Our Founding Father

Ever since I read the series, Prelude to Glory, I have made it my quest to incorporated history into our lives.  We live in the Nation's Capitol and are surrounded by history!  After visiting Yorktown and having an amazing experience there, I decided that Mount Vernon was next on our list.  It is free to the public on President's Day.  So we packed our bags and drove to Grandma and Grandpa Day's house for a sleepover!  They only live about 5 minutes away, so it would be easy to get there early in the morning.  Besides, it is so much more fun to "go away" on a three day weekend!!!

 Sleepover pictures at Grandma and Grandpa Day's house....

 President's Day was a beautiful day.....all 22 degrees of it!  It was sooooooo cold, but we were excited and ready to have some fun!

They open early and so we got there right at 8am.  We thought we would be standing in line, but we got right into the Mansion and had several hours to leisurely walk the grounds!  It was perfect!

Garrett decided that wearing a coat was not cool, so he opted for the sweatshirt....

Not sure what Jason was trying to portray here, but love this guy!  He is the best!

My coat that Jason gave me for Christmas has kept me very warm!  All my coats were too big and so this has been a lifesaver many times!  I text him all the time..."I love my coat!"  because I am truly grateful for his thoughtfulness in buying it for me.  I would have never spent the money on myself!!!

When Xander last visited Mount Vernon, we took a picture like this...I need to find the old one and compare...

Freezing to death, but we really enjoyed ourselves!

You are not allowed to take pictures inside the Mansion.  This is the view from the walkway.  So beautiful!  George Washington acquired Mount Vernon in 1754 and spent the next 45 years making it into a home fit for a Virginia gentleman.  He loved Mount Vernon and said about his beloved estate..."No estate in United America is more pleasantly situated than this..."  

His handiwork can be seen throughout the entire estate from the amazing gardens to the decorations.  

The Washington's owned the estate until 1860, when the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association purchased it and 200 acres.  They have maintained, rebuilt and done an amazing job of making this one of the most well preserved historical homes.  I loved living near here.  It has such an amazing feel to it.  

George Washington died of a throat infection in his bed in Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799.  His will indicated that he should be buried at his estate.  The current family tomb was deteriorating, so he chose another site for the building where he and Martha, his wife, are buried.  Martha was heartbroken when her husband died and died only 2 years later.  She burned all the letters he had sent her, because she didn't want the world to know of their special relationship and wanted the words he sent to her private.

These pictures are for my mom.  She loves roots on trees.  This one, I think, is quite cool!

After several hours of being outside, Garrett realized that it wasn't too smart to not wear a coat!

This is the ice on the Potomac River....the sky was so beautiful I loved the feeling of peace that was there.

My four beautiful children.  They were so well behaved and I loved hearing them remember facts from school. Garrett and Eleanor are currently studying the Revolutionary War and Savannah was learning about George Washington in preschool. Xander is in civics this year, so they all had great comments and learning experiences to share.  Eleanor was so excited to put faces and pictures with the facts that she had learned.  It was so fun to watch and listen to each of the children.  I loved it!  I have such great kids.  They amaze me with their desire to learn and their intelligence about subjects!

I loved this white tree against the blue sky....so stunning.

One of the coolest things we saw was the recently acquired  book, The Constitution and Bill of rights, 1789.  It was George Washington's personal copy and had hand written notes throughout the book.  It was on display for us to look at.  The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association is an amazing organization.  It is a non-profit, privately funded organization.  They firmly believe that George Washington's home and his belongings should be at Mount Vernon.  They have done amazing things with the museum and visitor's center.  Several years ago they built a huge visitor center and the exhibits are incredible.  They have wax figures of George Washington in several stages of his life.  One of the exhibits was how they made them.  They took clothes, pictures, sculptures and anything they could find to recreate Washington to exactness as he was at that age.  It is awesome!

In one of the movies we watched, the snow fell from the sky and the seats rumbled when the cannons went off.  The kids loved it also.  They were fascinated by the exhibits and the things they could touch and see.

All the exhibits were incredible.  I felt fulfilled as I walked through the museum.  Learning and teaching my children about this great nation is my sacred responsibility.  I want them to know of the sacrifices that the men and women made.  That they endured 22 degree weather, without coats and gloves and even shoes or food....all for our freedom.  I have a renewed appreciation for our founding fathers and the freedoms that I have.  I have always loved the Fourth of July, but I know this year I will celebrate it differently.  God Bless America!

As you can see, Garrett is now really cold!  We stayed outside most of the time to walk the grounds and see the buildings and gardens.  Then we went to the main area to watch the special presentation.

The bitter wind was so cooperative and made the flag fly beautifully!  And George Washington himself was there!  He gave a great speech about the estate and our country and the freedom we enjoy.  I loved it!  I loved it!  It was exactly what I wanted my children to hear and exactly what I am trying to teach them.  It was perfect!  Thank you, George!

The Military demonstration was cool too.  And then the drum and fife corps came on.  All so cool!!!

Since we got there so early, we were done my lunchtime and went out with Grandpa and Grandma Day.  It was nice to be in a warm place and eat some yummy food!

We are blessed to live in this amazing country.  I am blessed to be able to live where I can show my children the history that made us the country we are today.  You can be sure that we will be returning to Mount Vernon to learn and grow from the exhibits.  I am grateful for my freedoms.  I am grateful for the men who lead the way for the gospel to be restored back on the earth.  I am grateful for the overwhelming feeling of the spirit I felt as I walked the grounds of Mount Vernon.  It was truly an inspiring day!  The tears that came to my eyes many times that day were emotions of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for enabling me to learn and feel and become a better person this day.