US Botanic Garden

At the tail end of Christmas Break, I took the girls downtown to the Botanical Garden. With the girls so interested in the museums now, I hadn't realized how long it's been since we were there. It was the perfect day too - FREEZING and windy outside (witness the quick photo at the Capitol Christmas tree followed by the sprint into the warmth of the indoor gardens! We had a great afternoon checking out the wing which housed a huge display of model trains running though villages made from natural materials. There is also a permanent exhibit of the monuments of DC made entirely from plant matter.

So amazingly detailed!! Check out Abraham Lincoln super close up - he's only about 2 inches tall but look at that detail!

The Little Cousins Take DC By Storm!

Uncle George and Auntie Lynn are here in DC with their families. Michael brought his 2 boys and Donna is here with John and all of their kids. And my gals are in heaven having folks to show around a bit. (Especially when it's some of their favorite cousins!)

Nora, Coleman, Aidan, Molly, Brenna, Nolan and Johnny at the Museum of Natural History

My girls and Michael's boys

One of my girls and Donna's boys

Little goofballs who look like drowned rats after our run through the rain!

Nora and Molly

They thought it was hilarious to poke fun at Uncle George/Papa!

Stuck in a shark's mouth

Watching the fish

Burning off energy on the Mall

Monkeys!

Hello Mr. Lincoln! Johnny, Brenna, Nolan & Molly

What a sight at the end of the day!!!!

Cherry Blossom Time!

Enjoy! It was overcast today so the colors aren't as crisp as I would have liked. But since I've missed getting downtown for the blossoms the past several years, I was willing to get whatever I could today.

Day in DC

One of the best things about living where we do is that we can enjoy the nation's capital any time. We want the girls to know that they are really lucky to be able to enjoy this!

(click the green caption logo on the bottom left to see the captions. Double click the picture to make the whole slideshow bigger)

DC

Once again the weather cooperated and we weren't about to let a July day with minimal humidity go unused! We decided to spend the day downtown - something we just don't get enough time to do during the craziness of the school year. Brenna has had her heart set on visiting the Lincoln Memorial sometime this summer so we made that our highlight today. We started at the Smithsonian (where the Folklife Festival is winding down), headed past the Washington Monument (where the July 4th preparations are heating up), around to the World War II Memorial, through the Korean War Memorial and along the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial. It was a good long walk for both little and big legs but we had a great time. Do note though that this weather is highly unusual for July and if you plan to come visit us and do some touring, do it in the spring or fall - or even winter - but summer in DC is definitely not for the faint of heart!

It was also a reminder that there is just so much to do that we really need to make more time to get downtown. Molly wants to get to the Capitol and White House next time, Brenna has her heart set on the National Gallery of Art and the Air and Space Museum (again) and Mom really wants to get to the Museum of the American Indian. Looks like we had better start looking at the calendar for more free days!

Zoo Day

It's been a while since we've gone to the zoo. It's so close by and we have a membership but with school and activities, it's hard to carve out the time during the year. Summer is much easier (as long as the weather cooperates - the many hills are killers in the humidity!)

Well today was perfect so we grabbed out best buddies and spent almost five hours checking out all of our old favorites. The zoo is on watch now as they wait to see if the female panda Mei Xiang is pregnant again. That would be big news! We also picked up the schedule of summer concerts which the girls love. My guess is we'll definitely be back to the zoo sooner rather than later!

We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo. How about You, You, You?

Wow - I remember singing that song over and over in a little gymboree-type class I did with Brenna when she was small . . . Anyway, the humidity hovering over the mid-Atlantic finally broke yesterday so we ventured out to the zoo. (I can't do all those hills in the heat anymore!) This weekend the baby panda Tai Shan is turning 1 so the place was panda-monium! Okay, bad joke but it's the truth! I swear every kid there had a stuffed panda so evidently the gift shop made a killing. Luckily we're "regulars" at the zoo so the girls don't beg for goodies each time we go (well, other than ice cream.) It's been a while since our last visit though so we covered the whole lower part of the zoo and then stayed for last night's Sunset Serenade concert. I had packed a picnic dinner so we ate and the girls danced. All in all it was a great day!