Life in the 'Hood

Just kidding. I don't live in a "hood" in the street-violence sense of the word. However, I do live near DC, and other than my stint (study abroad) in London, I have never lived this close to a big city. It's pretty fun!

Rachel asked me to let you all in on what life is like in DC. Well, I can tell you my side of the story. Robert can tell his side later (which he was planning to do anyway with a photo diary of sorts; you'll see).

My day is pretty typical. That's why I haven't blogged about it up to this point. Basically, I feed Peter several times; play with him whenever he's not sleeping (he takes a morning and afternoon nap); go on a walk to a park every day or so with Peter; and take care of myself (eating, reading, blogging, showering, etc.) during Peter's naps. Robert leaves in the morning and gets home at around dinnertime typically. We eat together, then put Peter down to bed (Robert reads him poetry or stories, which I love), then it's study time for Robert, whatever time for me. We sometimes play games or watch a movie after Robert's done studying, and then we call it a night.

I know, you just can't handle the excitement! To be honest, my life here is pretty similar to my life in Utah, except now I take Robert to the metro and back sometimes (and we have an amazing apartment and beautiful trees everywhere). Some days, I go on errands... but once again, pretty typical. On Saturdays, Robert and I try to get out and go sightseeing which is a little more impressive (Smithsonians, monuments, etc.).

There you have it, Rach! Sorry it's a snoozer! (-Jocelyn)

Grateful Sunday

Before I sign out and go to bed, I thought I'd join the pack (okay, join Leslie) and do my own gratitude blog. So here we go...

Things I'm Grateful for Today:

• My wonderful, loving, considerate, and fun husband, Robert.
• The cute little guy swinging above, who melts my heart and brings tears to my eyes (because I love him so much) at least once a day.
• The gospel and my testimony of it. I know that I am a beloved daughter of God. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I have a lot spiritually to be grateful for!
• Having friends who are so loving, funny, and genuine that I MISS THEM! (Even if I'm bad at admitting it sometimes.)
• You, reading my blog. It makes me feel special to have blog fans (or at least readers) and I LOVE it when you comment (*hint hint*).
• A supportive and loving family, including my awesome aunts and uncles who have welcomed me to the area with open arms.

Hope you have a great week and that we can both remember the little blessings all around us. Seriously! (-Jocelyn)

A Place of Love and Beauty

This is Peter in his jumperoo for the first time. He LOVES this thing.

Here we go... another day, another group of pictures.

Today was actually a really good day. Robert watched The Buppy (Peter) pretty much all day (from 10 am to 4 pm) while I went to the temple! (Thanks, Honey!) It was so wonderful. Robert and I like to go together, but it's hard with the baby, so we're going to start going separate regularly, then making a date of it whenever we can swing a babysitter. All the same, it felt amazing to be there. I just hope I can keep the Spirit I felt in the temple with me until the next time I go.

If you did the math, you probably wondered what took so long at the temple (10 am to 4 pm). Well, the whole temple part of this morning took about 5 hours (including 2.5 hours of driving; some of that driving downtown--AKA in front of the White House--because I missed my freeway entrance, haha). After that, I went to the grocery store, which I usually hate to do, but without the baby, it was kind of nice. Who knew a trip to the grocery store could feel like such a mini vacation?

I feel like I'm in a boring mood right now, so I will spare you any more reading. :) Just know that I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (in case you don't know what religion I belong to) is the true church on the earth today. The temple confirmed that knowledge again today. I also know that each of us is a beloved child of God. What an awesome fact to consider. I hope I will remember that truth every day; about myself and about others. (How different would the world be if every person absolutely knew that?) Awesome. Love to all! (-Jocelyn)

You can't really tell, but Peter's sleeping with his rear end sticking up into the air. It's one of his favorite ways to sleep now, and it' oh so cute. Look at those cheeks! :)
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For Robert's birthday, I totally decked out the dining room and kitchen area (the spot you see when you walk out the hallway), so he'd be greeted properly for his birthday. I was pretty proud of my handiwork.
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Robert and his birthday cookies (instead of cake, which he doesn't like). We thought two candles would suffice. They represent twenty-five candles (24 years and 1 to grow on).
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Until next time... :)