Washington DC Temple Christmas Lights and Concert

We love Temples all lit up for Christmas!

One if the reasons we picked this particular night was because Jenny Oaks Baker was performing.  I just randomly picked up her Christmas album last year.  Well it's great!  

Over the Christmas season the temple visitor center hosts many different performers and singing groups and you can attend for free.When I saw Jenny was going to be at the temple to perform, we made sure not to miss it. 

It was a fantastic show!

~ December 14, 2014 ~

Frying Pan Farm at Christmas

Christmas Wagon Ride and S more's by an open fire.
Sure sounded fun to us, so we signed up.

Cole wasn't too happy to go, he never wants to go on our adventures.

Life with a teenager!

It was a really cold afternoon. 

The marshmallows never even warmed up over an open fire let alone melted into yummy gooiness.

Never had that happen before.  

~ December 13, 2014 ~

Trimming the Christmas Tree

For the last few years now we have been getting a live Christmas tree.

I don't miss our fake one at all!  I'll take the amazing smell, the unique look that each tree has, and even the constant vacuuming over the fake look any day!

Cole being taught how to cut the trunk and

helping get it ready to go into the house.

This year I put on the lights and let the kids do the rest!

They did a great job and they loved every bit of their tree.

~ December 7, 2014 ~

Our First Snow in Virginia

The day before Thanksgiving we were blessed to finally get some snow.  

This was Ashton's first time really playing in snow! Moving from Colorado to Arizona when he was a baby, he had never really been able to see snow unless we were lucky while visiting in Utah. 

All the kids were super excited to get out in it!

Ethan, Ashton, and our neighbor friend Joe.

~ November 26, 2014 ~

Leaves are Falling All Around...

Giant leaf pick up round #3

While most of our neighbors use a yard service and have their leaves picked up for them,

we use our cheap child labor.

It only cost us an icee for each of them;)

All joking aside, my kids are so great at leaf pick up and worked very hard!  I still can't believe how many leaves can be in an Ashton's armfuls.  I have the best mower(Cole), rakers, bag holders, and scoopers on the block!

I love that my kids can have an opportunity to work hard and help out the family.

I didn't get a before shot,

but if you look into the neighbors yards it gives you an idea of what we started with.

Neighbor to the left...

 Neighbors to the right...

The sad thing was, after two days it looked like we had done nothing!

More for another day:)

~ November 15, 2014 ~

Mount Vernon

It was a fantastic day to go explore the home of our first president, George Washington.  Going into these old homes and seeing the grounds were they lived opens a window into how they lived their lives.  This was one truly amazing man!

The home tour started out much like the others.  The home was beautiful, with some rooms painted with really bright colors(this showed wealth in that time) and beautiful paintings originally owned by Washington himself.  Toward the end of our tour a older lady collapsed to the ground, nearly landing in the fireplace in Washington's office.  The ambulance was called and I hope she ended up being okay. We'll never know, we were rushed out the door and that ended our tour.  It sure made it memorable.

We all had a great time exploring the rest of the grounds around the home, the tomb where He and Martha are buried, and the museum about Washington's life was fantastic! 

Views from the back porch of Mont Vernon...

Amazing View of the Potomac

Group shot of us taking in the views off the back porch.

Kevin had to work, no time off when you're in the AF residency.

Mom & Dad

It was so fun exploring more of the area with them.

SO glad they were able to come for a visit!

Washington's carriage

 The stables

Sitting by a very clam Potomac River 

~ November 4, 2014 ~

Great Falls on an autumn afternoon

Great Falls National Park in autumn

We decided to take an easy day after just getting back from Williamsburg, so I took my parents to show the Great Falls and Colvin Run Mill.  At the mill we bought some more penny candy and the best corn meal and then headed over to explore the falls.

The Falls are only 20 minutes from my house....It was a great  little afternoon drive.

Such a beautiful spot.

~ November 3, 2014 ~