Quick Tour of DC

Washington Monument

The White House

Lincoln Memorial

The Eternal Flame: Gravesite of JFK & JKO

The changing of guards: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Here's a few highlights of our sight-seeing in Washington DC. To make this educational trip appealing to the kids, we had to mix in stops at icecream vendors and gift shops, as well as indoor swimming in the evenings at our hotel. The weather was perfect for all the walking outdoors. Riding the METRO to get around the big city was much better than driving in DC traffic during peak season. Mackenzie was scared of the Metro at first because it was dark and fast, but soon learned to swipe her pass and enjoyed riding the escalators to access the Metro. We visited a few Smithsonians and the Spy Museum as well. There is much fun and learning to be had in DC. It was a great trip.

Let the Games Begin

The kids enjoy going to Lake Benson park each spring for an Egg Hunt. It was a beautiful day for it. The Easter Bunny was playing with Scott for the picture, thus the hand over the face. Scott gathered enough eggs & candy to share, which he did with a happy heart. The Easter season is a time to celebrate Christ's resurrection with the rest of the Christian world... a favorite time of the year for us. Someone told me today that Easter Eggs are a symbol of birth/new life, something I hadn't heard before. Now who can explain the Easter Bunny? Hmmm... that may be purely commercial.

Hop to it!

The kids got into the attic their 1st day of track-out and pulled out all the Easter stuff. They hid eggs since we had such nice weather and decorated an Easter Egg Tree in our back yard. It's a good thing they got the Easter Eggs out to hide because Sunday evening while Chad & Jessica were over for dinner, I found the kids 3 toothbrushes behind their toilet. When I mentioned it, Mackenzie said, "I was hiding them for Easter." Yikes! I guess we should have gotten out the Easter stuff a little earlier this year. Kids do the funniest things.

Puzzling!

The kids completed their 1st 1000-piece puzzle. A major feat! They did get some good help from the Behnke's after FHE & a marshmallow roast last night.... many thanks. Puzzling is a good use of free time that creeps up here and there. It's a great lesson in patience, teamwork and enduring to the end. I was looking forward to getting my coffee table back, but the kids are eager to start another puzzle. I love their enthusiasm.

Blue & Gold

Scott's GOLD car brought home the BLUE ribbon much to our surprise. Eric & Scott spent over a month designing, cutting, sanding, and painting the Pinewood Derby car. But, 2 days before the race, the car still lacked weight and wheels... crucial parts to a fast car. So, we were surprised that Scott's car was competitive in the speed category. The races were close with winning times ranging between 2.49-2.54 seconds throughout the various heats. Scott was a good sport and it was neat to see his friends hug and cheer for him when he came out on top. What a great group of friends and leaders he has in the church's scouting program. I should probably give Eric some credit for the win too... he really enjoys the time he spends teaching Scott how to use tools, etc. as they work to build something together. He's a great father and example to our son.

Good Luck Charm

Eric calls Caroline his good luck charm (and she LOVES that!), so we had to get this little t-shirt for her to wear on St. Patrick's Day. Caroline is such a fun-loving girl. She is a good big sister to Mackenzie and a fun little sister for Scott to pal around with. Caroline is becoming quite responsible. She LOVES arts, crafts, latch hook as well as the great outdoors. She was advanced a level in her gymnastics class last night as she is quite athletic and flexible. She pays attention to the details of instruction on proper form which is probably what benefits her the most. She is a great student and we feel blessed to have such a sweet and lively spirit in our family. To know her is to love her. I'm a lucky girl to be blessed with such healthy, beautiful, talented children. It's a huge responsibility to have so much potential to work with, but I'm most grateful for the opportunity.