The Newseum

We've been trying to visit some of the private museums in the area for some time now. You may recall that we did end up going to the Spy Museum not long after we moved to DC. However, the one museum that has always evaded us was the Newseum. You see, the private museums in the area have slightly offensive admission prices. As luck would have it, Groupon recently began running specials on some of the better known attractions around town including the Newseum and Mt. Vernon. We snatched up a few tickets and took off on Saturday.

The Newseum itself is a beautiful glass building just down the street from the capitol. We were almost more impressed with the building itself than we were with the exhibits inside. Like the Spy Museum, there were a few really interesting/cool exhibits. But overall, the Smithsonian museums are significantly better. 

The Berlin Wall, David Hasselhoff not included

The Communist section was one of the more interesting ones in the museum. They had sections of the Berlin Wall. Watchtowers from the East German side. The fallen, decapitated statue of Lenin. In short, it was a grim and grey reminder of the Cold War era. 

Oddly enough, the view was also one of our favorite things about the Newseum. Most buildings in DC are short, squatty, and stretch on for blocks. There aren't a lot of publicly accessible vantage points around town. So, when we do find a good one, it's always a treat. We told you earlier about the Old Post Office tower which was a secret few people actually knew about that offered the same view as the Washington Monument without the long lines. However, since our visit last summer they have closed down the Old Post Office Pavilion and sold it to Donald Trump who is turning it into a hotel. So, the Newseum might be the last "available" vantage point around for quite some time.

The last thing that really stood out was the 9/11 exhibit. The picture above was a communication tower from one of the buildings which was found among the rubble. They had copies of newspapers from around the world from 9/12. It was really interesting to see the worldwide reaction to such a catastrophic collapse. There were also several cell phones, shoes, cameras, handbags, and other personal items. Each and every one was covered in layers of thick dust from the collapse. It really put things back into perspective once again.

Overall we liked the Newseum. But you'll definitely want to catch a coupon. Entrance fees range between 15 and 25 dollars per person. It was cool, just not $100 worth of cool!

What Bryn's Been Up To

It's been a while since the last time we gave you an update about the little terror, so we wanted to give everyone an update on what's happening in Brynlee's world.

We've started to think about potty training Miss B. She seems to grasp the concept of using the potty well enough and is a whiz at getting out of her diaper. Unfortunately she's a little too good at wiggling out of her clothes. We pretty much have to get her dressed all over again after she falls asleep in her toddler bed, or at least near her bed. She hates sleeping in the actual bed and usually ends up naked in a pile of blankets and stuffed animals. She must get that from her mother.

Our little girl has also become entirely independent from us, or at least she is in her mind. She has to pick out her clothes, dress herself, walk up and down stairs by herself, won't let us carry her anymore, etc. We indulge her in most things, even if the results aren't always the best. A prime example would be this ensemble of boots, a tutu, polka dots, and her little sling she got over Christmas when she dislocated her elbow.

All pooped out from riding Pooh Bear around the house

All in all she's growing up. Loves to read, is obsessed with Elmo, Pooh Bear, and Minnie Mouse. She likes climbing into baskets and boxes, on stools and buckets, and playing in her own little world. Other times she runs around screaming and laughing, apparently at her own jokes. And as always, she's a horribly messy eater!!

Baby Time

For those of you who haven't heard, we're having a little boy!!! To announce it this time around we included a picture of Jen holding some Scrabble letters in our Christmas card.

This one didn't make the cut, but it was an interesting attempt

This time around we were almost able to keep it a secret for the entire 20 weeks! As you know with Bryn we tried to, but didn't quite make it. We cracked around week 16 and dropped off a package at UPS shortly before we got a call that Grandma Whittier had passed away. We recovered our package, booked some tickets home for the funeral, and broke the news to the Burk side after the funeral was over. It was a bright spot in an otherwise miserable weekend. The Pehrson's found out the next week when Steph flew out for a conference, which coincidentally was announced with a separate celebration marking the end of the Great Chocolate Fast. Brownies were served.

As you may have noticed I did say "almost" able to keep it a secret until we found out what we were having. A kidney stone broke the news for us a few weeks earlier. Jen began having sharp pains in her side and was vomiting from the pain. She tried to fight it for nearly a week before making a doctor's appointment. The doctor sent her directly to the ER where they took an ultrasound of her kidneys and found the "little" bugger. She had actually passed the stone from her kidney and into the bladder, but it wasn't going any further!! The doctor determined that the stone was too big to pass and suggested sticking a laser in "there" and zapping it. After about a week she was good as new. However, while most of our family simply accepted that using a laser was the preferred method of removing a kidney stone, our two brothers in medical school caught on quickly. After swearing them to secrecy we were able to surprise the rest of the clan by sending out the Christmas cards.

BTW: We're due April 28th and are going to name him Hudson. Still working on a middle name though...

Christmas in Farmington

Back at Grandma Charlene's, Bryn didn't waste any time diving into the treats. As per our usual Christmas routine, we spent more time cooking food than anything else. There were cookies and fudge, appetizers and desserts, pies and cinnamon rolls, funny thing is I don't think I saw too many leafy greens make their way to the table. Odd.

We got the cousins together for the first time in years. Nick came from Thailand; Erica and Lauren flew in from Boston with little Sophie in tow; Jared, Danielle, and Isaac made the trip from Southern Cal; Scott from St. George; Doug and Steph from Monticello; and of course Spencer flew in from D.C. with the rest of us. It was great to see the ol' Kaysville cousins again, though a bit disarming to see the next generation in attendance. Bryn spent her time pestering any female that would listen. Erica had her turn, Danielle got in on the action, and of course the Aunts and Grandmas had their turn. 

The rest of the days were spent wrapping presents and prepping for the big day! Doug and Steph were in town to say hi before they flew out to Milwaukee for the holidays. It ended up being a huge blessing because the little Miss needs a full time staff to keep her warm, wiped, and entertained. 

Christmas Eve PJs

Christmas morning started with a bang and ended with a roar. Bryn had so much under the tree that she flat refused to open any more presents, that is until she saw us opening them for her - then she warmed up to the idea of more presents.

Her face says it all

Can't tell who liked the puppets more...

The big surprise this year was her little Red Radio Flyer Tricycle

Liam even stopped by and made the perfect Santa! Little man shakes like a bowl full of jelly!

Burk 3.0

The proud Pehrsons. Little did they know that they would start Christmas with 3 grandkids 

and end the day with 5! A new little boy and girl will be here before summer is over!!

Further proof that she's her father's daughter. Popcorn and a Sunday movie with all of her friends

Bryn tried to take her trike out for a spin in the house, but just wasn't going to cut it. So she grabbed the nearest Grandma, strapped her bear hat and mittens on, and went out for a day on the town.

Another fun filled, family Christmas gone by. These two just couldn't get enough of each other, although Bryn sure tried her hardest to wear poor Grandma C. out. Up the stairs, down the stairs, up the stairs, say hi to the bears, down the stairs, read a book, take a bath, take a walk, and on and on it went.