Surprising Dad in DC!

As many of you already know, Miriam and I (with her two boys) surprised my Dad and bought plane tickets to visit him in West Virginia (right by Washington DC). None of the children have visited him there yet, as it is a bit far away, so we were stoked to be able to do this, and especially as a surprise! We planned everything with Kay, my step mom, and she picked us up at the airport without Dad knowing.

Dad's pretty good at figuring out surprises, so we did out best to keep it a secret. We were happy to know that it truly was a surprise when he opened the door and saw us in his living room! I caught it all on video.

We spent six days with Dad and it was so renewing to see him again. It's been a year since any of his children have seen him. We spent a lot of time at their little apartment chatting, relaxing, and playing with the boys.

Grandpa helping Tidus read his scriptures.

On Thursday, Dad drove us around to see the area of West Virginia, and the house they are building in Inwood. That evening we met and visited Kay's daughter Angie, and her family,  for the first time. They had us over for dinner, and we got to know them a little bit.

This is the view from the house. SO beautiful!

Angie's kids artwork. I like this idea.

This is the street Dad lives on!

Dad & Kay live in the right side of this house, on the lower level. It's so cute!

Friday, we took the Metro into DC to see the sights. Kay & Dad hadn't seen them yet either, so it was a new experience for all of us! It was a beautiful day, but soooooo windy! We tried to stay as warm as we could.

 What an ugly crane. Boo....

 Occupy D.C.

We saw Obama twice in his limo leaving, and returning to the White House while we were there. The second time, I caught him on video. He's always in the second limo in the processional, and sitting in the back on the right. Did ya see him?

Over all, we had a great time in Washington D.C. I enjoyed the city a lot. It's busy, but not crazy, and has a great inner city feel. I was pretty bummed that the reflecting pool was undergoing construction, but I suppose seeing Obama twice was worth it.

On Saturday, Dad, me and Tidus went on a little stroll throughout the downtown area of Martinsburg. It's such a cute, little, and quaint town with all the old structures. It's like a place where a movie set in the 50s would be filmed. That night, the six of us went bowling at the Bowling Alley in town. Tidus actually did pretty well without bumpers or a ramp!

On Sunday, we slept in a little bit, and headed out to church at 1:00pm. Afterwards, we went over to Kay's daughter Beth's home for dinner. Beth and her family were so nice, and fun to get to know. We had a great time there, and the boys had fun playing with her kids.

Monday was the day before our flight back home, so we spent it with Dad and visited Shepherdstown. It's a cute college town nearby Martinsburg. It sure was adorable. We ate at a little bakery, and walked along the river for awhile before heading back. We stopped at a park in town to let Tidus play while Roen napped in the car for awhile. It was chilly, but a nice day. That evening Dad & Kay treated us to  Chinese Buffet–yum! We also watched The Help for the first time, and I loved it!

 All squished in the back!

Tuesday we had to head out around noon to drive into the DC airport and catch out flight. We were sure to take some family pictures before we left. It was bittersweet leaving Dad. Miss and love you Dad, and hope to visit you again soon!