Happy New Year!!

Wow - it's been over a month.  Actually that's not a surprise considering what month it is.  We've celebrated Thanksgiving in Texas, decorated for Christmas, volunteered at church with Project Christmas Hope, shopped for and wrapped gifts, sang in the school Christmas program, celebrated Christmas Eve at home and then drove to Texas on Christmas day and celebrated Christmas all over again two more times, had two sick children before and during that trip and drove back to Kansas where we have been trying to get organized ever since.

Today we attempted (for the second time) to put our new basketball hoop together.  This time I am happy to say we got much closer to the finish line than we did the first time trying to do it in 35 degree temps.  Unfortunately the wind and the cooler temps late in the day shut us down this time but we did discover upon moving it back into the garage that it can stand up in the garage.  So I guess if ever it is super terrible bad weather outside and the kids need something to do, I can just back the cars out of the garage and let them play basketball!  But would I really back my cars out of the garage in super terrible weather?  Probably not!

My goal is to try to keep this a bit more up to date and add more pictures soon.  I have all these grand plans of getting my life in order starting next week when the kids go back to school.  That's a joke in case you missed it.  But really, I do hope to get a wee bit more organized and try to do a few projects around the house.  I'm also hoping to get some scrapbooking done and start playing the piano again.  Our new digital piano/keyboard showed up while we were in Texas and Katie has already taught herself a few songs.  Guess it's time to scope out piano teachers.

Happy New Year!

Washington DC Day 3

There are more pictures on my phone but I haven't had time to upload them yet.  Loved this trip so much - the kids are great travelers and enjoyed not only their first flights (since being babies), but their first metro rail (subway) and commuter train rides as well.  And taxis and car service.  I think we covered everything but the rickshaw.  We had time to see J&B (friends from A&M) and also J&J (friends from A&M and high school).  We also met some extended family and the kids had a great time meeting Daddy's cousins.  Most of these pictures are from our visit to the National Air and Space Museum - Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport.

Washington DC Days 1 & 2

No time to actually write, but here are pictures!  We're headed south tonight and will arrive at our destination tomorrow.  Hooray!

This trip was amazing, simply amazing.

Day 1 was spent at Arlington National Cemetery for the service of Carlton Engquist and Arline Barott Engquist, Derek's uncle and aunt.  Day 2, we took the metro into DC and headed to the National Museum of Natural History.  After spending several hours there, we walked through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden on our way to our nation's Capitol.   We continued on our walking tour and stopped at the Navy Memorial on our way to the White House.   It was a long walk and as you can see from the last photo...we were tired.

exhausted...