The Vonns in Maryland

Mom and the boys stopped by last week to visit Maryland for a few days. And we certainly had fun! After a day of resting up, we made our way to Washington D.C. to see some of the sites. We saw several of the museum buildings all right - as we drove around and around and around the National Mall looking for a parking space. Finally, we managed to find a two hour parking spot. From there we visited a few of the places I had been to before: The four story fountain and the National Space and Air Museum. Of course, the first picture mom takes is of the fascinating plant life.

Inside the National Space and Air museum, we visited the Treasures of American History and Orville and Wilbur Wright exhibits.

There were also lots of really cool rockets and planes and space stuff hanging up everywhere. By this point, we had to go home because our two hours were up. However, we returned the next day to continue our adventures.

After less time driving around, we found an outdoor parking lot where we could park longer. So, from there we walked to the White House. If you look closely on the White House to the left, there are two guards spying on us to make sure that we don't try anything.

We also visited the White House Visitor Center and the Museum of Natural History. Hyrum and Mom splintered off the group to admire dinosaurs so there were a lot of pictures of Hyrum and dinosaurs. We got back together in the gems section. Meghan enjoyed the touch and total immersion experiences in the rocks and minerals section. We finished out the museum by having the boys spin a giant globe labeled as "Do Not Touch."

So, Washington D.C. was fun, but very tiring. It was more relaxing to play at home with the boys. Kyle was excited to get a chance to play against the boys, but if you look carefully you can see him cheating in one of these pictures.

Meghan enjoyed visiting with her Uncles. They were lots of fun for her to play with and she is excited for the chance she'll get to play when they come visit again!

Washington D.C. Day 2

On the Saturday of Oompa and Nana's visit, we went to DC again, this time bringing Kyle along. This was a much longer trip with more visits. The first place we went was to the Lincoln memorial. Once again, everything was bigger than it looks in movies and pictures. And there is an unhealthy obsession with lots and lots of stairs. Every building has to have lots of stairs. I got tired just looking at all the stairs I had to climb. Inside the monument, the first thing you see is the statue of Abraham Lincoln, chilling on his chair. On the walls to the left and right are his Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address. And inside the memorial is tons and tons of tourists. They swarm everywhere and wherever they go small flashes of light follow as they snap and snap and snap photos. And YES, there are Japanese tourists! Why the Japanese want to see our National History is a little beyond me. I should have taken a picture but I was too polite.

From the Lincoln Memorial you can see the Washington Monument, which is huge as I have mentioned before. Its a good spot for a family photo without too many tourists getting in the way. Since we wanted to see some museums, we decided to walk to the monument and then on to the museums. Big Mistake. It is incredibly hot in Maryland at the moment. I didn't realize I was so fragile, but apparently being a nursing mother requires a lot of energy, leaving little behind for such simple tasks as walking across the National Mall. Once we got to the Monument, we took a break and Kyle took one of his "perspective pictures." He really enjoys playing with his camera.

From the monument we went on our way (stopping only for food, drinks and cool off time) to the National Space and Air Museum which currently houses the Treasures of American History since their normal residence is being renovated. This was perhaps one of the coolest exhibits I have ever seen. First thing on the inside is Abraham Lincoln's hat. His REAL hat. Also, Thomas Edison's light bulb.

Since television and movies is such a big part of American identity, there was a lot of movie memorabilia. The first Kermit the Frog, The Ruby slippers and the Scarecrow's outfit from The Wizard of Oz, R2D2 and C3PO were all showcased there.

Perhaps the best was Mr. Roger's Sweater. Apparently Mr. Roger's mother knitted his sweaters for him. Which makes me wonder briefly whether or not he lived in his mother's basement between episodes.

Anyways. Among the other interesting stuff on display was George Washington's uniform, a sample of the original penicillin mold, a microscopic plutonium sample in a box and so on. To our surprise, there was also a sunstone from the Nauvoo Temple!

After the museum it was time to head home. So Meghan and Kyle played in the grass and chased pigeons while Kyle's parents fetched the car. There is a LOT of pigeons in DC. I even saw one that had been banded for scientific research. I think that may very well be one of the saddest scientific careers I've heard of - tracking pigeons in DC.

After a long drive home, we enjoyed a good nap and a trip well done.

Washington D.C. Day 1

While Kyle's parents were here a couple of weeks ago, we went to Washington D.C.! It was my first time ever. There is a lot of cool stuff in D.C., more then you could ever see in two days. But we did our best to see lots. On the first day, it was just Meghan, Kyle's parents and me. Did you know that the Smithsonian is really a collection of 19 separate museum buildings, most of which are around the National Mall in D.C.? The first place we went was to the National Museum of Natural History. Inside the museum was the Hope Diamond.


Personally, I thought it looked kind of gaudy. But I guess some people like that sort of thing.

The best part of the museum was the stuffed animals. My favorite was the pangolin which looks something like a cross between an armadillo and a possum.

We didn't go to much more that day, but instead enjoyed walking around the mall looking at the buildings. We did find this fountain which shoots up four stories. It also helped to cool us off. At home, I promptly fell asleep. To Be Continued...

Look Into My Eyes...

As you can see, Meghan has very pretty blue eyes.

Just Meghan

Today I just thought I would post some cute pictures of Meghan.

Have You Seen My Camel?

Here is a picture I got from Kyle's parents. This is what Kyle looked like before we started dating (he's the one on the left). He didn't wear turbans very often but he looked like he should. And here is the after picture. Moral of the story: Boys, stay clean shaven.

DJ Meghan

When we got our couch, we also got some end tables which have become the TV stand. It is the perfect height for Meghan to adjust the volume as we watch movies. So I am getting used to my movies going from really quiet to very very very loud.

Piece Thief

Meghan getting taller has brought with it its own set of challenges. Kyle has a small table on which sits his chess board so he can set up games and think about them. Meghan has now gotten tall enough that she can snatch pieces from the edge. If those elude her, she grabs the whole board and drags it off the table, scattering pieces everywhere. She then helps herself to the piece of her favorite flavor.

Garage Sailing

Today we went garage sailing. And we found quite a catch! Ever since we've moved here, we've needed a couch. Its not fun having just one lonely rocking chair to fight over. But after today we will no longer need to battle it out. Here is our new couch: Ethan Allen, good condition, $30! And there is Meghan, testing it out. We also picked up two end tables for $10. They've become the new TV stand so that we can set up the real computer instead of using the laptop to work.

It Rains in Maryland

Yes, it rains in Maryland. Meghan enjoys watching it pour down. And yes, I know my baby has no clothes except a diaper in all her pictures. However, it is rather hot here and leaving her clothes off keeps heat rash down. I could turn up the air conditioning but we're not that rich yet.

Your Attention! Your Attention Please.

Will the Real Meghan Butt Please Stand Up?

As you can see, Meghan has mastered the art of standing! She can get up in the middle of nowhere without any help. She will also walk if you hold her hands. She takes huge, long steps to go as fast as possible. In other news, her two bottom teeth have finally broken the surface!

Moving to Maryland Part 3: The Final Leg

At Tasha's we spent a refreshing weekend talking, baking pretzels and playing Blokus - a very fun strategy game. I, of course, mastered it and beat everyone thoroughly. Rio, the dog, didn't care for us that much and we had to convince Kyle not to go and try to make friends. Apparently, Kyle thinks he is invincible to take on a large barking dog who probably weighs almost as much as he does. Tasha's little girls were adorable and fun to play with, even if Naomi was terrified of us and had to be reintroduced every morning.

We left Monday morning for Maryland. Originally, I thought it was only supposed to be an eight hour drive from Tasha's to Maryland, but then we ran into some problems. The wobbling I mentioned early plagued us the whole way there. And then, the car started dying. It would just cut out suddenly and we would pull over and try, and sometimes succeed, restarting it. There we were on the interstate highway, me panicking about getting killed or stuck forever and Kyle snarling at the stupid Blazer. I thought maybe the car was tired. Kyle assured me cars don't get tired. So, the eight hour drive turned into a fourteen hour nightmare of terror and adrenaline.

Our goal at this point was to get as close as possible to Kyle's cousins, LaNita and John. They had agreed to take us in while we looked for a place to stay. Amazingly, we got very close. In fact, we made it the whole way despite getting stuck at an intersection and explaining to a policeman what was happening. I think he was laughing at our accents and Utah license plates. We met John part way at a gas station and he led us the last mile or so to his house.

I must say that John and LaNita were very generous. They loaned us a car for a bit and let us stay there a whole five days. Their house was very, very nice. It wasn't long before we found a place to live and we moved in that Saturday. Finally! The trip was over.

Getting the car fixed was a nightmare, but it was done eventually - the fuel pump had given out. Tragic. And Expensive. But its all good now.

That is the end of Moving to Maryland.

Celebrate Independence!

Here is Kyle and Meghan watching fireworks from on top of the blazer. The fireworks were only about a mile or two away. So we went to the parking lot and enjoyed the view. Kyle decided the top of the car provided a better view but since Mom is afraid of heights she chickened out after only a few minutes and had to climb down. Meghan enjoyed the fireworks and didn't even cry when the big booms reached us.

Yum Yum Nectarines!

Meghan has discovered a new favorite food! Nectarines. Her daddy let her have one taste and from then on she jealously watched if he wasn't actively feeding it to her. Once offered, she munched down, even holding it herself. But she didn't like it so much when it was cut up for her.