Tom Turkey & Jennie-O

For Thanksgiving break, Carlos and I drove out to visit my brother Tom, and his family in Washington D.C. They spoiled us with their gourmet cooking. Of course, we didn't get any pictures of Tom or Jen--sorry guys, but here are two of the most beautiful girls in the entire world...

Meet Eliza and Ramona Alyse. (I had to throw in her middle name, since she is my namesake). :) We were thrilled to go see them! They both kept us laughing the entire time we were there. Their favorite game is to name each letter then say it's sound. "What does the 'b' says?" "buh! buh!"

Miss Mona could label each sound before her older sister. Quite impressive for only 18 months! As a speech therapist, I couldn't be more proud! I must confess though, I just wish I could have their hair. :) We miss you already, and can't wait to see you all again at Christmas!!!!

Of course, we did go visit some of the sights, but because the city was so busy (apparently we weren't the only ones who thought to visit over the holiday) we visited a few of the less popular tourist attractions...


Here is Carlos in front of the Mexican Embassy. We couldn't resist taking his picture there. We also spent quite a bit of time on the mall...

Which unfortunately, was probably just as packed as most of the other malls in America on the day after Thanksgiving. (actually, it was probably even worse!). We fought through the crowds though, and were able to visit some of the sites. Here are a few more of the wonderful places we got to see...


This picture of the Washington Monument is taken from my favorite spot, the Jefferson Memorial. It was a beautiful, chilly evening. If you look close, you can see the White House to the left of the 3 bright lights in the middle of the picture. Well, maybe. Here's a closer shot...


We also visited the National Archives where we got to see the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. We were quite excited! Also, the American History Museum has recently re-opened, so we attempted to see it (twice), but it was too crowded to see very much. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of those that turned out.


One of the highlights was visiting the Holocaust Museum--which was an emotional experience. We had some time to reflect on the heritage of Carlos' family members, many of whom were killed in Auschwitz. That is a very special heritage, that I feel honored to share with my children someday. This is actually the reason why we have the last name that we do. Apparently, the Jews changed their names to more Christian-sounding names to try to protect themselves.


Our favorite part of the trip was being able to visit the temple. We were basically the only ones there when we went. It is always a special experience to ponder the many blessings that we have, but so often take for granted--healthy bodies, our warm and safe homes, a free country, wonderful family and friends, and our loving Savior's sacrifice for each of us.

We were sad that we couldn't be with all of our family on Thanksgiving--but are looking forward to our Christmas break!!! Merry Christmas everyone!!!