Sending lots of love to you all, this Christmas Eve!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. – Matthew 1:23
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. -Luke 2:8-20
Crafts and board games with Aunt Lollly and Uncle Jon…
Hike on the Eno River with Nena and Pops…
Christmas Eve service at Christ Central Church with all, and Grammie and Poppy too…
Feasting!
Including the annual chocolate mousse treasure hunt…
With first gifts for treasure!
And then ready for bed!
Santa better bring his reading glasses, cause he has a LOT to take in…
WORLD PEACE, Bon Jovi jingles and a time traveling machine included!
And then the (Christmas Eve) mayhem ensues.
The EXCITEMENT and ANTICIPATION just cannot be contained.
Merry Christmas Eve, y’all!
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 1:46-55
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And while the Littles (and their grandparents) are sleeping…
Nothing says “We Are Homeschoolers!” like a hand holdin’…lunch packin’…sight seein’…walk till you drop-in’…
FIELD TRIP!
The Hubs and I have wanted to take the kids to Washington, D.C. (the place where the spark began!) for a while now, and this past weekend felt like the perfect opportunity.
So we drove to Annapolis for some free lodging, (much needed) grandparent snuggles,
and sand DIGGING.
The latter of which being a necessity whenever a beach is in our Little Boys’ shovel-loving-radius.
Hugs squeezed, holes dug, bellies filled, and backpacks packed, we readied ourselves for our attack on Washington, D.C.!
The metro was our mighty chariot, and despite this Mama’s hand wringing and fear of small spaces, it all went just fine.
(Even if I was abandoned by the train and my fellow travelers for a few minutes when I had to pop out for a *necessary* bathroom stop. Thereby forcing this Claustrophobic Commuter to ride ALONE for a spell so that I could catch up. But I did and they waited and all was good.)
FEARS FACED.
(MY) PEOPLE FOUND.
CUDDLES DELIVERED.
(And maybe the lessons in life turn out to be not just for the children…)
But I digress. Back to our journey.
A bunch of metro stops (and snacks) later, we made it!
And it was cold!
But no cold weather front was going to stop this band of FIELD TRIPPIN’ WAYFARERS.
Off to the Smithsonian Museums we went.
First to the Air and Space Museum…
Which had a great Wright Brothers exhibit (alas, no relation), a lunar spacecraft with an “awkward” (Little Mister’s word) astronaut shower inside, and tons of connections to our Classical Conversations cycle 2 studies this year. Solar system! Planets! Rockets! Light! Gravity! Famous scientists! World explorers!
It was very cool.
Next up was a quick jaunt to the American Indian Museum. We hope to spend more time there in a future trip, when we are studying native American tribes. But we wanted to briefly let the Littles check out their famed “Interactive Space.”
And I mean, really, who can turn down a life-sized fluffy llama?
Not us, that’s who.
The Littles enjoyed having their “Passports” stamped at each of the tribe locations.
(Ever listen to the melodic vibrations of multitudes of children jamming down stamps with all of the gusto and verve that they can muster? Oh yes. Just like sweet nectar to a caffeine-deprived parent’s soul.)
And the Hubs enjoyed locating the flag for his uncle’s tribe – the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe of Washington state.
After a little break to re-boost and re-fuel our engines…
We made our final stop for the day at the Natural History Museum.
This place is amazing! We could have easily spent all weekend there.
We hopped the metro back to Annapolis and crashed (with some delightful seafood in our bellies…thanks Nena!).
Suffice to say, there was no Littles’ Chatter in the kids’ room at Nena and Pop’s house that night.
And then…it was DAY 2 of FIELD TRIP-O-RAMA!
Monument day.
First thing’s first.
George Washington monument. Or, if you ask the Little Sir, “The Big Pencil.”
Then the World War II monument, where we talked about the Little’s great grandfathers and the many sacrifices that they and so many others made so we could live in peace.
Next we strolled along the Reflecting Pond.
(With Ma and Pa Wright cajoling their Little Crew to “stay out of the water!” All while imagining how uncomfortable and COLD this day would be if a certain Small Person – or 3 – fell in and soaked themselves. I know, I know. Party Poopers.)
We arrived at the Abraham Lincoln memorial, where we talked about the inspiration of ancient Greek buildings and democracy, the fortitude of Old Abe during the Civil War, and the eloquence and truth of Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream speech that he gave from those very steps.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?”…No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
(Martin Luther King, Jr.)
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
(Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address)
Inspired and ready to be free of the crowds (read: Littles Must Wiggle!), we sauntered down the other side of the Reflecting Pond, passing the Vietnam War memorial. Later, we glimpsed the White House and the Littles got to witness their first protest.
They practiced their most “presidential poses” and talked about what it would be like to win the 2048 election for President (Little Miss), Vice President (Little Mister), and Deputy Cutie Pants (okay, maybe the Little Sir didn’t pick that title).
We wrapped things up with one more hop over to the Natural History Museum, this time with Aunt Laura and Uncle Jon!
And that was a wrap!
We did it! Washington, D.C…you are awesome.
And you can bet your cutie pants, we will be back!
