Mom and Ben's Visit Part III: The Road Trip!

We decided to go for the gold and finish Mom and Ben's trip with a road trip to Philadelphia. We started the day out at Reading Terminal Market for lunch. There were tonz of people and places to eat. It was a little overwhelming, but we settled on smoothies and whoopie pies while Tim got wings.Then we went back in history to see the liberty bell, independence hall, Benjamin Franklin's post office and grave site, and his grandsons printing room.

In the upstairs of the post office, there was a random postal museum. We saw this sign and thought Aubrey might want to use it to find a husband (minus the "not over 18")...And what's a trip to Philly without a visit to the Art Museum. We love looking at art and being cultured. Too bad it was closed!

We finished the night with Philly Cheese Steaks. Always delicious!

Saturday morning we went to Manassas (Bull Run Battlefield) and a visit to my work before the airport. I had a great time being a tourist. Thanks for coming Mom and Ben!

Mom and Ben's Visit Part II

Wednesday was the second day of our trolley tour, and we saw the northern part of DC meaning Georgetown, Embassy Row, and the National Cathedral (where Mom was the ultimate tour-er finding that we could go to the 7th floor!)
We also went to the old post office building--a great waste of good real estate, but a good view-- the outside of the White House (Senators are really bad at getting back to you about requests to visit the white house), and finished the day in Old Town Alexandria where we ate dinner at a chili parlor with friends Lauren and Andrew.
We learned all about the Senate on Thursday. My friend Katie works for Senator Lieberman and gave us a detailed tour of the Capitol. She took us in underground walkways and a little shuttle train to get there (they do exist!) and we sat for a (very few) minutes seeing the senate in session. ZZzzz.
We also caught the last of our good weather at Mount Vernon, where we saw cute baby sheep.
Mom just really wouldn't let us rest. Next stop: Philly!

Mom and Ben's Visit!

I have been looking forward to my mom and Ben's visit since...well, since Ben came last year! They came on Saturday the 6th and left this past Saturday and we did not stop going the entire time!

Sunday we went to Arlington National Cemetery where we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also walked through Robert E. Lee's house and saw the Kennedy's "eternal flame."
Then we drove to DC and saw the Lincoln, Vietnam, WWII monuments and Iwo Jima.
Monday we did a half day in the city after I got home from work. We saw Ford's Theater and the Spy Museum (which you are not allowed to take pictures in).

On Tuesday we took a Trolley Tour around the lower part of DC. It was a lot of fun to hear things about buildings we never knew before even living here. I think we set a record for most things seen in one day. Besides the trolley tour, we went to the Ntl. Archives, the Smithsonian Castle, Air and Space Smithsonian, American History Smithsonian (shown below) and...Up inside the Washington Monument!
A view from the top... That will have to do for now! Over 90 pictures taken and 16 collages created. There will be more...

Joey's Last Update

She's adopted!
Tim and I really miss Joey, but she was adopted by a wonderful lady who is experienced with dogs, has a nice big yard, and will love Joey so much. It was sad to give her back because I don't want Joey to miss us and we can't explain to her what is going on, but it's for the best. It was a great experience. We'll give it a few weeks before we consider fostering any more dogs...

Below: My Valentines creation...

Snowy Joey

Isn't she cute? ...Does anyone want to adopt her?

Lots of Fun Lately!

While the East was being bombarded with the "Snowpocalypse," I was enjoying 70-80 degree weather in Phoenix with Mindy and her family! I babysat on Friday and we went on a bike ride, made valentines, and decorated cookies with lots of pink and purple sprinkles. On Saturday, we went to the Safety Fair put on by Mindy's hospital-also outside at the Mariners' Spring Training complex.We also went to a friend's house to pick oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and tangerines. Even the sheep liked them!
We also took a trip into Mesa to see the temple...And get Cafe Rio!!!
Monday, we went to the Zoo
And I got to ride on a camel-something that I'm sure was on my bucket list.
We finished the trip with a carousel ride and an earlier flight, the red eye to get back before the next blizzard. Now I am safely back in snow up past my knees and more coming. It was the perfect retreat, and I had so much fun with some of my favorite kids (and adults too, thanks Mindy and Thomas!)

I also wanted to post some pictures of our trip to Charlottesville for the NC State UVA game. Our friends, Andrew and Lauren are die-hard NC State fans and invited us to go. It was really fun, but "State" fell back during the second half and lost :( I've decided I should probably become a UVA fan since I've already been to a basketball and football game (cheering for the opposing team). Who knows...maybe we will be real UVA fans next year??? We'll see!

Our Newest Niece Mackenzie!

After much anticipation, our niece (and first of this new generation on the Larsen side) Mackenzie Lynn Larsen was born on January 27th, 2010. She weighed 5lb 8oz and sure is a cutie! We are lucky to be so close to her. DeAnne was a trooper, but we are very grateful to her for providing this new addition to our family (Scott too)! We were all excited to hold her, but I'd have to say that Aubrey was the most excited at finally being an aunt (as shown below).