Our Nation's Capital

For part of Chris' vacation in April, we packed up the car and headed to our Nation's capital for a couple of days. (April 23 - 25) We got there Tuesday afternoon and went home Thursday evening. It was a short trip but so fun! We will definitely be going back in the future!

In Tracen's Kindergarten class they had been learning about a few of our more famous presidents, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln & Thomas Jefferson.  He had also learned all about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington so it was pretty cool to be in these places and to see some of these historical sites.

We became experts of the Metro system, which was also fun for the boys.  We explored the Mall, Took a day to play at the Zoo, ate some Cafe Rio (yum!) and went to the Museum  of Natural History and the National Air & Space Museum.  There was so much to see that we didn't get to see it all, but we will be doing another trip before we leave Pennsylvania.  It is such a cool city!

The Washington Monument.  It is still under construction.  Two years ago, there was an Earthquake in Virginia which caused some damage so for safety reasons they have been making some improvements.

 

World War II Memorial.  We found the states the boys have lived in!

Lincoln Memorial and Reflection pool.  

While we were there, we read the book Who Broke Lincoln's Thumb (one of the capital city mysteries by Ron Roy).  It was a fun book to read.  We got to stand by the monument and the boys got to see how HUGE it is.  It was fun to talk about the story while we looked at the statue.

View of the Washington Monument & Reflection Pool from the step of the Lincoln Memorial.  Such a cool place.

On Wednesday, April 24th we spent the day at the National Zoo!  We ate lunch at Noodles & Company and had ice cream at Baskin Robins.  It was a long day but so fun!

Tracen's favorite animal is the cheetah...why do you ask?  Because it is FAST!

We arrived at the Gorillas just in time for the workers to be putting out their food and then they released them to eat.  How cool was that?  There were 5 gorillas all together, the momma, dad and 3 babies.

No trip is complete without a ride on the carousel.  Too fun!

The Magical Land of Oz

I once again got be be apart of Roadshow! This year our theme was "Out of Great Books" and we chose to go with The Wizard of Oz. We wrote out script based off the comedy of Angela Johnson. It was pretty fun. As will all Roadshows there was a lot of work, a lot of stress, a lot of craziness, a lot of sleepiness but in the end A LOT of FUN! I loved it! I wish I had done Roadshows as a youth.

Anyhow, here it is: It's about 10 minutes long. The kids did great!

There was a minor malfunction with the opening song:  (I'm pretty proud of it...so here are the lyrics. to the tune of "Arabian Nights.")

Oh I tell of a land, of a magical place
Somewhere over the rainbow.
Where happy, blue birds fly
Way up high in the sky
It's enchanted; this munchkin home.
The wicked witch of the West and Galinda never rest
From their feud of Popular cause
So just relax, lend an ear
Listen close, you will hear
My story of Magical Oz

For anyone who doesn't know, Roadshow here is done as a 24 hour marathon. While we get the theme early and can work on the script/idea for the show, you can not begin production until Friday night and you perform the following Saturday night. This includes all costumes, set, lines...etc. It is a huge production squeezed into a tiny amount of time!

Logan Turns 5!

Happy Birthday Logan! Can you believe it? Our little bear is 5! He had an awesome day! It started out with school and I brought in cupcakes. He wanted sprinkle (funfetti....must get that from G-ma Debbie) cupcakes with blue cotton candy frosting! It was a hit!

Here is his little class.  There are normally 12 kids...6 girls and 6 boys.  Logan has loved it this year!  After the party I tried to get him to take a picture with his birthday certificate, but can you believe it?  He is so stinkin' shy at school.  I keep telling his teachers that he isn't like this at all at home, but at school there is rarely a smile or a story.  Nothing like his older brother...that's for sure!

I finally got a smile out of him by having him say "Skylanders."  We are currently OBSESSED with Skylanders.  It is the perfect combination of two of Logan's favorite things:  Guys and Video Games!

After school we headed to McDonald's for a super healthy lunch :)  It was Logan's day so he got to choose everything we ate.  After lunch, Daddy woke up and we opened presents that were sent from family.  His little buddy Benjamin stopped by and gave him a present...

Best buddies...Logan & Ben.  They are going to be TROUBLE next year in Kindergarten together!  Their birthdays are only 6 days apart...how perfect is that!?!

The big birthday boy getting ready to open his presents and cards....

Ready...get set...GO!

This kid got more money than he could have ever imagined!  And by the end he was getting a little silly with delight at all his cash!

Goofy Tracen...just for good measure :)

To continue our healthy eating, Logan chose to go to Chuck-E-Cheese for dinner.  The boys were in heaven playing all the games!  It was so much fun I think Tracen is choosing to go there next month...yikes!

After Chuck-E-Cheese We came home for more presents and cake.  Our friends the Hipples joined us...it was small and simple, but very fun!

The decorations

Logan's girlyfriend and Tracen

Overall it was an awesome day!  I still can't believe that my baby is 5!  Where has the time gone.  Next year both my boys will be at school....freedom!...just kidding!  Thanks to everyone who sent something for the little dude!  He is working on his thank you cards!  We are so thankful to have so much family and friends to make our kids feel special!

Easter March 2013

We had a simple and quiet Easter.  We were able to have Chris with us the ENTIRE DAY!  We woke up to two little boys scavenging their Easter baskets for yummy treats and fun toys.  The Easter Bunny also left a bit of a surprise for them in the bathroom...He forgot to flush and jellybeans were left in the toilet.  Ha!  They thought it was hilarious!

The Easter Bunny gave a lot of chocolate, jelly beans and a toothbrush to fight sugar bugs :)  He also gave flip flops, swim suits for the boys' upcoming swimming lessons, Skylander trading cards and the house favorite double sided smashers.  Oh and money...we are obsessed at our house with money!

Double-sided Smashers and Swim Suits

Enjoy the following video...just another day at the Karrasch house.  There is always a fun fight going on coupled with never-ending energy.  The joys of having two boys :)

Saturday, we had some friends over for an Easter brunch.  The weather was amazing and we spent the morning outside playing baseball, chatting and gathering rocks.  Then we took our HP passes and headed to the park.  Logan rode the Super Dooper Looper for the first time.  After the first hill and up-side down, he exclaimed "This is Awesome!"  I think I was more freaked out than he was.

Sunday morning we colored eggs while we waited for church.  The boys had tons of fun making bugs out of their Easter Eggs!  Thanks Kathy!

Overall it was an awesome day!  We are so thankful for the opportunity to celebrate the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  What an amazing gift we have all been given!