Trains, Planes and Automobiles

We celebrated my nephew's 3rd birthday this weekend. Because Jessi is crazy busy with three kids under three, I volunteered to take charge of his Trains, Planes and Automobiles themed party. The girls were a HUGE help. From picking out the decorations, shopping for food and decorating, they were definitely a life saver. I loved how they jumped right in there to set things up and then acted as wonderful hostesses throughout the party. Patrick also chipped in by decorating and wrangling all the kiddos for some fun games. I'm definitely grateful for my sidekicks!

Here are some highlights of his big day:

The girls and I made this chocolate and vanilla cake with buttercream frosting. It was our first time using fondant! 

We loved celebrating our sweet boy. He's been such a blessing to us this year and we are definitely going to miss being so close to him when we move home. Happy Birthday Buddy!

PS The twins were not to be left out of the weekend festivities. They just celebrated their 6 month mark and were recognized at church on Sunday. It was so fun to be there with them too.

Take Your Kid to Work Day

Thursday was a pretty special day around here. The girls referred to it as Take Your Kid to Work Day, but I dubbed it MOM'S DAY OFF! Boy, was I excited....a whole day with no homeschooling or kids or obligations except to do whatever I wanted to do. Glorious I tell you! Don't get me wrong. I totally love our adventures this year and spending time with the girls has been such a blessing. I'll even admit that when they left it was a bit quiet and lonely around the house. But to have one day all to myself was an oasis!

Here's some highlights from our day.

Me:
After dropping Patrick and the girls off at the Metro, I came home to prepare myself a delicious breakfast complete with a cup of tea and a morning news show. I took a long shower, painted my toes, dried my hair and completed my Bible study. Then it was off to a new outlet mall where I checked things out and bought a pair of new shoes. I grabbed some lunch at Chopt (a delicious salad place) and then went to Target all by myself. I came home to make some birthday cakes for a certain nephew and then prepared dinner for my crew.

Patrick and the girls:
Their morning began in  very adventurous way when smoke was spotted at Metro Center. They were riding the Red Line into town which meant their train was way backed up. Then Patrick found out there was no wifi or AC at the office. Great start!

But when they made it in to work, there were lots of activities set up for each age group. Paige enjoyed story time with the Secretary, snacks and a tour of the cafeteria. Anna got to see a security screening. And both really liked the fact they could get their own official name badges.

While most kids left half way through the day, Anna and Paige stuck around to help Patrick greet the State Teachers of the Year. They were in town this week to go to the White House and do other celebratory things. Patrick had to speak with them and introduce the Secretary. I knew our girls were good at hospitality, but I had no idea how good until they put their skills to good use. Anna was in the conference room when the Secretary walked in, but no one was there to greet her, so Anna shook her hand and introduced herself with great eye contact! They both decorated the Welcome sign and Paige manned the cookie station, making sure all the teachers got their snacks. Patrick said the teachers were highly entertained with big smiles on their faces. I think Paige at one point was asking which state they were from so she could assign cookies accordingly. They even got to meet the National Teacher of the Year. We couldn't have been more proud of them as they welcomed people, sat quietly listening to the Secretary's remarks and put themselves to work by handing out food. Makes this mama proud!

Everybody had a great time, me by myself and Patrick with the girls. They had so much fun and Patrick was proud of how well they did at work. He received many compliments from co-workers. And of course, the girls had a blast. They asked to go back again today! 

Paige at CBS

We are just two weeks away from wrapping up our Community Bible Study. This was a program the girls and I began last September and it has been great. Not only have the girls found friends and had some time in a class by themselves, they have each grown in their knowledge of the Bible. I've noticed a drastic leap in understanding especially in Paige. She has been memorizing scripture and I can tell His truth is being buried deep in her little heart.

I've loved her questions and our conversations about who God is and what He has done for us. My favorite talk was centered around whether she "could get into heaven." We had an amazing discussion about our sin and God's grace through His Son, Jesus. Later that night, Paige asked if her blankies could go to Heaven with her and when Patrick told her she wouldn't need them, she began to wail! We still have a little more growing to do, but I love that the basic foundations have been laid and now the Holy Spirit will be doing the work.

This week Paige had the opportunity to sing all six of her memory verses for the year as well as two additional songs. She's in the older group and it was amazing to see her at the back of the crowd of kids knowing she began FOCUS in SC when she was just a baby like many of the itty bitties at the front of the group. She definitely made me laugh with all of her facial expressions!

Weekend Randomness

We had a fun weekend doing different activities despite the weather being kinda icky. Where are you spring temps?! Come back!

On Saturday we had lunch with my college roommate, Katie, and hew new husband, Cooper, at Matchbox on Capitol Hill. You may recall Patrick and I were able to attend their wedding back in November. It was so good to catch up with the newly weds and see how they were doing. Plus we enjoyed some yummy pizza. We were also reminded why driving a car in downtown DC is not a good idea. Thanks no parking!

Sunday turned out to be warmer and drier than I was expecting so after church and lunch we drove a short ways over to Brighton Dam to check out their azalea garden. They have over 20,000 bushes! It was beautiful of course and the girls enjoyed playing hide and seek. Funny enough, they blended in quite well due to their bright pink jackets!

On our way home we stumble upon the Woodlawn Manor Historic Site which boasted a 2 mile trail based on the Underground Railroad. It was the perfect way to wrap up our Civil War unit as we read off the self-guided map and checked out the historical markers. I just love being around all these resources!

We ended the day with family dinner with John, Jessi and their crew. A certain nephew of ours is about to celebrate his 3rd birthday this weekend and we are so excited to be throwing him a party! Stay tuned for more details on his Trains, Planes and Automobiles birthday bash!

National Arboretum

I am a sucker for anything botanical or nature related. I love me a garden where I can get my hands dirty and see God's creation come to life. So it isn't a surprise that my new favorite place is the National Arboretum. Gorgeous! Add in the fact that it's spring, my favorite season, and well I'm surprised I made it back.

The arboretum is so large they encourage you to drive to their different gardens which are related by theme. Our first stop were the azalea's in a nice shaded wood area. Paige was hoping to spot the bald eagle nest with its chicks, but it was blocked off to protect the little family. Her little heart was crushed and could not understand why it was a federal offense. Bless her.

Our next location was the Capitol Columns...as in the original sandstone columns to the Capitol Building. I mean you could have knocked Anna over with a feather she was so excited. Nature and history all in one!

We continued on through the tulip garden and then hit up the bonzai area. We were all in awe of the mini trees and the girls were just enthralled. Anna said, "These would be awesome fairy trees, Mom!" Hmm, maybe we have found a new hobby?!

After a quick car ride, we parked at the fern valley. Being a hot and muggy day this was the perfect location to wander through the woods and on bridges over streams. The girls of course chose many non traditional rock hopping paths as any good explorers do.

Another short car ride and we found ourselves in the Asian garden which had rambling paths through wooded areas overlooking the river. We found a pagoda and traditional Japanese and Chinese plants. I just loved the vivid colors of the flowers in bloom mixed with the orderly, cleanliness.

We ambled our way over to the dogwood patch which was such a contrast. Wide open spaces, green grass, beautiful white and pink blooms made it feel much more like a tucked away meadow.

Needless to say, I was in heaven. The girls had a chance to run, hike and jump around. I had the opportunity to take in the beautiful scenes and scents. We give the National Arboretum a hardy two thumbs up!