Sunday morning in Washington, DC

We enjoyed a lovely outing this morning with our host family, the Hoffmans, to see the monuments and war memorials in Washington, DC. It was a picturesque fall day, perfect for piddling around DC on our bikes, and we were out and back in time for church, although we went a little more casual (and wind-blown) than usual! Whew :)

Our first stop was Iwo Jima. We arrived as the sun was rising and it made for a lovely silhouette of the memorial, the Capitol and the Washington Monument.

Lincoln Memorial

JoJo, Mama and Dad

The White House

World War II Memorial

MaryLynn, Susuanna and Katie

We thought of our Aunt Lee who was running the Army 10-miler while we were in DC this morning. Even though we didn't see you in the crowds, we were cheering you on, Aunt Lee!

MaryLynn, Mama (or "Aunt Tammy" as MaryLynn has taken to calling her ;) and "Aunt Ellen"

Mama and Emmy Xiang

The Parental Unit :)

Gracie and Jane Ellen were unable to make it for various reasons, so we look forward to repeating the fun soon with them, too. It was a morning worth remembering!

Sarah's Visit

We got 134 books at The Book Thing, a free bookstore in Baltimore. Be jealous, bibliophiles. It was awesome. :)

We celebrated a first birthday with a quiet Sunday afternoon party.

We came, we saw, we thrifted. And scored! Apparently Maryland is the place to buy pottery and long jeans. 

We canned applesauce and apple butter.

We cooked delicious, "gourmet" meals. (Don't tell anyone about the hot dogs, Sarah...)

We watched Cranford at night and sipped chai lattes that give Starbucks a run for their money.

  

And now we miss Sarah dreadfully! Thanks for the awesome visit -- come back soon!

Of Day Care and DayCare

Saturday was a very eventful day, indeed. That morning from 9:00 to 1:00, all the PC students and their wives attended a class on biblical fellowship. Meanwhile, Jane Ellen, Katie, and Gracie, along with Gabby, Christene, MaryLynn, Susanna, and Mrs. H, undertook the care of four infants, five boys aged three to six, and six girls aged three to nine. The children and attendants alike had great fun playing and eating and (for the babies) sleeping.

That afternoon, Mama, Jane Ellen, and Gracie rushed to tidy up and then drive over to Baltimore to pick up a dear friend from Niceville, Sarah. Just as they headed out the door, they noticed a package on the doorstep from the Days.

And what a sweet package it was, filled with sweet notes and goodies from our darling church back home.

Just in time for fall, they sent a delicious candle, a cheery pumpkin, and a scarecrow basket that now houses all the letters they wrote to us.

It was a lovely surprise, and a perfect start to a wonderful weekend. We like DayCare! Thank y'all so much! It meant a lot. :) We miss you!

Apple Picking!

Last Friday a few of the PC families took a field trip to Butler's Orchard to pick some apples and enjoy the fall atmosphere!

Though rain had been the norm for weeks before, Friday arrived cool and sunshine-y. It was a perfect day for picking!

Eventually the girls decided that climbing the trees would be more fun.

Meanwhile, some of us scoured the low (read: very low) branches for treasure.

In the end, we left with quite a lot of pretty expensive apples -- but I guess the extra we paid was all for the distinctly non-Floridian experience!

By the way, meet the extra girls in the gang, our dear host family's daughters at home. This is Susanna (also known as Suzie), and this is an accurate portrayal of her personality. Hysterical. We love her! :)

An this is MaryLynn, Suzie's older sister, Gracie's schoolfellow. They do all the boring stuff together, in an effort to make it more appealing. Who knows if it's working. For the record, we love her, too! :)

Our First Visitors

As the first few signs of autumn began to course their way through the sweet maples in our yard, BeBe and Poppy chugged their way up here on the auto train. Unfortunately, Gracie decided that the week of their visit would be the perfect time to have an curiously prolonged fever... Like, a nine day long fever. Nonetheless, we all had a lovely far-too-short weekend of card games, silly jokes, and long chats! We had so much fun and miss y'all already!

And, to allay any fears, Gracie's fever did go away after a good dose of antibiotics. :)

Official

It's amazing how much one little slip of paper can finalize things. :-)

Hobbit Day

Unfortunately, it was a little wet this morning, so we had our wee celebration inside. Nonetheless, we had breakfast and little gifts in honor of the momentous occasion (Bilbo and Frodo's birthday, for the Tolkien-illiterate). :)