I loved the time to read, the time to talk with my family, the performances, the relaxing, the change of routine, and seeing my cute niece and nephew. I am so grateful for my loving family. I wish I were there for all the fun times and great conversations! Thanks to Jennifer and Annie for hosting me in their homes, and driving me. I can't wait to see everyone again this summer!
When I got home the following week I visited Sheri for lunch at her school. This is always a great opportunity to spend time with her!
On the 14th Sterling had another fun Cub Pack meeting, a space derby. He did a good job decorating the space ship, but the glue was still wet and he didn't have much success. I guess it was a good lesson about preparing early!
For St Patrick's Day I created a hunt with clues to the "pot of gold". This year I tried to make it a bit more healthy.
On the 18th Sheri was able to walk in the Annual St. Patrick's day parade. I was able to help her troop in the application process. It was fun for Christian and me to watch!
Sheri also got a room of her own recently. Eve and she were ready for a space of their own. So Christian and I finally got to assemble a piece of furniture for her. Christian is my little helper. He loved using the drill and the hammer.
This month we took Eve to her Pediatrician and then to a Sports Medicine Doctor to try and figure out why she has had so much pain and difficulty with her back, hips, and knees. She had x-rays, and an MRI done. All images looked good. So her Dr. recommended functional therapy for her which we have continued for the month. She has made some gains in strength and range of motion, but her pain continues to bug her throughout the day. She continues to limit her participation in her dance classes.
We celebrated Matt's birthday on Friday the 24th since his parents were in town to spend spring break with us. It has been so fun to have them with us!
I sure love Matthew! I am so grateful that he is mine! He is such a good husband to me and a great dad!
Saturday the 25th the family explored the woods behind our home and found treasures, They found some animal bones, including a jaw bone with the teeth and also a small snake.
Poor Sterling had the flu with lots of body aches and fatigue!
In the evening Wendy and I were able to watch the General Women's broadcast at the church. There were some wonderful messages!
On Sunday we went to church and had an exciting thunderstorm in the evening. We also made some light preparations for our trip to Virginia the next day. Grandpa is such a good play mate!
On Monday morning we drove to Shenandoah National Park. By the time we arrived it was dark. We set up camp and went directly to bed.
Tuesday morning we went to a visitor's center and then hiked the tallest "mountain" in the park. It was a lovely hike that was not too hard for the kids. the views were beautiful even if everything was not yet fully green. The kids had a great time climbing and exploring the outdoors!
We enjoyed a picnic lunch under a pavilion right during a rush of rain and then it stopped and we headed back to camp.
I felt that the Lord really answered our prayers about many things, especially the timing of the rain. It was always at a times when we were in a covered place, or light enough to cook our dinner etc.
We brought along our bikes and enjoyed riding around the campground and we started a fire for dinner.
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We made tin foil dinners which turned out awesome (due to Matt's meat seasoning skills and superb cooking) They were perfectly cooked! It was one of the most scrumptious tin foil dinners I have ever had! We also enjoyed s'mores.
We went to bed that night and I prayed for angels to protect us from the bears. We were safe! We stayed mostly dry in our tent both nights.
The next morning we rode bikes a bit more and went on a hike with Matt's parents. It was beautiful!
Then we drove to Washington D.C. We stayed in a comfortable hotel. We loved the warm showers and comfortable beds.
The next day, Thursday we took the train downtown and visited the Library of Congress, the Capitol, the botanic gardens, the White House, the mall, and the Washington Memorial. We all enjoyed it very much!
On Friday we went to Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was touching, but I'm afraid we were all so wet from the rain that we were pretty miserable and the kids did not appreciate the experience as I hoped they would.
We then went to the Air and Space Smithsonian Museum. We were able to spend some time there with Bart and Wendy which was fun. I was amazed at all the knowledge that mankind has gained over the centuries. We are truly blessed by the accomplishments of so many!
We had about 30 minutes left before the museums closed when we decided to head over to the Art Museum. I was amazed at the accomplishments of all the artists.
After the museums Matt went to get the van while the rest of us walked to the Lincoln Memorial. We enjoyed seeing the mall and the various sights along the way. By this time were definitely tired of walking in wet shoes! :)
The Lincoln Memorial was awesome of course!
I am so grateful that Heavenly Father helped Matt find us and pick us up at the perfect time .It was timed so that we didn't miss each other at the pick up location or hold up traffic trying to load on the fly. That evening we had dinner and talked back at the hotel room with Bart and Wendy. We enjoyed Washington D.C. and the cherry blossoms! We could probably have spent a month there and still not see everything, but it was a good period of time with the kids.
Saturday morning (April 1st) we drove to the D.C. temple and visitor center.
The Visitor Center had lots of neat displays and they were showing the General Conference Broadcast, but we decided to listen to it in the car on our way to Williamsburg.
We were able to join Matt's other Siblings and families for a day at a fun resort location in Williamsburg. We enjoyed conference and then were able to play volleyball, and mini golf before they all arrived. Then we had dinner and the kids all went swimming during Priesthood Session. Then the kids all had "slumber parties" with their cousins.
The next morning we had to leave after breakfast because we had to drive all the way home to Ohio. We were happy to see more family even if only for a short time.
We had a wonderful spring break. It was full of beauty and appreciation of the many great blessings we enjoy; family, a beautiful earth, freedom, a strong nation, knowledge, science, technology, art, and most important - the gospel of Jesus Christ. We feel abundantly blessed!
