Washington D.C. part one

...Washington D.C. was such a great place for us to go. It had everything and more. We didn't get to see everything but we saw a lot--especially with two young boys. Here is a recap, Part 1.

Tuesday:

We arrived at Baltimore Airport around 11 am. We then took a train to Union Station in D.C. where we grabbed lunch at Johnny Rockets, a cute diner-type that served great hamburgers and milkshakes. The metro was next, taking us to our hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

Next, as funny as it may sound, we went to the mall. There was a mall just a block or two away from our hotel and Noah needed new shoes (how it got past me that his sandels were way too small for him I'll never know) so we found him some sandals and went to the CVS for drinks. Little did we know that we would be returning to that mall several more times that week.

That night, Noah started complaining of his tooth hurting. I gave him some tylenol and thought it would be better in the morning.

Uh, no. Poor guy was crying on and off all night because of his tooth. Not good.

Wednesday:

Seth knew we needed to find a dentist but we also had our White House Tour that morning around 8:30 am. So we basically bribed our child with a new Webkins if he could tough it out an hour or two. So, Noah did as well as he could have considering the circumstances. Half way through the tour, he had had it but he stuck it out.

The White House was interesting. My favorite thing was seeing the John F. Kennedy portrait. It was beautiful. Seth loved the history. I think he could have spent hours there, if it were allowed. Unfortunately, Rhett had to go to the bathroom, so the second half of the tour was sped up. :)

We found a cafe after the tour and had another breakfast while Seth called our insurance so he could find a dentist. After several tries, they found one at the mall close to the hotel! So back to the mall we went where the dentist found an infection in Noah's molar. The infection most likely started with the cavity that wasn't completely cleaned out before it was filled earlier this year. We were not happy with our own dentist, that is for sure. But Noah was a trooper and he and Rhett both got a Webkins for their troubles.

After eating ice cream for lunch (Noah's mouth was numb), we went to the Smithsonian area and went to the American History Museum.

a note: Daddy's shoulders and back was one way we got the boys to do all the things we wanted to do. The boys took turns on Seth's back when we knew we had to walk a long way. Sometimes, Noah would ride on my back and Rhett would ride on Seth's. We considered it just something we had to do to keep them from complaining too much. For the most part, they really did well when they had to walk. I don't know how Seth's back held up so well. :)

***

The front of the American History Museum: Rhett's favorite exhibit in the museum was about President Lincoln. He and Seth could have spent all afternoon in there. Noah was tired so he and I moved quickly through it so we could find a bench to sit. We also saw Kermit and the ruby red slippers, ect. but my favorite was the original Star Spangled Banner. It had recently been cleaned and put in a new exhibit where it was placed on a slight 10 degree angle as to not put any stress on it. No photography was allowed either. another note: I took more pictures of other things, but honestly, they weren't that great and you can go to the website and see everything, so I won't bother putting them here.

Two tired boys outside of the museum: ***

As if our day wasn't full enough, we decided to go look at the memorials on the mall that evening. We weren't disappointed.

This is a view of the Washington Monument when we started out.

This was the view when we finished, all lit up and beautiful.

A nice woman took our picture in front of the Washington Monument. Notice the left side of Noah's mouth is a little swollen.

One of my favorite pictures. Seth took this of the boys looking straight up at the monument.

***

The World War II Memorial was so beautiful and poignant. It was huge, with a fountain pool in the middle and plaques like the one above to tell the story of the war. I thought of my grandfathers when I saw a few older men who I imagined were in the war or who had friends in the war. I felt pride and sadness at the same time.

Rhett, kneeling to read a memento left by someone.
***
The closer we walked to the Lincoln Memorial, the more majestic it seemed to become. This is the reason I loved going at night. It was amazing. The boys walked the whole mall because they knew Lincoln was the goal. They were mesmerized by the sight of Lincoln.

When we got there, President Lincoln seemed so huge. And that is when Noah said, "Ok, can we go back to the hotel now?"

After walking another 15 minutes to the metro (mostly carrying the boys at this point) and another 10 minute ride to the hotel, our day ended and the excitement of the next on everyone's mind. Ok, it was just on my mind.

And that is where I am ending this for today. More for you tomorrow!