holidays

I was just sitting down at my dining dream table dreamily thumbing through the latest House Beautiful whilst sipping some egg nog when along came my adorable and playful kitty cat who proceeded to first, sit directly in the middle of my magazine, and second, after I tenderly shoved her away, daintily dip her paw in my glass and coldly tipple the whole thing over!  I had just barely put a fresh tablecloth on, too!  I suddenly had something pressing to do and took it as a sign that I should change my activity and not be so lazy.  So after changing the cloth, wiping down the floor, chair, and table legs, and starting a load of laundry I'm here being industrious at the computer.  Maybe I'm singing different words, but it is pretty much the same tune, I'm afraid.

We had a wonderful Christmas and I hope that all of you did, too!  My kids always are so pleasant on the actual day and then this year we left early the next morning to drive to Washington D.C.  I can't believe how good everyone was in the car -- we even went one six hour stretch in the middle of the afternoon without stopping!  I really had some pressing needs, but with everyone else content I wasn't about to rock the boat so I suffered through it.  It did snow most of the way, but the roads were fine and we made it in good time.  Coming home was the same, just long, but no one too miserable.  Once again, my camera battery was always dead when I wanted to use it, but I did get some pictures from the last couple of days.

::Philo standing in front of the Philo

 ::listening intently to the very good tour guide.  I used to conduct tours of the capitol building when I was an intern, but now the security is so tight that you can't just walk around by yourself.

 ::I took this picture while I was waiting for people in the car.  Isn't the sunset colored capitol pretty?  I spent a lot of time on this day waiting, so one time I decided to charge my phone and camera while I waited.  I turned on the car to plug in my chargers and didn't realize the lights were also on so the next time I tried to start my car... it didn't.  I then asked a very nice man from Ghana to help me and he turned his car around on a one way street to help me jump my car.  So nice.

 ::after plenty of museum-ing the kids skated on a rink in the sculpture garden of the National Gallery

 ::a new (to me) memorial to FDR that was very nice and fun to play on

 ::Ella was cold and tired -- there were of course very cold temperatures in D.C. during our visit, with Illinois enjoying unseasonably warm weather -- we call it the Smith curse.

 ::Phin LOVED playing with his cousins.  I am quite sure that he wouldn't have noticed if we just left him there at their house forever.

 ::Doesn't it look grand?

 ::more romping

 ::Ella and Charles made it around the construction at the Jefferson Memorial long before the rest of us.  Can you see them?  The whole time we were there I kept insisting that Matthew imagine the cherry blossoms and he obliged.  I don't know if his imagination is very good, though.

 ::the horse riding police were a hit

 ::this time Phin didn't want his picture taken -- a change

 ::we kept noticing so many Charles' at the Vietnam Memorial and then we saw a Charles M. Smith

 ::being irreverent -- sorry!  he is not very containable -- Rebecca was so nice and kept him at home most days that we went into the city.

 ::another new memorial -- this one for the Korean War.  Everyone agreed that it was a little creepy, but in a good way -- it was very poignant

 ::waiting for the dad's to come get us.  They walked in the wrong direction, which I knew, but no one would listen to me so we played while we waited.

 ::lights at the Washington D.C. temple

 ::and a fun free concert which I didn't see the end of because of mr. wiggly pants

There you go.  And Happy New Year!  My goal for the year is to not completely lose it.  I have made more lofty goals in the past, but that doesn't make this  one more attainable necessarily.  What are your resolutions for the coming year?