DC Temple Trip

I had so much fun chaperoning this year's Youth Conference trip. Here is a quick synopsis of the weekend:
We did service on Thursday. Staining this sweet old woman's deck was one of the many service projects that the youth did a great job with:
After some time at host family's houses to shower and eat (I went home and put Elena to bed), the youth had a talent show and dance and then we boarded the buses just after midnight. Being a chaperone - I got two seats together and was actually able to sleep really well. I fell asleep before the opening credits on the movie they were watching were even over.
This is the whole group of kids right before we got on the buses. We all fit on 3 buses: 1 boys, 1 girls, 1 mixed. I was lucky and got to be on the girls-only bus.
On Friday we arrived in DC at 7ish, changed and were in classes all morning. Then Elder Hardy of the 70 spoke to us. That was really great. He spoke all about the founding of our nation and how the world was poised and ready for the gospel to be restored and the US was the perfect place for it to happen. We were so tired, but pinching ourselves to stay awake because he was such a good speaker and his message was wonderful. After that we went to the temple. We had spent the morning in a stake center right around the corner, so it was a beautiful and short walk. The DC temple is just unreal, it looks so amazing. It was nice to be there again and it brought back memories of the day that Dan and I got married for eternity. I'm so grateful for the blessing of being a family forever! It was awesome to be able to share that with the Young Women. Dan and I got engaged in DC too, so I was able to show the girls where that happened. It was a great day. This picture is of all of the members of the Spanish branch who came:
After going to the temple, we went to the Visitor's Center and watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration. Then we had dinner we another dance, and got back on the buses at midnight. We drove past the Mall and were able to see a few monuments from afar (I'll have to take the girls back for a trip to see the historical things in DC). When we got back to NC, we had breakfast and a testimony meeting and then we all went home and slept all day. Well, I bet those that don't have an 18 month old slept all day. :)

It's official...

We are now a two-car family for the first time since we got married! We are very excited about Dan's "new" 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage. The Bell family moved to Utah and gave us a great deal on the car that had gotten them through med school and residency. Hopefully it will last just as long for us. Here is the car in all of its glory on the day that we bought it. So far, it has been great having two cars - especially for Dan I'm sure.

Butterflies

A couple of weeks ago we went to a local butterfly farm with the ward playgroup. We were let into a little screened in greenhouse-type space and we were able to feed the butterflies by hand. The cotton pad I'm holding is soaked in a sugar water solution.
Elena enjoyed looking at the butterflies, but she definitely didn't want to hold them. She wasn't very happy when I held one a little too close in this video.

Family Trip

This post is so late! We took this trip last month. We loved getting to go to Virginia with Dan. It was awesome to have some fun family time. The first 2 pictures are of a kite-flying trip to Mt Trashmore and below are some fun pictures of Elena at Busch Gardens. Our kite is awesome and it was only $2.50-ish at KMart. We'll have to find an excuse to use it again soon.
Busch Gardens: Elena loved both of the kiddie rides and actually threw short tantrums when she had to get off them. Luckily, she is still young enough to be very easily distracted. She also liked the net climb and playing in the water park area. She would crack up when the water spouts would get her right in the face.
We had a great day and were glad that Granny, Grandad, and Bethany were there with us!

Somebody's in trouble...

I'll try to post again soon. Hopefully I will get a chance before I leave for Youth Conference next week. [Thanks to my mom in advance for coming to watch Elena. What would I do without her?] I'm so excited -- we are going up to DC. Sleeping on the bus there and back and going to the temple and visitor's center during the day. The girl's are most excited about the two dances. :) I'm so grateful that I get to work with the Young Women/Mujeres Jovenes. It should be a lot of fun.
In the mean time, enjoy this bonus picture of Elena as a master of disguise:

Nobody else is allowed to move!

It's hard to say goodbye to all our friends that are moving this summer. There are so many in the ward that are graduating law/med/nursing school or finishing residency this year. I am grateful that through blogs, I will be able to keep up with almost everyone that is moving, but we will definitely miss seeing them on a regular basis.

One person that Elena and I are already missing is sweet Aerin. I am grateful that we were able to have Aerin at our house a few days a week for the past 3 months. She is a wonderful, wonderful baby. When she came by with her parents (who we also miss, btw) before they left for Alabama, she and Elena attacked each other with kisses and hugs. It had been a week since they had seen each other and they were so happy! It was adorable. I'm sad that it will probably be a very long time before the two of them cross paths again. Every time the doorbell rings or someone knocks, Elena excitedly says, "Aerin!" It's heartbreaking.

Two girls in blue:

Sitting on Elena's lap:Jessica, Aerin, and Josh:

Road Trip

Elena and I took off a couple of weeks ago and went to my parents house for a few days. I had the week off from watching sweet Aerin, so I did all my tutoring on Monday and Tuesday and we left Tuesday night. Unfortunately, Dan couldn't go with us because of school. We sure missed him! Everything is more fun when he is with us. :) We were both very happy to see him Sunday night.

Here are some pictures of our activities:

P. F. Chang's. Somehow this is the only picture that I took with my sister Bethany although she was with us everyday and we loved getting to spend time with her.

Each time that we were home and my dad would walk into the room, Elena would say, "Gan-da, paw-no" ("Grandad, piano") and lead him right over to the piano so that they could play it together. Very cute.

Mom (Granny) and I took Elena to Mt Trashmore. That's right - that's really it's name. It is the best park in town. Mt Trashmore is a man-made hill that used to be a landfill. They covered it with dirt and, in doing so, created a man-made lake. There's a jogging/walking trail, a couple of playgrounds, an outdoor skate park, and, of course, a "mountain".

This is the playground that we went to there: Kids Cove. It's huge and always brimming with kids.

This is a picture of us half-way up the mountain. Fun fact: It's nearly 70 feet above sea level at the top! :)

This is a photo of Elena in paradise. She loves books!

On Friday we went to Busch Gardens and watched my dad's show. I think I probably need to explain this a little, plus I want to "brag on" him - as they say in NC. My cool daddy makes physics fun for thousands of middle and high schoolers each year. He created a program where they could learn about the physics of roller coasters and amusement park rides, so lots of kids in the area get to take field trips to B.G. As part of the field trip (on Fridays in April and May), he does a show with physics demonstrations, videos of rides on the big screen, and dancers. It culminates in him being sandwiched between two beds of nails and having a cinder block put on top and then smashed with a sledge hammer. I love my dad. :) In this picture he (white shirt and tie) is just talking to a volunteer while the dancers are setting something up behind him.

Playing in the wading pool at Land of the Dragons:

On the net climb (also at Land of the Dragons in Busch Gardens):

A picture with her grandparents:

The carousel was the only ride that she went on this time. Next time we'll be more adventurous.

When we first arrived at the beach on Saturday, she was amazed by how much "agua" she saw and a little distressed by the sand under her feet. I don't think she remembered the beach from last year.

Video of Elena at the beach:

UPDATE:

So I actually started this entry May 6th, but I never actually got around to finishing it. Tonight -May 14- I am finally posting it and...we are actually back in Virginia. So, I guess you'll be seeing similar photos again soon, but this time Dan will be in them. :)

Faythe and John's Birthday

El and I had a great time at the twins' first birthday party. Faythe and John are the children of my amazing friend Shayne (and her husband John). She taught kindergarten across the hall from me and really helped me to be a better teacher than I could have been without her. She has the coolest and most original ideas. I should know - I "borrowed" almost all of them. :) I miss getting to see and talk with her everyday and I'm excited to get to have play-dates with them once the school year is over. The party was a bug/outdoors theme and we enjoyed our bug hats, our picnic, and the yummy cake from Whole Foods. Shayne and Faythe:
Little John:Unfortunately, I never got a good picture of all the kids together. One year-olds move around so darn much.
Here is one of Elena in her party dress:

Tomorrow/soon I'll post some pictures of our to visit my mom and dad in VA.

Purse Tag

I was actually really excited to be tagged for the first time. Thanks Megan! For this tag, I am supposed to take a picture of my purse and it's contents and then "tag" 5 more people to do the same. This blog is mostly about what we do as a family and especially about what Elena does, so this gives me a chance to talk about something different. :)

I have many different purses (depending on what I'm wearing or what season it is) when I go out without Elena. However, this is my everyday bag:
For those of you who have kids, you may recognize this diaper bag as being the one that the pediatrician gives you for free with formula samples in it. I've used other diaper bags before, but this is the biggest one. The one that I want is this one: Blue Latte Bumble Bag. It retails for over well over $100. Maybe by the time I have baby #4 I can afford one of these. :) I love that it can be a backpack or diaper bag. I'm sure there are other similar options that are cheaper, but this is the brand that I saw someone with once. Wow, that was quite a tangent.

The things in the diaper bag are: a change of clothes, socks, a jacket, a party favor from the bday we went to on Saturday, some books/toys, the goldfish holds snacks, and her sippy cup. The items on the right are what I pull out of the bag and slip into a purse when I head out solita: my wallet, phone, lip gloss, a pen and keys.
Of course there were some spare Cheerios and wadded up tissues, but I didn't include those in the photo.
Now comes the part where I am supposed to tag people, but I am too chicken. I hate putting people on the spot. I'll just leave it wide open and tag whoever wants to spill the contents of their bag. I'm lame - I know.