{Antietam Battlefield}

This was the one and only picture I took while we are Antietam Battlefield.  We decided to go there on Wednesday.  We were probably just excited to use our brand new spanking National Parks passes. Now for a little history lesson for you all, in case the name Antietam doesn't ring a bell.  The date was September 17, 1862.  General Lee had come as far north as Sharpsburg, Maryland (the first Civil War battle to be fought in Union territory) because he was being pursued by Union Major General George B. McClellan.  The Union Army outnumbered the Confederated army two to one, but McClellan was too cautions and only used a third of the army against Lee's full number.  The battle that ensued lasted about 12 hours and ended up being the bloodiest 12 hours ever in the history of the United States.  When all was said and done there were 23,000 dead, wounded or missing.  There was no decisive victor due much to the fact that McClellan didn't use the full force of his army in beating General Lee.  Lee was able to retreat back into Virginia pretty much without incident.  Even though no one was touted as the winner President Lincoln felt confident enough in the North's abilities that he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which ultimately discouraged British and French recognition of the Confederacy.
I have a really good reason for not taking any more pictures than what you see at the top.  In order to see the battle field better we bought a CD from the Visitor Center bookstore, that took you on an auto tour of the battlefield sites around the visitors center.  It was pretty neat and very educational, but I was the driver so my hands were on the wheel most of the time.  This last weekend they commemorated the 150th anniversary of the battle that claimed so many.  Visiting the battlefield was just another fine example of the history that is right here in our very own backyard.

{The National Zoo}

Tuesday we headed to the National Zoo.  I had taken Wyatt with a friend last year about this time but the older kids hadn't been.  So we thought it would be a perfect activity.  It was a warm day, but thankfully not too terribly hot.  It was sticky humid though and I think Don and Faith were questioning our fondness for the East cost at this point.  There were a lot of animals that were out and we got to see most of what we wanted to.  We missed the amphibians which was what Wyatt wanted to see the most.  I guess that means we will have to go back.  We got lucky and got to see the Pandas.  If you were to go today the Panda exhibit is closed because the female panda just gave birth the other day.  People were pretty excited because this particular panda had had several pseudo pregnancies so they were ecstatic that she actually gave birth to a live cub this time.  The other fun and much appreciated feature at the zoo is the misters.  They are placed all around the zoo for melting patrons to walk through and cool off.  The kids had a ball and each time they would walk out of them we would think they were drenched only to have them completely dry by the time we would arrive at the next mister.  Did I say it was warm?  Yeah maybe a little, but it had been much warmer in days past so we considered it a reprieve.  The zoo is another must see if ever in D.C.!!

{Ft. McHenry - take 2}

Ryan's Dad and Step mom flew in on a Friday.  We visited the White House on Saturday.  The next day was obviously Sunday.  We took Sunday off to attend church and observe the Sabbath.  Even if we had wanted to go anywhere, the weather wouldn't have cooperated.  It rained most of the day Sunday so it was a quiet day to enjoy being with one another.  On Monday though it was back to showing off the landmarks around these parts.  When we were downtown on Saturday we had also stopped by the Museum of American History and Don and Faith were able to see the Star Spangled Banner.  So naturally we would want to show them where that whole story played out.  Bright and early Monday morning we headed up to Baltimore to visit Fort McHenry.  I took some pics this time with my cell phone since I have several other pics from our visit last year.  This time there wasn't any of the living history people out and about the Fort but the kids did a Junior Ranger program that kept them engaged.  I think Don and Faith had fun and enjoyed being there.  Another bonus was the new Free Military passes.  So with one of these neat little things I (and others in my group) can get into ANY National Park for FREE.  I just have to renew it each year.  Pretty cool, so that day it was free for all of us!!  Bonus!  Don also got his Senior Citizen card that is good for the rest of his life.  Sorry Don, you probably didn't want me to tell everyone you are a Senior Citizen!! :)

I just loved the sequence of taking pics of the kids.  Never can I get them all to look at the camera or with all of them smiling.  I guess that is real life though, we aren't all happy all of the time.  So it is just as well that I document it that way too.

{The End of a Good Thing...and the White House}

There were a few more things we did while in Idaho.  One of which was visiting Silverwood while we were up in Couer d'Alene with Don and Faith.  I didn't take one picture though.  I didn't want to worry about my big camera getting wet or bumped while on the roller coasters or at the water park.  We had the best time there though.  The kids loved the water park the best and so that is where we ended up spending the majority of our day.  We did get some roller coasters in though.  Papa and Grandma took the two little ones and I took the two older kids.  We decided to meet up in an hour and a half.  In that amount of time we were only able to get two rides in.  By the time we met up it was time for lunch.  So we had lunch and then decided to head straight to the water.  We spent the rest of the afternoon there and when we were all water logged we headed out for pizza.  The kids had such a great day, thanks again Papa Don.  

We also helped celebrate my niece's wedding at the tail end of our time in Idaho.  Our time on vacation was dwindling quickly and so began the task of getting all the junk we took and all the junk we accumulated while there into the right amount of suitcases.  I had to buy another bag just so I wasn't over weight.  It took me a few tries, but I finally got it right.  The day had finally come to head back to the East coast.  We were sad to say goodbye, but really excited to see our Dad again.  Five weeks is a long time to be gone.  The flight home was uneventful, thank goodness and before we knew it we were sleeping in our beds (oh how I missed my bed :).  

One short week later Ryan's Dad and Stepmom came out to visit us.  We had a lot of fun.  The first thing we did was tour the White House.  Rewind a few months, Ryan had set up a tour for the youth in our ward.  You get in touch with you State Senator and then you basically send in a list of anyone that may want to come with your group, complete with name, age, d.o.b., ect. and then they will notify you of when your appointment is to come tour the White House.  As luck would have it, the tour for the youth ended up being when the kids and I were in Idaho.  Bummer.  But Ryan got on the ball and submitted another request for hopefully when Ryan's Dad was in town.  This time we got lucky and it was scheduled for the day after they got into town.

We rode the metro downtown and made our way over to the White House tour entrance.  We couldn't take any bags, purses, cameras, basically nothing through so all the pics I have are of the outside of the White House.  The tour was a quick one, you basically go through the main floor and see a few well known rooms.  Such as the State dinning room, the blue room, the china room (you only got to look through the door), the green room, ect.  There were Secret Service members in each room (sometimes two to a room) and they would answer any questions you had.  It was neat to be IN the White House, even though we would have loved to have seen a lot more.  A short distance from the White House is the White House gift store.  If you spend so "X" amount of money you get a chance to have pictures taken, with your own camera, in the "Oval Office".  So we had some fun with it.  The guy taking the pictures was all over it and took a lot of shots.  These are just some of what was taken.  It was a great day and if you are ever coming to D.C., get in touch with your Senator and get a tour set up, you will love it!!

{Sand & Sun}

When we weren't fishing, which was most of the time, we were on the beach.  Basking in the sun, all day long, a much needed respite from everyday life.  I can't remember the last time I was able to sit on the beach and read a book ALL DAY LONG.  Finally my kids are old enough that I can do that (with them in life jackets of course).  The beach at the lake was perfect.  Lots of soft sand, a great swim area and lots of sunshine.  We would head out to the beach as soon as the sun was high in the sky (10am) and we wouldn't come back in until dinner time.  Food was only a jog away, so we would send someone to fetch some nourishment if need be.  Faith and I sat and enjoyed some great conversation and truly just chillaxed for three whole days!!  Life is good!!

We couldn't have asked for a better place to relax.  Thanks Papa Don and Grandma Faith!!