Pioneer Day

Rachel and Lydia went to a pioneer Primary activity on the 24th of July. They had fun dressing up like pioneers. Kenny had the day off since he is still technically working for his company in Utah. I think he got some strange looks from coworkers when he told them he wasn't coming in to work because it was Pioneer Day! Here's a video of Rachel and Lydia singing a pioneer song.

Southern Virginia trip

We took a family vacation down to Southern Virginia for a few days. We were able to see Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Norfolk. We really enjoyed the sights and the kids were good sports to do a lot of walking in the summer heat.

Learning how the Indians made canoes out of tree trunks

The girls really enjoyed walking around on this boat, similar
to what the English settlers would have traveled on

Rachel and Lydia grind corn just like Powhatan Indians

Our good sports just about tuckered out next to the cannon

We took a ferry ride across the James River

This is the capitol building in Williamsburg, which was
the capital of the Virginia Colony.

We visited the naval station in Norfolk and were
able to see several neat ships at port.

Ready for bed

When we asked the girls what their favorite part of the trip was,
the vote was unanimous- swimming at the hotel!

Recently...

The girls got haircuts.

Lydia

Rachel


Charity

We finished up Rachel and Lydia's preschool co-op. We had so much fun doing this with three other families.

The kids on the last day of preschool

We've been snuggling.



We've been to the United States Botanic Gardens.



We've made friends with a giant arachnid.



We've been baking.




We've been lounging around in oversized clothing.



We've been dressing up fancy.



To sum it up, we've been enjoying our last summer here in D.C. We get homesick just thinking about leaving at the end of the summer. For now, we'll just keep on having fun and enjoying this wonderful area.

In loving memory

My Grandma passed away on May 22. She had suffered from health problems for years. She was an amazing woman and we will miss her. We find such peace in knowing that we will be with her again someday. We flew out to Utah unexpectedly so that we could attend Grandma's funeral. It was a really nice program that was a great tribute to Grandma.

Here's Grandma holding Rachel on the twins' blessing day

We haven't had my parents and all of my siblings together in 2 1/2 years- this picture is long overdue.

The cousins enjoyed spending more time together as we all stayed at my parents' house.

Memorial Day weekend

We were so glad that my brother Joe, his wife Candis, and their baby Alexis could drive down from New Jersey to come and spend the long weekend with us. We really enjoyed their company. This was our first time meeting Alexis. Rachel, Lydia, and Charity just love Alexis. They stayed right by her side the entire time.

Our girls loved bringing Alexis toys....to the point
that she was often buried in them

Here we all are at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon

This is a really neat memorial. A name of someone that died
is engraved on the end of each bench. The names pointing towards
the Pentagon were people who died inside the Pentagon. The names
pointing away were people who died inside the airplane. I believe
there were 184 people who died there.

The amazing self-training child

Potty training with Charity has gone a lot smoother than it did with the twins. In fact, we have literally done nothing at all besides empty the little potty after she goes. We were actually planning on waiting to start potty training with Charity until after we move across the country at the end of the summer, but a few days ago she kept insisting that she wanted to sit on the potty. We finally gave in and pulled out the little potty just to humor her. Sure enough, within a few minutes she had gone, and was very proud of the accomplishment. We thought that may have just been a fluke, but she has gone every day since (number 1 AND number 2)!


We're not sure exactly how we have been so lucky with Charity, but we're pretty sure it has something to do with having 2 big sisters who she adores and she wants to be just like them. Whatever it is, we're not complaining!

Happy Birthday Charity!

I can't believe that Charity is already two years old! She had a great birthday and really seemed to enjoy all the extra attention. The highlight of the day was the bear birthday cake that she had chosen a couple months ago and wanted me to make. As her birthday approached, if someone asked her about her birthday she usually would say "Bear cake!" We're glad she enjoyed her special day.

Here's Charity two years ago when we brought her home
from the hospital- check out that head of hair!

Birthday morning- She was so excited to open her presents