Baltimore

Last Saturday we decided to visit the National Aquarium and Harbor in Baltimore, MD. It was hot and humid, but fun to get out to the water. We didn't get a chance to do much at the harbor other than look at some ships though. Our main reason for going was to see the aquarium and to get our season passes. I don't think I have ever been to a bigger aquarium. I hope one day there can be one in Utah like this one. Although it doesn't have an area where you can pet the sting rays (like in Utah). There were so many different things to see and our favorite part was the dolphin show. We ended the outing with sandwiches and yummy cookies from Potbelly's. 

On the way home we stopped at the Tyson Corner mall so we could go to the American Girl Doll, Lego, and Disney stores. It was really busy because it was no tax weekend (on clothes and school supplies). Maddie has now decided she wants and American Girl doll for Christmas. Great! Oh and Isaac wants the Lego Death Star, which by the way costs about $400. 

Exploring Virginia

I have to say that the DC area is pretty fun, but that doesn't mean I don't miss Utah. :) There is so much to do and we tried to do as much as we could with my parents while they were out here. We visited the Air and Space overflow museum (which is only a few miles away from us) and got to see the Space Shuttle Discovery. 

 We visited the Manassas/Bull Run Civil War Battlefields, which are also just down the street from us. We started out by watching a 45 minute movie that all of the kids actually sat through. They really learned a lot and I am impressed what they remember about the first Battle of Manassas. Did you know that people from the North and South came out to watch the battle thinking that it was more of a sport and that the war would only last that one battle? You should ask the kids what else they learned if you get a chance.

We have been swimming in our community pool several times. It is nice because there is a huge toddler pool that Lucas can play in.

We went to IKEA (45 minutes away) and then to Mt. Vernon. It was raining, but only a misty rain. It felt really nice and was a break from the heat and humidity oh and the mosquitoes. I love Mt. Vernon!! It was a self-sufficient community and right on the water. I guess I forgot to take a picture of his house, but I got some of what the view looks like from the back porch. You can only take pictures of the front and not inside anyways. The picture of the small house was what slave houses looked like.

My parents actually went to several other places, but I didn't think my kids would do to well with all of the heat and walking. We have a long list of place to visit and things to do. You know you want to come visit and go exploring with us. :)

End of the journey

Our last stop ended up being only about an hour and a half away from Centreville. We stopped because we couldn't get into our new house until the next day. The drive actually ended up not being as bad as I thought it would. It took us about 4 1/2 days because we had to take it slow so our house would be ready and we wanted to have the option to go faster in case our truck got there earlier than scheduled. The kids were pretty well behaved and Lucas even started entertaining himself with whatever he had on him (see the picture of him and his foot). The last picture is of Maddie in our new house. I hope to take some pictures of the house and get them on here soon.

Greenfield, IN

The hotel in Omaha, Nebraska wasn't the nicest, but at least we were able to get out of the car for a while. We got in late so we decided to order pizza. Lucas didn't want to sleep in his pack n play. He wanted to sleep with Maddie and Isaac. I really enjoyed driving through so many states. The corn and soy bean fields were interesting to look at especially because of the drought going on right now. The corn did seem short, but everything was still really green. I also loved all of the farms and Lucas loved finding all of the animals. During our trip we saw some geese in the middle of the road and towards the end of our trip we came across some turkeys in the road. Maddie decided to make up a song called "turkeys in the road". Lucas now likes to sing that song any time you say turkey or that there is an animal (dead or alive) in the road. Too cute.

 You probably can't see very well, but we hit 100,000 miles on our trip.

 Our next stop was Greenfield, Indiana. This time we found a much nicer hotel for a really good deal being that it was a small town right outside of Indianapolis. We had dinner at an Applebees and then a yummy breakfast in the hotel the next morning (Country Inn & Suites). The kids then went swimming for a little while to help get them ready to get in the car again. Next stop. . . Winchester, Virginia.

On the road

The first stop on our trip to Virginia was Cheyenne, Wyoming where my older sister Shauna lives. My parents and younger sister Rachel were already there. We got to meet my new nephew Tanner (who is in the top picture with Maddie). He is such a doll! I wish we could have stayed longer, but we were only there for the night. The next morning we set out with my parents to our next destination. . . Omaha, Nebraska. We bought walkie talkies before we left so we could keep in contact with my parents and Aubrey (who rode with them). It turned out to be lots of fun and I recommend using them if you are driving more than one car across country. 

Moving Day :(

It was extremely hard to leave all of our friends and family. I just want to say thanks to everyone who helped us move and clean. I cannot believe the love and support we felt. We love you all!!

Fun with friends and family

I really wish I had taken more pictures in our last few weeks before we moved. We tried to cram in so many things that I forgot to take my camera or had it, but forgot to actually take pictures. I will try to list what we did though (more for me than anyone else). We went to Seven Peaks several times, saw Brave twice (once as a girls night and the other with Nick's work), we had two garage sales, had a huge birthday party, went to Thanksgiving Point, went to lots of BBQs and parties, had several girls nights/lunches, saw The Secret Garden play, went to St. George, helped build a float and walk in a parade, visited family, set off fireworks, and so much more. Thanks everyone for making us feel so loved and making it almost impossible to want to leave!