Day 55

Scripture of the Day: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Today we are working on the letter "A" and learning about Adam and Eve. We are going to go to the grass outside of the American Indian museum and have an early picnic lunch today. We are going to try and have a picnic somewhere different everyday that the kids can play at. They are already tired and grouchy because they have been up since 6! Both of them!

I am hoping to wear them out so we can all take a long nap and then go ride bikes tonight with Daddy, maybe if we work with Jon daily, he will learn. He likes us to push him around!

God Bless

Day 54

Scripture of the Day: The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack, and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. 2 Timothy 4:18

Daddy had to go to work today and qualify. Jon got up at 6 am because he went to bed yesterday at 5! So, we are going to wait for daddy to come home and then see where the day takes us!





Wayne suprised us and came home in time for lunch so we went and ate at Don Pablos. Then the kids rode bikes and then we went to the store together! It was a great day!
God Bless!

Day 53

Scripture of the Day: I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5

I feel much better today, still really tired and achy, but we wanted to try the farmer's market in Alexandria, so we went! All of the fruits and veggies look great, thank goodness my kids love fresh fruit and veggies because their parents rarely eat them! We bought lots of cherries for Mady, yes, she takes after her mommy! Lots of peaches for Daddy and some cute little plums for all of us! Mommy gets blackberries which are my favorite! Apricots, green beans, mini potatoes, yellow and green squashes, and of course more strawberry biscuit fixin round out the stash!!!!

We ate breakfast at La Madeline since we were right by it and I love that place! Then we came home and rested and Daddy took a nap while Mommy and the kids went to the park and played. We came home and then took off to the National Mall where we sampled some great bbq! I couldn't believe how good it was! Especially the sausage! Mady's blister started bleeding alot, so we went home. It was good we did, the heat/humidity was getting bad!





Mady and Jonny looking into the big fountain at the farmer's market/ Daddy and the kids leaving the market/ Mady hungry and running to La Madeline/ Mady and Daddy on her bike

Jon fell asleep on the Metro and Mady was tired so it was a peaceful tourist filled ride home! We got home and believe it or not, Jon was down for the night! Mady and daddy went and practiced riding her bike and she was back to normal after 30 minutes! I got some great video of it!

We ended the night with a loud thunderstorm! I thought something was blowing up!

God Bless!

Day 52

Scripture of the Day: Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

I am sick today, started feeling bad yesterday on the drive back and sure enough, by evening, my throat was itchy and I started running a low grade fever. That means, we didn't do anything today. We were supposed to go to the zoo and I feel terrible for not taking them!

Wayne came home early too to help with the kids!


Mady with her new "Darbie" aka Barbie (my daughter is starting to play with Barbies!!! Scary!) and Jonny with Wall e (grandparents, heads up, he loves Wall e)

God Bless!

Day 51

Scripture of the Day: He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 113:7

I have no idea why I found that scripture today, and I hope and pray it doesn't mean anything. The kids were restless today, so I decided to take them to Chick fil a, we haven't been there in awhile and they love to go. Jon was shouting, "We're going to play at Chick fil A!" He was sooooooooooo excited. I even drove all the way up to the really great one in Sterling. We got there and they played, but Mady actually came out and sat and ate lunch with me, a prequel to great mother and daughter lunches to come!



Mady and her favorite meal of chicken nuggets, fruit, and chocolate milk!
Jon in the treehouse in the play area, he watched us eat but didn't want to because he was too busy playing!

We stopped at Toys R Us and got a Land Before Time dvd and then came home. Both were tired, but full of chicken, we even brought some home to daddy! I need to stop worrying about the cost of gas and do special things like this for my kids more, it makes me so happy to see the smiles on their faces!

God Bless!

Day 50

Scripture of the Day: No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. Luke 6:43-44

Wow, Day 50, feels like we hit some kind of milestone! Today has been a pretty good day, but I am extra extra tired for some reason! The best thing that happened today is a friend gave birth to her two beautiful twin boys a little over an hour ago, congrats!

We cleaned up the house and then headed off to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. It is pretty neat, but it was really hot and humid. Tomorrow will be worse (shudder) but we may go back when it opens at 11 and get some bbq! The country of Bhutan is being highlighted and there are lots of neat things to learn about the country. We sampled some Momos and the kids hated them, but I liked them. They are like chinese dumplings.





View of the festival from the street/Mady and Jonny outside the Bhutan temple/Jonny and Mady drinking their hand squeezed lemonade that we waited in line for 30 minutes to try

Texas is the country and they have your standard dance hall, bbq, some san antonio tex-mex (which is about the equivilant to the stuff they serve the tourists on the riverwalk) and a guy from Texas who immigrated there from Vietnam and makes spicey noodles. Oh, and Shiner Bock!

The music was great and so were the fizzy lemonades and limeades! Nasa is celebrating it's 50 year anniversary so if you are a space nut, it is a great exhibit! Not alot for the preschool crowd, but oh well!

I got some pics of the kids with their drinks, etc! Like I said, we may go back tomorrow! Wayne wants us to look for chicken fried steak, supposed to be a guy from Miles, Tx there cooking it. I don't know about that, but Tom Perini from Buffalo Gap is there somewhere!

God Bless!

I forgot to say a huge thank you to Jenn for editing a couple of beach pictures and making the header for me! I would be lost without her!

Day 49

Scripture of the Day: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19

Today we went to the park one last time with our new friends. It was bittersweet knowing that this may be the last time we get together before they leave and we leave. I am hoping that we will be gone by the time they get back from their vacation, but who knows! They had a blast at the park and played forever! We had a picnic lunch too that was fun! We are going to miss them alot! But, these are friends that have come into our lives at a time when we needed them and they will be friends for life! I am grateful to God for bringing them into our lives for such a brief time, to alleviate some of the sadness for Mady because she misses her friends back home so much! We are praying we will hear something this week, I can't tell you what a blessing that will be for us!



Mady and Jonny and their new friends at the park having a snack!

Anyways, going to go meet their dog after a nap, so see you all tomorrow!

God Bless!

Day 48

Scripture of the Day: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:6

We are taking an at home day today because well, we need it! The kids are tired and so am I and I have a ton of laundry! So, we played and colored and read our devotional and kid's bible! They watched cartoons, ate, took a nap and destroyed the apartment!



Mady and Jonny love to color, these are Disney magazines and they have the Disney princess, Cars, and of course the new Wall e!

Wayne came home and we all watched a movie and mommy tried to work out, although my friend was up there so not much work got done!

God Bless!

Day 47

Scripture of the Day: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

So today we woke up with a plan, hit the Farmers Market at Dupont Circle for some fresh fruit and veggies. If I am going to pay a fortune for these things at the store, might as well be to the the local farmers! We took the Metro over there and got some wonderful produce. Wayne and the kids made friends with a doggie while mommmy shopped! Next week, we are going to try some of the organic meat they have there and the empanadas!

We came back home and rested then decided to go check out Chesapeake Beach, MD. It was in the paper and only 33 miles from our apt! It is much quieter and nicer than Virginia Beach. We ate some seafood and then went to North Beach and played in the water. Mady wouldn't get in all the way, but Jonny did! It was so nice and we are definitely going back more prepared with snacks, swimsuits and chairs!







We are back home now and Wayne and Mady are sleeping and Jon is trying to ride his bike. Tonight, I think Wayne is going to work with Mady on her bike, she is scared now of falling off!

God Bless!

Day 46

Scripture of the Day: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

(Note about the Scripture of the Day: You are all probably going to notice that for awhile, the scriptures will all be about hope, this is to help me through this waiting time that we are going through.)

So today, we could smell the bbq in the air when we woke up! Yippppeeee, BBQ Battle! We ate breakfast and got to Pennsylvania Ave right when it opened up, praying that the $20 entrance fee would be worth it. And all the free stuff we got more than made up for that! Wayne got tested for skin damage, Mady and Jonny had their pic taken at the Virginia lottery and then faces painted. Mommy and Daddy stuffed themselves on great BBQ! I really wanted the Redneck place, but they weren't open yet, so we had a different place that had a really long line!







After eating till we were stuffed, we left and went to Corner Bakery and had pastry and milk then went to the White House park and played and laid under the trees. It is so beautiful under those trees and the kids enjoy climbing them!

We came home mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day resting!

Will post pics later!

God Bless!

Day 45

Scripture of the Day: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Today we are meeting our new friends and walking to the park. I am tired, so maybe I can ride in the stroller! Mady is so excited to see Evan again and get to play! I am so happy that she has a friend to play with, maybe now we are finally going to get to go home soon!







Be back later with more!

God Bless!

Day 44

Scripture of the Day: And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. 2 Thessalonians 3:13


This is what the kids did first thing this morning, made a train out of the laundry baskets!

Even though the kids were tired, I decided to take them to the park so maybe they would take a nap! Mady was up at 6 am today, so I really need a nap!

We went to the park down the street and Mady started playing with this cute little blond hair boy! They played really well together. Come to find out, they live in this building and her husband works for the feds too! Small world! So, mommy and the kids made new friends! I am so excited!

We went to the store and got some croissants for dinner and pizza for lunch and unfortunately, Jon did not nap! Mady did after eating a ton of pizza!

Our new friends called and we are going to the park with them tomorrow morning!

God Bless!

Day 43

Scripture of the Day: Fight the good fight fo the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the prescence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NRSV)

I can't believe how fast the weeks fly by here and it is already Wednesday again! We waited till 12:30 to leave the house today and got on the extremely crowded Metro and went to Metro Center. I can never get the exit right, the one that would put us out by Wayne's building, but I always manage to come out by Carribou Coffee, hmmmm....

We went to Borders first so I could get "The Shack" and the kids were actually very well behaved! Then we went to Corner Bakery and got a snack, juice and milk for the kids, cherry tart for mommy! We decided to go to the park by the White House and have a picnic! The kids had fun climbing the trees while I tried to see what the heck was going on there. Secret Service everywhere and limos, etc!





Camille, there is the pic of the limo when I was talking to you!

So after gawking like tourists, we decided to go home! Jon passed out on the Metro and Mady laid on the couch at home and watched some cartoons!

Oh, and if you are planning on playing in the trees, beware of the evil gardners at the White House, they don't like you messing with their trees!

God Bless!

Day 42

Scripture of the Day: The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. Psalm 145:13




I decided to take the kids to a park that is pretty close by. And, I decided to let Mady ride her new bike while I pushed Jon in the stroller! Problem #1, Jon didn't want to ride in the stroller, but after a little convincing, he did. Mady got tired before we reached the park and fell off the bike twice after she hit some rough patches! It was rough getting there, but it is a great little playground for them! And there were several kids, but Mady was in no mood to play! We didn't stay that long, but I am glad we found it and will probably drive over there next time so the kids can be all ready to play.

They both came home and took naps, Mady took a 3 hour one, I can't tell you the last time she did that. Daddy came home and took them out to play and then it was bath and bedtime! Another great day!
(Pictures to post tomorrow)

God Bless!

Day 41

Scripture of the Day: What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Can you believe that June is almost gone? I can't, but what I really can't believe is golf ball size hail? We didn't get that, but they did south of us!

Today we went to the store and the kids actually behaved! I bought them some chocolate to show my appreciation for them not running all over the place! Believe me, this is not something I do often. So we came home, ate and then they both gave me the best present, they both took a short nap!

We watched the thunderstorm together this afternoon and now we have eaten dinner and it is almost time for baths and then bed!


they got disney magazines and love them!


Will post pics tomorrow, I got some great ones of them reading their disney magazines, Jon is crazy for Wall-e!

God Bless!

Day 40

Scripture of the Day: To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:26

Happy Father's Day Daddy! Happy Pappy's Day! Happy Do-dah Day! Happy Grandad Day!

I was supposed to get up and get donuts, but of course, that didn't happen! So we went to Corner Bakery in DC instead. Wayne eats at this certain one so much, that they even recognize him without the uniform, so he got the law enforcement discount! After breakfast, we were trying to see who was in the dark limo outside of the Willard, they rushed him out the back door fast, who knows!

We went to Haine's Point today to check out the large play ground! Of course, the kids loved it, but got really hot after a little while. We played and then left to go look at bikes for the kids. On the way to Fairfax, we got a call from Steve and ended up meeting our friends back at Corner Bakery! Ellen, it was sooooooo good to see you, thanks for making my day! Hope you all had a great time at the museum!






We ended up at Cracker Barrel for lunch (wayne loves the sunday fried chicken) and then we got Jon a Lightening McQueen bike and Mady her dream Barbie Bike! You would think they won the lottery! We came home and they rode the bikes over to the park nearby. Mady rides really really well, Jon still has alot to learn!

We were tired afterward, came home and after a bath, Jon was begging to go to sleep!

God Bless!

Day 39

Scripture of the Day:

Wow, it has been a long time since mommy woke up to Dunkin Donuts, but there they were this morning. When we first got here, it was a Saturday ritual for Daddy and Jonny to go and get donuts, but we haven't done it in a long time!

After breakfast, we headed off to the festival in Alexandria. We took the free trolley from the Metro down to the waterfront. But instead of finding the festival, we decided to take a boat cruise on the Potomac. Not a very clear day for this, but still neat! We took the boat to Georgetown and got off to eat before the return trip to Alexandria. We found a food court in some swanky mall by the C & O Canal and had some chinese.





It was hot and humid! Mady was beat red, but insisted on climbing trees in the park until the boat came. We met a nice lady on the boat on the way back who has an 8 month old little girl that Jon flirted with! It was cute! Finally, we reached land and then took the trolley back up to the Metro. The kids were out by the time we got there and we had to carry them home! Never again will I leave without a stroller!

Now it is bathtime and bedtime!

God Bless!