Spring Has Sprung

 Butterfly Garden

We've spent a lot of time mulching and weeding the flower beds in the backyard and the frontyard.  The leaves are all raked up off the hill in the backyard and thanks to my friend Emily (she was looking to relocate some of her plants), we've planted some ground cover and ferns.  Things are looking a little better each week as we dig out all the weeds and spruce up the outside.  We've turned the one little garden on the side of the house into a butterfly garden of sorts and will post pictures as it grows and changes.  The kids have taken a liking to planting seeds and taking care of their plants.  The butterfly garden has given them a chance to monitor the plants they picked out and make sure they have plenty of water and that the weeds are pulled.



Best. Toy. Ever.

This Step 2 sandbox was a gift for Alex's 2nd birthday.  Each year I think he will lose interest.  Each year I clean out the sand and add fresh.  They love it.  Both kids have active imaginations and I'm amazed at what they come up with in that sandbox.  I will say they do better one at a time in there now that Alex is so tall!

Here's a pic of Alex in the same sandbox when he received it for his second birthday.



Cherry Blossom Festival

The cherry blossoms were gorgeous!  Boy are these things hard to predict though...  I was able to take the kids downtown one Monday (they get out early on Mondays here) after school with friends and walk around the Tidal Basin to see the gorgeous pink flowering trees.  This walk led us past many of the monuments including the Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial and MLK Jr. Memorial.  The weather was unseasonably warm and we packed a picnic to soak it all in. 

While Abby walks most of our adventures, I still do take that red stroller with us often because some of these field trips require quite a bit of walking.  She took a little dive out of the stroller on this trip but bounced back quickly.  If we'd known what we'd be using this stroller for four years ago when we purchased it, we probably would have bought something with better off road capabilities!

Clifton, VA

Peterson's Ice Cream Depot in Clifton is a great little spot for a quick bite to eat, yummy ice cream, and plenty of games!  We played Connect Four and Jenga while the boys played Cornhole and basketball on the back patio.  Clifton is less than 9 miles away and is a quaint little town with this popular ice cream shop, a couple little shops, Trummer's on Main Restaurant, and Paradise Springs Winery (for another day...).  We went while Brad was in Singapore and look forward to returning soon!

Singapore

 Marina Bay Sands Hotel

 Singapore Financial District

 Picture from Ku De Ta (57th floor of Marina Bay Sands Hotel)

 More from Ku De Ta

Inside the Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Brad spent a week in Singapore for work.  Alex busted out the globe over dinner to track Dad's flight as he inched his way over the Pacific towards Japan and then Singapore.  He had to leave on a Saturday to be conscious for a Monday meeting, bummer.  He did great with the jet lag and managed to do a little sightseeing in the evenings.  Since they were 12 hours ahead of us, we were able to FaceTime at 7am and 7pm each day, which was fun for all of us.  From what he's said, Singapore was very westernized and hot.  The hotel was lovely and the flight was loooooooooong.  We are thrilled that the June trip was cancelled and he doesn't need to return til August :)

Soccer!

Abby started playing soccer this Spring in a mostly instuctional league.  It is great!  She's on a "team", brings a water bottle, wears a uniform, and learns how to play soccer.  They even have snack!  What's not to like?  She really gets into it and enjoys following the coaches around, much like she did in her soccer class last summer.

White House Easter Egg Roll

And I thought I'd never be back to the White House again...

Uncle Scott really came through on this one!  Each congressional office gets tickets to this event and it just so happened that there was a pass leftover that we were able to take advantage of.  We met one of his colleagues at the entrance and proceeded to wind through the miles of lines to get into one of the most popular events held at the White House each year.  Despite the beautiful weather that morning, it was chilly, windy and rainy once we got downtown.  I will never, ever forget jackets on a family field trip again.  Ever.  Brad wound up buying Abby a little souvenir sweatshirt to help her warm up and Alex was a super trooper, not complaining or wanting a sweatshirt himself.

You have a 2 hour block of time during which you are permitted on the grounds.  Once you get through the lines, security screenings, lines, etc., then it is only fitting to head straight for the "egg roll" portion of the event.  The kids are each given a wooden spoon and a hard-boiled egg to race across the lawn.  There were other fitness themed stations where the kids could participate in obstacle courses, play tennis, and even a concert venue with performances running all day long.  There are numerous characters roaming around at the event and photo ops galore.  The attendants with each character were wearing "Walt Disney World" name tags and ran a tight ship, similar to at Disney World.  Therefore, the lines to get your photo taken with each character were as orderly as possible.

At the end of the two hours, they usher the thousands of families (truly, there are so many people in attendance during each time slot!) off the South Lawn to the exit where the children receive their commemorative wooden Easter eggs.  This was a really memorable day for our family and we are so thankful to have been able to experience the fun!

Easter Sunday

We were happy to have Jackie and Scott join us for a lovely dinner on Easter Sunday!  They entertained the kids with dyeing eggs while we continued working on the stair remodel (note: most time-consuming project we've ever worked on, pics to follow).  We know we've been here at least a year by this point because last year we celebrated Easter dinner at Anita's Mexican Restaurant!  Our household goods had not yet arrived, we were sleeping on air mattresses and the kids Easter things were some of the few we had brought with us ahead of time.  What a difference a year makes!

Church Egg Hunt

The church put on a nice egg hunt for the kiddos the day before Easter.  Their friends from Sunday School were all there and the sunflowers they planted that day are growing phenomenally.