Syrett Family: July 2011

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Happy 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July!

Our 4th started a day early with flag-making and treat-eating!

Also, the night before the actual holiday, we gathered for some fun in the cul-de-sac with the Rudys. Very low key sparks and some colored smoke - but the reactions we got from the kids made it seem like a lot more!

I love the clenched-fists, the ear-plugging and the facial expressions in this one!

All the kids were looking forward to seeing "fireworks in the sky" on the night of the fourth, so it was really disappointing when we ended up watching a torrential downpour for an hour instead. Of course we had to go again the next night to the rescheduled show and the kids finally got to see them. As we drove home at 10:45 that night, it was so entertaining to hear their comments as they followed the big moon from one side of the car windows to the other. "There it is!" Then we'd turn and they'd say "It's over there now!", or "Now where is it?" All the way home. Not only was it their first experience with fireworks, it was the first time they were up late enough to observe the moon. Wow, what a night of firsts!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Washington DC trip cont...

Kids on the metro! We were on our way to the National Air and Space Museum and unfortunately part of the metro was under construction. We had to get off and ride the bus for the majority of the time. It made the day a little uncomfortable and long.

Here we are on the Washington Mall.
The Washington DC temple is stunning! While exploring the temple grounds, Jayce was continually reminded by his Dad to stay close... Despite all the warnings, Jayce and Avery ran up ahead and around the corner. Aaron was the first to round the corner, and as he did, he jumped way back! Then Brian came up quickly from behind to see what had caused Aaron to flinch, and there it was - the kids were both on their hands and knees staring right into the eyes of a thick, 3-foot jet-black snake. It got scared away quickly, thank goodness! Jayce showing us how long the snake was... and how thick it was. What a memorable temple visit! On our way to see the White House, we got word that the President's helicopter was on it's way (approaching behind Brian and Jayce). I think the two dad's were the most excited - but it quickly rubbed off on the rest of us! It flew right over us... Can you see the snipers on the roof? Our final stop of the day was the Lincoln Memorial. On the last day of our visit, we all went swimming! Some of the most enjoyable moments of our trip were spent just playing or reading or watching the kids interact...what fun cousins! Caleb brought his Superman costume and Jayce was in heaven all weekend! In fact, before we left, Caleb decided to surprise Jayce and give it to him (it was getting a little small for him anyway). The smile says it all!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Cousins and DC!

At the end of May we braved a 5 hour drive to Washington DC to see Brian, Alisha, Jayce and Halli. We not only had an enjoyable time in the car, we had such a good time when we got there! I'm sooooo grateful to Alisha because she took amazing pictures of the entire weekend and shared them with me. She also put together some blog posts and then gave them to me too. So, these posts are here because of her - Thanks so much Alisha!

We had fun playing around the house, going to Six Flags, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, visiting the Washington DC Temple, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and swimming!

Avery, Jayce, Caleb and Presley (Halli was sleeping). We attempted this fun looking sleepover... It didn't work out so well the first night. The kids were distraught when Jayce had to go into another room, and it wasn't until after 10:30 pm that everyone finally fell asleep. I guess that's pretty good considering the Syrett's had never really had any kind of sleepover at all!

The girls reading books together. Halli snuggling with me - so fun!

Having a blast jumping from mattress to mattress!

Presley was a little sad, Jayce went to see what was wrong...

He convinced her to come play, they had so much fun dancing together. Jayce thought she was so cute. He would say, "You're pretty!" She would reply "I know..." :)