On Monday, Ryan and I had a day in the city without kids. We waved good-bye to them on the 21st floor from the ground. I had to say, I was excited to go :). Mom & Dad took the kids that day and we walked all over Washington DC. We got to see the Library of Congress (my only complaint was that I didn't have a pass to go in the main reading room - it was amazing to look at from the balcony above), the Supreme Court, the US Capitol, including a visit to the House Gallery, the Lincoln Memorial, and the White House. We took the subway in and then walked the whole way. It doesn't sound like much, but we figured we walked about 7-8 miles or more that day. It was hot and humid, but I loved it! It was fun to soak in all the history, significance, and grandeur that Washington DC has.
After we saw the white house and were making our way to the Metro station, we stopped at a restaurant and enjoyed a yummy meal in a cool environment.
While we were out and playing, the kids stayed home and had fun with Grandma & Grandpa. They went to a park and they got to go to a Butterfly Garden. There were hundreds of butterflies and if the kids stood really still, the butterflies landed on them.
Here are some pictures that Nathan and Aaron took of the butterflies. They had a really fun day.
After we got back, we all went to the pool again. It was a nice, big pool and the Nathan and Aaron loved playing in the water. Ali liked getting in for a little while, but then she would get out and just walk around. She sure looked cute in her suit, though :)!
On Tuesday, we just had a day to relax, do laundry to get home, swim in the pool, play at the park, play games, and just enjoy our last time together for a few months. It was fun to talk and laugh. They had a fun park close that had a tire swing. It was a pretty walk and the kids enjoyed just being outside and playing.
One of the funny experiences (looking back - not so much in the moment) actually happened on Sunday morning while we were getting ready for church. We had put the swimsuits out on the balcony Saturday night to dry off. Well, the boys went outside and one of them, still unsure on who, said, "Hey, let's throw these off." So, they did. Aaron's and Ali's made it to the ground, but Nathan's got hung up on the rail of someones apartment on the 6th floor. Ryan and Nathan went down, knocked on the door, and luckily, someone was home and got the suit and wasn't too angry about it. Sadly, I have no pictures of any of this. It would have been classic to see it all happen.
I also loved watching Grandma paint Ali's toenails before church, then watching her show them off to Dad, Grandpa, and everyone else who would look at her cute toes!
Tuesday night, our last night there, we took a little walk not far from their apartment. It was a little path kind of through some woods and we got to see fireflies (or lightning bugs - are they the same thing??). Nathan and Aaron even caught a couple. They were so excited. Ali saw a couple, too, and she let out a little squeal when she saw them. It was fun for all of us and a great memory to take home with us.
Wednesday we pretty much got up, got ready, enjoyed the last few hours and traveled all the way home. We were happy to get back home and sure enjoyed our visit.
We got to see so many things while we were in Washington DC. Most of it was from the top of a sightseeing bus, which was great for the kids. We did have some long walks, though.
The first day we rode the bus and metro to get to Downtown DC. We stopped first at the Archives where Mom & Dad go to work every day. We couldn't see where they work, but we did get to see the original Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. What an incredible experience. The kids went with Mom & Dad while Ryan and I browsed. We got in quicker because of Mom & Dad and didn't have to stand in lines, which was great!
After the Archives we walked across to the Air & Space Museum, where the kids saw some cool planes, including "the very first airplane ever!" and a moon rock, and then we walked a little down the mall. We had to stop for ice cream, of course, and saw the Capitol and the Washington Monument. When we got back on the metro, it was packed and there was one line not working. We had two strollers and I honestly don't know how we packed onto that train when it came, but thanks to a lady who was there, we all squashed in. She kept pushing and yelling "strollers coming, strollers!"
Then next two days we spent on the sightseeing bus. We took off from Union Station. The bus had an upper deck so you could see really well. We passed all the landmarks and even went out to Arlington, Virginia to the Arlington National Cemetery. We got off there, ate our lunch outside by the parking lot, and then watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. That was pretty special. We are so grateful for our country, our freedoms, and all those who sacrifice to protect it. Even Nathan and Aaron were a little more somber there (not the whole cemetery, just that part, but that was good - they needed to walk a little and stretch their legs.). On the way back we passed the pentagon and were on a busier highway. I was on the top, trying to hold onto my hat, but it flew off. One hat down. I had to get one at the zoo the next day :).
Some of the things we passed and learned about were the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the US Capitol, Jefferson Memorial, the Smithsonian Castle and all the museums, and the White House. Towards the end of the day, it started to rain. Ryan, Nathan, Ali, and I were on top and got soaked. It felt pretty good, though, because it was so hot.
The second day of our bus tour, we first went to the zoo. We saw gazelles, orangutans, a panda bear, elephants, and WAY cool lions - we don't have those in Utah anymore, so it was pretty neat to see. I was glad there was a good distance between us, though, because at one point there were about 5 lions that stood up and were looking right at us like we were their lunch! It was really hot, but the kids like the water misters they had so they could cool off. After the zoo the boys got to spend some of their money and had a fun time in the gift shop choosing their toys (a rubber snake, a zebra jeep, and some binoculars). Then we got on the bus and drove through Georgetown and some other neat parts of the city, including the National Cathedral.
We rode the bus to a stop along the river and got on a boat to take a little 45-minute cruise down the Potomac River. It was enjoyable, relaxing, and neat to see some of the sites from the river. The boys liked to watch the jets as they landed or took off from Reagan National Airport.
We had a great three days. We were all exhausted by Saturday night, so we all got in the pool and cooled off and relaxed a bit.
After we saw the white house and were making our way to the Metro station, we stopped at a restaurant and enjoyed a yummy meal in a cool environment.
While we were out and playing, the kids stayed home and had fun with Grandma & Grandpa. They went to a park and they got to go to a Butterfly Garden. There were hundreds of butterflies and if the kids stood really still, the butterflies landed on them.
Here are some pictures that Nathan and Aaron took of the butterflies. They had a really fun day.
After we got back, we all went to the pool again. It was a nice, big pool and the Nathan and Aaron loved playing in the water. Ali liked getting in for a little while, but then she would get out and just walk around. She sure looked cute in her suit, though :)!
On Tuesday, we just had a day to relax, do laundry to get home, swim in the pool, play at the park, play games, and just enjoy our last time together for a few months. It was fun to talk and laugh. They had a fun park close that had a tire swing. It was a pretty walk and the kids enjoyed just being outside and playing.
Wednesday we pretty much got up, got ready, enjoyed the last few hours and traveled all the way home. We were happy to get back home and sure enjoyed our visit.
