On the Road to Find Out: Summer Phase II--DC

I'm having a blogger block, i think. I'm happy to have blogged once i've done it (since it's my only journaling method) but i'm just not into it right now. But. We've had a fantastic and busy summer and i want to preserve some memories. So...

We spent two weeks in DC visiting friends and family from the end of June through July 13th. We usually just stay for a week, so two seemed long. I approached this trip with more of a tourist mindset. I figured the boys are getting old enough to enjoy and appreciate some of the things DC has to offer. We read books from the library about the Mall and its monuments and memorials. We made scavenger hunts for the Air and Space Museum and the Mall (Doug cut and pasted pictures of specific things to find in each place on a piece of cardstock). I think this made the experience at the Air and Space a little more enjoyable since they were on the hunt. Otherwise i think it's just a lot of random aircrafts to look at and it doesn't end up meaning a whole lot. I was happy to see them enjoying the scavenger hunt when we were there.

The first week we were there the weather was gorgeous. The second week? Record breaking heatwave. So our plan to spend more time down on the Mall was nixed and we spent more time at the pool with the cousins. Perfect. We actually spent a lot of time at the pool with Fiona and Chloe and it was so much fun.

I was happy to hang out with my sis and let the cousins play to their hearts content. I got a little shopping in (H&M and LL Bean!). Erin and i got some time to hang out sans kids thanks to Vicki (THANKS!). I saw a few friends--breakfast with Mauree, lunch with Rae, dessert with Kellie. I am so lucky to have such wonderful women in my life. I have great friends.

This trip was different, too, in that we stayed in a hotel for a little more than a week. Doug was with us working so we could justify the hotel for his business trip. It was wonderful to be closer in to DC and close to my sister's house. Much less driving in the DC traffic is always appreciated. We spent maybe 5 days at my parents', too.

Things we did, in no particular order...

Air & Space Smithsonian
Natural History Museum
Metro riding
pool
pool
more pool
playing with Fi & Chloe
bowling with Fi & Chloe
flying down the hill on bikes and scooters with F & C
trampoline games with F & C
ice cream on the Mall
thai food on the Mall during the Folklife Festival
the boys made new friends with the kids of an old friend of mine from high school--pool time and pizza
swimming at the hotel pool
eating out way too much
Clemyjontri playground

We had a fun 4th, too. Fireworks with Erin's neighborhood kids followed by watching the fireworks put on by Falls Church from the roof of the Metro parking garage FOLLOWED BY a SLEEPOVER with the girls! The boys were in heaven.

We had planned to go to the top of the Washington Monument, but the only day i was able to reserve tickets was our last evening in DC, and we were spending that one in Maryland. We had Jeri photograph us--i really want a nice, updated family photo. Soren had a really croupy cough for a couple of days before this photo shoot. She had a really bad night (i spent much of it outside the hotel in the humid air with her) and was really really sick the morning of, but true to her easy-going nature, she was still pretty pleasant. I realized after the shoot that i needed to take her to urgent care. Her breathing was more labored and scary (and my pediatrician at home said TAKE HER NOW when i described what i was seeing and hearing). So instead of spending the afternoon with Christina catching up and chatting, my boys spent the afternoon with Christina playing with Eli and i spent it in the urgent care. Soren got loaded up on steroids and a nebulizer treatment and just missed having to be admitted to the hospital (PHEW!). Thank goodness for modern medicine. And thank goodness for friends like Christina who didn't even think twice about keeping my kids while i took Soren in!

Hmmmm. What else? Pictures please...