DC Day

We opted to add a little spontaneity to our routine this weekend by adding in a day trip to Washington, D.C. The weather was perfect for all the walking we did! We started the day at the National Building Museum, the highlight of which was the Building Zone, a special play area designed for kids six and under. The boys had a blast!


There was even fun for kids at heart as well! There was also a LEGO Architecture exhibit as well, which was pretty amazing that people could design such buildings as the Sears Tower, the White House, and the World Trade Center out of Legos! Brennan even got to try his hand at creating his own Lego building, but alas, the pieces were far too small for Owen so he missed out on the fun.

After lunch, our walk took us right past the Capitol. The boys loved the chance to get off the stroller and enjoy some grass time. It also provided a great photo op!

The next museum stop was the National Air and Space Museum. Owen slept a good chunk of time away. Brennan's initial fascination with the planes quickly faded...until we entered the "Explore the Universe" exhibit. This boy loves, loves, loves the moon. And was he ever excited to see the moon up close! Maybe he'll end up working for NASA?!

The National Mall provided the perfect place for some snack time and a bit of relaxation. It was definitely nice to take a bit of a break before finding the energy to keep on walking!



Our final stop was the Old Post Office where an elevator ride to the top of the tower provided some fantastic views of the city. Similar views to the Washington Monument without the wait time.


The day wasn't complete without a quick stop to IKEA, just south of DC (the closest one to us). Oh, how I love IKEA. I am, however, glad that we don't live too close to it because I don't think I'd appreciate it as much if I was able to go whenever I wanted to. And the Swedish meatballs become a special treat instead of a regular lunch option!

All in all, a long day, but a great day. We're already looking forward to our next DC outing (and IKEA trip)!

Garden Experiment

We decided to try our hand at planting a garden this spring. It definitely took some work to get it started, considering we were starting from scratch, but we have been thrilled with the continuing results. We've already enjoyed some cherry tomatoes and John's had some salad with our leaf lettuce. Brennan and I picked some green beans this morning to have with our dinner tonight. We're looking forward to more tomatoes, more beans, more salad, and carrots. Even one of our four watermelon plants has begun to blossom (if you live around Richmond, we may be blessing you with some watermelon as the summer progresses!). Only the peas have been having issues. Oh well. More space for something else next year!

Blueberry Solstice

Blueberry picking and a picnic marked how the boys and I ushered in this first day of summer. Thankfully, a slightly overcast sky kept the heat at bay for a while which made picking that much better. Brennan was so excited to carry the bucket and gather berries off the bushes. He needed very little guidance this year and enjoyed getting to taste the fruit of his labor. Owen spent most of his time pushing his stroller around and sampling all the delicious grass, sticks, and dirt that he could get his hands on. Gross, I know, but what can you do? He did successfully pick a blueberry and put it in his mouth; he managed a couple of chews before he promptly spit it back out! Oh, well. He will enjoy the blueberry waffles that are on tap for dinner tonight! When I asked Brennan before naptime what his favorite part of the morning was, he answered "Eating blueberries". Definitely a fun summer outing!

The view from our picnic spot--can't beat it!

Backyard

We've always been thankful to have such a fabulous backyard, but this summer we really feel blessed to have such a spacious place for two active young boys to play. I think we'll be having a "backyard summer" this year! Don't get me wrong...we definitely enjoyed it last summer, but this year Owen is old enough to have a good time outside and Brennan really does well with wanting to be outside and finding ways to occupy his time. We try to find ways to get outside as much as possible (the OCD in me cringes when it rains because I just don't want to clean up a mess if we go out and play in rain and mud, so we tend to find other ways to keep busy). Pool time, bubbles, playing in and with the wagon, and hide and seek have all been great ways to enjoy our yard. Can't wait for more outside time!

Summer

Even though it's not officially summer, it sure feels like it! Activities have been winding down, the library story time is on a small break, and our days feel so much more free. During the school year, it seemed like I was heading off to one thing or another every single day. It's been a nice change of pace to have more relaxed days. We have been managing to stay busy, though! Wagon rides, pool time, long walks around our neighborhood, followed by trying to cool back down in our wonderfully air conditioned house (thank you, Jesus, for AC!).

Owen has been daily growing in confidence with his walking ability. He still crawls, mostly because he can get places faster that way. But it's not unusual these days to turn around and see him practicing his walking skills! It's a little bittersweet to watch him quickly leave babyhood behind and enter toddlerhood.

I recently purchased a Groupon that enables Brennan to take a few classes through Romp 'n Roll. For the past two weeks, he's been participating in a class called Good Sports which teaches preschoolers fundamentals of different sports while giving them plenty of play time. He has one week left and has enjoyed it so much that we will be signing him up for a much longer class session this fall (we were slightly concerned since Brennan is pretty cautious and doesn't really enjoy trying new things). I've been able to covertly watch him during some parts of his class (it's parent drop-off), and it's been wonderful to watch him participate and really have a good time with what he's learning. It's also a fabulous outlet for this very active boy to expend some excess energy!

Sparking Compassion

The month of May was Missions Emphasis month at our church. One of the Sundays focused primarily on Compassion International. Both John and I have heard about Compassion through the years. In fact, my college roommate and I sponsored a child for a while during college (the sponsorship ended when the child's father found a job and he no longer needed sponsorship). We've talked about sponsoring a child, but have never done anything about it.

But then on that particular Sunday, something stirred again within us. A stirring we couldn't ignore. We looked at each other and we knew that we'd be going to the table outside the sanctuary and choosing a child to sponsor. Our only criteria was that we wanted a child who was somewhat close in age to one of our own kids. We found a little boy named Frank from Rwanda who is nearly a year older than Brennan.

There is definitely excitement surrounding this decision to sponsor a child. We have Frank's photo on our refrigerator as a reminder that there is a little boy halfway around the world who needs our prayers, our friendship, and our sponsorship. And what a great teaching opportunity for our kids!

Now, I will admit, the most I know about Rwanda is that there was a devastating civil war. So I thought I'd share some basic facts about this country that's home to our sponsored child.

Rwanda Fast Facts:

• Kigali is the capital
• Nearly 10% of the population suffers from HIV/AIDS
• Approximately 900,00 children have been orphaned by war, genocide, or AIDS (nearly 30% of all Rwandan children!)
• Soccer is the most popular sport
• The evangelical church has flourished in the post-war years, aided by an increased missionary presence and support ministries such as Christian radio and the JESUS film
• The average person in Rwanda uses roughly 4 gallons of water per day. The average person in the United States uses roughly 152 gallons per day. Yes, you read that right. It definitely makes you think! (Thanks Data 360 for the info!)
  

Prayer Points:

• Continued reconciliation and healing from the past civil war
• Discipleship and heart transformation to take precedence over seeing numerical growth in the church
• Church leadership--godly men and women need training and Bible study materials to step into positions of leadership in Rwandan churches
• There are many ministries already working with orphans, AIDS victims, and women at risk, but there is still great need for more help with these different populations

(Thanks to Operation World and 24/7 Prayer for the great information!)

On Our Nightstand, Part 10

Here are some recent recommendations from the Downer household.

1. "The Power of a Praying Parent" by Stormie Omartian
2. "Generous Justice" by Timothy Keller
3. "Every Woman's Marriage" by Shannon Ethridge
4. "Love Mercy: A Mother and Daughter's Journey From the American Dream to the Kingdom of God" by Lisa Samson
5. "Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey Across the Life Line" by Abby Johnson
6. "The Preacher and The Presidents" by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy
7. "Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive" by John Eldredge
8. "The Way of the Heart" by Henri Nouwen