We spent the first week of our trip in Washington DC. We stayed with Uncle David on Andrews Air Force base. During our week we:
Spent some quality time snuggling with Grandma. Mom was very happy get her hands on Abram.
We played in the pool. We had BEAUTIFUL weather.
This is Uncle Isaac. Those muscles are real. Much to my dismay, I couldn't beat him in a wrestling match. I fought hard, but he took me down. Beat by my youngest brother...It was humiliating.
When we got tired of splashing, we migrated to the playground. You can't tell in this picture, but the kids were sitting on a rocket ship shaped toy that rocks back and forth. Noah is making his blast off- rocket ship noises in this picture.
Uncle David also took us on a VIP tour of the base. We got to see the President's golf course, where Air Force One is housed, some very cool fighter jets, and a hands on visit to their helicopter fleet. The pilots took time to explain how all the knobs and buttons work, and any other questions we had. This was not Noah's first time in a helicopter, but he still thought it was pretty awesome.
As did Uncle Eli.
And Pops too.
We also spent time touring DC. We started with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unnamed Soldier. We then walked across the Potomac toward the Mall.
Along the way, we took a few pictures with the Washington Monument. This is my mom and dad.
This is me and Abram. Obviously, Abram's hat is on backwards.
We also took some pictures at the Lincoln Memorial. My picture with Honest Abe must have been taken with my parent's camera. So here's another picture of Pops.
Our perfect weather for the pool translated into one HOT walk across the mall. To cool down, we paid a visit to the WWII Memorial.
We all enjoyed the cool water. Especially Abram. Despite the heat, he was a very happy camper.
Noah, was not as thrilled to be sightseeing in the heat- Even with all the cold water he could drink while being pulled along in an awesome blue wagon.
We also spent some time in the Smithsonian at the Air and Space Museum. The kids loved it (the air conditioning was nice too). In fact, they loved it so much we went back the next day for another visit.
We also took a trip down to Mount Vernon. That is the home of George and Martha Washington. We toured their house (which has an incredible view of the river), the surrounding buildings, their graves, the museum and we even got to listen to a lady who was dressed up as Martha tell stories about George.
Last, but not least, we got to see Uncle Eli play his tuba in the Independence Day Parade. He spent the fourth of July marching behind Curious George in the HOT, hot sun. Apparently some kids from other marching bands were passing out from the heat- but thankfully Eli and his High School Band were able to survive without any causalities. We showed up early enough to get a good seat along the side of the road. Much cheering and clapping, and photo taking ensued when Eli walked by. Once he passed us by, we promptly packed our wagon, bid farewell to our curbside neighbors, and went back to base where we spent the rest of our Fourth of July...swimming.
