Christmas vacation!!

This has been a really great Christmas, and we all got what we wanted. Ethan got more trains, and train accessories, Matthew got sessions at the NRA shooting range, and Matthew got me tickets to the Kennedy Center to see MELODY GARDOT!!!!! Here is a short bio on her too. I hadn't read this, but Matthew looked it up. The song that I linked to her name is probably my favorite, if you are into blues/jazzy music....which I am!!!
We spent Christmas night at Matthew's step-sister's house. She lives about an hour away.

He has fun with their 4 children, even though in this picture- he didn't really want to be held anymore:)

Taking a walk to Georgetown, and the pretty tree.

Looking at the train display at Union Station

Tree at Union Station

Uh....ceilings at Union Station. I think they are beautiful.

We HAD to go the Botanical Gardens again so Matthew could see them.

Cool cave at B.G. with little windows full on fun scenery.

We love him.

I like this.

Bundled up to go to the car. Winds were horrible, and it was freezing outside. I couldn't stop laughing every time I looked at E.

Maybe you heard about the snow storms on the East Coast?

So it took me a while to post about this. But we had a HUGE snowstorm last Saturday, the 19th. We have been playing it it, but haven't taken pictures yet. This in no way compares to Logan, Utah storms, but it was pretty good for D.C. We usually only get 1 or 2 inches each winter.

Things we love about D.C. winters:

-Everything gets cancelled!! No church, school, or work for days!!:)

-If you DO want to get out, you can just walk! We went out during the blizzard on Saturday morning and walked/fell/slipped/pushed the stroller (Ethan was completely protected by a rain-cover and decked out for the snow) to McDonald's for breakfast! We could also walk to 4 or 5 stores in about 10 minutes, if needed.

-We could also take the metro, which we DID on Sunday night. We went to our friend's house for a yummy Moroccan farewell dinner in D.C. She is right off the metro. There was no way we could get our car out, but we really wanted to go! Metro did take a while, but we were together, so it didn't matter that we had to wait:)

SNOW!!
We didn't have boots for Ethan, and couldn't get to the store, so we borrowed some pink boots:) He is going down a slide in our complex.

Here is the little park where Ethan was sliding. We didn't think we could get in because the snow-plows blocked the entrance. BUT, we just hopped over the fence and fell into the snow. You can't get hurt in the snow.


Greeting a snowman, NOT made by us.

Also, this has been my favorite song this season for Christmastime. I have it on DVD from my father, when he performed with Sissel with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I found a version that has the sub-titles, and it is beautiful! She has such a simple, clear, trained voice. I enjoy listening to her interpretation of passion and heart in her music. I think I prefer this to the heavier, more operatic singing. Here it is: Mitt Hjerte alltid vanker

Nairobi, Kenya

It took a while to post these pictures. But Matthew went to Nairobi for 5 days in November. He was there for a conference on home-based counseling and testing for HIV. It was a short trip, so there wasn't much sight-seeing. But if you wanted to see what Kenya is like...here it is:) Matthew's Kenyan friend

A famous restaurant in Nairobi called "Carnivore." Many different exotic meats roasting over a fire. Matthew ate ostrich, he wouldn't recommend it.

Again at Carnivore with a colleague.

At JSI's MMIS (Making Medical Injections Safer) Nairobi office

A hotel at which Matthew stayed

Downtown Nairobi

Church on Sunday, chapel is co-located with the Mission office. Matthew said the Saints were great.

First kiss! Oh wait....third.

Anticipation
Fulfillment
(kissing pictures caught and encouraged by Matthew:) )

A Christmas party at Matthew's work. They got gifts for all the employee's children.

E got a car track and some hotwheels. I love Matthew's smile in this picture:)

So polite

I added this so you could see the picture of the "library" behind the couch. We utilize every INCH in our 515 square feet:)

Crazy busy week/non-stop weekend= SOOO needed a nap today. I don't usually take naps, because I don't wake up very happy. Those of you who have witnessed this first hand, you know:) So I just don't take them anymore. BUT, today was a necessity.

I put E down in his crib, collapsed on the couch and put a pillow over my head. I could hear Ethan moving around and kicking, but he does that to fall asleep. I was almost asleep, when I heard small things being thrown around in the living room. I looked around, but couldn't see anything. It kept happening, and I thought it was something outside. So I decided to just get up. I heard something behind the couch, and it was Ethan! He had gotten out of his crib, crept past me, and was in our "library" quietly reading. He told me to go back to sleep, and so I pretended to. For another 5 or 10 minutes, he quietly walked around the house, playing with toys, whispering to himself, and thumbing through books. How sweet is that?!

George Washington University Graduation dinner

Matthew graduates in one week!! Or at least, he will be done with his last final:) GW had a graduation dinner for all the graduates last night at a restaurant in downtown DC. I was able to meet Matthew's colleagues, professors, and friends.

I am so proud of Matthew for this accomplishment! He has hardly complained, done SO well on 4-5 hours of sleep for 2 years, and gotten great grades too! Matthew, Ethan and I love you so much for doing this for our family. Thank you, we love you!! Some of Matthew's classmates and good friends.

Our table at Firefly. Matthew is totally the life of the party, and we had so much fun!!

We had to take a picture of the food, it was so good! I didn't try the steak, but my butternut squash casserole was amazing....if you are into vegetarian food:)

Thanks to Sundee for watching Ethan so we could have a fun night, get dressed up, and celebrate Matthew's accomplishment!

Sorry, still not Russian

Okay, so since I last posted about EVERYONE thinking I am Russian, at LEAST 5 people have asked me again. Today was a little different, and way more interesting than my past conversations.

While waiting in line at the Post Office:

Nice man from Thailand, with tons of letters: (to me) Oh, hello! You're a Russian!

Me: No, sorry....I get that all the time.

Man: Oh, well you at least know people from Russia, right?

Me: (ummmm, what difference does that make?) Uh, yeah. I know a couple people. (Do Matthew's co-workers count?!)

Man: You MUST speak Russian.

Me: Sorry.

Man: (speaking in phrase in Russian, and then translating into English) It is a nice day outside.

Me: (super confused at this point) I'm sorry, what?

Man: (repeats Russian phrase followed with an English translation) I love the Holiday Season.

Me: (ignoring the fact that he is trying to teach me Russian) Yes, me too.


Okay, this went on for some time, with awkward pauses, and obvious disappointment on his part that I wasn't picking up on Russian yet. It FINALLY ended when it was his turn to mail his letters.

Man: Well, you really should check and see if you have any Russian ancestry.

Me: Will do.

Botanical Gardens

Okay, I know I am always ranting about how much I love it here. But these are a few other things that are cool about living here, and things that are now a normal part of Ethan's every day:

-He see's airplanes that are really really close all the time (because we live a couple miles from the airport)
-He gets to ride the train (metro) at least once a week
-We see helicopters (Marine 1) all the time, especially when crossing into Georgetown. Marine 1 gets super close too.
-He sees buses on every block
-He gets to ride in an elevator 3 or 4 times a day
-We have a concierge that greets us every time we leave or enter the building, and they all love Ethan
-Most things are free here, including the Botanical Gardens!!
-We can see boats anytime we want by the Georgetown Marina
-For a boy who loves trains, airplanes, buses, helicopters, and boats, this is such an exciting place to live!!

Some of the handmade trains at the gardens

Taking the train downtown to the Capitol (Botanical Gardens is on the back side of South Capitol)

He didn't say much, and mostly took everything in.

This was really fun. They have the holiday stuff up until January 10th, which includes the trains. The Botanical Gardens is this HUUUGE greenhouse, and they have a whole room dedicated to trains. All the plants are real (obviously) and we spent about an hour with Ethan just looking at everything. Super fun, and worth the price. Oh wait, it was free!!!

Part 2, his actual birthday

We decided to have a party for Ethan at Matthew's work this year. We are there so much, that it would feel weird not to celebrate with them! Some of Ethan's little friends came earlier to our home today and dropped off cards, presents, balloons, and sang "Happy Birthday". He loves his friends, and so do we! I think we will have a children's birthday party when he is a little older. He looks so big!!
I was sort of embarrassed of this cake, but now I don't really care. I made a train cake for Ethan, and it rocks!! It tasted good too:)

Our little family

I don't know why, but I really like this one. Maybe because it is more candid. I can totally tell what Matthew is thinking by his facial expression, and I love that:)

Ethan learning how to blow out the candles

SOOO good!

The whole group. I have gotten to know many of these people well. I am glad Matthew is surrounded by such great friends; thanks for coming everyone!!

Tonight, I was drawing a bath for E, and he snuck in with his clothes on!! I really deserve this though. When I was little, I would sometimes get back into the bathtub after my Mom had already gotten me in my pajamas and ready for bed. When I saw E, I was laughing so hard, and had to take a picture.

I can't get enough of the bowl on the head. So funny:)