Camping

Marc took the girls on their first camping trip last month. I am not a camper. I have never been camping, but I still know I am not a camper. Marc told the girls that I would join them next time, but he's going to have to find a way to work himself out of that statement!  They only went for one night, but they had a great time.

I guess the water was pretty chilly.

Pizza for dinner made over the campfire.

I'm not sure what they are making here, but I know they also made brownies for dessert.

All snuggled in for the night.

Up bright and early with the sun.

They enjoyed a pancake and bacon breakfast.

After exploring a little more Daddy brought home three little girls in need of a bath.  They had such a fantastic time and I am so glad that Marc tackled this adventure on his own. I'm thankful they have a daddy that is so willing and wants to do adventures with his girls.

Father's Day

We had a pretty relaxing Father's Day.  We started out day with sweet Macy's baptism followed by a lunch of her choice at Your Pie with our family.  Quick funny story: I had sent a message to my mom saying that Macy had requested Your Pie for lunch. She later called me saying she was so confused.  She would make Macy whatever pie she wanted, but she doesn't usually make pies so she had no idea what kind of pie Macy wanted.  I reminded her that Your Pie was a restaurant and we got a good laugh about it. 

After lunch we came home and gave Daddy his presents.  The girls had made cards for him and we gave him some new grilling accessories. Daddy got a nice afternoon nap and we just hung out as a family that evening.

Marc, 

These three little girls adore you and so do I.  I love to see them rush into your arms every day when you come home from work. They are so blessed to have a father that is so attentive and involved in their lives. Thank you for loving them and for loving me the way you do. We are such a blessed family.

Macy's Baptism

Macy came to us a few weeks ago and said that she was ready to be baptized. We have never pushed our girls into baptism, but we have taught them that it is a public display of their salvation. We told them that Jesus commanded us to be baptized, but we knew it was their step of obedience to take and not ours to dictate.  And as it turns out she was baptized on Father's Day. What a special day we had!

She was not scared or nervous at all. And it was neat that a friend's daughter was being baptized the same morning.  We were both pregnant at the same time and now our babies were baptized on the same day.

We are so proud of you Macy! First, for your salvation and that you have realized that you are a sinner in need of Christ's saving grace and secondly, for your obedience to him in baptism. We have seen evidence of your salvation in the way you act. You love Jesus, and you love learning the things in His Word. I am so thankful to be able to call you my daughter and my sister.

Vacation Part 5: Washington DC

I will wrap up our vacation here, so consider yourself warned at the number of pictures in this post. :)

We headed out Saturday morning to visit Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.  Every room/section you entered had a different docent. Unfortunately we were rather unimpressed with most of the docents.  A couple were animated and gave you great information, but the rest didn't seem to enjoy their job and just wanted you to move on through.

View of the Potomac River.

Kitchen.

We made a quick visit to the Air and Space Museum before heading out to our tour of the Capitol. One of the things on Kayla's must see list was the airplane used by the Wright Brothers. The fabric was replaced on the plane in the 1980's, but everything else is original. 

Our last stop of the day was a tour of the Capitol. Our tour guide was great and we learned so many new things.  All 5 of us even stepped on the spot in the Capitol which is the exact center of DC. When the Capitol was built a special spot was made underneath that spot in hopes that Washington would be buried there.  He made it clear that he wanted to be buried at Mt. Vernon with his family, and so he remains there.

This is the original painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  It is the same picture that is on the back of the $2 bill.  In the painting Thomas Jefferson has his foot on top of Sam Adams' foot. Interesting considering they were rivals, but on the $2 bill the foot has been moved to the side. Another interesting fact that I had forgotten was that Adams and Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826 - 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed. 

On our way home we made a quick stop by Arlington Cemetery.  I wanted to take the girls to see the changing of the guards, but it was quite a hike. Instead we just took a few minutes to observe a small section of cemetery.  I know they can't grasp what these men and women have sacrificed for us, but hopefully seeing a small portion of the thousands of grave sites left a small impression on them. 

After 12 hours in the car we finally made it home.  It was a long journey home, with extra stops for some reason, but we were happy to be in our own beds that night. I am thankful for the opportunity we had to visit our nation's capitol with our children, but now I need a real vacation!

Vacation Part 4: Washington DC

I'm trying to break up the posts some so it is not quite an overload of pictures.  Since I print out a book of the blog every year for myself and the girls I want to make sure I include lot of pictures for them.

We woke up Friday to a rainy day.  It rained constantly all day long.  We really wanted to see the documents at the National Archives, so we headed out and waited in the rain for over an hour.  The kids were good sports, and it was so fascinating seeing the actual documents that were written over 200 years ago. We are truly citizens of a great nation. Who knows what the future holds for us with the decisions that are being made these days, but we have been a blessed nation in so many ways.

Umbrella malfunction.

 

We enjoyed a tour of the Library of Congress.  Our guide was fabulous and we learned so many new things.  We saw Thomas Jefferson's library collection, the first map where the term America was used, some old Bibles, and many more things. Unfortunately in DC there are so many things that you can't take pictures of, but I would rather them be preserved for future generations rather than getting a picture of them. We also learned about the fires and architecture of the building.

 And when you are related to Benjamin Franklin you can't stay in the city without getting a picture with his statue outside of the Post Office.

All of that walking in the rain wore a couple of little girls out.  Brooke was the first to fall asleep (the only nap she took the entire trip other than car rides) and Macy fell asleep on the metro shortly after. 

We ventured out to the Lincoln Memorial after dinner.  It is a spectacular monument anytime you see it, but at night when it is all lit up, it is quite amazing.

Marc and I traveled to DC before we had children, but it is still amazing to venture into the monuments and memorials.  Knowing our history and seeing the quotes of these important people truly brings history to life.

And we did make time to visit the pool. :)

Vacation Part 3: Washington DC

When we were planning our trip we didn't know that the Alabama Duttons were planning a trip to DC and Williamsburg as well. Turns out that they were leaving DC for Williamsburg about the time we got into DC.  They met us at the hotel and we all went out to dinner.  While the kids enjoyed their cousin time the grown-ups traded tips for each city.  We were able to take their metro passes and we gave them our Williamsburg tickets that gave them access for one more day. Win-win for both of us!

On our first day in DC we took a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing followed by a LONG walk around the tidal basin to see the Jefferson Monument, FDR Memorial, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. We had plans to take a ride on the paddle boats, but the water started getting a little too choppy for our liking. Unfortunately we weren't able to fit it in before we left town.

The President was leaving town this afternoon so we saw Marine One and the decoy arrive in town.

The FDR Memorial is one of my favorites.  It's a peaceful walk with little waterfalls.

And of course we had to get a picture with the dog. :)