Vacation Adventures: Day 4

Here we are on Day 4 of our vacation and we walked more today than I've walked in AGES!  My pedometer has me at 22,148 steps...which is over 9 miles!  !I'm not sure if I'll be able to even get in all the highlights...but hang on while I try!   (remember, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, then click your back button to come back here).

OH, let me show you this...after I posted last night, this is how Caleb fell asleep on Julie's couch and ottoman...

I wonder if he was tired?  hmmmm.

Okay, back to today...we saw SO many awesome things.  We started at Arlington Cemetary...

It was breathtaking and it inspired such a sense of awe and reverence.  Here are a few pictures from there.

 

Two of the most well-known things at Arlington are JFK's grave...

 

and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers...

 

The Changing of the Guard ceremony was really moving and just, indescribable.  Maybe I'll put up a video when we get home.

 Driving away from Arlington, we headed back toward DC...we got a quick view of the Pentagon

Then we passed by the Lincoln Memorial...

  After parking, we walked around and saw the White House from the front and back...or back and front...I honestly (and am slightly embarrassed to admit) that I don't know which is which!?!  They both look like the front to me...so for now we'll say that we saw both front sides of the White House (yes, I'm a homeschool Mommy...and I'll add that to our 'to-learn' list when we get home)

Can you see those Secret Service guys on the roof?  Pretty cool!

Next, we took a break for lunch and met up with a couple of good friends that Richy knew from high school in Vicksburg.  They were such a neat couple (I had never met before) and a delight to have lunch with.  We all gave our feet a good rest while we chatted and they caught up on old friends and what they've been doing the last 15 years!

I was so focused and nervous about keeping the kids in check, that I forgot to pull out my camera and get some pictures of/with them.  Oooh, let me do that whole honesty thing and tell you why I really forgot to take pictures.

Here's what happened (I just heard Monk's voice in my head...anyone else watch that show?).  So, as we're walking to meet this lovely couple...we're a couple of blocks away and Richy says something about 'you kids'.  Well, because we joke about goats all the time, they begin to 'baaahh' 'baaaah' like little goats or 'kids'.  Sarah in particular, would not stop! The other kids joined in and kept doing it (while I wonder what people walking by are thinking) and we get tickled, laughing and playing with them, and then it hits me, we're about to meet Richy's friends...for the first time...what will they think...5 little 'baaah'-ing billy goat kids from the country!?!  It was funny, and so 'us'...but THAT is what I walked in the restaurant thinking about..."please don't make goat sounds in front of Richy's friends...pleeaaaassse"...and so I forgot to take pictures.  Three you have it...what it's really like in the Atwater family when no one is looking (or no one we know anyway).

Anyway...back to our day.

After lunch, we walked and saw the Washington Monument...

and the National Christmas Tree...

And the Ronald Reagan Building...

and the  Eisenhower Executive Office Building (left) and Blair House - the President's Guest House (right)...not next to each other, by the way...

and we saw a protest in front of the White House (which was behind me when I took this picture)...very interesting...

and well...so many more things...the kids and I took almost 400 pictures today, but I'm trying to limit my post here...but anyway...I might as well finish out the day.

Next we went back to the National Museum of Natural History to the Live Butterfly Pavilion (free on Tuesdays...you know how I love free) -

This was Sarah's favorite thing..we got to walk in an enclosed flower-filled butterfly garden with hundreds of butterflies fluttering around us...it was wonderful!

She really wanted one to land on her (and one did for a few seconds on her pants), but we never got a picture of one on her...

Oh well...she had LOTS of fun there, and I was so glad we went back!

We had really hoped to go see the National Tree Lighting Ceremony while we were here, but there was a lottery for the tickets and we missed out on that, so in my search for "Christmas" things to do in DC (free ones if possible), I stumbled upon the Fairmont Hotel 6th Annual  co Tree Lighting.  It was open to the public, and it turned out to be a great way to finish our day.  Aunt Julie met us there and it was a real treat - a fun way to end our day!

They had hot chocolate, holiday punch, wonderful tiny pastries (see above), and cookie decorating stations set up.  The kids really had fun decorating and eating sugar cookies and gingerbread men.. 

Somehow, I managed to get away from the Fairmont without a picture of the Christmas tree, but I did get a good picture of the Crystal Garden filled with thousands of white lights and reindeer...

and the awesome Gingerbread House with a Train...

 

After we left the Fairmont, we drove through Georgetown to see some Christmas lights and decorations, then came back to Aunt Julie's apartment.  A little bit later we went to eat a wonderful Mexican dinner, then we watched some "So You Think You can Dance" on television, and now we're going to sleep!  I hate to end so abruptly, but it's nearly midnight, I WALKED 9 MILES TODAY, and well, I'm zonked!!

I hope you're enjoying following along on our vacation.  If Richy and I can walk tomorrow... we have another full day planned!

 Oh, one last picture, a very nice lady saw us taking pictures at the Ellipse (a park-like area between the White House and the Washington Monument) and offered to take a family picture.  There are no interesting landmarks in the background, but we love the picture just the same and really appreciated her taking it for us!!

Until tomorrow,

Rose