Leaving DC...& our stop in Philly

It looks like we'll have a photo book of just our spring break vacation!

I just found more photos...

Happy Aunt photo...

Our good-byes.... Oh, what we do for a group cousin photo!

Our last adventure.... a spontaneous stop in Philadelphia.

Independence Hall is a must. Christina and I did this tour last year, so I hung out with restless Wesley while Wayne and the rest of the kids heard the history and the reading of the Preamble....a wonderful tour.

The Supreme Court where Oliver Ellsworth (my ancestor) presided as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from March 8, 1796–December 15, 1800, and swore in John Adams.

The Liberty Bell

The Betsy Ross House

2 great options for classic Philly cheese steak...

We ate at Pat's & everyone gave it a thumbs up.

Washington DC, Part 3

The day we went to the Jefferson Memorial & the Nat'l Building Museum, we also dropped by the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Museum of American History. They are right next to each other. I asked the kids what they liked best and the girls said the Hope diamond (see photo at left), and Thomas liked the Invention at Play exhibit (more on this below). Wayne and I both were impressed at the sight of the Star Spangled Banner; the American flag that inspired Frances Scott Key to write our national anthem during the war of 1812. The flag on display at the museum is awe inspiring. If you have some time, check out THIS interactive site. You can click on different spots of the flag and learn about how it was made, preserved, etc. The preservation and restoration of the flag is amazing. Check out the preservation project HERE. Picture #15 shows how the Star Spangled Banner is on display today. The national anthem words constantly move like a telepromter against the back wall; a truly beautiful and moving exhibit.

We also enjoyed visiting the exhibit dedicated to one of our favorite chefs, the legendary Julia Child. You can see the kitchen HERE. For all of her fame and talent, it's quite practical and functional, from the magnet covered fridge to the pegboard wall. Part of the exhibit is a constant showing of The French Chef. We stopped and watched her roast a pig (the ENTIRE pig) like it was as common as a baked potato. Here are some of my favorite quotes from Julia....

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."

"The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It's doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile. I think of my strawberry souffle. I did that at least twenty-eight times before I finally conquered it."

Paleontologist Thomas guided us through the dinosaur exhibit, and a few other exhibits we enjoyed were the Lincoln, geology, and Invention at Play exhibits. At the center of the Invention at Play exhibit the kids and Wayne learned to wind surf...Wesley ended up on his back, but thought the ride was hilarious.

Can you tell our stop at the Gunboat Philadelphia was our last stop and last photo of the day?! Why the saluting? No idea. I'm sure Caroline is still showing her displeasure with us that we failed to lift her onto the dinosaur femur.

We DID cram 3 Smithsonians, and one monument into the day though. Even after a full day, we clearly didn't put a dent into all there is to do and see at the Mall and around DC. We'll just have to come back!

FYI....several of the Smithsonian museums have interactive and/or online tours of their exhibits. I put THIS link on a toolbar bookmark for the kids to go visit at their leisure.

Final thoughts about our family vacation:

Thanks to Mari I am now a confident cake pop baker maker dipper. We had a ball making cake pops Saturday night while Julee slaved away at her RS newsletter. I loved visiting with my SIL's... making party preparations, cake pops, out and about, and just hanging around. I loved time spent with my brothers too. I'm happy to see their lives so full off good things; blessings abound. They are both doting fathers and honestly good husbands. Sunday Dan hollared from the bathroom, "A little help here!" By the time I got over there, Julee & Mari were laughing in the doorway, Julee with her camera in tow, and Dan was standing there with naked Ceseley in his arms. Poor Dan; before he could get Ceseley in the bathtub she pee-ed all down his shirt and all over the floor. Sorry, Dan, but that this happened to you made it all the funnier.

I also love how our families genuinely enjoy being together. I think it was Saturday when the boys were playing the X-Box and baby Ceseley began to cry. Dan got up to pause the game so he could go get his babe. Thomas groaned and said, "Uncle Dan, you can't pause life." So true! So, we make the most of our time together and love our family beyond measure.

Thanks again for everything, Adam & Mari. We loved our visit with our DC & VA family!

Surprise!!!!

To say that my brothers married well is a huge understatement. I love my sister-in-laws like I love my sisters. They are so thoughtful.... Case in point, as we were hatching our plan to drive down to MD to visit Adam, Mari & Des, and Julee, Dan & Ceseley, Mari said that she and Julee thought a surprise "Un-Birthday" party for the cousins was in order. Since being there for our nieces' and nephews' birthdays is challenging, we would just celebrate while we were together. Genius! We blew up balloons, Julee made yummy "Bunny Munch", cupcakes, mini cakes to be decorated by the kids, and came up with some super fun old school party games. Remember the clothes pin drop, pin the tail on the donkey, croquet, and using a water gun to shoot a ball off it's mark? Mari had a prize bucket filled with $1 bin goodies; everyone got something. Nicest moment of the party: Thomas won a prize and chose a Matchbox car to give to Wesley for his upcoming birthday. The punch balls were a favorite item.

It was hard to narrow down the 300+ photos Julee took, but here's a good representation of the kids' memorable Un-Birthday Party. If you don't want the music on, just click on the volume at the top and it will mute. Enjoy...

Icing on the cake was the big reveal at the end of the party....a wheelbarrow full of water balloons. Game on!

Look out Thomas! Christina seems to be enjoying Thomas' fate.

Yikes....there's actual proof that we're mean parents.

Wesley tried so hard to reach the balloons..."A little help here!"

Look out, Wesley's in the game!

Apparently mom is fair game...

THANKS Aunt Mari and Aunt Julee for being the amazing aunts that you are! We love you & we love your hubbies and darling babes too.

Thank you for giving us cause for celebration.

We had a BLAST!

Washington, DC, Part 2

We started off the day with a family photo at the beautiful DC temple. The grounds were beautiful! We loved the tulips and the kids loved the fountain.

Next we headed off to the Smithsonian National Zoo. By the time we got there it was 90+ degrees outside. We met up with ACE, Mari & D, ate our sack lunches, and started our trek through the zoo. Is there any other way to describe a trip to the zoo? We definitely got our workout. We saw pandas, birds, the making of the future elephant habitat, gorillas, zebras, monkeys, beavers, sea lions, & more, smelled the zoo smells and called it good..

Thomas thought the owls were pretty cool. There were several kinds there.

Grace loved the flamingos.

We all thought that the bald eagles were amazing, especially so close up.

Wesley really wanted to swim with the ducks. Did I mention it was in the 90's?

After a couple of hours of walking around in the heat, we were done. We walked back to the entrance with tots crying because their legs were tired and they just wanted to go back to ACE & Mari's. We let them vent, walked as fast as we could, traded piggy back rides for the little girls, took turns carrying Wes, and found the spirit to say "hi" to any animals we saw on the way out. What a sight.

We piled in the car and made a quick stop at 7-Eleven for Slurpee's. So perfect! The kids sipped away in silence as Wayne and I quietly plotted our next outing. Mean parents, I know, but in our defense our destination, the National Air and Space Museum over by Dulles Airport does have air conditioning. That, and the drive from the zoo was just long enough for us to get a bit of relief from the heat and long walk, up hill both ways at zoo. By the time we arrived at the Air and Space Museum (& parked for FREE since it was after 4pm) 1 of our 5 kids was ready to smile again for the camera. Thanks, Thomas! We walked in the museum and our jaws hit the floor. The girls seem to be timid about showing their excitement in these photos, but deep down they were just as impressed as the rest of us. Seriously....what a great museum! It doesn't trump the Air & Space Museum at the Nt'l Mall, but it definitely is worth seeing as well. I'm sure we'll be back to spend more time there.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk - WWII

Under the Space Shuttle!

The space shuttle Enterprise...

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird which was developed during the Cold War and is still holds the record for altitude and speed.

The Enola Gay- aircraft used to drop the first atomic bomb.

The kids are standing in front of the Concorde and under scores of all sorts of different planes.

One of Amelia Earhart's flight suits.

Reproduction of one of the Wright Brothers' planes

Here are the best airplane moves we could muster after two days of museums, monuments, a zoo, and a temple. Our pocket books didn't feel much of anything, but boy we were ready to call it a day.

Little do the kids know the surprise awaiting them in the morning....