Nation's Cap and Auntie Ash

Last week, we packed our little family and all our gear into our Camry and made the 12 hour drive to Washington D.C. Good times were had with Great Expectations (book on tape), crackers and our very busy 1-year-old in the back going absolutely stir crazy after a mere 1 hour of being in the car:) Nevertheless, we pursued our journey with the end goal in mind: my sister Ashley and a week of enjoying our beloved nation's capital.

Ash was good enough to house us at her place in the city and be our fantastic and doting tour guide for the week. We saw and did SO much and loved every minute. When we weren't being tourists and going to museums, monuments and government buildings, we were watching the Olympics at the apartment with Ash and her roommates Megan and Aubrey. Love them:)

Our first day, we ate at Good Stuff Eatery... a 5 thumbs up! We stuffed our faces then met up with Ash's friend who gave us a tour of the Capitol building. This picture was taken on a balcony that overlooks the heart of the city with the Washington Monument and the Mall (No, there isn't any shopping at this "Mall" much to our dismay). Later on, in the evening we did get our outdoor shopping feel when went down into Georgetown and walked around a bunch of really cute little shops as we made our way to dinner.

There is so much artwork and ornate work put into every detail of the Capitol. We loved all the history and the first hands experiences we were able to have.

We just had to get a picture by this picture which shows Washington handing over his position as President. He sacrificed a great deal for our country to be the many good things it is today. Now that that's been said, glance your eye to my favorite part: Hudson passed out in the stroller:) He was such a trooper through it all. Seriously, he is such a well-tempered little man! He was basically our prisoner all week and he did his best to just roll with the punches. Thank you Hudson!

We tried to get a picture with the three of us and the Capitol... No capitol, but a good biggie-sized pic of us. Good job us!
On our way over to the White House after seeing the Capitol, we saw a motorcade of the "man himself". It was kind of crazy watching as these motorcycles came tearing out of the White House roadway followed by several blacked-out suburbans, two limos and then some more black suburbans with the back hatch open and guys with guns poking out. It was kind of a big deal:)

This is a totally awesome picture. The sky and the Capitol. Don't mind the green bug at the bottom:)

Our All-Star player for the team during the week! Smiles and all:) We are walking through the Zoo during the late afternoon, when all the animals were asleep so we saw a tortoise and some small turtles...we love our shell friends, but let's be honest, it was an anti-climatic zoo trip!

We went to several Smithsonian Museums including: The National Museum of Natural History (the picture above), the National American History Museum (saw the first ladies' outfits and many presidents' artifacts), the National Museum of Art (we got our fill of naked sculptures!), the National Holocaust Museum (a solemn experience...), AND the National Air and Space Museum. Pretty cool stuff. 

On Tuesday, we went to the Iwo Gima Memorial and watched the Marines do a parade on the field. Let's be honest, Hudson just ran around while we tried to catch glimpses of the event. It is a beautiful monument with a powerful feeling of sacrifice. That night, we rode bikes around to see the Jefferson, MLK, FDR, and Lincoln monuments that surround the Potomac river. It was a brilliant idea from my sister Ash. We got to see all we wanted to without all the heat and traffic of the day. The monuments were outstanding all lit up at night as well.

In the little town of quaint Alexandria, we ate dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant and then we made a stop for our hankering sweet tooths at Ben and Jerry's. Hudson loved this cow and we loved the picture below of the two stooges (Ash and Hudson) :)

After satisfying our taste buds, we went to a state park that is right before the Reagan airport. It was pretty neat to feel like we could nearly touch the bellies of the planes as they landed on the runway. Hudson loved it. We also know where to go if we ever feel like making out in public with 20 other couples:) Not my cup of tea.

On one of our last days, we made a trip to Mount Vernon where we visited the "estate"
(not home, as we were corrected) and grave site of George Washington. It was a pretty neat experience. Not to mention, the back yard had an amazing view.

The open space was a dream for Hudson. The only downside was that there was a steep sloping  down the backside and Hudson was a little too curious...

One of our favorite stops was the Library of Congress. Once again, this was such an ornate building, with every detail done with such care and beauty. This is an exhibit of "Books That Have Shaped America". We also got to see the library of Thomas Jefferson which was pretty inspiring. 

Around the molding of the ceilings were quotes about knowledge, wisdom and learning that were also inspirational.
Also on this day we saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights at the Archive Building.