Washington DC Part II

 Another part fun part of the trip was spending time with the family.  Todd played battleship with Alfred as well as I played Monopoly with Alfred, Alaina, and Lafe. Madelyn liked playing with Sofia's toys and being around a baby.

 One afternoon, we went to go see the memorials.  We took the metro into town and started up at the Capitol building.  Todd and Alfred went to go sit on the Capitol's steps.  

Then we headed down the Mall to the Washington Monument.

 After that, we took a detour to see the White House.  It was wonderful to have Alfred there to take family pictures for us.

 Then it was time for a diaper change walking towards the next monuments.

 Todd said the World War II Memorial was his favorite.  

 He went to go walk around while I let Madelyn put her feet in and splash in the water. 

 I liked how large the memorial was and the detail put into each part. The memorial was so well done.

 Finally, as the sun was setting, we headed to the Lincoln Memorial.

 Madelyn's favorite part was the ducks swimming in the reflecting pool. 

 By this time after hours of walking, I was really tired and not ready to walk up all the stairs to go inside the Lincoln Memorial, so Todd and Alfred enjoyed seeing the statue and the famous speeches on the walls.  Maddie Jane and I just sat down.  Since it was getting dark, we crossed over the bridge and headed to the metro station by Arlington Cemetery to head home.   

Washington DC Part I

We headed to DC the day after Todd's birthday.  With Mark and Louise living so close, we definitely wanted to take advantage and visit the sights.  We loved seeing how much the kids had grown and visit with Mark and Louise.  The first day, Todd and Mark attended a baseball game. Then we took a day to fit in three Smithsonians in eight hours.

Todd and Madelyn with George Washington's outfit.

 I didn't know that this flag was one that the Confederates used before the traditional one came about.

  

 After the American History Museum, we found a shady park bench to enjoy lunch.  Close by, we could hear a street performer playing on trash cans as drums.  Madelyn loved watching him!

 Then we saw the Nature History Museum. 

 Maddie stayed awake for the dinosaurs, but just couldn't keep her open for the Hope Diamond.

 By the time we were finished seeing the gems and headed to the animal exhibit, her nap was over.

 The final Smithsonian was the Space and Air Museum.  Maddie was tried of sitting in the stroller, so I followed her around mostly while Todd enjoyed the aircraft.

"Robbers"

For the Fisher Reunion, we met in Heber to ride the Heber Creeper train.  The scenery was beautiful with the mountains, Deer Creek Reservoir, and Provo Canyon.  One of the most memorable parts was when the train was "robbed".  When the train stopped, we could see the robbers in the cars ahead of us and told all the kids that the train robbers were coming.  I didn't think Madelyn would understand what was happening, but she did get quite the worried looks on her face as Todd got it on camera.

 Halfway during the ride, we stopped at Vivian Park to turn around.  Todd took the nephews to go put their feet in the river.

 Madelyn took a nap since the ride was nice and relaxing.

 We saw some wildlife-two bucks, a large bird-an eagle? and a medium size cat-bobcat?

After the train ride, we ate lunch at Diary Keen and cooled off with an ice cream shake. Yum!
Then we headed to Echo Campgrounds for the evening.  We played games, visited, and had hobo dinners and s'mores.  Madelyn's favorite part was playing with all the rocks. She loved moving them from one spot to another, putting them into cups, and then into the cooler cup holders.  We had a wonderful time all together.
But what I thought was interesting is that the next day (and this is still continuing), Maddie talked about the "robbers".  She says "hat", "boots", and "eye", to describe the train robbers wearing cowboy hats and boots.  One robber had an eye patch on so he only had one eye.  "Robbers" is her new favorite word.  

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Todd! What a wonderful day to celebrate Todd and honor him.  Pancakes for breakfast was a must.

That evening, it was filled with water balloons and gourmet hot dogs with all the fixings.

Todd had plenty of kids to help him blow out his candles and then opened his new scripture case and croquet set.

For Todd's last surprise, I invited Todd's Clinton friends to stop by for a visit during the party.  It took about two or three people to arrive before he realized, "Oh you were invited!" Surprise! I could tell he really liked seeing everyone and getting together.  Thanks for coming!

Grandparents Come To Visit

 Grandpa and Gramie arrived bringing Madelyn some outdoor toys.  

 For Memorial Day, Grandma Great and Uncle Gordon came for lunch.  Then we took Grams for a walk along the Provo River.  She loved it.

 What a feast! KFC chicken, baked beans, potato salad, watermelon, grapes, lemonade. I don't think I even tried everything that we had on the table.

 Madelyn ate herself to sleep.

 The rest of the time that my parents were here was filled with fun and projects.  Madelyn loved making rolls with Gramie.   Mom helped beautify our yard.  By the end of her stay, the flowers was bright and colorful!

 They brought her a swimming pool.  Todd helped her try it out for the first time.  She was a little unsure what to think of it...

 But had a smile within a few minutes.

 We loved to sit outside in the evenings on the swing.  Every evening seemed to be perfect weather in the shade.

 Dad helped put up the new basketball net and Todd tried it out.