We had such a great trip to DC! The kids are at such fun ages now, they can hang and explore without napping or diapers or strollers; yet they still like us and want to spend time together! So, we headed out super early on Thursday morning and we were able to make the drive from home to our hotel in DC in one (long!) day! We arrived, excited to be on vacation!
Friday was our big monument day! We strolled down Pennsylvania Avenue, and happen to pass the Mexican Embassy!
We arrived at the White House!
One of my brighter ideas of the trip was to reserve some pedicabs to take us around the monuments. I really want to see a lot, but I knew little legs could only do so much! So we met our two guides and headed off around the Tidal Basin!
Jefferson did not disappoint!
MLK was very inspiring!
And Lincoln was one of our favorites!
It was a great, sunny day, and not TOO hot (which is a sheer miracle for June in DC)!
The boys were all pretty excited about the Washington Monument and pointed it out from several spots along our route!
After our pedicab tour, we hit the Air & Space Museum!
We also walked across the mall, and eventually made it to the Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights! The kids were all troopers, we did about 6 miles of walking even with the pedicabs. After all that walking, it felt good to go to the pool and get a shake at Shake Shack!
The next day we went to the National Zoo. The elephants were out and about and pretty close up!
The pandas were a bit more coy and farther away, but we did see them!
You can't see him, but one of the pandas is up in the tree above Sam!
Isaac found his beloved meerkat (one of his faves!).
The boys became expert Uber riders! After the zoo, we went to the pool again and then got ready for Jeremy's party!
Mike's buddy Jeremy (from Augustana College days) was married in January, but hosted a nice gathering to celebrate in DC. Hence the reason for our trip. Amber & Jeremy hosted us at Lincoln's Summer Cottage, just outside of DC near Fort Totten. Really neat historic displays!
Congrats Jeremy & Amber!
Nick, Jeremy, and Mike - old roomies reunited!
On Sunday, we were able to go by their home and spend time with Melly, the most adorable pooch!
Noah and I took one more walk to the White House for a last glimpse and some shopping!
Our last evening there was Father's Day, so we hit a nicer restaurant for dinner that even had cookie decorating for the kids!
It was a very memorable trip, and we made it back home on Monday after another day-long drive. Can't wait to plan our next adventure. For now, we have returned to our calmer summer life at home. This week the boys and I tried out a paddle boat at Volkening Lake, here in Schaumburg.
Noah keeps progressing in karate and now has the blue "masters" uniform which signifies that he will continue on even after he earns his black belt. This weekend, he tests for his brown with black stripe belt!
This week has been very rainy around here. Our vegetable garden loves it, as do the local frogs!
Inside creative time results in all sorts of projects. Sam has been experimenting with google drawings and created a pretty cute robot today!
So, there you have it! DC was amazing and we are loving summer!
