Festival of Lights

Tonight, we took the kids to the Festival of Lights at the Washington DC Temple. We have gone every year since we've lived here. We usually make it there before Christmas or on Christmas Day, but due to various illnesses, didn't make it up there until tonight. It was beautiful, as usual.

Highlights included the live Nativity:

The beautiful Christus statue:

Scott, checking to see that I am using my new camera properly (I was not):

Posing in front of the beautiful lights:

Nativity scenes from around the world. Here are a few of my favorites:

Playing the missionary's harp:

Riding the camel:

We also saw an amazing photography exhibit by Mark Mabry called "Reflections of Christ." Check it out here, his photographs are really beautiful.

When I saw this face, I knew it was time to go home:

Avery wanted to wear this coat tonight. She found it in a pile of things to give to Goodwill and freaked out that I was giving it away. She thinks it still fits. Not SO bad in the first one...

Yikes! Size 4T definitely does not fit us anymore! I think I'm going to have to sneak it away while she sleeps tonight.

The family that Wii's together, stays together

Isn't that how the saying goes?

We love Pei Wei, yes we do!

Pei Wei is one of our family's favorite casual restaurants. The closest one is over 30 minutes away, so we don't get to go as often as we'd like. I wish there was one closer - I've even written to the company begging for one in my town! We went today. The kids had a good timeplaying with their chopsticks. They thought they were very funny.

Avery has not eaten a lemon in this picture. This is her impression of what she would look like if she HAD eated a lemon. Pretty good, huh?

Check out the kids' clothes - it was in the 60's today, December 27th! The rest of the country snowed in, and we could practically run through the sprinklers.

On the way home, we saw this beautiful sunset, a rare treat in Virginia:

It's Christmas!

Christmas Eve, opening their Christmas PJ's.

Avery wanted to try to catch Santa by setting up the camera with a timer on it. It worked! We caught him!

So excited, just waiting to come downstairs!

Our tree on Christmas morning:

Various pictures of Christmas morning happiness and messiness:

(The rest of the pictures are taken by MY Christmas present, a new Nikkon Digital SLR camera that I've been dying for. Can you tell a difference?)

(Scott's favorite Christmas presents - big screen TV and Wii)

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go!

We spent a few days in Utah visiting the Flemings this month. We went for 5 days about a week and a half before Christmas and it was great! Avery and Donovan were excited about being in Utah and started playing in the snow the minute we got off the plane.

Seeing Scott's parents was really nice. It was great to visit with them, and it was fun seeing them interact with our kids.

We took a trip up to BYU. We are trying to brainwash the kids now to go to BYU. We figure by the time they are ready to go to college, it is the only place we will be able to afford. We met up with Scott's dad on campus, and he showed us around the "secret" psychology floor of the Kimball tower where they do crazy experiments on rats and mice and other animals. Avery and Donovan were lucky enough to see some intoxicated mice. Afterwards, we toured the "Donovan E. Fleming Conference Room," which was really cool!

Dono wanted his picture in front of it too. I think maybe he suspects it was named for him!

We made a trip up to Temple Square. When I was little and we lived in Utah, we went every year, so it really made it feel Christmasy to go up there. It was beautiful, and I was surprised at how much downtown Salt Lake and Temple Square have changed!

I loved this life-sized nativity statue. It is floating in the reflecting pond in front of the temple.

The kids were thrilled that Grandma and Grandpa's house got snow while we were there. Avery dove right in. It's like she doesn't even feel the cold! Donovan was not a fan of getting the snow in his face.

Scott, his parents, and our kids:

Our two Donovans:

Sarah and her kids got in the day before we left. Unfortunately, her flight was very delayed, so we didn't get to see them until right before we flew out. We met them at McDonald's and let the kids play awhile while we chatted. It was short, but was so nice to see them!