Life

This is my first attempt at making laundry detergent. Guess what? IT WORKS! It only cost about $5 for four gallons of detergent. It smells good and gets the clothes clean. I am so happy I can't stand it. What a great money saving venture. The kids love it too. I hear "When do we get to make more soap?"
Allison and I in Leesburg, Virginia. Just love this picture. Might be because I just love her:)
Peanut Butter Play-doh at Activity Days. I am the Activity Days leader for our ward. What do you get when you mix six eight and nine year olds with peanut butter play-doh. An automatic bunch of smiles and happy tummies. That was so fun! (Rylee must be our mascot.)
This is what Rylee looks like when he falls asleep next to me. I always think kids look so innocent when they are sleeping. Perhaps adults look this way too. I might have to watch Scott the next time he sleeps. Just kidding.
Today Sarah and I spent some time together. This was a stop at a feed store to "play" with the chickens, ducks, etc. I just love spring when we can hold chicks. The duck wasn't so sure he agreed. Sarah and I giggled when we put him down and he hid behind the food dish. We were sure he wanted nothing to do with people for a while.

Our Awesome Hosts while on our trip to Washington DC

Elicia and Kevin were wonderful to us while we stayed and toured around. This is Kevin and Allison in front of Kevin;s building where he works. He gave us a ride into the district on the first day and helped us figure out the subway so we didn't get lost. Elicia was sure to stock us with snacks so we didn't starve to death. Thanks guys!
Here is Elicia, Allison, and Sadie. We took a little trip to a town called Leesburg. We shopped and generally had a great time. We loved our trip and the time we got to spend with my sister and her family.
Not such a great pic of me but isn't Ian cute!
Sophie loves the cupboards. Maybe she wants to find a place to call her own. She took to me right away and I got hugs, conversation, and a little pal to share all my food with. She is always hungry (she must take after her aunt Michelle).
The Angell Family Tree. Haha They love to climb and this is a happy tree in the front yard. Everyone but Sophie got in on the fun. I think she would have climbed too if she was given a boost. What great kids! We miss them!

We took a tour of the monuments called "Monuments at Moonlight." It was so fun because we dragged Kevin, Elicia, and Melanie with us. This was a cute picture we took before heading off the start the tour. I only wish we had Kevin and Elicia with us at the time. They were racing to park the car so the tour didn't leave without us. Thanks, guys:)
This is a view of the white House. As we walked from Kevin's work at the FDIC down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Capitol, we took a stroll around the White House. If we couldn't get close or inside, then we figured we would at least see it from all sides. Note to visitors, if you want a tour of the White House, call your House of Representatives delegate two to three months ahead of time. We did, however, get a great tour of the Capitol and the Library of Congress. Both of those were great and really fun, too.
The one picture of us in front of the White House. It was so cold that morning. Thanks Kevin for taking our picture.
This is the Capitol Building. Isn't it spectacular. We learned so much about history on this trip. I want to take all the other kids back to let them see all the great things we saw. I sure hope our great hosts stay living there for a while. haha
The Washington Monument at night. Pretty, huh?

Washington DC

We had such a great time in Washington DC. Among other things, Allison found this hat and it looks so cute on her. I don't think she has named the kitty but she sure got some smiles and comments from people wherever we went afterward. And she stayed warm, too.
This is a view from the Old Post Office Building in the district. The top floor was open air (cold air, I might add) and we scaled many stairs to get to the top. We decided elevators were for wimps. It was breathtaking and we looked out from all four sides. It really is a pretty place.
We went on a tour of the monuments and this is the Marine Memorial. I was so happy to get a chance to see this memorial, especially with Taylor being in the Marines now. It was awesome and very inspiring.
The Lincoln Memorial was so indescribable. Seeing pictures doesn't even come close to the thrill of being there. The memorial is huge and I didn't even come to his feet because he is 19 feet high. As you come up the stairs of the memorial and get a glimpse of his sitting in the chair, it is enough to bring tears. The feeling was reverent and I probably stood in silence for 10 minutes. What an amazing opportunity to be there. Allison stood in the place Martin Luther King Jr stood when he gave his famous "I have a Dream" speech. Her awe was greater than mine even. It was remarkable.
This is a shot of the rotunda in the capitol of the United States of America. The architecture of the building is really great. Also, as you come from the room before into the rotunda, the roof is very short and then it opens into this great huge room with enormous ceilings. I took this picture standing with the camera outstretched over my head. Beautiful, huh?