Washington D.C., the second time

Andy had some thing for school in D.C., so we went a few days early and turned it into a vacation...so much fun!!!  But, oh, so hot!  Last time we were there, Andy didn't get to sight-see with us very much, so this time we hit a lot!  First stop, a picnic next to the Potomac River!

The kids were enthralled watching some boys swim in this river they weren't supposed to be in!  It was a beautiful stop!  We had a mini-history lesson the Battle of Independence per my knowledge from 1776.  (Thank you David McCullough!)

Before checking into our hotel, we went to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.  So beautiful.  Love this man.  I am just in AWE of the Founding Fathers and can rarely talk about them without getting choked up!  We parked where I knew to park and walked a LONG way to the monument.  Did I mention it was hot AND humid?  However, seeing these little ducklings helped raise the energy levels!

It seems that each child took a turn being happy for the camera.  Annie also loves Thomas.

Playing on the beautiful stone steps below Thomas.

Oh, the challenges of picture taking!  Alas, this is just a beautiful place to just BE.

This is the outside of the memorial.  We bought a book inside as a souvenir, it's a Jack and Annie book (Magic Tree House series) about the Revolutionary War.  Annie bumped into many a people while trying to read and walk at the same time.  She wouldn't put the book down to smile at the camera!!!

Oh, love this one too!  FDR and his many fountains.  A must-see - VERY child friendly!

The State Capitol...um, I mean THE Capitol.  :)

No matter where we were in the city, the kids would always find The National Monument.  Just beautiful.  This was one place we didn't get to explore that Andy really wanted to.  Maybe next time.

We went to have an early dinner at Founding Farmers - super fantastic last time, still good but not great this time.  We didn't have reservations and felt kind of rushed by the waiter.  Anyway, we decided to check out just one more place as museums were open late on the first Friday of the month.  Yes, great spot on the Mall across from the Museum of History (my favorite museum!)  Ahhhh, we came upon one of my little interests - Julia Child's Kitchen!!!  It was just fun to see!  AND - the gold nugget that started the California Gold Rush!  Just amazing!!!

Obligatory family picture in the air and space museum...and no, Ben's BYU shirt doesn't fit anymore.  I need to get him another one!

This was another cool exhibit about the Wright Brothers!  The kids loved that there were crafts to do.

Oh yes, this is how we traveled around Washington D.C.  We were a sign to behold and got many funny looks.  I loved walking behind Andy, with Mitchell in the backpack and Ben also on the stroller.  People would literally STOP and watch him.  We love our family so much!!!!!

Well, about 3 blocks into our walk, we ran into some people who has just visited the National Capitol.  They said NO STROLLERS, so Andy ran the stroller back to the car and came back to meet up with us again.  That meant all the kiddos (except Mitchell) had to walk on their little tired legs, but they did SO FANTASTIC.  I don't think the promise of ice cream afterwards hurt either...

On our way into the Capitol tour!  We arranged this several weeks prior to visiting with our Congressman's office.  He got us an afternoon tour. 

Trying to capture it all on film.  Mitchell was done.  Shortly after, Emily lost it.  Ben and Annie were a dream.  They loved seeing some statues of people we 'know' like Sam Houston from Texas and Brigham Young from Utah!

 

Dad is the rescuer with the strong arms and back.  Love this man to pieces!!!

She's happy again!  In the Library of Congress.  This definitely would have been a fun place to explore more, but we were exhausted!  However, I did finally learn more about Porgy and Bess!

Outside the Capitol, before our 6 block walk back to the car after a long, but fun, day!!!

Sunday evening was Andy's conference, so we went to church with the Szamosfalvi's and then played with them all day!  Jozsef with little Mitchell.

I can't even explain how much my kiddos love this man.  He is just a gem!!!

Annie and Hollie made the fabulous fondue sauce! We had our fondue and then headed out - driving home and listening to the Dallas Mavericks basketball game.  Until we got caught in two hours of traffic at one in the morning...not the best car ride...or places to pull over for potty breaks, but we made it home with 5 hours to spare before Scout Camp the next morning!

I almost forgot to mention THE BEST part of our trip - parking spots!  We found STELLAR parking spots all throughout the city!  Our spot on Saturday was a MIRACLE - there were four spots across from the Air and Space Museum.  As we turned down the street, a car pulled out.  Andy pulled in.  When we read the meter sign, he didn't believe that it was correct - FREE PARKING?!?  Yep, that's right!  He even stopped a bike rider to make sure the sign was correct.  (During the week, these spots are reserved for buses.)  This meant we were across the street from the museum, didn't have to move our car, or run back out to feed the meter!  Thank you D.C. for a fabulous weekend with our family and a fun Sunday with friends!!!