Easter/Passover Weekend

We packed up,

sported our best Washington DC gear,

and headed down to VA for the weekend.

We spent this past weekend in Reston, VA celebrating Passover and Easter and spending time with Ben's family and my sister. We packed it all in and were able to do quite a bit in the short time that we were there. After a 7.5 hour trip down (where Eleanor didn't sleep a wink) we settled in and got some rest before our big day the next day. In the morning Ben realized that I had neglected to pack him any underwear so we decided to head to the temple and since we were in that general direction we went to Ikea as well. It was a perfectly clear day and the kids enjoyed walking/running around the temple grounds with the beautiful tulips. After our stop at Ikea we headed to the National Zoo to meet up with Natalie, Sam and his kids.

The zoo was, in essence, a zoo. The parking lots were supposedly "full" (though we had driven by and saw many open spots), so it was near impossible to find parking. When we were walking into the entrance of the zoo they had opened the parking back up, so Ben went and moved the car while we met up with everyone inside the zoo. The exhibits were crowded, but the animals were all alert and the kids really enjoyed seeing all the animals. We waited in line the longest to see the panda since he was actually awake and eating.




We then headed back to Reston to get ready for Passover. After passover dinner the kids all played while the adults hung out and chatted. I think it's times like these that I wish we lived closer to family. Mine or Ben's. It always fun to be with one another, and it helps that Ethan gets along with his cousins so well and really admires them. Even though Ethan took a nasty spill into a dresser and gave himself a nice bruise on his eye, he cheered up when he was able to play with his cousins some more.

The next morning the kids woke up and went and found their Easter baskets. Ethan was excited to find that some of his eggs were filled with Star Wars Lego mini-figures. Eleanor got a couple Toy Story mini-figures and they both got plenty of candy. After a little breakfast they dyed some eggs and took a bath before we headed to Ben's parents ward for church. Easter Sunday was beautiful and though Eleanor was acting crazy during the Sacrament program, we enjoyed the singing and music for the program.



The weather outside was perfect so we seized the opportunity and took some pictures outside the church and then at the Mudricks' house.












That night we ate a delicious meal and spent some more time with family. Ethan got to stay up late and play with his cousins and then it was time for us all to hit the sack in preparation for our trip home the next day.

In the morning we packed up and then headed out to DC where we walked along the tidal basin and visited the Martin Luther King Jr., the FDR and the Thomas Jefferson memorial. We were planning on just visiting the MLK one, but then Ethan saw the Jefferson and said he wanted to go to that one. It was a blustery, but not too chilly morning, so it was nice to walk along the water and visit each memorial.

Eleanor and Grandma Mudrick with Eleanor Roosevelt.

It was a short trip, but we had a great time and we're glad we were able to go down for the weekend.