Where is the time going?! It seems not so very long ago we were enjoying our first autumn back in territory where you can actually SEE the seasons changing. I just got back from a three-mile run in crisp, clear weather, soaking in the morning sunshine and trying to absorb as much of the beauty of the colored leaves as possible--I'll need something to hold me over 'til spring once the trees are naked again and I'm once more shoveling snow off the walk. We're trying to get outdoors as much as possible during the school days, too, as the weather has been beautiful (aside from a few much-needed rainstorms over the past week).
Our "normal" routine is back in full swing after our two-week vacation. Ahhh, schedules! We've finished two more weeks of Sonlight's Core 3. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing the kids beg me to read MORE when we come to the end of a day's history, science, or literature reading. Even Kenna is in on the action nowadays, chanting, "Mo-ore, mo-ore, mo-ore" when I put a book down. Sonlighter in training!
We have discovered the need to tweak a few parts of our daily schedule, but I figured that would happen. For example, Charis and I decided that her piano practice time needs to be during Lucan's room time; otherwise she has some extra fingers on the keyboard! And sometimes I've been doubling up with the boys, doing language arts at the same time instead of one at a time. This helps us finish sooner before lunch and gives the kids some extra outside play time. Some days I'm sure I'll need more one-on-one time, but it's nice to be flexible, right?
This afternoon we're heading to Young's to do their corn maze for the first time EVER! (How can we have spent so much time in Ohio and never have done this yet?!) This is our family celebration for Arden and Charis's birthdays. Charis requested a quiet family party, and Arden seems content with our plans so far, which is a good thing...after our history travels, we don't have a big budget for partying! Arden even wrote out a birthday wish list, which was very cute, written just like this:
A lego set,
A popout light saber,
A Book of sudoku Puzzles,
And a Bionicle.
Ane yes, he had underlined all the items! I was just impressed that the list was limited to 4 items, LOL. Since he already has a pop-out light saber, I think he has a fairly good chance of scoring what he wants this year!
Charis is turning 10, and for her rite-of-passage into double digits, I will take her to get her ears pierced. She opted to wait until next weekend, when Grandma and Grandpa K are here to visit. She's becoming quite the young lady!
I'll sign off here--it's time for me to shower and then get my hair trimmed before we begin our family adventures. I hope wherever you are, you're experiencing a lovely, blessed season!
October 16, 2010
October 10, 2010
The Talk
Our firstborn is nearing double digits, and various circumstances were all pointing to the glaringly obvious: It was high time we sat down and had "The Talk." Though Charis and I had read a couple of (excellent) introductory books, and though I have breezily referenced the Birds and the Bees on necessary occasions, we hadn't actually gotten into much detail.
So I marked my planner for Saturday, October 9, nine days before her 10th birthday. A girls' day out was on the calendar (though around here a "day out" generally means I'm away from the house for maybe 3 hours), and Charis was excited to get Mom all to herself for a bit. We decided to do some hiking since it was a lovely fall day. I packed a few supplies in a backpack and we were off.
We spent awhile hiking some unfamiliar trails and enjoying the beautiful weather. Then we sat on a bench and started our discussion. I used some suggested wording from a great little booklet I borrowed from a friend called I Want to Teach My Child About Sex: An On-the-Go Guide for Busy Parents. I was thrilled (and relieved) that Charis didn't seem embarrassed or uncomfortable, and my theory is this: being proactive and getting a head start over the inundation the world will inevitably bring is a HUGE benefit to Christian families approaching this topic! I cannot tell you how pleased I was when I asked her, "What do your friends say about sex?" and she said, "Nothing--no one has ever said anything to me about this." Wow! Either our child is the most sheltered kid in the universe, or else we've let her pick the right friends, LOL. By her age I know I had at least encountered vague references to the issue--of all places--in my Christian elementary school!
So it really did take away any awkward feeling on my part to really feel as if I were truly the first to teach my daughter about this. (It also helped that Ted and I had been praying for a couple of days about this whole thing!) I am fervently in favor of introducing the topic to a child younger than one would normally feel "comfortable" doing so simply so you can beat the world to the punch, so to speak.
So anyway, we chatted for a little while, and then we read The Princess and the Kiss out loud together. I answered a few questions that Charis asked, and then we prayed together for her and for her future husband. It was a very sweet, very precious time together.
Later that night, after we had sent the rest of the kids to bed, Charis snuggled on the couch with Ted and me, and we read the first two chapters of What's the Big Deal?, which is the third book in the God's Design for Sex series. The first two books, The Story of Me and Before I Was Born, are the aforementioned resources I had read with Charis in recent years. (You can learn more about this series by reading this quick but thorough review, written by a homeschooling parent.) Charis and I will continue reading a chapter or so at a time together, but we felt it was important to begin with both parents reading aloud this play-style dialogue so that we can show our kids that they can come to either of us to talk about these issues. Once again, we closed our time with Charis by praying--all three of us prayed, and it was very sweet to hear her prayer for herself and for her future husband.
Whew! I'm patting ourselves on the back and thanking the Lord for a good introduction to this next phase of parenting. :-)
So I marked my planner for Saturday, October 9, nine days before her 10th birthday. A girls' day out was on the calendar (though around here a "day out" generally means I'm away from the house for maybe 3 hours), and Charis was excited to get Mom all to herself for a bit. We decided to do some hiking since it was a lovely fall day. I packed a few supplies in a backpack and we were off.
We spent awhile hiking some unfamiliar trails and enjoying the beautiful weather. Then we sat on a bench and started our discussion. I used some suggested wording from a great little booklet I borrowed from a friend called I Want to Teach My Child About Sex: An On-the-Go Guide for Busy Parents. I was thrilled (and relieved) that Charis didn't seem embarrassed or uncomfortable, and my theory is this: being proactive and getting a head start over the inundation the world will inevitably bring is a HUGE benefit to Christian families approaching this topic! I cannot tell you how pleased I was when I asked her, "What do your friends say about sex?" and she said, "Nothing--no one has ever said anything to me about this." Wow! Either our child is the most sheltered kid in the universe, or else we've let her pick the right friends, LOL. By her age I know I had at least encountered vague references to the issue--of all places--in my Christian elementary school!
So it really did take away any awkward feeling on my part to really feel as if I were truly the first to teach my daughter about this. (It also helped that Ted and I had been praying for a couple of days about this whole thing!) I am fervently in favor of introducing the topic to a child younger than one would normally feel "comfortable" doing so simply so you can beat the world to the punch, so to speak.
So anyway, we chatted for a little while, and then we read The Princess and the Kiss out loud together. I answered a few questions that Charis asked, and then we prayed together for her and for her future husband. It was a very sweet, very precious time together.
Later that night, after we had sent the rest of the kids to bed, Charis snuggled on the couch with Ted and me, and we read the first two chapters of What's the Big Deal?, which is the third book in the God's Design for Sex series. The first two books, The Story of Me and Before I Was Born, are the aforementioned resources I had read with Charis in recent years. (You can learn more about this series by reading this quick but thorough review, written by a homeschooling parent.) Charis and I will continue reading a chapter or so at a time together, but we felt it was important to begin with both parents reading aloud this play-style dialogue so that we can show our kids that they can come to either of us to talk about these issues. Once again, we closed our time with Charis by praying--all three of us prayed, and it was very sweet to hear her prayer for herself and for her future husband.
Whew! I'm patting ourselves on the back and thanking the Lord for a good introduction to this next phase of parenting. :-)
October 04, 2010
Day 13--Valley Forge and Home
We got off to a smooth start on our last day of vacation. Amazingly we were out of the TLF and on the road before 9 a.m. It was mostly going to be a travel day--our original thought of perhaps camping outside of Gettysburg went by the wayside after our last disastrous attempt at camping! So we decided it would be best to press on toward home, even if we got in really late, and have Friday as an extra recover-from-vacation day rather than stay at a hotel (and pay more money!) and get home Friday evening.
However, we did plan a couple of stops along the way. First up was Valley Forge. It was raining, but thankfully it was mostly a drizzle, so we were able to get in and out of the Visitors' Center without much difficulty. We looked around the little museum and then went out to another building to watch the movie about the famed year o' misery that Washington and his troops spent in the area. An interesting perspective--and one that is admittedly new for me, and perhaps others who mostly know of Valley Forge as the desperate wintering place for the Continental Army--is that really, it was no more difficult than a soldier's life in general at the time. The soldiers weren't sitting around in despair, longing for home and whining about their lot in life. They pretty much sucked it up and did what they had to do, which included activities for basic survival. Yes, there was disease and death, but truly the winter there was a time of preparation, training for the next phase of the war, which became a turning point that led to eventual victory. So, it was good to learn that side of things instead of the typical woe-and-misery scenario that seems to be the usual lesson plan. I guess a modern-day parallel might be asking a Democratic politician how the war in Afghanistan is going and asking an active-duty Army officer on the ground IN Afghanistan how the war is going...hmmm. I'd better stop here with that.
Anyhoo, due to the rain, we piled back in the Suburban and slowly drove around the area, looking out the windows at the little huts/cabins that the soldiers built (I suppose most are replicas) but opting not to go tromping around. It really is a beautiful area. (I'm sure it would have been even prettier on a sunny day with the autumn colors blazing!)
We hit the road and wondered about our next intended stop, which was the Flight 93 memorial site. It was a couple hours' drive away, and we thought perhaps we'd be out of the rain by then. Ha! As it turned out, most of Pennsylvania was under a tornado watch that day! We were in a torrential downpour for literally hours! When it was obvious that the memorial site would be a pretty dismal experience, we simply pressed on toward home. I continued reading our book out loud, and Kenna and Lucan got good naps at various points of the day.
Since we didn't stop earlier, Ted decided it would be fun to have dinner at Young's, and we pulled in there shortly after 7 p.m. It was blissfully empty, so we enjoyed a wonderful family dinner and ice cream, and the kids took pictures by a ginormous pumpkin on display outside before we buckled up one last time and headed for HOME!! (Poor Lucan...it seemed he was always strapped in somewhere...a car seat, a stroller, or a high chair! Was he ever happy to get home and run amok!)
So, now we're home, obviously, and we enjoyed a three-day weekend to recover. I made the obligatory commissary trip, Ted did most of the laundry, and the kids trashed the house in about three minutes flat. On Saturday I took the older three kids to Goodwill to find pants and winter shirts, since the weather here was considerably cooler than when we left. Thank the Lord, we found some clothes that fit! It was 45 degrees Sunday morning when we headed to church!
Now we're supposedly back to "real life," LOL. Ted's probably still at work, wading through hundreds of emails, and we managed to stumble our way through our school schedule despite errands and various interruptions from short people. We're literally hitting the ground running this week--I realized that I have something EVERY evening this week! Yikes! I'm trying hard not to overbook myself or my family, but it somehow ended up that this week is incredibly busy.
Tonight--rehearsal for a benefit concert on November 19. (Most Mondays from now until then will be spent thus.)
Tomorrow--I take Charis to an auditioning class from 5:30 to 7 p.m. (Presumably I can drop her off? I hope so!)
Wednesday--We host our small group study for dinner and accountability/prayer time.
Thursday--Ted and I are both on for music next Sunday (I'm filling in for someone else), so we'll be at rehearsal with the kids bouncing around in the play area.
Friday--We host our once-a-month family community for dinner, fellowship, and devotions.
I have scheduled NOTHING for next weekend, and I intend to keep it that way! (Although I do need a haircut...!)
I'd better close here and start working on dinner! If you want to see Valley Forge and big pumpkin pictures, go here!
However, we did plan a couple of stops along the way. First up was Valley Forge. It was raining, but thankfully it was mostly a drizzle, so we were able to get in and out of the Visitors' Center without much difficulty. We looked around the little museum and then went out to another building to watch the movie about the famed year o' misery that Washington and his troops spent in the area. An interesting perspective--and one that is admittedly new for me, and perhaps others who mostly know of Valley Forge as the desperate wintering place for the Continental Army--is that really, it was no more difficult than a soldier's life in general at the time. The soldiers weren't sitting around in despair, longing for home and whining about their lot in life. They pretty much sucked it up and did what they had to do, which included activities for basic survival. Yes, there was disease and death, but truly the winter there was a time of preparation, training for the next phase of the war, which became a turning point that led to eventual victory. So, it was good to learn that side of things instead of the typical woe-and-misery scenario that seems to be the usual lesson plan. I guess a modern-day parallel might be asking a Democratic politician how the war in Afghanistan is going and asking an active-duty Army officer on the ground IN Afghanistan how the war is going...hmmm. I'd better stop here with that.
Anyhoo, due to the rain, we piled back in the Suburban and slowly drove around the area, looking out the windows at the little huts/cabins that the soldiers built (I suppose most are replicas) but opting not to go tromping around. It really is a beautiful area. (I'm sure it would have been even prettier on a sunny day with the autumn colors blazing!)
We hit the road and wondered about our next intended stop, which was the Flight 93 memorial site. It was a couple hours' drive away, and we thought perhaps we'd be out of the rain by then. Ha! As it turned out, most of Pennsylvania was under a tornado watch that day! We were in a torrential downpour for literally hours! When it was obvious that the memorial site would be a pretty dismal experience, we simply pressed on toward home. I continued reading our book out loud, and Kenna and Lucan got good naps at various points of the day.
Since we didn't stop earlier, Ted decided it would be fun to have dinner at Young's, and we pulled in there shortly after 7 p.m. It was blissfully empty, so we enjoyed a wonderful family dinner and ice cream, and the kids took pictures by a ginormous pumpkin on display outside before we buckled up one last time and headed for HOME!! (Poor Lucan...it seemed he was always strapped in somewhere...a car seat, a stroller, or a high chair! Was he ever happy to get home and run amok!)
So, now we're home, obviously, and we enjoyed a three-day weekend to recover. I made the obligatory commissary trip, Ted did most of the laundry, and the kids trashed the house in about three minutes flat. On Saturday I took the older three kids to Goodwill to find pants and winter shirts, since the weather here was considerably cooler than when we left. Thank the Lord, we found some clothes that fit! It was 45 degrees Sunday morning when we headed to church!
Now we're supposedly back to "real life," LOL. Ted's probably still at work, wading through hundreds of emails, and we managed to stumble our way through our school schedule despite errands and various interruptions from short people. We're literally hitting the ground running this week--I realized that I have something EVERY evening this week! Yikes! I'm trying hard not to overbook myself or my family, but it somehow ended up that this week is incredibly busy.
Tonight--rehearsal for a benefit concert on November 19. (Most Mondays from now until then will be spent thus.)
Tomorrow--I take Charis to an auditioning class from 5:30 to 7 p.m. (Presumably I can drop her off? I hope so!)
Wednesday--We host our small group study for dinner and accountability/prayer time.
Thursday--Ted and I are both on for music next Sunday (I'm filling in for someone else), so we'll be at rehearsal with the kids bouncing around in the play area.
Friday--We host our once-a-month family community for dinner, fellowship, and devotions.
I have scheduled NOTHING for next weekend, and I intend to keep it that way! (Although I do need a haircut...!)
I'd better close here and start working on dinner! If you want to see Valley Forge and big pumpkin pictures, go here!
September 29, 2010
Day 12--Philadelphia
Yesterday evening was cloudy, but this morning dawned bright and beautiful, just perfect for spending a day in the city! We left in good time. I read several chapters out loud from Book 2 of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, which we are still enjoying immensely. Crossing the bridge from New Jersey into Philadelphia was exciting! I've always wanted to visit this city but never really expected to get there! We knew our time would be limited, and we also knew we needed to be extra patient with the kids, who have probably been museum-ed out and are definitely getting on each others' nerves (and, truth be told, on our nerves, too!).
So we had a few ideas in mind of what we would see, but we did not set a definite agenda, deciding to play things by ear and see how much of a wait it would be for the two places that were must-sees: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Wonder of wonders, we got our timed tickets immediately to see Independence Hall! We simply walked across the street from the visitors' center, went through security, and merged with our group, who tromped inside the first building to listen to a brief talk from the park ranger. Our ranger was very good, and she involved our kids (who were pretty much the only ones in this group of 85 or so people) with her questions and explanations. Charis impressed a number of people with her previous knowledge of the historical situation, so it was a proud homeschool mom moment to be able to explain when people asked that we were on a homeschool journey to kick off our year of American History!
After the background discussion, we actually went inside Independence Hall and got to see the courtroom and the room where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were actually signed. Wow! So cool.
And guess where we went next? Yup...across the street to see the Liberty Bell! Amazing.
We walked a few blocks away to Franklin Square, where the kids played on the playground while Ted walked to a vendor to purchase Philly cheese steak sandwiches. (You knew that was on the agenda, right?!) We enjoyed our picnic lunch, let the kids play on the playground some more, and then walked past Franklin's grave and to the Benjamin Franklin museum. We watched the old Disney animated film "Ben and Me," which the kids really enjoyed (we did, too), and then we puttered around the museum just a short while before deciding that we really needed to be done.
The kids had time to play on the playground near the TLF while I worked on dinner, and now we're winding down another day of vacation. Tomorrow will be our last--and longest!--day, as we will pack up and leave for home, stopping (Lord willing) at Valley Forge and the Flight 93 memorial on the way. Originally we had thought we might camp outside Gettysburg, but after our last disastrous attempt at camping, we decided we would rather drive all night and just get HOME rather than try that again, LOL!
For pictures of our day in Philly, go here!
So we had a few ideas in mind of what we would see, but we did not set a definite agenda, deciding to play things by ear and see how much of a wait it would be for the two places that were must-sees: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Wonder of wonders, we got our timed tickets immediately to see Independence Hall! We simply walked across the street from the visitors' center, went through security, and merged with our group, who tromped inside the first building to listen to a brief talk from the park ranger. Our ranger was very good, and she involved our kids (who were pretty much the only ones in this group of 85 or so people) with her questions and explanations. Charis impressed a number of people with her previous knowledge of the historical situation, so it was a proud homeschool mom moment to be able to explain when people asked that we were on a homeschool journey to kick off our year of American History!
After the background discussion, we actually went inside Independence Hall and got to see the courtroom and the room where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were actually signed. Wow! So cool.
And guess where we went next? Yup...across the street to see the Liberty Bell! Amazing.
We walked a few blocks away to Franklin Square, where the kids played on the playground while Ted walked to a vendor to purchase Philly cheese steak sandwiches. (You knew that was on the agenda, right?!) We enjoyed our picnic lunch, let the kids play on the playground some more, and then walked past Franklin's grave and to the Benjamin Franklin museum. We watched the old Disney animated film "Ben and Me," which the kids really enjoyed (we did, too), and then we puttered around the museum just a short while before deciding that we really needed to be done.
The kids had time to play on the playground near the TLF while I worked on dinner, and now we're winding down another day of vacation. Tomorrow will be our last--and longest!--day, as we will pack up and leave for home, stopping (Lord willing) at Valley Forge and the Flight 93 memorial on the way. Originally we had thought we might camp outside Gettysburg, but after our last disastrous attempt at camping, we decided we would rather drive all night and just get HOME rather than try that again, LOL!
For pictures of our day in Philly, go here!
Day 11--Traveling/Sightseeing
Tuesday morning we said goodbye to the B family and headed north. Destination: McGuire AFB near Trenton, NJ. Around Baltimore we were already needing a potty stop, but it worked out well, because Ted saw signs for Ft. McHenry! We decided to take an unplanned side trip and spent a couple of hours touring this site, which was extra special since we had seen the ACTUAL Star-Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian the day before.
We watched a short video about what got the U.S. involved in the War of 1812, which was good, because my knowledge of that whole situation was pretty sketchy! In a nutshell (for those who need a refresher), the Brits were fighting the French (remember Napoleon?), and they kept boarding our ships and confiscating items so as not to allow our stuff to be taken by the enemy. Hmmm. Seeing as how our rebel spirit had just won our nation's independence, no wonder we joined the fight! At the very end of the video, the curtain that was at the side of the room drew back, revealing a wall of windows facing the fort, where our current American flag is flying. A small sign signaled that we should stand, and we heard a beautiful, a cappella men's chorus singing the National Anthem. It was one of the most thrilling, patriotic moments I've ever experienced!
We walked up to the fort and got to explore all around it and inside some of the buildings. The kids really enjoyed this stop, especially the boys. (If you view the photos on Facebook, look for the boys with their muskets!) We were so glad we saw the signs and decided to stop, as it really was a fantastic experience for everyone. Before hitting the road again, we ate our picnic lunch there.
Then it was back in the Suburban for what seemed like a very long time, even though we were expecting the drive to only be a couple of hours. As it turned out, Google gave us directions to...the airstrip at McGuire AFB, trying to route us directly through Ft. Dix in the process! We were thoroughly confused and finally ended up asking a guard at the Ft. Dix checkpoint how to get where we needed to go. When Ted viewed the maps later, we discovered that what should have taken us 15 minutes from our exit off the freeway actually took closer to an hour. So, as you can imagine, we were rather tired and grumpy by the time we arrived, and I still had to get groceries at the commissary! We may very well have ended up ordering pizza instead, except for the fact that we had the brilliant idea to have Ted get his haircut while I got groceries, thereby saving him a trip to base once we got home. It actually worked out pretty well. I bought frozen pizzas for us to eat for dinner, plus sandwich supplies, fruit, chips, etc. for the next couple of days.
The kids were pretty rambunctious by the time we got back to the TLF. I ended up going to sleep before some of the kids, as I had a sinus headache and nose difficulties and was feeling wiped out (ha! no pun intended! Gross, LOL!). Thankfully I felt quite a bit better this morning after a good night's sleep!
Before I sign off, just a note...when planning a road trip that involves these small, New England states, be sure to budget for TOLL ROADS!!! Holy cow!! $4 here, $5 there...and we thought $2 was bad at the first stop!! So far on this trip we have paid $16 for TOLL ROADS!!!
Time with Friends
One of the best things about being on vacation has been the chance to visit with friends! Before I continue with our daily account, I thought I'd take time to show some "people pictures."
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| This is my friend Claire, who, along with her husband Bob, graciously hosted our family four days of our trip! They fed us wonderful meals and gave us their roomy basement to camp out in. Our families met when we were originally stationed in Ohio, and we've kept up with each other via our blogs and Facebook. Claire is expecting their 8th child and has been an inspiration to me in many ways, so I truly enjoyed getting to visit with her in person, even though our time was somewhat limited because of all the sightseeing. It was also fun to see her children in person--she only had the 4 boys when we last saw each other! |
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| Tobin, Jonathan, and Arden--I never did get a picture of Jonathan with his eyes open! |
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| Faith and Lucan--they are about 6 weeks apart. |
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| "The Princess Table"--Kenna, Grace, Anna, and Faith. These girls had SO much fun together! |
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| Charis with Tiffany and Rachel, adopted daughters of our friends Alan and Carol F of Maryland. Charis and Rachel played together and were in church classes together when we were stationed in D.C. |
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| My dear friend Monica and me--a too-short visit that left us looking forward to spending more time together at Leadership Training with Stampin' Up! |
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| Charis was delighted to see her friend Amberly again. Her family recently moved from Ohio to Virginia, and they spent a day in D.C. with us. |
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| Caleb, Jonathan, and Arden. These three boys were nearly inseparable the brief time they got to spend together! |
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| Anna and Kenna--they are similar in so many ways! Kenna will be so lonely without these sweet girls to play with! |
September 27, 2010
Day 10--Last Day in D.C.
Today has been a cooler, rainy day, which is just fine with us, as we planned to be inside most of the day anyway! The kids weren't so excited to be dragged away from the B's house this morning, though, feeling that they would rather stay here and play with friends (or read our friends' books) than go see stuff, LOL. But Ted and I won that debate, so back into the District we went.
We met my friend Monica and her twins, Erika and Nigel, at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. We went through a fair number of galleries, including a special exhibit, "The Star-Spangled Banner," where we actually got to see THE Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that was flown to give Francis Scott Key hope of victory and the inspiration for what become our national anthem. Then we toured through the Price of Freedom, which began with the Revolutionary War and went through current military conflict. It was so cool to see an actual redcoat uniform, Washington's uniform, and other REAL artifacts from our nation's history. Lucan and Kenna both were getting squirrelly toward the end of this area, so we beat feet downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch, after which they were a bit happier for a short while.
We said goodbye to Monica and her children after lunch and then went through the Presidential Gallery. It was at this point that Lucan was nearly beside himself, and the boys were dragging their feet again and proclaiming imminent boredom comas, so we quickly exited that area. We thought the pop culture area would be fun for everyone...but it was surprisingly and disappointingly small. Apparently they rotate the items on exhibit there?! I did expect more than one room! We saw the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, Ono's speed skates, Kermit the Frog, costumes from the Broadway production of The Lion King, and Archie Bunker's chair. Big whoop! I really wanted to see Darth Vader!
At this point Carol F, a friend from our Maryland church, met up with us, bringing her two daughters whom they have adopted from China. Rachel was a good friend of Charis's during our year in Maryland, and Tiffany joined their family shortly after we moved to Las Vegas. So it was fun to see them. They walked around with us through the First Ladies' gallery and into the Transportation area, which I thought would hold the boys' attention at least, but we were having major attitude and behavior issues, so in the interest of keeping our sanity, Ted and I decided to just leave.
We had tickets for a 3:30 tour of the Washington Monument. It was not even 2:30 at this point. Lucan was NOT interested in falling asleep in the stroller, as we had hoped, and it was sprinkling outside. Nevertheless, we went to the Monument area, and Ted checked to see if there was a chance we could change our ticket time to something earlier. Sure enough, we were able to get all 10 of us on a 2:30 tour! Woohoo! That was a huge blessing, as Carol had checked online for tour times and saw that there were ZERO spots available at all during the day! The rain probably had people bailing out. So it worked out for us. We didn't wait long at all and were able to see out all four sides. We walked back to the parking garage, and Lucan conked out just as we arrived at the building, of course. But it gave Carol and me some good time to chat, and all four girls enjoyed being together as well.
Now we're back at Bob and Claire's for our last evening before we take off again. Lucan is no happier than he was this afternoon...I'm not sure if he actually napped very long, though we did try putting him down. I'm wondering if he's getting some more teeth...he's so fussy and has a runny nose as well, plus he has awakened at night the last few nights.
So, with that, I'd better close and see if I can help either calm the baby or help Claire with dinner! Pictures from today's adventure can be seen here.
We met my friend Monica and her twins, Erika and Nigel, at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. We went through a fair number of galleries, including a special exhibit, "The Star-Spangled Banner," where we actually got to see THE Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that was flown to give Francis Scott Key hope of victory and the inspiration for what become our national anthem. Then we toured through the Price of Freedom, which began with the Revolutionary War and went through current military conflict. It was so cool to see an actual redcoat uniform, Washington's uniform, and other REAL artifacts from our nation's history. Lucan and Kenna both were getting squirrelly toward the end of this area, so we beat feet downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch, after which they were a bit happier for a short while.
We said goodbye to Monica and her children after lunch and then went through the Presidential Gallery. It was at this point that Lucan was nearly beside himself, and the boys were dragging their feet again and proclaiming imminent boredom comas, so we quickly exited that area. We thought the pop culture area would be fun for everyone...but it was surprisingly and disappointingly small. Apparently they rotate the items on exhibit there?! I did expect more than one room! We saw the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, Ono's speed skates, Kermit the Frog, costumes from the Broadway production of The Lion King, and Archie Bunker's chair. Big whoop! I really wanted to see Darth Vader!
At this point Carol F, a friend from our Maryland church, met up with us, bringing her two daughters whom they have adopted from China. Rachel was a good friend of Charis's during our year in Maryland, and Tiffany joined their family shortly after we moved to Las Vegas. So it was fun to see them. They walked around with us through the First Ladies' gallery and into the Transportation area, which I thought would hold the boys' attention at least, but we were having major attitude and behavior issues, so in the interest of keeping our sanity, Ted and I decided to just leave.
We had tickets for a 3:30 tour of the Washington Monument. It was not even 2:30 at this point. Lucan was NOT interested in falling asleep in the stroller, as we had hoped, and it was sprinkling outside. Nevertheless, we went to the Monument area, and Ted checked to see if there was a chance we could change our ticket time to something earlier. Sure enough, we were able to get all 10 of us on a 2:30 tour! Woohoo! That was a huge blessing, as Carol had checked online for tour times and saw that there were ZERO spots available at all during the day! The rain probably had people bailing out. So it worked out for us. We didn't wait long at all and were able to see out all four sides. We walked back to the parking garage, and Lucan conked out just as we arrived at the building, of course. But it gave Carol and me some good time to chat, and all four girls enjoyed being together as well.
Now we're back at Bob and Claire's for our last evening before we take off again. Lucan is no happier than he was this afternoon...I'm not sure if he actually napped very long, though we did try putting him down. I'm wondering if he's getting some more teeth...he's so fussy and has a runny nose as well, plus he has awakened at night the last few nights.
So, with that, I'd better close and see if I can help either calm the baby or help Claire with dinner! Pictures from today's adventure can be seen here.
Day 9--Day of Rest/Bike Tour
Sunday was a nice, relaxing day for us. Ted make the whole crew whole wheat pancakes with strawberries. (Bob did his part by microwaving scads of turkey bacon, even going so far as to finish the job in the basement when the circuits kept blowing in the kitchen!) The service at the B's church didn't start until 10:30, so we had plenty of time to enjoy visiting and breakfast.
The service was very nice--lots of hymns, which is a nice change of pace from what we typically do at Faircreek. I do miss singing hymns frequently...we get one thrown in every now and then, but somehow it has to be "jazzed up" or made "contemporary" somehow, LOL. I do like the variety of music we get, but now and then I do feel nostalgic for the good ol' hymns that I grew up singing. Anyway, it was nice to be in church again, and the kids did quite well visiting a new place.
In the afternoon Claire stuffed us again with a spaghetti dinner, after which Lucan and I took a nap. Ahhh! Then it was time for a much-anticipated event: the Bike'N'Roll Monuments@Nite tour! Ever since Sarah B had told me about the tour, which was a highlight for her whole family when they visited D.C., I had been interested in checking it out. When I finally sat down to finalize plans for our trip, I mentioned it to the kids, who responded with a hearty YES!! We decided it would be best to leave Kenna and Lucan with the B family, and they (our kids) were pretty happy with that decision! (As I mentioned in a previous post, Kenna has been having a blast with Anna, Grace, and Faith!)
We were a bit concerned about the weather--clouds had rolled in, and it had been raining in the afternoon. But God really smiled on us! While it did sprinkle just a bit in the beginning and toward the very end of the tour, the evening was absolutely gorgeous, quite cool, which was a welcome change from the heat of the day before. Tobin actually borrowed Ted's sweatshirt for the beginning of the tour, so if you view the pictures on Facebook, you'll see him in a large black shirt. He warmed up quickly, though, and passed the sweatshirt on to me when he got tired of wearing it!
Here's what all we got to stop and see on our tour, with our guide giving us interesting factoids about each place before we could (in most places) explore for a bit:
All in all, it was a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) All of us have decided that it was definitely a highlight of our trip so far! We were very thankful that Bob and Claire didn't mind us leaving the little ones at their house, as it was a much more enjoyable experience for all of us that way. So, if you're ever in D.C., we highly recommend this tour! It was well worth the money we splurged on it. Since so much of the rest of our vacation has revolved around free or greatly reduced-priced activities, we felt it was worth spending a little more on this, and we're glad we did!
The service was very nice--lots of hymns, which is a nice change of pace from what we typically do at Faircreek. I do miss singing hymns frequently...we get one thrown in every now and then, but somehow it has to be "jazzed up" or made "contemporary" somehow, LOL. I do like the variety of music we get, but now and then I do feel nostalgic for the good ol' hymns that I grew up singing. Anyway, it was nice to be in church again, and the kids did quite well visiting a new place.
In the afternoon Claire stuffed us again with a spaghetti dinner, after which Lucan and I took a nap. Ahhh! Then it was time for a much-anticipated event: the Bike'N'Roll Monuments@Nite tour! Ever since Sarah B had told me about the tour, which was a highlight for her whole family when they visited D.C., I had been interested in checking it out. When I finally sat down to finalize plans for our trip, I mentioned it to the kids, who responded with a hearty YES!! We decided it would be best to leave Kenna and Lucan with the B family, and they (our kids) were pretty happy with that decision! (As I mentioned in a previous post, Kenna has been having a blast with Anna, Grace, and Faith!)
We were a bit concerned about the weather--clouds had rolled in, and it had been raining in the afternoon. But God really smiled on us! While it did sprinkle just a bit in the beginning and toward the very end of the tour, the evening was absolutely gorgeous, quite cool, which was a welcome change from the heat of the day before. Tobin actually borrowed Ted's sweatshirt for the beginning of the tour, so if you view the pictures on Facebook, you'll see him in a large black shirt. He warmed up quickly, though, and passed the sweatshirt on to me when he got tired of wearing it!
Here's what all we got to stop and see on our tour, with our guide giving us interesting factoids about each place before we could (in most places) explore for a bit:
- The Washington Monument
- The White House
- The World War II Memorial
- The Albert Einstein Memorial
- The Vietnam Memorial
- The Korean War Memorial
- The Lincoln Memorial
- The FDR Memorial
- The Thomas Jefferson Memorial
All in all, it was a three-hour tour, a three-hour tour. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) All of us have decided that it was definitely a highlight of our trip so far! We were very thankful that Bob and Claire didn't mind us leaving the little ones at their house, as it was a much more enjoyable experience for all of us that way. So, if you're ever in D.C., we highly recommend this tour! It was well worth the money we splurged on it. Since so much of the rest of our vacation has revolved around free or greatly reduced-priced activities, we felt it was worth spending a little more on this, and we're glad we did!
September 26, 2010
Day 8--Hangin' in D.C.
Yesterday was a really fun day! Some friends of ours from Ohio just moved to the D.C. area a few weeks ago. Amberly is their daughter, who is one of Charis's very dearest friends. The girls were so excited to get to see each other--it made saying goodbye in Ohio not so difficult to know we'd be able to spend a day touring D.C. before too long. We met at the White House Visitors' Center, which was surprisingly uninteresting. (I'm sure we adults would have enjoyed it without kids...) So we pretty much made it a bathroom stop, then walked toward the mall.
First stop was the National Archives, where we were pleasantly surprised to discover there was NO LINE. (During the several times we visited with family members during our tour in D.C., we ALWAYS waited in line!) Even more exciting for me was getting to see a rare copy of the Magna Carta! WOW! There are only 4 existing copies, and we got to see one! The kids were thrilled to actually see the Declaration of Independence, though they were surprised at how faded the document really is. After spending some time in the Rotunda, we browsed the displays that talk about how documents are preserved and how they play a role in our lives today--references for movies, etc.
We had a picnic lunch sitting by the fountains in the sculpture garden across from the art museum. It was quite pleasant in the shade. Then we split up--Charis, Amberly, Kenna, Angela, and I went through parts of the National Art Museum, mostly with me carrying Kenna to make sure she didn't get us in trouble by touching things. (If you've ever been to an art museum, you know how picky they are about that sort of thing, right, Dad?!) We didn't see a whole lot--it's incredibly spread out--but we did find some paintings we recognized from some of our Sonlight art books, and the sculptures we saw were interesting. Then we joined the rest of the crew at the Air & Space Museum, where the kids were lined up for a paper airplane contest after a presentation about the mechanics of flight.
We split up again, since Charis and Amberly wanted to see the Children's Discovery Center that the others had already gone through. So Brian took them while the rest of us went upstairs, headed for the space section that the boys wanted to see. The elevator spit us out near an exhibit about the Wright Brothers and the beginning of flight as we know it. We decided that we can see the real thing in Ohio and turned the corner to go to the space wing.
Tobin did not come with us.
It took a little while to realize that we were missing a child, and then began a mad, frantic search, going in and out of the areas around the elevator, calling his name, and fighting down the panic that was threatening to overtake me. SO MANY PEOPLE! Ted, holding onto Kenna, was running around with me, while Angela stayed with Arden, Christopher, and Kiersten. After what seemed like forever, we heard an announcement on the P.A. system--"If you have lost a child, please come to the security desk downstairs." We flew down the escalator, praying that it was Tobin who was waiting for his parents. I have never been so thankful to see his little face! After a joyful (and shaky) reunion, we went back upstairs, with Tobin grasping my hand tightly. We spent some more time maneuvering around the crowded museum before finally deciding that the little ones had had enough. (Lucan did get about an hour-long nap in the stroller during our time there, which is probably the longest nap he's had since we left Ohio.)
We walked the D family to their Metro station and said our goodbyes, then trudged back to the parking garage, where Kenna got her fingers stuck in the elevator door. Poor thing! She was screaming like mad, and the only thing we could do was simply yank her hand out. We did have an ice pack, which she kept on her fingers for a little bit after we were in the truck, and mercifully she conked out and had a good nap on the way back to Claire's house. During the drive, we read more in our Guardians of Ga'Hoole book--we have 1 1/2 chapters left! We also stopped at Whole Foods for Ted to pick up some wheat and strawberries so he could make pancakes for everyone Sunday morning before church.
Claire had a yummy beef and barley stew with homemade biscuits ready for us. Bob and Nathan were at Nathan's football game, but they joined us soon after we had a fire going in the backyard, and the sticky goodness of kids and s'mores began! Lucan had been bathed and put down for the night, but the other 11 kids and all of us parents enjoyed some time around the fire.
It was a bit of a rough night for Lucan, Ted, and me, since Lucan awoke at 1 a.m. and spent about an hour fussing and flailing for some unexplained reason. But he did eventually go back to sleep and actually slept until nearly 8:00 this morning! Ted is now working on the pancake batter--I helped him cut strawberries, and soon the pancake assembly line will commence. So I will close here so that I can help with this process and also get ready for church. I'm looking forward to visiting the B's church and worshiping corporately this morning! Last week we were touring Monticello, so it will be nice to be in a church again!
First stop was the National Archives, where we were pleasantly surprised to discover there was NO LINE. (During the several times we visited with family members during our tour in D.C., we ALWAYS waited in line!) Even more exciting for me was getting to see a rare copy of the Magna Carta! WOW! There are only 4 existing copies, and we got to see one! The kids were thrilled to actually see the Declaration of Independence, though they were surprised at how faded the document really is. After spending some time in the Rotunda, we browsed the displays that talk about how documents are preserved and how they play a role in our lives today--references for movies, etc.
We had a picnic lunch sitting by the fountains in the sculpture garden across from the art museum. It was quite pleasant in the shade. Then we split up--Charis, Amberly, Kenna, Angela, and I went through parts of the National Art Museum, mostly with me carrying Kenna to make sure she didn't get us in trouble by touching things. (If you've ever been to an art museum, you know how picky they are about that sort of thing, right, Dad?!) We didn't see a whole lot--it's incredibly spread out--but we did find some paintings we recognized from some of our Sonlight art books, and the sculptures we saw were interesting. Then we joined the rest of the crew at the Air & Space Museum, where the kids were lined up for a paper airplane contest after a presentation about the mechanics of flight.
We split up again, since Charis and Amberly wanted to see the Children's Discovery Center that the others had already gone through. So Brian took them while the rest of us went upstairs, headed for the space section that the boys wanted to see. The elevator spit us out near an exhibit about the Wright Brothers and the beginning of flight as we know it. We decided that we can see the real thing in Ohio and turned the corner to go to the space wing.
Tobin did not come with us.
It took a little while to realize that we were missing a child, and then began a mad, frantic search, going in and out of the areas around the elevator, calling his name, and fighting down the panic that was threatening to overtake me. SO MANY PEOPLE! Ted, holding onto Kenna, was running around with me, while Angela stayed with Arden, Christopher, and Kiersten. After what seemed like forever, we heard an announcement on the P.A. system--"If you have lost a child, please come to the security desk downstairs." We flew down the escalator, praying that it was Tobin who was waiting for his parents. I have never been so thankful to see his little face! After a joyful (and shaky) reunion, we went back upstairs, with Tobin grasping my hand tightly. We spent some more time maneuvering around the crowded museum before finally deciding that the little ones had had enough. (Lucan did get about an hour-long nap in the stroller during our time there, which is probably the longest nap he's had since we left Ohio.)
We walked the D family to their Metro station and said our goodbyes, then trudged back to the parking garage, where Kenna got her fingers stuck in the elevator door. Poor thing! She was screaming like mad, and the only thing we could do was simply yank her hand out. We did have an ice pack, which she kept on her fingers for a little bit after we were in the truck, and mercifully she conked out and had a good nap on the way back to Claire's house. During the drive, we read more in our Guardians of Ga'Hoole book--we have 1 1/2 chapters left! We also stopped at Whole Foods for Ted to pick up some wheat and strawberries so he could make pancakes for everyone Sunday morning before church.
Claire had a yummy beef and barley stew with homemade biscuits ready for us. Bob and Nathan were at Nathan's football game, but they joined us soon after we had a fire going in the backyard, and the sticky goodness of kids and s'mores began! Lucan had been bathed and put down for the night, but the other 11 kids and all of us parents enjoyed some time around the fire.
It was a bit of a rough night for Lucan, Ted, and me, since Lucan awoke at 1 a.m. and spent about an hour fussing and flailing for some unexplained reason. But he did eventually go back to sleep and actually slept until nearly 8:00 this morning! Ted is now working on the pancake batter--I helped him cut strawberries, and soon the pancake assembly line will commence. So I will close here so that I can help with this process and also get ready for church. I'm looking forward to visiting the B's church and worshiping corporately this morning! Last week we were touring Monticello, so it will be nice to be in a church again!
September 25, 2010
Day 7--To Claire's House!
Yesterday was simply a travel and rest day. We were up early (no surprise there) and able to leave the condo well before the 10 a.m. check-out time. Actually, we were pleasantly surprised at how quickly we were able to pack up and get out of there! We did stop for a potty run not 15 minutes after we left...but since Ted was gassing up the Suburban, it worked out well. Plus, we got Starbucks. :-)
It was about a 3-hour drive from Williamsburg to Claire's house in Virginia, not too far outside of D.C. We stopped for a light lunch, since we had eaten an early breakfast, and got here in plenty of time for Lucan to get a good nap. I really enjoyed just sitting and visiting with Claire and Bob and watching our kids have fun together. This is an especially good place to visit for Arden, who I felt was getting lost in the shuffle of our other activities. He isn't quite old enough to truly appreciate all the historical things we were seeing (listening to explanations got "boring" for him), but he is definitely too old to be entertained by, say, playing in the dirt and rocks like Kenna and Lucan were! Sometimes I felt that all we were doing was nagging at him: pick your feet up; stop stirring up the dust; please stop annoying Lucan--he's trying to nap; please stop hanging onto the stroller--you're making it hard to push; etc. His favorite parts of the day were getting to go swim or sit in the hot tub at the condo. I do think he enjoyed some of the things we saw, but overall, I think in his mind, all we did was WALK, WALK, WALK! And sometimes he got in trouble just for WALKING!
So, being here with boys his age has already been good for everyone! (Bob and Claire have 4 boys and 3 girls and are expecting another baby!) Yesterday the boys played lots of games, and Arden got his first chance to play street hockey. Tobin played Star Wars monopoly with Luke and who knows what else with the other boys--all I know is, they were BUSY! Kenna has been in heaven with 3 little girls to dress up and giggle with. And Charis, the lone older girl, found some books on the shelf that will probably keep her busy when she's not playing with Lucan, who is just happy enough exploring a big new house.
Claire fixed us a delicious dinner (green beans, corn, salad, and chicken enchilada casserole) last night, and we settled down at a fairly decent hour. It was probably good the kids had a chance to play all day, as they were much more compliant with bedtime than they would have been if we had just arrived here at dinnertime!
Today we're back to being tourists. We'll be meeting some friends at the White House Visitor Center (in lieu of actually touring the White House), and then we'll explore some of the Smithsonians. Our vacation is halfway over, and we're enjoying every minute of it! (Well, mostly...see previous post for the asterisk to this statement...)
It was about a 3-hour drive from Williamsburg to Claire's house in Virginia, not too far outside of D.C. We stopped for a light lunch, since we had eaten an early breakfast, and got here in plenty of time for Lucan to get a good nap. I really enjoyed just sitting and visiting with Claire and Bob and watching our kids have fun together. This is an especially good place to visit for Arden, who I felt was getting lost in the shuffle of our other activities. He isn't quite old enough to truly appreciate all the historical things we were seeing (listening to explanations got "boring" for him), but he is definitely too old to be entertained by, say, playing in the dirt and rocks like Kenna and Lucan were! Sometimes I felt that all we were doing was nagging at him: pick your feet up; stop stirring up the dust; please stop annoying Lucan--he's trying to nap; please stop hanging onto the stroller--you're making it hard to push; etc. His favorite parts of the day were getting to go swim or sit in the hot tub at the condo. I do think he enjoyed some of the things we saw, but overall, I think in his mind, all we did was WALK, WALK, WALK! And sometimes he got in trouble just for WALKING!
So, being here with boys his age has already been good for everyone! (Bob and Claire have 4 boys and 3 girls and are expecting another baby!) Yesterday the boys played lots of games, and Arden got his first chance to play street hockey. Tobin played Star Wars monopoly with Luke and who knows what else with the other boys--all I know is, they were BUSY! Kenna has been in heaven with 3 little girls to dress up and giggle with. And Charis, the lone older girl, found some books on the shelf that will probably keep her busy when she's not playing with Lucan, who is just happy enough exploring a big new house.
Claire fixed us a delicious dinner (green beans, corn, salad, and chicken enchilada casserole) last night, and we settled down at a fairly decent hour. It was probably good the kids had a chance to play all day, as they were much more compliant with bedtime than they would have been if we had just arrived here at dinnertime!
Today we're back to being tourists. We'll be meeting some friends at the White House Visitor Center (in lieu of actually touring the White House), and then we'll explore some of the Smithsonians. Our vacation is halfway over, and we're enjoying every minute of it! (Well, mostly...see previous post for the asterisk to this statement...)
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