What a weekend!

I have so much to blog about! We have been on a dead run since we moved to DC and this weekend was no exception!

Saturday Morning=White House
Yes, we got to tour the White House. It was kind of an emotional experience for me. Standing in a building that symbolizes so much. Standing where so many men and women of history have stood. Not to mention it was so beautiful. I would highly recommend going there if you ever get the chance. It was so awesome.

Uncle Tim & Carol= SO MUCH HELP!
My Uncle Tim had saved my cousins crib, high chair, and a bunch of toys from when she was little. When they found out that we were moving to DC they offered to let us borrow their baby things for the summer. So Tim & Carol drove down from PA just to deliver everything to us. We are so grateful to have those things for Sam, they are already making our life so much easier. We spent the rest of the weekend with them, seeing Annapolis, Chesapeake Bay, LDS Washington DC Temple, eating at great restaurants. It was so nice to see some familiar faces and have the opportunity to spend time with them.

Here are a bunch of pictures for you....

Sam with her new toys from Uncle Tim & Carol

Chesapeake Bay & Boat Tour

Sam having her 1st Dunkin Donut...now she's a Brown!

Our new church for the summer

Washington DC Temple

National Museum of Crime and Punishment

Ok, if you go to DC you have to check this place out. They have real murder weapons from famous cases, actual crime scene photos, tons of weapons, bios on criminals, finger print analyzing, a lie detector machine, jail cells, electric chairs, so much I can't even write about all of it. The coolest thing about the place is that it is where America's Most Wanted is filmed! Nic and I watch that every Saturday night, so it was pretty cool to be there on the actual set.

Here are some pictures of our day yesterday...

Getting on the subway

Nic at the Cop Shop

Sam checking out Ted Bundy's Car

Me escaping from my prison cell

It was so cool to see the section on Interpol, which is who Nic is working for this summer!

Us at The Mall...Nation's Capitol to one side, Washington Monument to the other. So cool!

We had lunch in Chinatown...such good food and awesome shopping.

D.C. so far...

OUR FLIGHT:
Better than I expected, but I still wasn't a huge fan of flying with an 11 month old. We had an angel of a flight attendant who was so good to us and we were able to sit together in the back of the plane WITH a seat inbetween us, so Sam basically got her own seat. She did throw up on Nic and pee on me, but we made it through ok.

OUR APARTMENT:
Totally gross, but Nic has worked so hard to make it comfortable for me. The first thing we bought when we got here were cleaning supplies and rubber gloves. I am trying very hard to feel comfortable here, but I will admit it has been hard. We are living in a great location and we really can walk everywhere so I am grateful for that. To describe our apartment, it's next door to a Pica Taco, and it's a serious "basement" apartment. It's basically a studio, very small. Nic and I are adjusting to a double bed, and right now Sam is sleeping in a suitcase until my Uncle brings us a crib (my Uncle is so generous and is driving down from PA to bring us a crib, high chair, and toys for Samantha!). The apartment has a full kitchen and I am grateful for that. Right now I am just really missing having a TV and a kitchen table.

So it sounds like I am just complaining...and so far that's all I have done ;) I think it will just take awhile to adjust to. It's just hard to not have a yard, a car, and all of your comforts from home. Sam's schedule is all thrown off and I am struggling on how to put her down for her naps without a rocking chair. I don't know if I am homesick or just taking awhile to adjust. I am trying to focus on the fact that this is a really neat opportunity for us and that we will probably never get to do this again. I also think things will get better as I feel more comfortable in this city and learn where everything is. I wish I knew someone out here to do playdates with, maybe we will make some friends at church that have some young kids too.

Here are some pictures so you can see what we have done so far...

Ben's Chili Bowl, a famous DC cultural eatery, was SO good. We loved the food and I am sure we will be back again. It's only about 3 blocks from our house.

Here is Nic going done into our hole apartment. The steps are killer, they are so steep its almost a ladder!

Here is Sam exploring our new place.

This is our view looking out our front door, nice!!

Our trip to the Zoo has been the highlight so far. It is so huge and we didn't even come close to seeing it all. I am glad that we have a lot of chances to go back!

Here is a beautiful park by our apartment. I LOVE that there are squirrels everywhere. I have never seen black squirrels before and they have them here.

Happy Anniversary Baby (a post for Nic)!

Wow, I can't believe it has been 5 years! Thanks for making all of my dreams come true. You really are the love of my life. Thank you for being the best Husband and Father a girl could ask for. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

I love remembering this day...

Happy Mother's Day

I have had an emotional week as I contemplated the upcoming celebration of Mother's Day. I felt excited that I would be celebrating my first Mother's Day. I thought a lot about how blessed I feel to have Samantha in my life. People have always told me that you can never know how much your parents love you until you have your own child. I am just starting to realize how true that really is. It makes you feel such gratitude for your Mom & Dad for doing so many things for you that you were never aware of.

I look at Samantha was such awe. She overwelms me. Nothing can compare to the way that I feel when I look at her. What a miracle it is to have children. I feel so honored that I have the opportunity to care for one of God's children. She brings so much joy and happiness into my life everyday. I love watching her learn and grow. It has been such a fun and challenging adventure for Nic and I since she has been born. When I look at Nic while he is playing with Sam I am always reminded of that line from Hope Floats....

 "My cup runneth over".

Happy Mother's Day!

A bunch of pictures...

Look at that little devious grin! I wonder what she got into!

She is so into climbing into things, she especially loves to sit in this baby bathtub.

More climbing examples..in the suitcases & in her toy bin.

She loves playing in the dirt and being outside.

This is a picture of Sam and her favorite person, her grandpa.