ride the metro on the 4th of July you are crazy.
55. It is worth it to ride the metro to see fireworks on the fourth of July at the NATIONS Capital.
56. The national zoo has a giant pizza kids can play on.
57. George Washington had very bright colored rooms in his home. It was a sign of wealth at the time.
58. It is exciting to see your kid learn to read.
59. More than 50,000 men died in 3 days of battle at Gettysburg.
60. I am so grateful to those men.
61. The LDS church is growing all over the world and it is very exciting.
62. Flying with 2 young kids is so NOT fun.
63. Gas can get up to $4.00 a gallon.
64. Costco's in Maryland don't open until 11:00 in the morning.
65. Toothpaste can get pen off of walls, but it takes a really long time.
66. I can't live without a dishwasher.
67. Franklin D. Roosevelt died while in office.
68. The cherry blossoms in the spring are BEAUTIFUL.
69. U.S. Presidents used to write their own speeches.
70. Roosevelt Island is a great place for a picnic.
71. Keeping a gratitude journal is LIFE CHANGING.
72. Learning about new cultures is exciting.
73. I can make a pie.
74. I want for me and my kids to spend more time in nature.
75. I love President Hinckley.
76. The humidity makes the heat 100 times worse.
77. There is an huge art gallery in Alexandria, VA that used to be a torpedo factory.
78. I am fascinated by the masons.
79. You can make a book out of your blog.
80. You can see wild horses at Assateague Island.
81. The internet is an awesome invention.
82. Cable TV is a time sucker.
83. You can see Jerry Seinfelds puffy shirt, a sunstone from the Nauvoo temple, Mr. Rogers sweater and Lincoln's top hat at the American History Museum.
84. Franklin D. Roosevelt was in a wheelchair most of his life.
85. Goodreads.com is a great way to keep track of my books
84. Positive parenting is so much more effective.
85. There are no billboards on the side of the freeway in Maryland.
86. Aaron is really really smart.
87. You shouldn't leave your cellphone on top of your car.
88. Weather changes very quickly in the East.
89. Robert E. Lee's home is now a part of Arlington Cemetary.
90. Engraved on the ring that Lincoln gave to Mary Todd when he proposed are the words "Love is Eternal"
91. I want to travel.
92. It feels great to sit in a hot tub in freezing cold weather.
93. Lizzy and Andrew both love spaghetti and don't care for broccoli.
94. Super Why is a great cartoon.
95. Packages from family are the BEST!!
96. I am addicted to chocolate.
97. The Potomac is beautiful.
98. I love the East.
99. I can't think of anything else to say.
100. Every state has a wreath as part of the WWII monument.
101. Cars have something called a knock sensor and it CAN break and repairing it is not cheap.
102. Both kids in nursery (or primary) is so awesome.
103. Laura Bush is a chain smoker.(not to be gossipy.. I was just so surprised)
104. Andrew calls me Mum Mum.
105. In the Capitol Building are 2 statues from each state. Utah is represented by Brigham Young and the guy that invented TV (Philo Farnsworth).
106. A great time to read scriptures with my kids is in the morning while they are eating breakfast. (They tend to sit still a little longer).
107. I'm going to bed now.

Ocean City

Book Review

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I didn't read this book straight through from beginning to end, but I am still giving it 5 stars. I will write a better review after I buy my own copy and can underline stuff that I liked. (I had to return this to my friend that loaned it to me before I could write this review). Basically though I think that all parents should read this book. So much of it just rang true to me. The author writes of many of the social, academic, spiritual and mental benefits of children enjoying nature. Our world has moved indoors to where the electrical outlets are and kids really don't have opportunies to enjoy nature anymore. There are alot of reasons that this has happened... (lack of natural environments, fear, technology, over-structured life styles) but I agree with the author that for ourselves and our children, we need to offer these opportunities again. The author believes a lot of childhood problems (obesity, ADHD, depression and others) have partially been caused by this removal of nature and can partially be treated by a return. This may sound a little preachy or tree huggery, but I guess it is just something that I relate to. Some of my best memories as a child (and an adult) are simply times of unstructured play in rivers, in the wash in Tridell, hiking, camping... or simply in our back yard where we used to dig holes for hours. I also have found throughout my life that nature provides a peaceful retreat that rejuvenates my spirits. I always feel closer to God when I am in nature and I believe that this was His intended purpose. Everywhere I have lived in college and since I've been married I have found a place in nature where I go for stress relief. I have lately remembered many times I went hiking up Logan canyon with my roommates or fishing at 1st Dam and I miss those times.

I have started taking my kids to a nearby creek this year and let them get muddy and watch bugs and build castles and I am amazed at how long they can entertain themselves in this way. A roomful of toys can leave them feeling bored...but they can easily stay busy and happy for hours outside. Sorry for the sermon. I am now stepping off of my soapbox.

View all my reviews.

My Stubborn Independent Girl

A few weeks ago some friends from our previous ward (and the one we will be returning to) emailed and asked if Lizzy wanted to play soccer this year on their soccer team. I thought it sounded like a great idea and after I asked Aaron we decided to do it. Only problem....we had to get Lizzy to accept the idea. Lizzy is amazingly independent for a 4 year old and hesitant to try new things. She has her own ideas and just as I feared...she said "No!" Aaron and I consider it our personal duty however to force Lizzy to do things that she doesn't like...until she realizes that she likes them. Like the time, for example, that I practically force fed Lizzy some jello. (Perhaps not exactly brilliant...but it was a matter of principle!) She refused to taste it because it looks wierd (it wiggles you know!!). She loves Jello now by the way. So we played it up big and told her that she could wear her special soccer clothes and we headed outside to try it. Lizzy loved it. She giggled and chased Aaron and even made a few goals. She can't wait for soccer to start in the fall.
Taking a little breather!!

Team photo.

Top 10 Reasons my Dad is Awesome

10. My Dad can fix ANYTHING. I'm serious. I can call him about our car, plumbing, computer or anything else and he can tell us what to do (or more often...he'll come and do it for us).

9. My Dad works hard. Last year my Dad graduated from a business management program offered through his work. It is the equivalent of a masters degree. He attended a few weeks of intense courses in Seattle and then did the work and papers through internet correspondence. It was extremely difficult and for awhile he thought he simply wasn't qualified enough. He persevered, however, and not only completed the work, but graduated top in his class. He works hard in everything that he does.

8. My Dad is the most humble person I know. Good thing my Mom told us about his graduation or I never would have known.

7. My Dad is so dang goofy. He does things like wash his eyeball in his mouth and really bad impressions just to make us kids laugh.

6. My Dad is a good listener. He listens much more than he talks which I'm afraid he didn't pass on to me. But I'm grateful for his willingness to always listen to me.

5. My Dad is entirely unmaterialistic. He really truly doesn't care about "things". Every year we rack our brains trying to think of something to give him for birthdays and such. He always just says "I want my kids to be good". Although we usually roll our eyes and ask for a "real" suggestion....the truth is...it is what he really wants the most and material possessions mean nothing.

4. My Dad often wears his white buttoned Sunday shirt tucked into a pair of sweat pants. Gotta love it.

3. My Dad is very gentle and kind.

2. My Dad serves other people all the time. He is always the first person there when it sounds like someone needs help. Our family often remembers the story about my Dad upon hearing that Sister Taylors water broke...he was there lickity split with a shovel in hand planning on fixing some water pipes. He was embarassed when he learned that she was actually at the hospital.... giving birth.

1. My Dad did my taxes for me AGAIN this year. Thanks Dad.

Happy Birthday Dad!! I love you.

Tribute

Warning: This post has LOTS of pictures and LOTS of sentimental hogwash ....so if that is not your thing.... you should stop reading...unless of course you want to know if I wrote anything nice about YOU!!

With only a few weeks left here in Maryland we are slowly saying goodbye to many dear friends that have been so wonderful this past year. One year is so short, and yet I know that there are people that I have met this year that I will never ever forget. Here's my tribute to Maryland friends. Each one deserves a separate post, but I don't want to embarass ya'll too much.

This is Chris who I've written about a few times before. Besides being a spiritual giant, an amazing historian and a fascinating storyteller...he has also been a great friend. He lives with more integrity than anyone I have ever met. We will truly miss him and his incredible example.

Aaron and Chris at a Baltimore Orioles game.

Don't you just love this picture??
I have tried to imagine what this year would have been like without the Harrisons and I just can't. I'm pretty sure, though, that we would have been bored to death. We were with these guys at least 3 or 4 times a week. They are the kind of friends that I could visit with while still in my PJ's, call anytime and ask pretty much any favor of. They left last week for Alaska and then their hometown of Hawaii. Since they left I've picked up the phone to call them a dozen times before remembering that they can't come play anymore. The kids had so much fun together and we are definitely hoping that they'll end up being roommates at BYU or something (BYU Hawaii of course). Thank you so much for everything Sanoe, Kaelene, Kiara and Maka.

These are our friends the Reese's. It is kind of cheating to put them on the farewell to Maryland post since Kenny has been a friend of mine since 7th grade and he and Aaron were highschool friends and college roommates. Infact we are such good friends that 6 months after we moved out here, they followed us and now are living in Virginia for a year or two (okay...maybe it wasn't ENTIRELY because of us). I just wanted an excuse to put up this fun picture of when we went to great falls last week. Thanks for being great friends in two states and we look forward to seeing you again when you return to Utah.

We will miss Lizzy's "grown-up friends" Megan and Asha. These guys were in the CRTP program with Aaron and lived in our building. They were so fun and Lizzy and Andrew loved giving and receiving visits from them. Megan is so generous and even babysat for us a few times so that Aaron and I could get away.
We also found ourselves to be the recipients of kindness from Megan's parents. They occassionaly sent little treats that the kids just loved. We finally got to meet them and Megan's mom (Diane) even came to the zoo with us today. She is one of those people that it only takes about 5 minutes of chatting before you feel like you are great friends. Thanks for a fun day and a fun year.

Last but not least, these are the girls. I put this one last just so that all of you bloggers would have to read my whole post before you could see what I wrote about you. (ha ha ha) This picture is from our last girls night. It was so wonderful to have a whole evening just to laugh and be silly and, for me atleast, come home so refreshed and ready to commit to the whole Mom thing all over again. I really have grown to love these women and want to thank them all for sharing their advise, recipes and friendship so freely. I admire them so much and have learned a lot from observing the way that they parent and the way they live. These ladies are also mostly responsible for my new blogging obsession...so thanks again. From left to right: Jackie, Moana, Tiana, Annette, Elaine, Michelle, Jenny, Kaelene, Becky and me on the far right .

I also wanted to wish a fond farewell to Heather, Scott and Pavlina who, unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of. We've loved getting to know you guys and I'm so glad that you blog now so we can see what is going on in your lives. Good luck with everything.

So that is the end of my enormously long post. If you read this far... you get a star for the day. I love you all and wish you all the best in whatever the future holds for you.