Happy Birthday Reuben!

Look who's turning the big 8

Happy Birthday Reuben!!

I love this boy! I feel so blessed to have him as a son. It is hard to find this kid without a smile on his face. He is a caring, loving little boy. Reuben loves to make people laugh, which is one of the reasons he wanted fake mustaches for his birthday.

These are the cup cakes he brought to school to celebrate his birthday.

Kirtland Temple

I (Ryan) took this picture of the Kirtland, OH temple last year. I had told Kristen what effect I wanted with fairly particular environmental circumstances. She came home from church, as I was home with a sick kid, and told me that the day was perfect for the picture I wanted. I immediately grabbed my camera gear and my assistant, Kaitlyn. We went to the temple and 20 minutes later I had the picture I wanted.

Now I must give a shameless plug. In an effort to survive through residency, financially, we have decided to post the picture on the blog with the hope of selling a few copies. The link for the purchase of the print is in the right column of the site and will remain there. I will print the picture on archival quality photo paper and ship it to you.

It can also be viewed and purchased by visiting my website: www.ryanellsworth.com

Thank you for viewing and your support.

The Many Faces of Ryan

Ryan surprised us and decided to shave his facial hair off. He decided to shave it in phases. Which is your favorite?

Arlington Cemetery

While in DC we went to Arlington Cemetery. With all of the times we have been to DC in the last 10.5 years, I (Ryan) have never been to Arlington Cemetery. It was a very humbling experience.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

This picture was taken shortly before the changing of the guards. They change every 30 minutes. They stand at one end for 21 seconds, turn and walk 21 steps to the other side, where they stand for 21 seconds, etc. 21 is symbolic of the 21 gun salute which is the highest honor one can receive at a funeral. The main tomb which you can see is the unknown soldier from World War I and on the ground in front of it is the tombs for WWII, Korean, and Vietnam. However in 1998 the remains of the Vietnam Soldier were exhumed and identified with the help of mitochondrial DNA. I wish you could read the inscription on the tomb, it reads: "Here rests in honored glory an american soldier known but to God."

Headstones

Contrary to popular belief the headstones are not lined up for aesthetics. They primary purpose of their arrangement is to symbolize soldiers in formation.

Best view in town

This is the final resting place of Pierre Charles L'Enfant. He was a revolutionary soldier from 1775-1783 and engineer. He was instrumental in designing the city of Washington. What a great place to rest. Pictures just simply don't do justice. This spot has an amazing view of the heart of DC. You can see, obviously, the Washington monument, the capital, and many other monuments on the mall.

Just behind me, while taking Pierre's grave, is General Lee's home. When General Lee took up his position to lead the Southern army the North decided as a disgrace to him they would bury the dead on his property. Kinda ironic how it has become one of the most honored places in the area.

When visiting DC, I highly recommend a visit to Arlington Cemetery. Don't wait as long as I did.

Just Plain Cute

While we were in D.C. Ryan caught Kaitlyn and Lincoln sitting in the grass watching the garbage truck (Lincoln is obsessed with any kind of truck or tractor lately). Then the other kids joined them...

Happy Easter

On Easter we had a little easter egg hunt at my parents. The weather was beautiful so we were able to do it outside this year.  I was only able to take pictures of the younger kids because the older ones were way too fast.

I thought it was cool that this egg was the exact same color as the flowers on this bush.

After dinner Ryan, Kaitlyn and Reuben went to see the outdoor monuments in D.C. I stayed home and put Eve and Lincoln to bed. Ryan took these great shots.

National Arboretum

We visited the National Arboretum.   Our friends are both horticulturists so this was a must see for them.  While we normally would not put this on our list of must see, it was actually quite cool.  We are so glad we went.  

A large koi pond near the visitor's center which had HUGE fish. 

They had a large collection of cool bonsai trees. These are both over 100 years old.

Lincoln is just chillin' atop our friend.  What a life.

These pillars were in front of the capital when Lincoln was inaugurated, so naturally we had to get a picture of our Lincoln in front of them.

Last Visit to D.C.

For Spring Break we headed down to my parents house. We were so lucky to have our friends the Wrights come with us for a couple days. They hadn't been to D.C. in a long time and their kids had never been there. So, we went and saw as much as we could in the couple of days they were there. It was a lot of fun. We went to a couple of the Smithsonian's and to the National Gallery of Art on our first day. We of course ate at the Old Post Office Pavilion for lunch, which is basically a mall food court minus the mall. But they had something for everyone, I have good memories going here as a family growing up.  Here are a couple of pictures of our day.

I titled this post as our "last trip to D.C." because my parents have sold their home. They will be moving out in a month and a half. I get teary even writting this in my post but my parents have lived in this house since I was four. So, it really is home. I am excited for my parents because my Dad can retire which is wonderful! So, look out all you in Utah you might have one of the best couples move into your ward soon! (They are still house hunting) I love you Mom and Dad!

More pictures of Spring Break to come!!!