Guilty Feeling

Okay, so I'm feeling a little guilty - actually a lot guilty.... I haven't written a post forever! I really don't know what happened - I guess after a few months of being in DC, I finally got a life and no longer had time to write. That's not to say that those who post all the time don't have lives - I mean you probably have way cooler lives than me. It's just that writing isn't one of my favorite things to do so it automatically falls to the bottom of the list - even behind folding laundry. Yesterday Nathan even went so far as to suggest that maybe he should contribute once in a while which I would LOVE!! So here's keeping my fingers crossed.

Our adventure in DC continues - winter finally ended and so did our cabin fever. The household grumpiness barometer dropped dramatically. What can I say - a little warmth and sun does our family good. Thankfully we made it through the winter without any major illnesses which is surprising considering all the germs lingering in the metro and in elevators. That was a major schwoo for us. Jackson and Audrey began taking piano lessons which filled our house with music and additional nagging from the parents to "Practice"!

My lovely sister and husband came and stayed with us for a few days while they braved the January weather and saw the sights. It was so awesome to have them - I love to have people come and stay with us and it made me just a little bit homesick when they left.

Jane continues to be the challenging two year old that she is. However, due to the claustrophobic conditions in which we live she doesn't get away with anything and as a result, I think she will be fit for society in about six months. (okay, i'm kidding but really, I'm not)

Nathan is working so diligently learning the romantic language of Slovak. He is an excellent tutor as well and although I have yet to learn many necessary phrases in order to navigate through everyday life, he did successfully teach me how to say "I would like to buy 50 Snicker bars please". Worried, nervous, scared about moving there in two months you ask - nah, I think I'm all set.

Jackson and Audrey still have school for a few more weeks but lucky for us - we are flying home to Utah on the last day of school. Back to the things most familiar for us - See's candies, big gulps at Harts, BYU Creamery and Chuck-a-Rama (it's all about the scones baby). We are looking forward to spending the month of July celebrating our country's independence, Draper days and Pioneer day with our families. Sadly, Nathan has to stay here but hopefully we'll get to see him a few weekends (thank you skymiles!)

I realize this post is somewhat boring and a little disjointed but to add even more chaos - I have posted some random photos I've taken during the past few months. I hope it all makes sense.

Nathan's mother came out the second weekend in April and Nathan and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary in rural Pennsylvania. We stayed in our own little cabin at the Silver Springs Lodge. The highlight of the trip (besides spending time together -ahh) was touring Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water. It was breathtaking. Photos don't do it justice. It was really inspiring and while Mr. Wright's personal life was quite frankly a disaster - he was a truly talented man. He designed this house at the age of 65 and went on to design 400 other structures before he died. No retirement for this man.

You can take the man away from the city but you can't take the iphone away from the man.

We left for Pennsylvania about 6:30 on Friday evening - it was already dark and the further we drove from DC, the more foggy it became. It was a nightmare trying to get there in the fog. In my mind I just kept praying "don't let us die, don't let us die on our 13th Anniversary trip!" The fog stayed around all weekend and this is what it looked like when we drove home Sunday. I am taking a picture of McDonalds, and as you can see, you can barely make out the sign. Crazy.

The time stamp on this is March 14th, 5:45 AM!! Yes - Jane woke up early and found a cake box mix and begged me to make a chocolate cake. She wouldn't give it up and she kept saying "peeze, cake, peeze, cake". I mean honestly, I was going to make it eventually anyway and what the heck, 5:45 am was as good a time as any.

Audrey ticked off one more item on her bucket list - visit Georgetown Cupcakes. She and I watch the reality show DC Cupcakes and we have both been dying to go try it out. Well, we finally went but we kinda cheated. We went to the one in Bethesda because the one in Georgetown always has a really huge line. It still felt like the real deal, I mean the cupcakes were $2.75 each and they came in this really cute box and bag. Audrey was beyond excited. It's a 7 year old girl thing.

Jane enjoyed the frosting!

Walking around downtown Bethesda. It's so fun shopping with kids - so fun.

Jane and I had to run an errand at the LDS DC Temple. It's always so pretty there. Jane just loved waking around the grounds. She and I are little buddies while Jackson and Audrey are in school. The two Amigos.

Jackson annoyed I am taking a picture of him.

Often on Sunday's, we'll take a walk to this water park near us. The kids like horsing around while we are there as you can see from above. It is always very pleasant...until it's time to leave. As you can see below, Jane gets mad.

Here, she is REALLY mad. Parenthood is so rewarding.