Days 4-5 Cleveland

On our way to Cleveland to see family, we made a small detour to the monument for United flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

It is a small monument that is made of of contributions from all over the world. They are planning a permanent monument sometime in the future. I have to say that this monument was much more poignant to me than any statue ever could be.

The names of all those who had died were memorialized. There were plaques, dolls, flowers, toys, flags,hats, shirts, etc. All of these had been left here with inscriptions of love and hope. It was very moving and emotional.

We got to Cleveland late and were excited to meet our newest nephew and cousin-Harrison (Harry for short).

Malcolm and Maddie had the time of their lives playing together. They loved all the same things-baking, playing in the dirt, coloring, dancing, animals, and the outdoors.

My sweet, beautiful, and very talented sister-in-law Sarah. Thanks again for taking care of us and for the great time we had.

The hammock was a source of fun and relaxation that all of us took advantage of. The weather was beautiful and we loved their fun backyard.

It was fun for Dan to celebrate his birthday with his brother Dave, and for them to get to watch a little football together.

Such a sweet family.

The cousins taking one last swing on the hammock together.

Saying farewell to my handsome little nephew. Madison gave Aunt Sarah a big hug and sadly pronounced, "I promise that I will really miss you." We love you guys and miss you!

Days 2 & 3- Washington DC

After finishing at Jamestown we jumped in the car and drove to DC. We were able to get there in time to get to the National Archives before they closed.

In the Archives we were able to see the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and many other historical documents. I haven't included any pictures because there is no flash photography in the very dim viewing room.

The next morning we were able to go to the Smithsonian of Natural History. Maddie was head over heels for the elephant. Her exact words were, " Momma its Gizgirl, she ate some food and grew up." Gizgirl is her beloved stuffed elephant.

Madison was very in to all the buttons and information boards they had throughout the museum. We kept reminding her to look at the actual exhibits.

I couldn't resist a little teasing with the T-Rex head.

Ahh, the metro-our home away from home in DC. It is a good thing all the museums and galleries are free in DC because the transportation cost will more than make up for it. We were grateful that we could hop on and off to see the sights (however there is still a lot of walking to do with this cheaper means of getting around).

After lunch we headed over to the Capitol where we had reservations for a tour.

Dan was grinning like a schoolboy when he saw this statue of Philo T. Farnsworth in the Capitol. Philo was an Idaho native and inventor of the TV (apparently I should have known this).

I did recognize this man. He is in the Hall of Statues in the Capitol, representing the great state of Utah.

On our 2 mile trek to the white house from the metro drop we found this water wall and Maddie was enchanted with it. It brought some much needed laughter to help us forget our aching feet.

The Washington Monument

The White House

My cuties in front of the White House. Gotta love those bars and barb wire.

To finish off our trip to DC we stopped by the National Zoo. The main purpose was for Maddie to finally see her first real panda bear. So worth it.........she is adorable.

Birthday Road Trip Day One

Dan decided that for his 30th birthday he wanted to take advantage of our location and take a road trip to see the sights. We loaded up the car and drove to Williamsburg, VA. We crashed in our hotel at a very late (am) hour.

The next morning we drove over to Jamestown, VA. They have a living history museum that depicts the the arrival of the European settlers in America and their interactions with the Native Americans.

Cute Picture of Dan and Madison

Pointing to Georgia on the map

This is a replica of the Jamestown Fort. It was incredible. The actors wandered around in costume and talked to you as if they were from that era. It was all very real right down to the brooms made out of twigs, the spears and bows, swords, cannons, and chickens running around.

We were able to try on the very heavy armor and chain-mail.

We were able to see the process of creating canoes from fallen trees.

This is a replica of the original ship that sailed from England to Jamestown.

We were able to go all over the ship and see the tiny bunks, huge ropes, latrines, riggings, even the type of games they would have played down below.

This is a replica of the homes that the Native Americans lived in. Maddie's favorite part was the pestles where they ground the corn to make"tortillas." The huts were filled with furs and tools that the Native Americans used in their daily lives. The tools were made out of bones, feathers, hides, and rawhide. I must admit that I was a little grossed out by the bones that served as the the base for most of the tools. They also had a huge indoor museum that we were not able to take pictures of but was truly amazing.

What I Have Been Doing Lately

Meet Buttercup. She is my first attempt at making a stuffed animal. Madison loves her and is so glad to have a "monkey princess who likes jewelry and dancing."

A quick quilted play mat for a friends sweet baby boy. It was fast, fun, and I still feel like I am seeing yellow everywhere. I was going for super brights as that is about all newborn babies can see.

Scrapbook pages- these pictures are mostly for my Momma who has been asking to see them.

Felt clips that I made for Madison.