May 9, 2010

May 9, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

We’ve had a great week having my brother here. The time is going too quickly though. Monday was a nice slow day. In the afternoon Skate took B-man to the Air and Space Museum. I think they both had a lot of fun together. That night we had FHE, and Skate showed off his ear wiggling abilities in the “Spotlight” portion of the evening. B-man thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Tuesday morning M went to the doctor for his back. He didn’t get much info, but he did get some medicine, and hopefully with some exercises his back will be back to normal. It was great to have him home in the morning for a little extra time. Once he got home though he was off to work. That night we had mutual. We worked on some gifts for Mother’s day, and personal progress tracking. Our project involved sewing, and both of the machines (including mine) were having every possible issue. It was frustrating, but in the end we were grateful for the small turnout so that we could get the projects done. I also learned to never loan out my sewing machine. Even if the person using it is very experienced.

Wednesday was a beautiful day. We decided to take advantage of the nice weather and I took the boys and Skate to the farm for the afternoon after lunch. There were a bunch of school groups there which is slightly a pain, but B-man loved having all the kids around. He and Skate did the double barrel slides together. The best part of the day was when Skate and I sat in comfy chairs in the shade while B-man was playing in the sand. In the shade there was just the perfect amount of breeze to make it that utterly perfect temperature. Skate and I both lamented that there wasn’t sand under our feet and water in front of us. When we got home we were all really thirsty and M was kind enough to have a slushy whipped up and waiting for us. It was very refreshing!

Thursday I took my brother to the commuter bus stop in the morning so that he could get to downtown. B-man was sad not to have him around during the afternoon, but we survived. That night the boys went to play basketball at the church.

Friday was a big fun day for us. We got everything ready to go and when B-man got home from school we headed into the district. We took the scenic route to get there and made a slight detour to an Argentinean restaurant by the temple so that we could get some empanadas for my brother to try. (He is going to Argentina on his mission.) We ate them in the car while driving to Arlington National Cemetery. At Arlington we first went to the Tomb of the Unknown and watched the changing of the guard. We could not believe how perfect the weather was for our day. Absolutely perfect temperature with partly cloudy skies. The changing of the guard ceremony was wonderful, and the ceremony and being in a cemetery brought up a lot of interesting conversations with B-man. After visiting the Tomb of the Unknown we then went to the grave of JFK before heading back to the car. B-man’s legs were already getting a little tired from the walk. After we left the cemetery we headed over the bridge and into the District. We then went to the World War II memorial. This was the first time for my brother, and the first time for our family with all of the fountains running. I love all the quotes that they have on the walls of the memorial. It made me want to learn more about the war, specifically the battles happening in the Pacific side of the world. After the WWII memorial, (and lots of duck chasing by B-man) we walked to the Vietnam memorial. Since I had seen it more recently than M I went to get the car and move it from the parking spot since the time had run out. I got in the car and waited as long as I dared before heading out. I did a lap around the block and pulled over to a better spot while the rest of the crew crossed the street and came to the car. After a little debate we decided to go to dinner. We took Skate to a fun old restaurant in DC for dinner. It was slightly nicer than I would normally take two small children to, but I do like to use these outings as an opportunity to work on manners. The dinner was fast and furious, but the food was delicious and the servers were all patient with us. We had to slightly rush because our parking spot was only good for one hour. After dinner we then headed back home. We were all tired, but so grateful for the great weather, and the wonderful men that have served our country.

Saturday was a busy day for me, but slower for the rest of the family. I was supposed to have a car wash fundraiser for Girls’ Camp, but it was looking like it might rain, and so it was delayed several hours. During the delay I went garage sale shopping. It was super windy and looking like rain so it was slightly a slow day. The people that were having sales though were anxious to get rid of their things so they could go inside. That meant great deals for me. I came home got lunch etc, and then headed off to the car wash. I was very surprised to see that there were a bunch of girls already there washing cars. Then I realized that they were not our girls… The fast food establishment that was kind enough to let us use their houses and parking area had double booked the place. .. So now here we all were ready to go (we had already postponed once due to weather) with not really many options. On a chance our camp leader ran over a block to another restaurant to see if they had outside water, and if they would let us use it. We were all surprised that they said yes to both! We decided it would be better to do it now then wait. The car wash was busy the whole time. We probably only could have washed about five more cars than we did. We washed for three hours before we had to stop because the restaurant had wanted us done by a certain time. The girls had a great attitude and did a really great job. We only had one car come back because we had missed a spot. For some reason it was hard to see up close, but when you were back about ten feet you could see the area really well. I felt really good during the whole three hours, and then as soon as I stopped moving I realized how tired I was. I was SO tired. I came home and just sat on my bed before having the energy finally get myself cleaned up. Then I was back in bed again. I asked the other leaders if they were exhausted too, and they were. That made me feel like less of a wimp. That night we scrounged for dinner and then watched “Terminator Salvation.”

Today has been a great day. B-man has been so excited for Mother’s Day and has been telling me all day how helpful he will be and how I get to just sleep in and take naps, etc… I was happy to follow his instructions. M and B-man had a great breakfast for me, and M has made sure that all the meals were delicious. He did a great job. I will have to really step up my game for Father’s Day. Church was great. B-man did a great job singing with the Primary during Sacrament Meeting, and for the first time there were children louder than ours. They were cute and loud so it was okay. I know have a Beehive Advisor, so I didn’t have to teach today. Honestly it was a little strange to be in the class with the girls but be teaching. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. Tonight we also got to participate in a conference call with my brother on a mission. The connection wasn’t great, but it was so nice to hear his voice and hear a little about his teaching pool and area.

We are so thankful to the wonderful mothers that we have. They are/were great mothers and are wonderful grandmothers now. We wish we were closer so that we could spoil you like you deserve!

Love,

R, M, B-man, and J