Visiting Catherine in Washington D.C !

There must be a filter on iPhones that makes you look like you have a baby's bottom on your face. Where are our wrinkles and age spots?!

Take a good look at this photo. It took us three tries and catherine badgering the completely dishonest and lazy security guards (they told us the place was closed and had it locked -- when we went inside there was an NPS person on duty who said they do that all the time !?!) to make it to the top of the original Post Office tower. 

I love FDR, but his memorial statue was not becoming of him. Jefferson, MLK, WWII, Lincoln. . . we got em all. 

I cannot believe I included that horrendous booty-shot of me, but I stole this collage off Cath's blog. That is us watching the planes come in at gravelly point-- they were so close!! 

About a  month ago I flew home with both kids to North Carolina. Catherine had taken the bus all the way down that weekend so she could spend time with the girls, even though I had planned to go up to DC solo and spend time with her. I was really touched by her desire to spend time with my littles. Not only that, but she threw me a belated surprise birthday party! I totally sported the homemade glitter crown that has been at Hatch family birthday parties since before I was born. 

The same day that Cath headed back up to DC, we headed south to Charleston, SC to visit Emily. The one stipulation of my trip this time was that I wouldn't bring my nice camera with me. I lost my point and shoot, so I have no photos from my visit there-- but it was a treasure. I loved watching L play with her cousins, plan a Frozen-themed birthday party for Allyson and chat with Emily. Liesel asks me at least once a week if either Aunt Emily can come over or one of Emily's children lives close to enough to play. 

The day after I returned from SC, I boarded the bus and left my kids behind (!!!) for three days of DC madness. Let the fun begin! And it did! I read 4 National Geographics cover to cover uninterrupted on my drive up. Catherine and I consumed a Crumb's cupcake in Union Station within 15 minutes of walking off the bus. We rode the metro all. over. DC. I stayed up late and walked the monuments, watched a move (past midnight) and even slept in until 8:30am. I don't think I have done that since. . . 

Catherine and I used bikes to tour the city. I LOVED this. It is so freeing. And allowed us to cram in way more and be far more spontaneous than in a vehicle. And let me tell you, I cherish a little spontaneity these days. Wanna check out the botanical gardens before we hit up Eastern Market? Lets go this way and see the White House! Portrait Gallery? We ushered at Ford's Theater, learned a lot about the conspiracy behind Lincolns assassination, ate a LOT of food (I made sure that none of it was something available in Moab. . . although that's really not that hard). I think I ate Pho three times. 

And the most hilarious thing about touring a city with your sister is that everyone knows you must be sisters. Constant laughter, super hilarious conversations, no holding back opinions and I there's always so much to say. 

My sisters are my best friends. 

ps: the kids did great with grandma!

today.

Highs and lows. There is a strange tension, a weird energy. I sound like I'm from Sedona or something, but I feel conflicted with a lot of questions. I'm supposed to teach Elder Hollands talk in relief society next month, but I'd rather just bombard everyone with my questions and hear what they have to say instead.

I got to climb at Indian Creek with friends. I will always love that crag. I had two hours to go and climb, so after the drive/hike I got to climb a 5.8. I climbed it three times to try and get some exercise before I headed home. It was an excellent splitter crack with perfect hand jams, but short by Indian Creek standards. 

The girls are sick again. They went through a terrible sickness with fever and then a hacking cough. It all started over again yesterday with a new fever and the cough all over again. I have it again too. 

Wedding season kicks off next week with two Moab Weddings. Here we go. . .

Liesel is really into making silly faces these days// first light of the day from our backyard// Brian and L 

It's almost a memory.

I realized I have never posted a photo of our house. Now that we're about to move, I figured it was a good time to do it. This whole unit is mirrored on the other side where other employees sometimes stay-- but what you see here is ours. 

Only one more month and we are moving back to Moab. We've been down here for 20 months now and it is hard to believe that it will soon be something I'm going to say I did instead of I'm doing. Kind of a miracle considering our plan was to move back when the house was complete sometime in August/September. Suddenly, Brian gets an email that the house we rented in Moab before is about to be vacant May 1st, and they wanted us to move in at a discounted rate and do some work on the place for a few months until our house is complete.  The next day, we were set to move back May 2nd. There is one major downside: Brian will still be working here at the Needles during the week. 

Brian's dad came and stayed for a day-- we went to Indian Creek falls. The plan was to do a hike, but as soon as the kids saw the water, the dogs, the sticks, the rocks and the mud-- our hike went right out the window. We did convince them to walk about .5m downstream to avoid the spring break crowd. Liesel was a complete Amazon woman. She made a shirt and leggings out of mud. She danced all over the place singing songs about a "mud party." Hannah wanted to play in the dry sand and throw rocks in the water but the temperature was too cold for her liking. 

Liesel also gave her first talk in Primary today. She shared a story about how her chick (#2, #1 actually did die from being stepped on) had a hurt leg and she prayed that it would get better. We went out to check and it was healed ("just like Jesus heals the people!" she said). She also wanted to sing "I'm trying to be Like Jesus." I told her to go for it. And boy did she ever. Right into the microphone and she crescendoed like it was American Idol. I may have teared up, even if the girl on the front row had her ears plugged. To me, it was the sweetest thing in the world and I felt a burst of mama-bear in me that wanted to tell the giggling 6-year-olds to get out and stay out! but instead I just hoped that L wouldn't notice. I want her confidence to go on being unshakable for as long as possible.  

please meet Gail and Pink Roses.

This is Gail. Who is also been known as Harry, Earring, and Gary. The black one is named Pink Roses. And that is our 2nd Pink Roses. The first one didn't make it after Liesel accidentally stepped on him in the middle of the hubbub of showing them off to her friends. He lived for several more days, but the yellow chick is very very bossy/pushy and would steal all of his food out of his mouth. He wasn't quick enough (hobbling around) to get enough to eat. 

It has been nice to have them around since the kids have been so sick this week. Bad colds. Hannah takes after Brian in the sickness department. She (no joke) moans all day and wants me to hold her. Sorry B, but that is just like you. ;)

Liesel ignores the fact that she's sick unless it will get her: 1)more TV 2)Apple Juice or the big 3) ATTENTION. This girl cannot get enough of it lately. She begs me to put Hannah down for naps and cried today when she woke up. She played with daddy for over an hour tonight-- drawing a huge castle with chicks in it and flowers. She went to bed very happy. Then woke up two hours later having peed through her pull-up. She told me she was "all sweat!" 

We found out we are moving to Moab the beginning of May. It came completely out of the blue and it was a wonderful surprise. Sort of a miracle honestly. I wasn't sure how I was going to pull of these weddings, trying to help build our house etc living 75m away. 

Decided to go private today. On my blog and my Facebook. I tried to remove as many photos of the close-ups of the kids as I could. Having worked so much with Photoshop, I have realized how easy it is to switch faces and heads. Plus, I figured that maybe my kids should have a say in their photos being available to the public and I was making that decision for them. And for Brian's job, it makes sense. Honestly, I hate having to jump through a hoop to see someone's blog, but oh well. 

the hum.

This morning I was woken up by the babes at 6:04am. I tried to be lazy, but I remembered that Daylight Savings time is Sunday and the mornings will be darker. This was an opportunity for an early morning trail run. Big Spring to Squaw. Very possibly my *favorite* thing about living at the Needles. 7.5m of goodness and it was glorious this morning.

It has felt so springy lately. Liesel and I hunt for the first signs of spring. Little white flowers, milk vetch, longer days, wild rhubarb (? i think) and the birds! There's a book at the library that talks about the world going from brown to green in springtime. In it, they talk about how there is a "greenish sort of hum" -- it is a great way to describe the approach of spring.

I get so excited this time of year. I feel like I need to conquer a mountain, or jump on my bike or at least catch some bugs. I forget how much of a sun-lover, warm weather person I am until the seasons change.

Liesel has been acting up lately. Saying "Sematiya" multiple times a day and telling me not to talk to her. I don't know if she's bored, it's her personality or I'm totally messing up as a mom. Probably a combo. On the flip-side, she has been so helpful. She and Hannah play almost all the time now, but that means she puts Hannah in a headlock and tries to drag her wherever she wants her. Hannah has developed an amazing fake cry where she looks right at me. As soon as I reprimand Liesel, she stops. Hmmm. 

I'm just a bill, yes, I'm only a bill . . .

and I'm sittin' here on Capital Hill. 

name that tune. 

I had that song running through my head pretty much on repeat while bike-touring our nation's Capital last week. I thought a lot of things while visiting DC:

Catherine Hatch is the country's greatest tour guide. The second I stepped off the bus, she was there with a metro card in hand, a map, had organized a bike for me and didn't bat and eyelash when I suggested we buy a cupcake before dinner. 

My sister has surpassed me in athletic prowess and street smarts. The first I blame on babies, the second on living in Canyonlands for 2 years. 

Abraham Lincoln was our greatest president. I think he would be very disappointed at the trashy plays they show in Ford's Theater. 

Mental illness has plagued people for ages, but has been so little understood. It makes me feel greater compassion for the infamous/criminal. 

My sister is a determined individual. You should have seen her get into the old Post Office tower. They told her it was closed, but she totally got us in.

History is sort of creepy. And reminds me of my inevitable demise. I feel like I'm walking amongst ghosts and there is such a strong presence in so many of the historic sites/monuments. 

Catherine and I make a pretty good match when touring museums. I like to see it, but I want to see it fast. It doesn't make me feel smarter to stare at for 5 mins vs. 30 seconds.

I loved the portrait gallery. Most memorable portraits? John Wesley Powell, Tony Hawke and Joseph Smith

Biking through DC reminded me so much of my mission in Los Angeles! It was so nostalgic. Dodging busses, trying to blast through yellow lights and not get hit, having strangers stare, the feeling of freedom that I don't have to follow all traffic rules and the ability to cram in so much more when you don't have to park and walk!

More of my trip to DC, North Carolina and South Carolina soon.