(May): Science Fair

The girls had an opportunity to participate in the school's science fair earlier this year.  We found out later that it was a mandatory assignment for the 4th&5th graders in the g/t program, but was opened up to the entire school as an optional project.  I'm not sure who was more excited, Mike or the girls.  At dinner when we were discussing it, Mike expressed, "I've waited my whole life for a science fair!"  Apparently his school didn't do one when he was a kid, so he was excited to participate with his own kids.  I had to keep reminding him that this was their project! :)  

Elaina's project tested the effect that different beverages have on tooth decay.  We have a friend who is an oral surgeon, and so he brought home 14 extracted molars for us to use (imagine how thrilled I was to find 14 disgusting teeth in a container on my kitchen counter one evening).  She soaked them in the beverages for 2 weeks and examined them regularly.  She also weighed them at the beginning and end of the experiment. 

It was a great project!  

Her results showed that lemon juice & vinegar (the most acidic of the beverages she used) cause more tooth decay than the others (Coffee, Tea, Coke, Red Bull, etc).  I wouldn't want my teeth rotting in any of the others though based on the dark stains on those teeth after two weeks.  Yuck!

Erin proved that magnets will become stronger the more magnetic force to add.  She tried to attract a magnet to a paper clip with several index cards in between.  As she added another magnet to the force, she could also add more index cards and increase the distance between the magnets and the paper clip.  She also learned that doubling the number of magnets doesn't double the magnetic force.  It took 6 additional magnets to double the magnetic force of the first magnet.  Interesting!

Mostly, it was a fun project to work on as a family, and a great experience for the kids.  As it turns out, each of them were only one of two students in their grade level that participated in the fair.  It was a good experience for them, so I'm glad they did it.

(April): Ford's Theater & Peterson House

One place I've been wanting to see since we moved here is Ford's Theater.  This is where Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth.  I've been learning more about Lincoln since living here and still want to learn so much more about this fascinating person. 

Ford's Theater is still a working theater, but they do tours throughout the day.  Stacie and I enjoyed the museum, and the theater itself.  We got to see a play about the events that occurred that day, leading up to the assassination.

This is the box where Lincoln and his wife were seated when he was shot.  It is now a memorial to him, and isn't in use anymore

Across the street is the Peterson House, where Lincoln died from his gunshot wounds the next morning

This is the room and bed where Lincoln was when he died

In the museum at the Peterson house, they have this display of all the books about Lincoln that are currently in print.  All 15,000 of them.  What a legacy!

The plaque beside this tower of books reads, "the last word about our 16th President will never be written, if only because each generation creates its own Lincoln."

(April): Arlington Cemetery & Iwo Jima Memorial

The home that Robert E Lee lived in prior to the start of the Civil War overlooks Arlington Cemetery

I can't figure out how to rotate this.  Grrr.  Anyway, just a cool picture

Something else I haven't done yet was watch the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  This was really neat to watch

Changing of the Guard

Changing of the Guard

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The day we went to Arlington Cemetery, I happened to notice earlier in the day on facebook that this was the one year anniversary of the death of my sister in law's good friend Andrew, who was killed in Afghanistan.  I happened to see a post on facebook earlier in the day and so we decided to go find his grave.  Even though I've never met him it made the visit a bit more personal, and to think that each of the grave stones represent individuals who each left behind friends and family in fighting for their country.

After leaving Arlington Cemetery we were driving home and noticed the Iwo Jima memorial off the freeway.  I knew it was in DC but didn't know where it was, so we pulled over to go see it.  What a powerful memorial!

the sun was setting when we were there, which made it even more beautiful

(April): Stacie's visit

It's fun when people come to visit and I get to see some familiar sights, but a little different each time - maybe a different time of year, or with/without kids, or just a different experience.  My old roomate, Stacie came to visit me this past April, and we had so much fun together.  We were able to go into the city each day thanks to cooperative kids when they came with us, some help from friends, and Mike's work-from-home days (have I mentioned how much I LOVE these?  I can leave Isaac with Mike during his nap time so I can run errands, volunteer at the school - or venture into the city :) - and it doesn't interfere with Mike's work!!)

Just a pretty view of the capitol building.  By car, this is about 30 minutes from my house  - without traffic, and let's face it, there's always traffic here!.  Regardless...pretty cool, right?!?

We had to see Dorothy's slippers at the American History Museum

Somehow I've missed this on our previous visits.  One of the sunstone's from the original Nauvoo temple.  By the way, on a previous excursion with the kids, we found a painting of Joseph Smith at the Portrait Gallery!

National Archives Building.  Isn't it a pretty building?  We couldn't take pictures, but we were able to see the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.  I hadn't been inside of here yet, so seeing those original documents was really neat!

Stacie and I went to the temple. The tulips out front were gorgeous!

We met another roomate of ours in Alexandria for lunch one day.  This is another beautiful part of the city

Stacie and I at the Jefferson memorial

National Cathedral

We stopped for a bathroom break at a chocolate shop in Georgetown.  And when you stop to use someone's restroom, it's only appropriate to buy some chocolate from them!  They were so pretty, it was hard to eat them!  Ok, well not tooo hard!

Stacie, at Sprinkles.  This is a store owned by one of the judges on Cupcake Wars.  I don't follow the show, but I do get excited eating cupcakes at places that are somewhat notorious! :)

The Old Stone House.  The oldest standing house in DC, which dates back to Pre-revolutionary times

Stacie and I in the garden behind The Old Stone House

And, the infamous Georgetown Cupcake

At the White House

As Stacie and I were walking around the block from the front of the White House to the back, we were stopped by a policeman.  We realized we were at the corner of the entrance for White House official staff parking, and policemen were stopping traffic in all directions.  I realized that this would be someone important, so told Stacie to get out her camera - quick!  We were right, and just a few seconds later a motorcade led by 2 police cars, 2 limousines, and several SUVs sped right past us.  We looked inside one of the limos and could vaguely see President Obama in the backseat.  Pretty cool!!  And definitely a first since I've lived here.  

I came home bragging and excited about seeing the President, and just a few weeks later Mike's team got a phone call from Mr. President himself to thank them for their work on a Health Care initiative they've been working on.  My first thought was "great networking skills honey!!  Let's see what kind of connections he's got and if they can get us anywhere!" :)  But really, it's just kind of a boost to get a thank you from the President of the United States on your work.  It kinda makes you feel like all these years of schooling are finally paying off a little bit ;)  Pretty exciting for Mike

Anyway, back to our sightseeing.  After calming down after seeing that motorcade drive by, we walked around to the back of the White House, otherwise known as the South Lawn

Just another cool view of the Capitol

Our other roomate, Misty, met us in DC for the day with her two kids.  Hard to believe that it was over 10 years ago that we all lived together!  We saw the monuments and memorials in the city the rest of the day

Stacie got this great picture at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial

Our crew at the Lincoln Memorial

I've actually never been up to the steps where Martin Luther King stood when he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.  Not sure why I haven't looked for it before (maybe because I always have a stroller?), but here is the little inscription that marks the spot, although it's barely legible.

 

A good shot of the Korean Veteran's Memorial

(April): Mike's Birthday

 We had fun celebrating Mike's birthday.  Thank goodness the girls get excited for everyone's birthdays, no matter whose it is.  It makes getting old a lot more fun! 

Elaina gave him a badge that morning which said "Birthday Man."  He was instructed to wear it all day at work, which he did.

Erin discovered this clock downstairs in our storage area.  We've had it forever (we got it as a wedding gift), and have even used it in every house we've had except this one - I just haven't found a place for it yet.  Well, Erin I guess had forgotten about it and saw it downstairs and said she wanted to give it to Daddy for his birthday.  Free?!?  That's Mike's kinda gift!  So she wrapped it up and gave it to him like it's brand new.  Now I'm still left with the dilemma of where to put it...

Elaina made Mike a coupon book, which included these FANTASTIC coupons:

"This is good for....
good jokes
4 surprises
 a glass of milk
entertainment
 a family date
30 minutes of sleep
lots of sleep
11 hugs and kisses
15 surprises
a family date
me buying you doctor pepper
serving you dinner
jokes
Bed n' breakfast
Daddy Daughter date
a back scratch and head scratch
getting 20 drinks at any time
Hugs and kisses
special helper

the girls suggested that Isaac give him some M&Ms and Toblerone because he loves them.  Doesn't get better than that!

And, Isaac made a hat (well, I think he got some help from some crafty sisters).  It almost fits!  The card from Isaac (also made with a little help) read:

To Daddy,

I love you.  

You make me lafe.  

You are speshl.  

Love, Isaac

P.S.  The girls recently discovered that there's a fun trend in the birthdays in our family:

April: Daddy, May: Isaac, June: Millie, July: Erin, August: Elaina, September: Mommy