By the way I recently finished our 2013 book.

Enjoy.

Best of 2013

The Rest of November

 

November 18th, Athan had 4 teeth pulled to make some extra space in his mouth.  It was to be 5, but one came out on it's own.   He recovered very well, and very quick.  
The next morning he was ready to go back to school to show off his new smile.                              
The 19th Cora turned 17!  We went to Ocean City to sit in the sand and watch the waves.  The kids played some crazy ball game that involved a pit in the sand, we strolled along the boardwalk, and enjoyed some french fries.

Thanksgiving Day we drove to Washington D.C., and enjoyed the Museum of Natural History.  One of our favorite areas was the Gems and Minerals.

Friday we saw the White House, Union Station, Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and visited the Air & Space Museum.  Preparations were underway for the inauguration, so it was hard to get a good view of the White House.  I actually got a much better photo Saturday from a distance.

Outside Union Station

Inside Union Station

Saturday we saw the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWII Memorial, Washington Monument, and visited the American History Museum.

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

At the Vietnam Memorial

At the WWII Memorial

View of the White House from the Washington Monument

Washington Monument

Lincoln's Hat at the American Museum

During WWII all metals were needed for the war effort.  These Christmas bulbs have cardboard caps.

The American History Museum was really neat, and we missed a lot of it.  Phil could have spent the whole day with the steam engine displays.  We will definitely have to return to go through it and other museums as well.
Sunday we made a short visit to the zoo.  We were able to see the pandas, but we were all very tired.  
It was a nice trip, and we are all looking forward to more visits into DC. 

Thanks for reading!

Mid November Update

October 28th Salisbury Christian School had their NHS inductions.  Unfortunately Cora missed her induction at Ballard at the end of August, but her membership was transferred to SCS. 

The 29th Cora and Obi had Halloween parties.  

Saturday pumpkins were carved.  

Sunday we did some more crabbing.  

Athan went trick or treating with his friend Evan, and Gavin had a costume party.

November 6th we attending the World Championship Punkin Chunkin event.  Unfortunately the event was cut short by an accident, but it was still fun to watch.

This last Saturday the 12th, we explored the area of Chincoteague a bit more.  

We started with the Wallops Visitor Center.  

We learned more about Chincoteague at the Museum of Chincoteague.

We browsed the visitor center at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and the Tom's Cove visitor center.

Then we explored the light house.

After we stopped for ice cream at Island Creamery, yum!

On the way home we picked up some fresh clams, and I made clam chowder for supper.  It was my first try, and all (except Cora, for she was at a movie with a friend) loved it.  I'll definitely need to make a bigger batch next time.

Sunday Phil went on a chartered fishing trip out of Lewes, DE.  The currents were strong, and the fish didn't start biting until it was about time to end, but he still enjoyed the experience.

Thanks for checkin in!

-Jessica

More Experiences

Last Monday night we drove to Berlin to watch the rocket Antares launch from Wallops.  It was a resupply mission to the International Space Station.  Due to time restraints we weren't able to get as close as we hoped, but it was still fun to watch! 

School Pictures are back!

Athan 3rd grade

Cora 11th grade

Gavin 7th grade

Obi 8th grade

Saturday morning we drove to the Front Royal Entrance Station at Shenandoah National Park.  We enjoyed the beautiful drive along Skyline Drive and hiked to Overall Run Falls.  We exited at Thornton Gap and stayed in Harrisonburg.  Sunday morning we entered at Swift Run Gap.  We hiked to the Bearfence Viewpoint.  Phil and the older three took the rock scramble back, while Athan and I stayed on the trail.  We also did the Stony Man Trail.  We exited in the afternoon at Thornton Gap and drove back to home.  We all really enjoyed the park, and the timing was great to enjoy the colors!  

The Appalachian Mountains are beautiful, and it was kind of neat to get a few steps in on the Appalachian Trail.   

Thanks for reading!  -Jessica

When the cat is away

Last Sunday we sampled the local pho restaurant, and then went to a pet store.  We walked out with a fish and a hamster.  I tried to talk Gavin into a hermit crab, but he just wouldn't go for it.  His heart was set on something furry.  So Gavin and Athan have a hamster that still remains nameless, and Cora has a betta fish.  

Saturday Obi turned the big 14!  He and Phil spent the day hanging around Ocean City.  Then 5 of us attended the Crab Feast at SCS.  Cora served at the event, for it was a fundraiser for the athletic department.  Cora and Gavin do not like crab.  So it was ok with Cora to serve at the event, and Gavin was thankful for the sweetcorn.

Obi will have to wait until we get back to Iowa to get his learner's permit.  The rules are a bit different out here.  

Sunday, yesterday, we were hoping to do some crabbing and watch the rocket launch.  The launch was delayed again, so hopefully tonight we'll get to see it.  We did however still get in some great crabbing.  We tried another new spot, and we had the best crabbing we've had so far.

We had 27 keepers for the afternoon.  We even had one that measured 7".  The crabs are measured from point to point on the top shell.  This time of year they have to be 5 1/4" to keep.  

Thanks for reading!