Big City Perk

Cam's family (well most of them anyways) are

HUGE football fans.

So the fact that the Washington Redskins

were in the middle of their training camp while

Cam's parents were in town provided an exciting opportunity for us.

We went and spent one morning watching the pros throw

the ol' pig skin around.

Enjoying a little refreshment...Have a mentioned that the Krispy Kreme is right by our house? It proves to be a problem

Cam took a million pictures of the players...but lets be honest all we really care about the ones of my kids!

SEE...to die for cute!

Too bad the Redskins weren't a team we actually cared about. 
Oh well, still fun!



Grandma and Grandpa Visit

Back in August...

(yes, I said August, I am slightly behind, deal with it. :)

Grandma and Grandpa Shirley came to visit us in DC.

As usual it was great to see them and

better yet it forced us to become tourists and get out there and see

some of the many sights.

Grandpa Shirley was able to use his connections and get

us a last minute tour of the White House, And guided tours

of the Capitol Building and The National Cathedral. 

(glad we were able to see them before all the earthquake damage)

Each of them thrilled me and the kids immensely. 

I truly LOVE living here.

Outside the front door of the White House

First time on the Metro for my little men

Nations Capitol

The amazing ceiling in the rotunda of the Capitol

Taking a foot soak and break in the botanical gardens

Washington Monument

Inside The National Cathedral. This place was surprisingly large and the architectural details were astounding

Behind the gate is the tomb where Helen Keller is buried...who knew?

The highlight of this tour (for my guys) was going outside and trying to find the Darth Vader gargoyle.
Do you see it? 
Its the one on the right, the rounded part is the top of his helmet.
We actually couldn't ever see it while we were there.
It is very small and far away. It wasn't until we took the picture with the zoom that we were able to find it.

Isn't this amazing. It is one of many in the cathedral.

Mackguire was in charge of the camera that day so I really didn't get a lot of control over the pictures
that were taken. However, I thought this one he took turned out pretty darn cool. It is George Washington by
the way. in case you were wondering.

Life's a Beach!

Our July started and ended with the beach.

Not a bad way to go, for us

who are normally land locked.

Cam and I decided last minute

to head south and have a

little mini vacation in our new state.

First on the agenda was

 Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.  

Now don't be surprised

if you end up finding Cam and I living

there some day.

We fell in love with that
quaint historical town.

Next throw in there some outlet shopping,

2 days at Virginia Beach and

dare I say it....

you have got yourself a vacation folks!

We did it!

 We actually got to do something

besides move this summer.

YAY for us!

my batteries died in my camera early on at Busch Gardens.
So not too many photos.
Just know it was probably the hottest day of the year
great for crowd control not so great for comfort.

the boys all had a great time.
Mack decided this was the year to do some
of the big roller coasters, even if they
went upside down.

The usual thing happened with this guy as it does with most new experiences.
There was nothing I could do except drag him into the water in the beginning,
but by the end I was having to drag him out. He turned into a total beach bum!

The boys immediately wanted to try out the boogey boards and they had a blast!

The first night there we saw probably 4 or 5 different pods of dolphins swim by relatively close to
shore. It was so cool.
The next day we  saw large blue crabs, sand rays, jelly fish and lots of little fish swimming around.

Chesapeake

I love having friends.

And lucky me I have been extremely blessed

to have met some pretty great ones

over the years.

This friend in particular 

was incredibly thoughtful and had impeccable timing.

The first week we arrived in VA

 she also just happened to be

in the area visiting her family in Maryland

and  invited my fun deprived/just moved across

country/been couped up too long in hotel rooms

and cars; kids and myself

(Cam was invited too, he just wasn't able to come)

to her parents vacation home on

the Chesapeake bay for a day of

swimming and boating and delicious food.

Thank you  Ashleigh and your family for

sharing your little slice of heaven with us!

Macks first time ever tubing. He was cautiously enthusiastic about the whole thing. But ended up
loosening up after a little while and had a lot of fun.

Callan spent the first half of the boat ride clinging to my chest, then the second half
begging to go faster and he even jumped in the water for a swim. The water
was perfect. Not too salty and not too cold.  A totally different experience from the
waters we were used to in central California.

THE STOP!

We made ONE stop.

Well, let me clarify ONE sightseeing stop

on our cross country moving adventure.

Not THREE or FOUR like we planned

Just ONE!
But we did still take 6 days to travel,
try to figure that one out. ;)

The reasons why our trip was NOTHING like

we wanted or planned is quite frankly too crazy and

too long and too disappointing to share at this time.

However, for now I will focus on the

the ONE thing we  really wanted to do and luckily we did.

NAUVOO, IL and Carthage Jail.

The Nauvoo Temple. It was breathtaking to see in person.

The Smith Family cemetery

The rocking horse that John Taylor built for his son.
And later risked his life to go retrieve for his heartbroken son
after the saints were forcedto leave Nauvoo and head west.
I have always loved this story and to see the real horse was quite moving for me.

Playing with pioneer toys and games was a real highlight for my kids.
Even though the temperature was incredibly hot and miserable.

I impressed quite a few, especially Cam with my balance and coordination in being able to
walk and stay upright on the stilts.

Took a moment to capture some great sunlight and rustic barns to get some photos of the boys.
Well, the two willing anyways.

Carthage jail:
The window Joseph Smith fell from after being shot multiple times.

Notice Cal's  blanky and plug...
he was starting to
 feel the effects of the move and it was
about to take its toll on him.
DON"T JUDGE! :)

The door leading into the cell that the mob shot through
and eventually broke into killing
Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

Outside the jail and under the window that Joseph Smith fell from.

Poor Kinga we about literally almost killed her this move with the heat.

Sister Wendel was one of our favorite Sister Missionaries who served in our
ward in Rapid City for 6 months and then returned to her Nauvoo Mission.
She was our tour guide at Carthage Jail. It was a real treat to witness once again her
amazing spirit and strong testimony.

Brothers Joseph and Hyrum
and Brothers Mack, Creed and Callan.