A day in the Gardens of the National Mall

 Smithsonian Castle.

 We enjoyed a great day at the Mall discovering the gardens. There were some that were great- like the Butterfly Gardens inside the National Museum of Natural History (say that 5 times fast!). My friend Lynne told us how on Tuesdays the butterfly gardens are free (usually $6.00). It was amazing. I have never seen such large butterflies before. Taryn starred at them as they fluttered around her and sat on the plants in front of her. They make you check in a mirror before you leave to make sure that no butterflies are still on you.  Definitely the best garden we went to all day.

 After having lunch on a bench with our friends, Taryn spotted the Police Horses and was so excited. But as soon as they got to close, she came running back to me. The horses were very nice and let us pet them. ( Good thing we were on our best behavior!)

I'm a little embarrassed about the Hirshhorn Sculpture Gardens. One, it was super underwhelming. It wasn't what I was expecting at all after hearing "sculpture gardens." We walked around the entire "Gardens" in a few minutes (if that) and saw maybe 5 sculptures. Maybe it's about quality, not quantity but I didn't love it. We thought we would venture inside and see some of the new exhibit from Ai-WeiWei According To What.  

We lasted all of 2 seconds. Really. The babes had expired and I'm sorry, but if you are doing an exhibition and expect children to accompany adults, then you might want to reconsider how to execute your displays. 

Why is everyone promoting this museum to families with young kids!?!?! No ropes...no partitions...you're just asking for it!

And maybe it's my fault that it took Taryn not even 1 second to start climbing all over one of the art displays!!!!! (UGH!!- yes my fault). We left so fast after that.

I think if Tyson and I were to go alone, we might enjoy it a little more. Well, I guess this just means were not ready for a art museum yet. Or at least one of this nature. I'll consider the National Gallery of Art in a few weeks. At least there the art is high on the walls, out of reach for busy toddlers.

The little display mishap was only about 5 minutes of the whole day so not enough to dampen my spirits. We still had fun and I think I'll be going back for more Tuesdays at the Butterfly Gardens

Turning work into fun memories

Before the cold really set in, Tyson, Taryn and I spent a day cleaning up around the big backyard. It was incredible how many leaves, walnut tree seeds and branches there were. And it had only been a few days since we last swept and cleaned. We made piles and filled an entire trash can with leaves, branches and seeds. Taryn played around in the backyard picking up sticks, collecting the "balls" (walnut seeds) and putting them in the trash, and even helping us sweep. 

Something must have triggered in her  head letting her know how fun it would be to throw the leaves. So she came to the pile I was working on, grabbed an arm full, and threw it in the air. Her giggles were contagious as she grabbed more and more leaves.

Maybe it seems anti-productive but I was so happy that my first thought was how cute she is instead of how my work had just increased. She continued to each of the piles we had created, making her mark as the leaves sprinkled further away. But I didn't care at all. She was doing just what a toddler should. 

Exploring, testing something new, and laughing.

How to tell if your husband picked the right Graduate program

I met Tyson at the DuPont Circle metro stop for our date last night. 

I was so excited to see a new part of D.C. and to experience it with him. 

He pointed out all the different embassies that lined Massachusetts Ave, his new favorite book store KramerBooks, and the buildings dedicated to his Johns Hopkins SAIS studies.

For one of Tyson's classes, there is a group of about 7 "students" who are being sponsored by their work to enroll in certain classes. As a "thank you" for the experience to further their education later in life, they host a dinner with all 20 students and the professor who make up the class. Lucky for me, each student is able to invite a guest.

 My sister watched Taryn so that Tyson and I were able to enjoy a night out together!

It was so much fun to see familiar faces from Bologna, Italy on the Johns Hopkins SAIS D.C. campus. Each person was so friendly, asked a ton of questions about Taryn, and made me so happy that we had gained those friendships starting over a year ago. 

I'm certain that Tyson picked the right Graduate Program. 

(and a free date night thanks to the school is always great too!)

The Zoo is always fun. And even better with friends.

We planned a trip to the zoo last week and we were excited that our friends Paige & Ada and Lynne & Logan were able to join us. The rains the day before did not scare us away which meant we basically had the whole park to ourselves (and it's huge!) Luckily the humidity (85 degrees + 80% humidity) died down enough for us to enjoy the day outside under cloud cover. 

Taryn loved having a friend to run up and down and all around with. They were two partners in crime. 

And snack time? 

Always better when you can share your goldfish crackers with someone else.

I met Lynne at one of the parks by my home the day before we were planning on going to the zoo. She and her 8 month old son Logan were playing on the swings right next to us. It doesn't take much to start a conversation when you have two little ones around so we got to talking and I found out that she moved her for her husbands Graduate program at the same time we did. Always happy to make new friends, we invited her to come with us the following day.

 Logan is an angel baby. Seriously. 

Perfectly content in his stroller and very smiley.  

It was a great day to have friends along for a little adventure in D.C.

We're excited to have more fun with our friends soon!

P.S. Our girls were soaked after playing in the mini splash pad. But it was just too entertaining as we watched them giggle and run from spout to spout and get blasted by unexpected shoots of water. They didn't even cry after getting all wet. 

We have some pretty great, adventurous, funny girls!

Conference in our home

We watched General Conference this weekend  which meant a lot of food and family time together. Listening to a prophet's voice is so uplifting. We are grateful for the inspired messages we heard throughout the weekend.

 Taryn helped the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as she led the music- in the most elaborate way I have ever seen :)

Tyson said,  "Taryn, smile!"

 We were able to spend extra time with Daddy

And welcome the 55 degree weather with warm cozy pajamas and socks.

We are so happy to have the weather so chilly and cold. It came on so fast and I'm shocked at how cold it really is. 85 degrees with 80 % humidity on Thursday- then 3 days later- rain and 55 degrees!

Having a car for the weekend.

The Car
Our  friends went out of town this past weekend and gave us their car to use. 

ALL. WEEKEND. LONG. 

It was wonderful. 

I was able to complete errands (multiple errands!!!!) in between Taryn's naps. 

I was able to do things that would have been very hard/ impossible without the aid of a set of 4 wheels.

Taryn didn't mind being in a car seat one bit which meant I was able to do even more.

I realized I knew my way around these parts better than I gave myself credit for.

We know some pretty great people.
And I am constantly amazed at the generosity they have all showed towards us.

Walks
We are outside multiple times a day. Maybe your sick of hearing about all the walks we take but I'm still can't get over how much I love the area we live in. I enjoy being outside, walking side by side with Taryn and watching her discover new things (a rock, a dog, a stick, a car etc...) The days that Tyson gets to join us is like a added bonus.

On one of our walks, Taryn just turned back to look at me (taking pictures...of course) and gave me the biggest smile. Can you tell how much she loves these walks too?

 Relief Society Broadcast
I was able to attend with my sister, Brittany.
 I am so thankful that she lives so close to me. A ColdStone ice cream sister date after?
Yes, please.

Add a great Sunday family dinner (with my sister and her friend). Man, this past weekend was wonderful.
**Can't believe we're almost ready for another weekend.
These days are flying by and we're having so much fun!

M.O.T.H. & D.O.T.H. event on Capitol Hill

M.O.T.H. and D.O.T.H. (Moms On The Hill & Dads on The Hill)
put on a great event on Saturday afternoon and thanks to my friend, Paige, I was able to find out about it. We had lots of fun watching giant bubbles being blown by a clown and children, having a balloon made (a doggie- what else for TarBear?), and watching another clown do magic. There were 3 different bounce houses for different ages, face painting, a puppet show, magic show, photo booth, music and free food generously donated from local purveyors.

 We ate delicious cupcakes from The Sweet Lobby  (featured on CupCake Wars) and I watched Taryn master the bounce house like she had been doing it all her life. She would only take breaks from bouncing to watch the Puppet Show going on next to us. Where does she get all that energy?!

I was very impressed with everything that the event presented. What a great idea to gather the Moms & Dads together under a common purpose to provide support and companionship.
Thanks for inviting us, Paige! Can you believe how fast our girls are growing up?!