Fireworks and Flags: Independence Day in DC

There is something undeniably patriotic about watching fireworks explode over the National Mall while sitting with family and friends at the foot of the Washington Monument in DC.  As the first fireworks lit the night sky, Darling Daughter burst into a spontaneous chorus of "The Star Spangled Banner" (followed by a somewhat less patriotic but just as beautiful rendition of the Korean national anthem!), and we all joined in.

We had been a bit nervous about fighting the crowds to watch the fireworks, but after the crowds we'd seen in Korea, it was nothing to worry about.  We rode the subway downtown and met up with some friends from Korea who are here now (heading to Malaysia in two weeks!).  Then we walked down to the mall and found a beautiful spot on the grass at the base of the Washington Monument with a fantastic view.  There were people everywhere, but there was a lot of space and it just didn't feel crowded, just festive.  We got there about 8pm, had an hour or so to talk and play, and then the fireworks started going off around 9:15.

It was a spectacular display, and we were all so glad to be there.  The crowds leaving were worse than the crowds coming but still not too bad. 

We made it on the first subway train and though it was crowded, I was amazed by how people just waited for a new train instead of forcing their way in (like they did in Korea).  On the way home, we saw a fantastic firefly display that rivaled the actual fireworks as the most magical display of the night.  Watching the little lights flicker and dance around the dark was hypnotizing.

I am so grateful to be a citizen of the United States of America, to be free to live the best I can and to pursue a life of meaning and happiness.  I am so grateful for the legacy of heroes our history offers and for the wonderful opportunity to live here in the heart of it all for a time so that I can teach our children what America stands for and the value of liberty.  Though we may be citizens of the world more often than residents of America, I hope we never forget why we are doing this and what we are ultimately a part of. 

Happy 4th of July!

Slices of Life: Spring in Virginia

Just a few of the many day-to-day adventures we've been having the past few months:

 

One of the very best parts of apartment living here is the abundance of easy playdates.  I love how easy it is to invite kids over to play without too much planning.  The kids love it too.

These are just a few of Funny Guy's and Darling Daughter's many friends here.  Funny Guy and his friends had a great time with our left-over moving boxes.

One of my favorite pictures of My Man at work during A-100. 

For 100 Day at school, Funny Guy's class all dressed up as if they were 100 years old. 

Funny Guy made quite the adorable old grandpa.  He was very excited when his class picture made it in the school newsletter.

One of my favorite things is when My Man pulls out the guitar and starts playing.  All the kids are drawn to the music like bees to nectar and the pure joy and happiness that ensues as they sing and dance their hearts out to his tunes makes me give thanks for the blessing it is to be alive and to have such a beautiful family.  Thanks for playing, Love.

Although he started into his choir class mid-quarter, Young Man caught up quickly and by the time the choir concert came around he knew every song perfectly and sang with gusto and enthusiasm.  It was so fun to watch him sing (sadly the picture is terrible--it was so crowded!).

Young Man has a great scout troop here.  One of his last activities with the 11-year-old troop before his birthday was a long hike around Burke Lake, followed by a great game of Frisbee golf.  Most of his campouts here have been rained out so far, but we already signed him up for his first scout camp this summer!

For Funny Guy's birthday, My Man and I were able to sneak over during our lunch break to take cupcakes to the class and celebrate with him.  It was fun to see him at school.

Funny Guy needed just a little persuasion to pull out his first tooth, which was loose for months before My Man helped him out!  Although he wasn't excited to pull it out, once the gory deed was done, he was very excited.  He was even more excited the next morning when he found that the tooth fairy brought him a silver dollar!

Ever since we got an ice-cream maker for Christmas, we've been experimenting with different ice-cream recipes.  The best ones are custard based, which is a lot of work.  Luckily the kids all have fun pitching in.  And it's worth it--the ice-cream is sooo good.

Young Man's first soccer game was ushered in with a great rain storm, but that didn't stop him from playing hard.  He's so fun to watch pour his whole soul into the game like that.

Funny Guy had almost as much fun, playing in the rain with his dad.

The next week, Young Man didn't have a soccer game because of spring break, but he had a scrimmage in the field near our apartment.  I decided to use the chance to walk to the library since we had books due and it was such a beautiful day.  When Funny Guy found out, he begged to join me.  I'd expected to have it be a quick walk, but it turned into a 4-hour adventure, stopping at every park along the way, drinking in the sunshine and spring flowers, and truly appreciating the beauty of spring.  I didn't mind a bit.

My last week of Thai classes felt like a big party.  We started off the week with a full-day Songkran celebration (the Thai New Year).  My Man and I were somehow roped into leading the Thai section in the sticky-rice dance (a semi-complicated dance depicting a sticky-rice eating ceremony).  The other language section had their own demonstrations (Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar).  We got to bring Darling Daughter and Young Man with us since they were on Spring Break (Funny Guy went to a fun spring break camp all week).  There was dancing and lots and lots of food and some interesting cultural explanations.  All in all it was a fun time.

Then on Wednesday, we got to go out to a Thai restaurant with our class and teachers.  The Thai teachers asked the restaurant staff to only speak Thai and then made us order everything and ask the waitress questions.  It was pretty fun and we got to sample lots of great food.  In addition to our usual fare of pad Thai and mango cashew chicken, they had us order them fried fish and seafood drunken noodles (we initially accidentally ordered a drunk man . . .).

As kind of a final project, My Man and I wrote our biographies all in Thai.  It's not much and we still have so much to learn, but it was pretty exciting to be able to write so much and to have something so completely foreign become a little less intimidating.

Spring took its time coming to Virginia, but when it did, it was beautiful.  We took advantage by taking as many walks as possible.  (It's still beautiful outside--I think I'm using the past tense because today has been cold and rainy and these pictures look as if they were taken in a golden age long ago . . .)

One day during spring break, I got out of Thai early so the older kids and I walked to pick up Funny Guy from his camp.  It's a few miles away but we enjoyed the walk, stopping to play at the playgrounds along the way.

 These are some of my favorite pictures of Darling Daughter.  She's growing up so beautifully!

One of the very best parts of being done with my Thai class is being able to chaperone the kids' field trips.  I had a blast taking Young Man and a few of his friends through the USA Science & Engineering Festival.  They had great time with the many hands-on demonstrations, experiments, projects, and freebies.

One of the other best parts of being done with Thai, is getting to take long walks and runs in the mornings.  Although this week has been cold and rainy, last week was full of sunshine and flowers.  Even better are the days when My Man can join me before class.  (The first week out of Thai class, I logged almost 50 miles--I was obviously exercise deprived!)

With soccer season in full swing, Young Man has a game every Saturday.  The last one was sunny and beautiful and Young Man played hard and well.  Watching his corner kicks is one of the highlights, especially remembering back to the drills My Man put him through when he was only 4 and 5 years old to learn them.  The lessons obviously stuck!

After the soccer game, we drove out to Sandy Point, a Maryland State Park along the Chesapeake Bay.  Some of our great friends here had invited us to spend the afternoon there with them and we were glad we did.  When we first got there, I thought all the people in bathing suits were crazy!  It was sunny but windy and the water was cold!  But it didn't take long for our kids to jump right in. 

They spent most of the time excavating a big "swimming pool" and filling it with water.  We enjoyed a picnic, Young Man had the brilliant idea of bringing his hammock and graciously shared it, and I read almost half a book sitting on the beach with my toes in the warm sand, watching the kids play and listening to the crashing waves.  It was wonderful.  The reason our friend had invited us to that particular beach was so he could practice kiting (he kite boards out there).  He let My Man try it.  It was easier than kiting a paraglider so he took to it easily and helped Darling Daughter and Young Man give it a go. 

Another day, we were able to make it out to the temple in Kensington, MD.  As I sat inside the celestial room, I just couldn't help but pour out my heart in thanks to our Father for all the blessings and direction our family has received over the past few months.  I still can hardly believe how well everything has fallen into place and how richly our faith has been rewarded.

It has been a wonderful start to the year.

Cherry Blossom Festival

It's interesting how life comes full circle.  Last year we took family pictures during the cherry blossom bloom in Seoul (where many of the trees were planted by the Japanese), and this year we went out to enjoy the start of spring with the cherry blossom festival here in DC (which celebrates the gift of almost 9,000 cherry trees from Japan as a gesture of friendship toward the United States).

Although the blooms weren't quite fully open (thanks to the unseasonably cold weather this spring), the cherry trees were beautiful and it was great to get out.  We started with a walk along the tidal basin to enjoy the cherry blossoms and to see the Jefferson Memorial.

Then we headed over to the main festival activities.  My Man and Young Man participated in a dragon boat demonstration. 

Since Young Man is far too cool mature to participate in the crafts now, I was glad he got to do this.  It looked fun and I think he enjoyed it (though not quite enough for him to fully forgive us for taking him away from a day spent playing football with his friends).

Darling Daughter and Funny Guy enjoyed making a dragon sock puppet and flying fish lantern, respectively. 

The lines were long, but the band was great, and I had fun just hanging out with the kids as the trio from Trinibad and Tobago played island songs in the background.  It was almost enough to pretend that it wasn't absolutely freezing (thanks to the biting wind and lower than forecasted temps).  Almost.

By then it was getting late, though, and My Man and Young Man needed to head home to get ready for the Priesthood session of General Conference.  It was cold too (did I mention that already?), so Darling Daughter, who had refused to bring a sweater, decided to leave too.  On their way home, My Man got some great shots of them with the cherry blossoms in front the Smithsonian Castle

Funny Guy had his heart set on a few more activities, though, so he and I decided to stick around a bit longer.  He had so much fun making his model pirate ship, that it was well worth the extra hour and a half in the cold.  Incredibly, Funny Guy didn't complain once about the cold until we were on our way home.  That just goes to show how much he loved the festival!

(See Funny Guy's tongue?  I was laughing so hard watching him concentrate on coloring his boat because the harder he concentrates, the faster his tongue slides back and forth.  It is absolutely precious.  Kicking myself now that I didn't think to grab a video!)

On the way home, we passed by a giant field of daffodils.  Spring truly is a beautiful time of year and I'm so grateful we got to enjoy it together as a family today (a huge sacrifice by My Man who would rather have been flying--thanks Love!).

Repatriating Our Clan

Ever since the Olympics opening ceremony, when our kids cheered loudly and exuberantly for the South Korean team instead of the Americans, My Man and I have been looking for opportunities to remind our children that, while we loved our time in South Korea, we are proud to be Americans. 

This Saturday was the perfect opportunity.  Soon after we got here, I started looking into setting up a White House tour.  It's gotten a bit more complicated over the years!  Funny Guy and I were reading a Magic Treehouse book about Abraham Lincoln a few days ago, and it talked about how anyone could just walk into the White House and try to talk to the president.  It's definitely not that easy anymore!  You have to contact your congressman (or woman) and request a tour from them.  Then they have to get a bunch of information from you, do background checks, and set up the tour time.  All of this must be done at least 30 days prior to the date you want the tour.  Then to get in to the tour, you have to walk through several checkpoints where they check your ID against the approved guest list, have you walk through a metal detector and past a K9 unit.  Phew!  But it was fun to go inside.  The kids regaled us with interesting trivia about the White House such as, "Did you know there are 35 bathrooms?" and "Wow, the only thing that survived the fire in 1814 was the painting of George Washington that Dolly Madison saved!"  We also thought it was pretty cool that the First Lady's portrait, though hanging in the Red room several rooms away from the East room where the George Washington painting hangs, has a direct line of sight to George Washington.  There was no picture taking allowed during the tour.  I was tempted to snap one of the kids looking especially cute but Darling Daughter was shocked when  I pulled out my phone and blocked the picture, vehemently insisting I follow the rules. 

After the White House tour, we headed over to the National Archives where we got to see the original Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, among other things. 

It was really amazing to see the documents that made such an impact on our history.  Again, no pictures allowed inside.

Afterward, it was getting late and everyone was starving so we headed out to look for some lunch.  As we were walking past the Natural History Smithsonian, however, Funny Guy realized he hadn't had enough time inside last time we went.  Everyone else groaned--they were too hungry to even think about another museum!  But Funny Guy said he would rather go to the museum than eat, so we split up and I took him in while My Man took the other kids to go have lunch.  As we were walking in, Funny Guy said, "Thanks Mom!  I really love nonfiction, 'cuz it's real, and this museum is FULL of nonfiction!!"  I sure love this kid. 

We wandered through the gem stones exhibit where Funny Guy was amazed to see all the beautiful and varied minerals and crystals on display.  Then we browsed a beautiful exhibit of the 2012 winners of the Windland Smith Rice International photography awards (you can see the photographs here--they are stunning, especially in the huge printouts the Smithsonian has up!).  Then Funny Guy asked to go see the insects and mummies (his favorite from last time).  He also talked me into getting tickets to go into the butterfly room.  It was so beautiful.  The butterflies are huge and flying all around.  Not many land long enough to get good pictures, but it's so magical.  Funny Guy was hoping one would land on him but even though he was very good at pretending to be a flower, none did.

Finally, after almost two hours, Funny Guy relented and said we could go home if I promised we could come back again soon. :-)