Washington DC

Hello to all our family! We are back and refreshed and ready to roll! We have had a wonderful four days. Our adventure began Saturday with a trip to the temple. We got to the hotel room and plotted out the bus and train tickets. All went well until I forgot the directions in the hotel room. Thanks to mom's quick fingers and willing hand, we were able to get the directions and made it to the temple. We made it and quickly dressed for our session. The DC temple is extraordinary. The entrance is on the main level the changing rooms are on the second floor and the endowment rooms are on the third floor. They are in a circle surrounding the celestial room which is exquisite. We had a very enjoyable experience and Morgan was able to receive some answers to questions he has had. On our way out we began to worry about the walk back to the bus station. We were momentarily distracted by the beautiful mural in the front foyer of the temple. We went to the desk to see if there were any closer bus stops and as we asked a couple offered a ride. We got in the car and were discussing the location of the bus stop and they asked where our hotel was. As luck would have it, it was close to where they lived and they offered to take us home. They also offered to return the next day to take us to church. I was so excited. Sunday dawned late for us. Around 9:30. It was heavenly. I slept all night, no interruptions. Church started at 1 and our ride arrived at 12. The meeting was fantastic and the Chantilly ward so warm and welcoming. We were told quite a few times that we were more than welcome to move in. This whole experience was such a testimony to me of how aware Heavenly Father is of each of us and how if we have a desire he will provide a way. As we spoke to the family that took us to church afterward, it became very apparent that Heavenly Father was helping our cause. The family was 5 minutes late for the earlier session which if they had made would have meant that we would have had no ride and maybe no opportunity to go to church. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and for families who listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and are willing to answer the call to serve.


Monday we chose to go to the Smithsonians. We packed lunches and headed straight for the art museum. It was incredible. Morgan loved it and so did I. He was like a kid in a candy shop. It was so fun to see so many incredible works of art. I saw a few Degas which was very exciting. I was even able to see the little dancer statue. It is one of my favorites after reading the children's book telling the story behind the artwork. We both really enjoy Monet and spent quite a bit of time looking at his works. We spent about four hours in the museum. It was fantastic. I would love for Morgan to have more opportunities to study great artwork in that setting.





We took the remainder of our day to look at the US history museum and the landmarks. We saw Dorothy's red shoes. Abraham Lincoln's top hat, the sixty minutes stop watch and the sign post from MASH. We also saw the sunstone from the Navoo temple and C3PO and R2D2 from Star Wars. We really enjoyed this museum. We didn't walk up to the capital building but enjoyed the day and night time views. We walked to the Washington Memorial and stood in front of the White House. We also visited the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. At this point we were running out of daylight, so we headed back. On the way we visited the Korean War Memorial and then with mom's help found our way back to the hotel. Mom, thank you for being on call as our official mapquester!












I'll close with grattutude. I am so thankful for this wonderful free country in which we live. I am so thankful for friends who not only made this possible, but willingly and lovingly took all our kids. The kids had a fantastic time and really enjoyed their vacation too. Liam built a boat and Emery grew a bit more. Isa enjoyed all the joys of having lots of girls to play with. All in all the weekend was wonderful for all involved and Mark and Sara have decided that four is enough! These last two photos are the boat Liam built and our personal favorite of Morgan and I by the reflecting pool.