Fischer Family Christmas

What a great Chritmas! Everyone was home. The weather was pleasant. The kids were mostly well behaved. My favorite part of the morning was playing Fischer Family Jeopardy. Thanks again, Amanda! Categories included "It's a Trap", "Outlaws and Inlaws", and "Fischer University". I'll take F.U. for $500. :)

Fischer Family Bowling

Christmas Morning

Belated "Merry Christmas" from the Adams Family! Santa got a little out of control this year.

BEFORE

AFTER

The latest addition to the family: Nugget the guinea pig. Ash loves him already. We are nervous about him surviving past his 14 day guarantee. The 27¢ goldfish we bought in 2004 lived for 4 years, so who knows! 

Nathan got his first phone. Here's the first of many selfies taken this weekend.

Getting Ready for Christmas

After a busy fall, we have settled down long enough to get everything ready for Christmas. Presents bought and wrapped. House mostly decorated. We have added some ornaments to the tree in the last couple of years. Everything from sentimental (special memorial ornament honoring Bill Leslie) to silly (frog with jazz hands from UCA Christmas party) and LOTS of travel ornaments (Canada to Grand Cayman).

3rd Grade Christmas Party

  

Snitch is back! Mostly he just moves from shelf to shelf, but he has made a few special displays this year. Ashley continues to write several letters a week to Santa to be delivered by Snitch. She is sure to ask about the reindeer and Mrs. Claus.

Veterans Day at Arlington

Big Day in D.C. - Part 2

We wrapped up our last full day by walking all the way down the mall to WWII Memorial. This was my first time to see this memorial, and I thought it was beautiful. We then made our way to the Lincoln Memorial at sunset. We then met up with Meme and Pop at the Vietnam Wall.

Big Day in D.C. - Part 1

After a side trip to Gettysburg, we spent another day in D.C. trying to see as many things as we could. Looking back at these pictures, maybe we tried to cram a little too much into a single day. Whew! The first stop was Ford's theater. They were setting up for a Christmas performance on the stage. If we had it to do over again, I would have spent more time in the museum before you enter the theater.

Books written on Abraham Lincoln

After taking a peek at the White House, we walked all the way back to the Smithsonian area and met up with Meme and Pop at the Air and Space Museum. It was Nate's favorite stop! He LOVED the flight simulator.

We didn't get a lot of great pics of the mall. The Capitol was in scaffolding and there where white tents and port-a-potties lining the mall in preparation for a big Veterans' Day concert. On a positive note, we got to hear some of the performers practicing for the concert. Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem in the background as we walked from museums to monuments was my favorite moment of the trip.

We made a second quick trip to the Museum of American History to see Dorothy's ruby slippers and few other things we missed the first time. 

Nate was disturbed by the archaic Apple II. 

Ashley wanted to go back to the First Ladies Inaugural Gown exhibit. She especially loved the dresses worn by Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan--two of the more fashionable first ladies. She remarked that Michelle Obama has some big feet! ;)