Spring Break

This year for Spring Break we took the kids to Washington DC.

Grandpa Smith was working in DC the week prior to Easter, so

Grandma came out and we made a fun vacation out of it!

Our first stop was a tour of the Capitol.  We had a cute little tour guide

from Senator Orrin Hatch's office (Thanks, Utah!).  We met our

tour guide a few blocks away and we were able to ride the

underground tram to the inside of the capitol.  

In one of the rooms there are eight large historical paintings.  This one was interesting to us because it is the surrender of General Burgoyne in Saratoga, NY - which was the turning point in the Americal Revolution... and it is in our hometown.  See, I did learn something!

We were told that we were visiting too late in the season to see the famous cherry blossoms.  I think we did just fine.  These were beautiful - and all over!  I think we might plant a few in our yard.   I love this picture... it seems like the kids are always hanging all over grandpa!

Our next stop for the day was the National Air and Space Museum.

It was hot and crowded... this was when I realized Spring Break is probably not the best time to visit a major tourist attraction.

The kids had fun and I am glad we did it... and with free admission?? 

You just can't beat that!

The next morning we woke up and stood in line to get our tickets for the

Unites States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

We had a few hours before we could go in so we walked to the

National Museum of American History.

We had to stop and take a few pictures on the way...

The American History Musuem was just opening so we didn't suffer through the crowds and heat that we did the day before at the Air and Space Museum.  The guys liked the engines, motors, and cars. 

The girls liked looking at all the dresses and dishes of The First Ladies.

We were a little dissapointed that Dorothy's Ruby slippers weren't on display!  This is our little lady with the dress from the current First Lady.

  After lunch we headed back to the Holocaust Musuem.  I had visited the museum with a group of teenage girls about 13 years ago... and I really wanted to go back!  We debated taking our kids.  But they were so good.  The two oldest have learned a little about the Holocaust in school... and we talked to them about what we would see.  I was so impressed with the way the museum was set up.  The graphic photos and movie clips are all set behind a concrete barrier, so you have to be tall enough to look to see what is inside.  I don't think our little man (6) got much out of it.  A lot of the history probably went right over his head... which is a good thing for now.   

We spent the evening looking at all of the different monuments.

This would have been such a nice picture if the relecting pond wasn't under construction.  By the time we finished up at the Lincoln Memorial, we were completely wiped out!  How far to the metro?

My dad was able to get tickets for us to attend Easter services at the National Cathedral.  It was a beautiful building... 

 

After church we went to Arlington National Cemetary.   

We watched the changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier.  After watching our little man said, "I want to be a real soldier." 

We ended our day with a visit to Mount Vernon. 

 Letting out a little energy....

After taking Grandma and Grandpa to the airport the next morning, we drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  On our way we passed by the Washington DC Temple.  So pretty!

After spending some time at the Gettysburg visitors center (which was pretty amazing), we checked into our hotel and the kids went for a swim... in a freezing pool!

The next morning we took a tour of the Gettysburg battlefields. 

Our last stop was at Hershey's Chocolate World.  YUM!

This little lady found her favorite candy in a giant size...

I guess everything comes in gigantic sizes!

I feel like I need a vacation after coming home from our vacation...

Birthdays....



Last week we celebrated dad... 

He picked out new hiking boots and purchased something at Lowe's
(I am pretty sure it was a tool of some kind). 

This kid turned twelve... How did that happen so fast?

Grandma and Grandpa Smith came to participate
 in his priesthood ordination.  



He can't start in the Young Men's program without his own paintball gun!

This little lady celebrated #9!

She had a few of her best friends over for some fun...

Her favorite part was learning how to decorate cakes together...

I think they had a good time eating them too!

Our baby turned six!

They had a great time playing pin the lightsaber on the Jedi...

The best part was when big brother dressed up as Darth Mal and they attacked him with nerf guns and light sabers (aka pool noodles).

The little guy got to celebrate a second time with a cake shared with mom! 

Happy Birthday to us all...

New York, New York

That is our favorite cello player sitting first chair! 

Congratulations, Carson...

They had to audition for seats, so it was kindof a big deal!

Christmas cards

This was our attempt to take pictures of the kids for Christmas cards.

I wonder if we should start hiring a professional photographer!

Somebody must have been doing something pretty silly behind my back...

School Pictures and Report Cards

"He has made a wonderful transition to first grade.  He is a polite and thoughtful student.  He reads fluently and easily recalls sight words.  He writes about a variety of topics, adds detail and stretches out his words. He is very focused during our math lessons and he understands the math concepts taught this quarter."

"She is a very sweet and friendly member of our class.  She is also a great helper.  She has done well in every academic area.  Her decoding and comprehension skills are strong.  She does very well with writing her ideas in organized paragraphs.  She is working on adding interesting details to her writing.  She will benefit from our challenging math activities in the second quarter."

Middle school report cards come home next week!

Boston!

We have been talking for months with the kids about an end of the summer trip to Washington DC.  Unfortunately, we had to cancel our trip for a number of reasons, Miss Irene (the hurricane) being one of them.  We decided to re-route our trip to Boston for a few days.

Day One

Our first stop was the Boston Temple.  My kids have always loved going to the temple, walking around and admiring the beautiful gardens.  Our closest temple is 3-4 hours away in any direction (Boston to the East, Manhattan to the South, Palmyra to the West, and Montreal to the North).  

Our next stop was the Minute Man National Historic Park. 

The kids were a little cranky after sitting in the car for hours, but after they stretched their legs and got some fresh air - they cheered right up.   We learned about the opening battle of the Revolution, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, the North bridge, and the Minute Men.   

After finding a nice little Italian place for dinner we went back to the hotel.  Our favorite part of the lobby was the self serve cansiters of treats... popcorn, mm's, goldfish, grapes and crackers.  Free diet cokes, too!!

I wish we knew about this before spending a fortune on dinner...

Day Two

We started day two with the Freedom trail.  We had walked this trail ten years ago with my parents, but didn't remember much because we were pushing a stroller with a two year old (not recommended because of all the cobblestone and brick roads).  The first stop on the trail is Boston Common - the oldest park in the country.  The kids played for a while on a great playground.  In what was once used for public hangings, is now used for festivals and public performances. It really was a beautiful park. 

Granary Burying Ground and Kings Chapel

Faneuil Hall

Paul Revere's Home
We found a great little Farmers Market downtown between Faneuil Hall and the North end where we picked up a pint of fresh raspberries for $1.  Along with a few cannoli's from Mike's Pastry, we had a very tasty lunch!

The USS Constitution

The last stop...  Bunker Hill

 Don't those kids look happy?

 It took us about five hours to do the entire trail!

We met up with Shane, Christy and their kids for dinner at Qunicy Market, which is quite fun.  There are so many yummy things to choose from!

Last stop of the day... Boston Children's Museum

.

Boston is a beautiful city, such a pretty view against the harbor.

Day Three

Museum of Science

The Dinosaur exhibit!

Building our own boats to race. 

This is an amazing museum, it puts all the museums in my area to shame. 

 

I think our favorite was the theater of electricity.  Just take a peek and you'll get an idea.  Do you know why you are safe from lightening in a car?  Is it the rubber tires or the metal frame that protects you? 

Summer camp

Today was the last day of summer camp for the kids.  They celebrated by bringing in a bunch of bounce houses/slides, a traveling petting zoo and a rock wall.  They had tons of free Pizza and Italian Ice, and gave away t-shirts for the kids.

The rock wall was definitely a family favorite this year!  They each tried it three or four times and got better and better with each try.

This little lady loved the ponies - and made sure she got a chance to ride each one!  Neither of the boys wanted to ride...

(Ignore the sounds of the generators.)

Our Fun Weekend

We spent a four day weekend in Vermont to celebrate Grandma's 96th birthday.  The kids always love a good birthday party!

The first two days of the weekend were hot, hot, hot!  We set up camp and immediately went to the lake.  We had a great time camping at Silver Lake.  Swimming was so much fun and so refreshing!

 

We went to the lake every day!  We all came home a little sunburned...

One day we woke up early to do a little fishing.  The kids caught a little seaweed and dad caught a log!  We are getting better... we used to catch nothing at all!  Someday we'll catch a fish.

We went to Quechee Gorge and did an early morning hike.
After the hike, a little shopping and a quick bite to eat...

We headed to the birthplace of Joseph Smith in Vermont. 

It was nearly 100 degrees, hot and humid! 

We were very grateful the visitors center was air conditioned.

Awards Ceremony

The fifth graders participated in an Elementary graduation and Awards ceremony.  This kid was busy getting up and down accepting his awards.  

Completion of Elementary Education

Science Award:  Highest Classroom Average

Social Studies Award:  Highest Classroom Average

Honor Roll - 4th Quarter

Honor Roll - All Four Quarters

All City Orchestra

All City Chorus

Accelerated Reader

Music Award

Art Award

He was awarded a special plaque for consecutive years of Accelerated Reading in elementary school.  He was given the Citizenship Award from the Town's Business Association (which included a $50 savings bond)!  His essay was chosen, along with one other, to recieve the special Citizenship award.

We are so proud of him... Way to go, kiddo!



Fun Day!

Today was fun day at the elementary school. I had to divide my time between kindergarten, second grade, and fifth grade. It was fun to see the kids having such a great time with their friends. GO GREEN!

Don't Stop Believing...

Our musician participated in the school district String A Thon. All of the orchestra students from 4th grade through 12th grade were invited to attend... there were over 600 students participating. They ended the evening with a popular piece they ALL played together.

Ignore the backside view (he's in green) and just enjoy the music.

Two wheeling...

Check out who is riding his bike without training wheels... I should probably learn how to add music to a video, because this one definitely deserves some rock 'n roll!