Top of Washington

This weekend was a lot of fun. We had Chris's uncle come stay with us. It was so fun to take him around to see a bunch of the sights. On our last day we headed into the city again to explore on foot. We started out at the Lincoln Memorial and worked our way around a few other memorials before coming to the Washington Monument for our tour. We'd seen it a bunch, but had never gone inside. It was pretty spectacular. It's the tallest freestanding building in the city and it takes the elevator about 70 seconds to reach the top. Once at the top there are about 8 small windows that you can see out. It's a little bit scary because you feel like you are moving around up there. Like it isn't totally steady. From the inside you can see how the stones are all put together and arranged into the pyramid top. There is a small museum like area just below the window area, and then you take the elevator down. The way down is really neat because the elevator slows down so that you can see some of the unique stones that make up the monument. Apparently all of the states have a stone in the monument and there are a few foreign ones as well. Greece even donated a piece of the Parthenon to be a part of it. Anyway, it was pretty cool. If you ever get a chance I recommend seeing it.

Afterwards we headed over towards the White House where in the last picture above you can see the National Christmas tree. They had a really fun little area set up with Santa's workshop, a giant Menorah, and tons of trains circling the tree area. Neil loved the trains. People would try to toss coins into them as they passed. 

It was a perfect day. We had a great time and we really enjoyed spending time with Uncle Troy. Can't wait to see lots of other family next week!

Dollar Days

This weekend is known as Dollar Days in Baltimore. Many of their big tourist attractions only cost $1 to see. This included the National Aquarium, which normally runs about $35 per person in admission. We just couldn't pass it up. So, we loaded up at 7:45 this morning and drove for an hour to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore.

It was a pretty rainy day, but we were prepared. We dropped Chris off at the main entrance to wait in line for tickets while we parked. (We were expecting crazy crowds). Thankfully we got there at the magic time. Not much of a line, and it moved along nicely. Even parking was easy.  The kids and I walked over to a McD's to wait and have some breakfast.

The Inner Harbor is a really fun area. Lots of piers with all kinds of restaurants and boats. The aquarium itself sat at the end of one pier. We were inside by 10am and immediately checked out a fun 4-D movie of The Polar Express. It had fun effects like smell, splashing water, and even snow. Afterwards, it was off to see all of the fish. Lots of fish, fish, fish. Grace even got bored of looking at fish by the end. 

They had all kinds of fish, turtles, jelly fish, sharks, rays, and even a big dolphin area. The dolphins didn't perform or anything, but it was fun to watch them play amongst themselves. We saw a few jumps and got to hear them "talking" with their trainer. 

The girls were mostly interested in checking out the souvenir area. They had each brought along their own money and were eager to spend it on a stuffed dolphin.

Across the water from the aquarium was this restaurant. We would have eaten there, but at $40/pp it wasn't really the place for our crowd. Maybe if they would have given us the family discount. 

Once we had some food in our bellies (Hard Rock Cafe), we did another $1 activity and toured the Historic Ships of Baltimore. We got to walk though this retired submarine, as well as the big Coast Guard Cutter ship that is known as the last survivor of Pearl Harbor. It was cool to be on a ship that actually participated in that major battle.

View of the rainy harbor from the sub.

Even though it was a wet and chilly day I'm so glad that we took a chance and explored a new city. It turned out to be so fun! I'm also soooooo glad that I didn't pay full price to visit!! We'll have to go back sometime to see the other sights.

Thanksgiving fun

We didn't do much for Thanksgiving this year. We were on our own for the first time in many years. It was a little strange to have such a small affair. Prime rib was on the menu instead of the traditional turkey, and it turned out really well. Chris and I also tried out his mom's famous dinner roll recipe. We totally nailed it! They were so tasty and soft. Definitely going to make them a staple.

I went in to work for a bit that night and then the next day was spent hiking and putting up our Christmas tree and decorations. It was really fun to play Christmas music and dance around the house in our jammies sipping on hot apple cider.

On Saturday we decided to take the kids to check out George Washington's estate at Mt. Vernon. Chris and I had been there once before but the crowds were too big to really enjoy it. Thankfully this was the perfect weekend to go. The weather was cool, but nice and there weren't too many people to contend with.

The estate was set up for Christmas and we got to see Aladdin the camel.

The main house where George and Martha Washington lived. We got to walk though all 3 stories of the house and saw the very bed where he died in 1799. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures inside.

The estate is huge with animal areas, lots of garden/farming areas, servants quarters, cemeteries, and a large museum/visitor center.

It's also where George and Martha Washington are entombed along with several other members of their family.

The view of the Potomac River from the mansion's back porch. It's gorgeous out there. 

Me and my girls on a perfect day! 

We had a great time learning all kinds of things about our first President. We even saw his dentures made out of animal teeth and ivory. It was a perfect activity for our mini holiday vacation.

Winter already?

Last week we had our first taste of snow. Thankfully it was a small storm and no school was cancelled. That didn't stop the kids from gearing up and going out to play as much as possible. We had just barely enough to make a few snowmen.

As you can see, it just turned into a muddy mess. Fortunately, it didn't stick around too long. I'm not ready for my downstairs to look like this for the rest of the winter....

I need to find a good solution for all the winter stuff to dry on. It's a bit ridiculous.

My little colonist and the big 13

Last week was all about getting ready for Colonial Day at school for Claire. As a fourth grader you learn all about Virginia state history. It's fun to learn it all along with her. She definitely knows more than I do. She had a project to prepare for a colonial era job fair. She was a gardener and made flowers for kids to plant. She did a great job. I was excited because I found a sweet deal on amazon for a colonial girl costume ($15). It was pretty funny when she showed up and maybe 1/3 of all the girls had on the same exact dress. :)

She got a lot of use out of it because they had a big festival on Friday. They danced the Virginia reel, made butter, made dreamcatchers, and did lots of other fun crafts. I was just glad to have it all over with. Now we are prepared for Halloween next year. haha!

Yesterday, Chris and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. We were such babies when we got married. It's crazy to think it's been so long. We've grown up together and I'm grateful for it. We have three beautiful babies and a fantastic life together. I know life isn't always going to be smooth sailing, and we've already had our share of bumps along the way, but I'm thankful for having my best friend at my side. This year he brought me home a gorgeous bouquet of sunflowers. Here's to many more years ahead.

                                     

Adventures with Grandma

Our last few days with my Mom were pretty fun. We enjoyed our gorgeous weather and went exploring. We took a walk through Arlington National Cemetery. It's such a special place, and it was particularly beautiful with the fall leaves. We watched the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier as well as a wreath laying ceremony.

The next day we headed back into the city for more exploring. We checked out the Museum of American History. We saw the star spangled banner, and walked through the exhibits about the Presidents and First Lady's. I love seeing all of the old dresses and china from past administrations. 

We had a picnic lunch and then walked around the White House. We took lots of pictures and checked out the DC souvenir vendors. Then we walked to the Washington Monument and let the kids roll around in the grass. We ended our adventure with the WW2 Memorial. Lots of walking, but such a nice day for it!