Here and there in DC (recap of July 9)

Last Wednesday we hit the areas of DC that aren't as easily accessible by metro. We ended up being nowhere near any food at lunch time and ate snacks ~ with the promise of an early dinner ~ from what we had in the car. For our family that meant killing an entire bag of Trader Joe's BBQ chips. Before you call the nutrition police please know that we informed Kylie that this was a special vacation treat...

Stop one was the Marine Corps War Memorial, better known as the Iwo Jima Memorial. This was a meaningful stop for Mindy as she had learned about it last year in school. I love seeing teenagers get excited about history! It was also more meaningful to me this year now that I understand more of WWII and the sacrifice my grandfather (who fought as a Marine in the Pacific) made. I'm so thankful for the "Greatest Generation" that fought in WWII!

Next we visited the Air Force Memorial which was just opened a few years ago. It provided a great view of the city and also of the Pentagon. Kylie and Caroline practiced their salute to the statues.

Then came untold amounts of walking around Arlington National Cemetery. The tour buses were slightly cost prohibitive, so we used our feet. What I wouldn't have given to ride in Kylie's stroller. This was the look I got when I asked her if I could...

Turns out that the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns kinda freaked Kylie out. That was the only time our whole trip that Kylie cried and asked us to take her home. Ian tried to comfort her with her bunny and even Caroline got in on the action of trying to make her feel better, but eventually Ian skipped out on the changing of the guard ceremony to keep her calm. Poor baby!

Next came the FDR Memorial. It is a serene place filled with meaningful quotes and waterfalls. Each time I've visited there I've found at least one quote that has spoken to me. Last time it was this one, but this trip these words of our 32nd president spoke to me the most.

We finished the FDR Memorial and took a few steps down to the Tidal Basin. As we sat there Marine One kept on circling overhead and I made Cindy gasp when I had Ian place Kylie this close to the water's edge and step away for a photo...

True to the theme of the day, the Jefferson Memorial no longer has close parking. It was quite a walk over and Kylie passed out in her stroller for the third day in a row. Also true to our luck, the elevator up to the statue level was out of order, so Ian and I took turns walking the stairs and letting our sweet girl snooze.

Before we left Kylie woke up and today Caroline was the uncooperative one for a photo shoot. She pulled her bow out of her hair in protest and then Kylie did the same. Next thing we know they were sitting down checking out each other's bows. We have a hilarious series of Kylie "posing" and Caroline giving a grouchy look!

Next came supper at a little sandwich shop called Potbellies. The girls were hilarious at this point and kept yelling "Boo!" at each other over the table. Thank goodness we were there at an odd time and the upstairs was essentially ours!

Sure, my girl screams when you get her hair wet in a bath or shower when she's getting bathed, but put her in a shower poolside and she has a great time! After dinner we went back to Caroline's family's hotel for a dip in the pool.

At long last we were back at Grandpa's where Kylie made up for her potato chip lunch with a bowl of freshly cut nectarines, cherries, cantaloupe, and strawberries!