Rainy Day at the Air and Space Museum

Yesterday we took a family trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. We had to plan an indoor activity since it was supposed to rain all day. They had a Girl Scout thing going on so there were lots of booths with crafts and games set up.

Coloring her kite

At one point Lilly hopped right over that little gate and tried to get in one of the smaller airplanes

Building with straws

It turned out to be a great rainy day activity!

The weather here has been amazing here during the past week. Lilly and I have been taking advantage of it staying outdoors as long as possible. We have gone to the park and taken many walks. Lilly just loves to run and run and run.

Getting all that energy out

Climbing a tree

We recently bought Lilly an easel from IKEA. She LOVES it. Her drawing and writing letter skills have gotten alot better.

So very proud of her "bird"

Another Visit to Pop Pop's House

Last weekend we took a trip down to see Pop Pop - Gus's grandpa. It was a great trip, and we sure do love that man. He'll be 87 next month and was just diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, so we're trying to take every opportunity we can to go see him.  Here are a few pics from the trip.

Pop Pop and the girls

Lilly and Betty Sue

Kissing Pop Pop

Watching the chickens

Here are few videos:

As you can see in this video, Lilly enjoyed having her aunts ride down there with us.

A Full Week of Saturdays

Last week was a little challenging. No, we didn't lose our power or have a tree fall on our car like others during the crazy snowstorms, but we did drive each other crazy in our tiny apartment. 920 square feet just wasn't enough room for all of us

I must say, the first few days were pretty decent. Lilly and I loved having Gus home. We deep cleaned and organized each room and closet in our house, we did laundry (washed and then laid it out to dry on the kitchen table because our dryer was broken), and did some odd jobs around the house. After that was done we started painting furniture. Gus painted the bottom half of our entertainment center so we could put our newly purchased TV on top, and then I went to work painting Lilly's bookshelf and lamp table. They all turned out lovely.

By Tuesday morning of last week we were going on four straight days in the house. We were ready to scream so we just had to venture out in the snow. We were able to hit the library, the grocery store, and Home Depot for more paint. It was nice to get out and breathe some fresh air. When we returned home the snow began to fall again and it was time for Round 2 of the vicious snow week. By Wednesday night we received another 11 inches which only added to the 25" already on the ground!

Since we were snowed-in for another day, I had Lilly make Valentines for her friends and grandparents, and then we made cookies together. The next morning Gus dug out both of our cars (for the second time), and he took Lilly out to play in the snow. By Thursday night Gus and I had finished watching Season 3 of Alias. Great show.

Through it all Lilly was quite the trooper. She didn’t see any of her frineds for over a week and she watched enough TV for all of us. She also read every book she owns and played every boardgame in the house.

After seven straight “Saturdays” we were all ready to be done hanging around the house together. Lilly needed her friends, Gus needed to work, and I needed some space! By Friday, the Federal Offices were opened again and Gus was able to go to work. I couldn't have been happier.

We’re glad things have finally cleared up and gotten back to normal again.

Snow...Snow...And More Snow...

Growing up in Idaho I lived through quite a few crazy snow storms. I didn't think anywhere could get as much snow as Idaho. When the weather man reported that the DC area would be getting 20-30" of snow over the weekend, I didn't really believe him. Is that possible in DC? Aparently so.

The storm started just as predicted, around 10:00 Friday morning. It didn't stop until around 5:00 Saturday evening. So ya, it was 30 straight hours of heavy snow. Fortunately I had already done the grocery shopping, so I didn't have to face the mad crowds at the grocery store the night of the storm. While everyone else was standing in line to buy food at the grocery store, I was buying paint at Home Depot. I knew that we might be stuck in the house all weekend and I wanted to finish up a few projects. We were very fortunate that the power didn't go out on us.

When the storm settled, the Dulles Airport reported 32.4", BWI reported 24.8". I'm thinking we were around the 24" range here at home.

Our Sunday church meetings were canceled, and our bishop told the ward members to hold a family sacrament meeting at home, which we did. Then, Gus spent most of that afternoon digging out the cars.

He didn't have to work on Monday since all the federal offices were closed. It's been fun to have a nice long weekend with daddy home. The crazy thing is that more snow is expected by tomorrow night. So daddy may be spending a lot more time with us this week.

So ya, it's been quite some time since I've seen this much snow on the ground, and I must say this storm was pretty impressive - even for an Idaho girl.

Our Highlander

Our Corolla

Making Snow Angels

Here are some videos:

 

Dancing Queen

I decided to put Lilly into a few extracurricular activities this year. She needs all the interaction she can get with other kids her age (not to mention all that energy she needs to get out). So I signed her up for ballet and gymnastics at the local rec center.

She was a little scared to go at first. She's had some separation anxiety ever since we returned from our Christmas vacation - she literally won't go anywhere without me (really annoying). She's had a few panic attacks before preschool and taking her to her new Sunbeam class on Sunday has been a chore. Lately she's been doing better.

She is now going on her third week of ballet and gymnastics and she LOVES it!! I am so happy. I was afraid she would never go and that I would be out all that money I paid for her classes. Fortunately, she has a few friends in both of the classes which helps her feel a little more comfortable.

Here are a few REALLY LONG videos of her classes that I'm sure only grandparents will want to watch:

Christmas 2009: Part 3

One hour into our journey to Utah Lilly started saying that her stomach hurt. You can just imagine what followed…

I tried to be prepared by holding a sandwich bag under her mouth, but it ended up splashing right out of the bag and into her face and hair. It probably would have been better if I hadn’t been so prepared.

We pulled over at the rest station at the top of the Mallad Summit and stripped Lilly down to clean her off and put new clothes on. Unfortunately, she continued to be sick for the next couple of days. It wasn’t the best way to start our Utah vacation!

Once she started feeling better she had a great time playing with everyone. And fortunately she didn’t get anyone else sick!

Eating icecream with her cousins; Sedrah, Sydell, and Taige. This was a nightly tradition. Thanks Grandpa Henshaw!

Reading books with Aunt KA

Making cookies with Grandma

The Henshaw cousins

Half-way into our trip Gus’s sister MJ introduced us to the show Alias. So we stayed pretty busy watching Season 1. We became a little obsessed and had to get in a few episodes every night.

Our anniversary is December 29th and we are usually away from home when it comes around. This year Gus and I went shopping and then out for ice cream. We tried to go see the movie The Blind Side but it was sold out. So, we ended up coming home and watching Alias. It was nice to get away together for a few hours.

The night before we left for Virginia we met the McEwan's at Pirate Island. It is similar to Chuck-E-Cheese but much cooler. We sat and ate pizza and then the kids ran around and played games in the arcade. It was fun so spend one last night with Megan, Mike, and the kids. When we left them in the parking lot, Lilly started to sob. She knew her fun vacation was coming to an end and I almost cried right along with her.

Savanna, Lilly, and Berkley

Playing games with daddy