Friday, 1 August 2014

A Day in DC

Hannah, Alex and I decided to make the trek to D.C. today to take advantage of the cool temperatures and our last unscheduled day before school begins.

We had no agenda.  The plan was to drop Scott off at the Capitol, park the car and start walking.  We ended up walking over six miles!  Here is a quick snapshot of our adventure:

FORD'S THEATRE

Ford's Theatre - My Abraham Lincoln fanatic was thrilled!
Checking out the museum brochure.
Lincoln's box seats at the theatre.
Ford's Theatre

Lincoln died in The Petersen House.

At The Petersen House.
The bedroom in which Lincoln died.

There have been over 15,000 books written about Abe.  Here are a few!

ENJOYING THE GARDENS AT THE NATIONAL MALL





THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

No line so we were able to see the Declaration.  Alex just watched National Treasure so he was pretty excited!

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

The Hope Diamond
OLLIE'S TROLLEYS
A famous D.C. hamburger joint


THE U.S. CAPITOL




THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS






 THE AIR & SPACE MUSEUM 



THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

We have a print of this painting hanging in our hallway at home.

 RANDOM THINGS WE SAW & LIKED



A D.C. Selfie!!

We feel like we got our money's worth - especially since we found out the parking garage, which is usually $22, only charges $13 for Hybrids on Friday.  Whoo Whoo!  Everything else was FREE - except for the hamburger at Ollie's Trolleys but it was worth every penny!!



Sunday, 31 March 2013

Easter Weekend

Our last EASTER weekend in Canada . . . . it is bittersweet.  The warmer temperatures and melting snow are just reminder that Winter has ended and we have only a few months left in Toronto.  Although a nagging voice inside me kept taunting me with spending the extended 4-day weekend cleaning out closets and sorting through boxes, we chose instead to enjoy the time together doing . . . well . . . a little bit of everything.

THURSDAY

Alex's Easter program at North Toronto Christian School was a beautiful beginning to the weekend.  Rows and rows of students singing and proclaiming the JOY of EASTER.  They sang 10,000 Reasons, Christ the Lord is Risen Today and O Happy Day.  They were adorable, amazing and everything else you would imagine a group of elementary students to be.


FRIDAY

We went to Good Friday service at The People's Church.  The music was breathtaking - truly.  The church was packed.  So many people had to stand in the back because there were no seats.  There was no sermon, just music, communion and singing.  A quiet and somber reminder of Christ's death but at the same time the knowledge that Sunday - and with it REJOICING - is coming.  

SATURDAY

We headed to Bruce's Mill on Saturday for the Maple Sugar Festival.  It was still on our "to do" list before leaving Canada.  We enjoyed seeing the process of making maple syrup, and Alex especially liked the free samples.  The kids are convinced that we need to "tap" our own maple tree and do this ourselves.




After our adventures at the Maple Syrup Festival, we headed to Target.  Target just opened in Canada.  There were LOTS of celebrities, LOTS of fanfare, and LOTS of comparisons between U.S. Target and Canadian Target.  I have mixed emotions about the whole thing.  It is complicated.  

 
After our trip to Target, we came home and grilled hamburgers.  It was so nice to have "grilling weather" again.  We spent about an hour decorating eggs.  I didn't take a single photo, but they were beautiful and creative Easter Eggs.  The kids did a great job. We spent the rest of the evening watching the Wichita State game.  As die hard Jayhawk fans, we are sad that KU didn't make it to the final four; however, we are thrilled to see another Kansas team represent!

SUNDAY

"He is Risen."

We were up early to search for the eggs "mysteriously hidden" while we slept.  We can never find them all before church. This year there were still 6 missing when it was time to get dressed and leave for Easter service.  The church service was powerful . . .  the message so timely and yet so relevant.  

They showed this video before the sermon . . . for me a powerful reminder.


For me also, today brought the sad realization that it was our last Easter at our church in Toronto.

After church we enjoyed a lunch of ham, potatoes, vegetables and bread.  The afternoon has been quiet.  We watched last Sunday's episode of The Bible miniseries and the kids are now playing Animal Crossing on the Wii.  It is quiet.  Tomorrow will probably involve catching up on homework, leftovers, some laundry.  Possibly a trip to the theater to see the movie OZ.  One last day of rest before school & work on Tuesday.

  


Friday, 4 January 2013

Snowy Day Photos

I have wanted to take new individual photos of the kids for a long time.  As I dusted the fireplace mantle yesterday (yes, I occasionally do some minimal housework), I realized that the three photos I had on display were taken in Mexico!  Yikes!  The only problem was that it was COLD yesterday . . . like sub-zero temperatures cold.  Being the cautious mom that I am, I decided that if each kid was only outside for 5 minutes, no harm would come.  Here are our results.  I'm happy.










Wednesday, 26 December 2012

Christmas 2012

This was our last Christmas in Toronto and it was very bittersweet.  We just love so many things about this city.  Friends, our church, the school, our house . . . it is going to be really difficult to leave this place.  So we tried to make the most of the holiday.  This past weekend we enjoyed the "Carols by Candlelight" service at The Peoples Church and an afternoon at the movie theater (Tyler & Scott saw The Hobbit / Alex, Hannah and I opted for Rise of the Guardians).  We spent Christmas Eve watching The Nativity Story (our annual tradition).  We also each open one gift on Christmas Eve - it is always pajamas.  We do this every year mostly so that everyone will have clean pajamas that fit for the Christmas morning photos!

Christmas morning was delightful.  We had no place to go so it was a very relaxing day.  Here is a small glimpse into our day . . .

I have now officially trained my dog to pose for photos!
Our Christmas Pajamas consisted of matching Feeken University shirts.
Yes, we are total dorks!!

O Christmas Tree . . . with the help of a special camera filter!

Same tree - no magic photo equipment.
(And I won't miss the hideous curtains in our house when we move.  Yuk!)

Hannah got Tajin in her stocking.  This would not make most people happy but for a girl
who spent her formative years in Mexico, it was a Christmas miracle.

Tyler & Alex pooled their resources to purchase a Paris picture from Ikea for Hannah.
She is obsessed with Paris and is attempting to decorate her room with everything and anything Paris.

Tyler wanted a Keurig for Christmas.  He is happy.

Tyler and Hannah bought Alex a Skylanders Giants game.  He was THRILLED!

A gift for Tyler from the Commonwealth of Virginia.  He can't wait to get his license!

I am so in love with my new boots.  I am taking the rest of my shoes to Goodwill.