Monuments and Memorials

Mark, Ellen, Lucy, Ella, and I started the day off with a game of Simon Says on the National Mall.
Our next stop was the World War II Memorial...still a favorite of ours.  Meet the monkeys--our newest souvenirs courtesy of Oma and Opa.  Ella named hers "Chunky" and "Monkey."  Lucy's are "Eena" and "Meena."  

On Wisconsin!

There were lots of little ducklings in the reflecting pool...the girls had tons of fun watching them.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial

We stopped to review the rules at each memorial...no food or drink, no running, no bikes, no littering...the girls were very good at following the rules and being respectful.
The wall had laser etchings of pictures of soldiers and reflected the statues beautifully.

Ella, Lucy, and Abe

The Lincoln Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was very moving.

There was a Marine on guard at the White House.  We were told that this means the President is there.  Reporters and cameras were all set up, but we didn't see any action.
Ella stood by the gate and called,"Obamaaaa...Obaaaama...where ARE you?" and then was really baffled when he didn't come out to greet us.  She decided to try for the dog and said, "Here, Bo...come here, Bo!"  After we left she told us that she was calling and calling and they never came out--she couldn't believe it.  We had a great day and were very happy that the weather cooperated!

Oma and Opa are here!

Oma and Opa arrived Wednesday afternoon to find the same weather they left behind in Wisconsin.  We went from 94 and sunny to 60 and rainy overnight!  After treating us to lunch at McDonald's, we got them settled in their hotel and then took them on a tour of our apartment.  For dinner, we tried a restaurant called Eggspectation, and we all loved it.
Lucy had chocolate chip pancakes for dinner and claimed, "This is the BEST restaurant I have EVER been to!"  She was in heaven with her pancakes and chocolate milk, and was a member of the "almost clean plate club."
Ella shared some chocolate cake and whipped cream with Ellen after her yummy mac and cheese.
The girls were excited to show Mark and Ellen around the town, and we were all surprised to see that the fountain was on!  

Visitors!

We had some surprise visitors on Tuesday night!  My Uncle Bob and Auntie Dee were invited to guest on a Washington DC morning talk show called Live This Morning to talk about World Meningitis Day.  They came in Tuesday evening, we took them for a walk around Silver Spring, and they took us out for ice cream!  Monday was Uncle Bob's birthday, so we had already planned for cupcakes...after filling the girls with sugar, we tried to get them settled for bed.  Lucy wowed Bob and Dee by reading Pinkalicious to them word for word and both girls were very content to snuggle up with them.  The next morning we got to watch them on TV-so exciting!  I am hoping to post a video of their interview on the blog...they did a great job!

Countdown Tree Update

Oma and Opa are coming TOMORROW!!!

Grandma and Grandpa are coming in 8 DAYS!!!

Mail Call

A big thanks to Auntie Mary for the awesome sticker workbooks and stickers!  The girls dove into them immediately.  We appreciate you thinking of us!

Today it was yogurt

Souvenirs

Here are Lucy and Ella with their chosen souvenirs from Mount Vernon.  We spent nearly an hour in the gift shop, so these are certainly well thought out purchases.  Lucy chose an umbrella with scenes of Mount Vernon that she can color herself.  Ella chose a kitten named Liberty and a book that tells about George Washington's life on Mount Vernon through Liberty's eyes.

We tried to explain what the word 'souvenir' means to the girls so that they could better understand why they were picking something out.  We told them that a souvenir helps you to remember something you saw or did.  After we returned from Mount Vernon, we were eating dinner.  Greg got up to refill plates and cups and returned to the table without his plate.  Lucy asked why he forgot it, and he replied, "Sometimes I'm just forgetful."  Lucy instantly responded, "Daddy, maybe you should get a souvenir, too."  It was perfect!

Mount Vernon

Sunday we drove just south of Washington DC to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.  Here are the girls with George, Martha, and their grandkids, Nellie and Washy.  Lucy had the hardest time saying, "Mount Vernon."  It started off as "Mountain Everest," then improved to "Mountain Vernus," and then finally "Mountain Vernon."  Hilarious.
We got to tour the whole estate, including the mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and George Washington's tomb.  The tent next to the house looked like it was being set up for a private event.
The mansion was beautiful and has an amazing view of the Potomac River. 
A sightseeing cruise on the river took us to see Fort Washington, a view of the DC skyline, and of course another view of Mount Vernon.  

Lucy and Ella LOVED being on the boat!

The estate from the river.

Despite the crazy heat (90+ degrees), we had a wonderful day!

HOT Saturday Sightseeing

Saturday morning we were right back at it...there's so much to see!  Our first stop was the National Postal Museum.  Yes, that's right--a museum all about mail!  It was very kid-friendly and we all really enjoyed it.

It was VERY hot, so we were excited to kick off our shoes and dip our feet into a nice, cool fountain.  It felt soooo good!

U.S Capitol

The Supreme Court Building

Library of Congress

Here's Lucy and Ella in the US Botanic Garden Conservatory Children's Garden.  The building was a lot like the Domes...separated into different climates and full of beautiful plants and flowers.

We ended the long, hot day with a picnic lunch and picking "wish dandelions" in a green space in front of the Capitol reflecting pool.

Friday Night in DC

Greg's class finished up a little bit earlier on Friday, so we hopped on the "tub-a-way'  and headed into the city.  It was a beautiful evening to walk around.
The girls have been anxious to see the White House, so we started there.  Lucy was disappointed that we couldn't go in...I have to admit that this was very disappointing for me, too.  Since September 11th, the rules have changed.  You now have to contact your representative prior to your visit to receive permission for a tour.  The catch is that you need to have a group of 10 people to qualify.  There is a visitor's center that we might try to see, but for now we had to be happy with a view from outside the gate.
Ella calls Washington, D.C. "Washington 2-T."  She was so excited to see this monument, which we have been looking at pictures of and talking about, and aptly named it the "Washington 2-T Monument."  
The World War II Memorial was stunning at sunset.  We quickly found the Wisconsin pillar and had a nice couple from Minnesota take a family picture.
I love this picture.  Lucy and Ella were completely taken with the fountains and were content to sit (!) and stare.  Lucy told me the sound of the water was "soothing."  I couldn't agree more.  This was one of my favorite stops so far.  The sun set beyond the Lincoln Memorial, which we are all excited to see up close.
Getting jammies on felt so good after all that walking!  We snuggled up and finished the evening with the first half of Toy Story and went to bed for a good night's rest.

Out and About!

The girls and I explored a very cute area of downtown Silver Spring today.  They loved this fountain...the waters danced and shot up all over the place.

This area is full of shops and restaurants...we ate at Austin Grill last night and it was great! Lucy, Ella, and I spent some time at Borders this afternoon and really enjoyed the sunshine on our walk.

I had to share this one...Ella's latest fascination is using her lunch as lotion for her face.  This time it was sour cream. 

As for mail call today, the girls received a very exciting package from Oma and Opa.  Whenever we go to Shawano, they play ping pong with Oma.  A long time ago, Lucy named the game "Out of Bounds."  Oma and Opa sent Lucy and Ella their very own Out of Bounds set!

Mark and Ellen also sent a frame for the ultrasound picture of Baby Sister.  I can't wait to put it next to the frames holding Lucy's and Ella's ultrasounds!  Thank you SO much!