On the way, we stopped at Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello. Unfortunately, AJ was not in the mood to be quiet for a house tour, so we had to be content just walking on the grounds and seeing the house from the outside which is still very impressive.
Trey and AJ outside of Monticello - this is the view from the back of the house, I thought it was prettier than the front plus it overlooked the gardens which I'm sure are even more gorgeous in the spring than in the hot summer.
The first full day there we went to the Washington zoo. A.J.'s favorite part was running under the mist that they had in different areas of the park. His favorite animal...
That evening, AJ got to play in the water with William and David. He wasn't sure about it at first, so I made him get in. The second picture is him threatening to throw water on me.
The second day, we decided to visit some of the Smithsonian museums. First off was the air and space museum. There are no pictures from this because AJ was a very unhappy little boy that morning and we only spent a few minutes inside. Much to Trey's disapointment.
We then went to the Museum of Natural History - AJ was excited to see the dinosaurs (GRRRR) but then proceeded to sleep through the rest of the museum. This is a picture of the rotunda when you first walk in.
Of course, I had to get a picture of the Hope Diamond - yes, it was incredible!
AJ didn't want to ride the carousel at first, but when it was over, he wanted to ride it again.
I don't have pictures of the Jim Henson exhibit because they don't allow them, but it was such a special part of my childhood remembered when we went in and got see the muppets in person. AJ enjoyed making his own muppet in the children's area.
On the third day, Heidi offered to babysit AJ so Trey and I could get a little more sightseeing in. This is what we saw as we drove off...
AJ and David riding in the Jeep. This was AJ's first experience driving and I have to say, he was a natural. AND he loved it. We could hardly get him off of it the rest of the trip.Our first stop was at the National Archives. While waiting in line, I took this shot - there is just something about the architecture of columns that I just love (I took a lot of column shots on this trip!)
One of the biggest highlights of the trip, seeing the constitution and declaration of independence. Trey was secretly planning how he was going to steal the declaration to find the treasure. :)
We spent a lot of the afternoon at Arlington National Cemetery. It was really hot, but seeing the changing of the guard was worth the wait.
That evening we went to eat downtown and then walked around to see the White House. What Washington trip would be complete without a photo of the White House.
We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends that would allow us to come crash with them in their home and then even act as tour guide. Billy took Trey and I out to show his plane and it was definitely the highlight of the trip for both of us. Here is a picture of Billy showing Trey the plane. I got to see it too.
Then a picture of the two high school friends in front of Billy's plane. Look above their heads and you'll see his name on the plane.
Billy took us out that night to see the memorials. They were definitely more impressive at night than during the day. My favorite being the Lincoln Memorial. It was huge.
We had a great trip, stopping on the way home and seeing Trey's Aunt, Uncle and cousins in Bristol who gave us a very warm welcome. A great end to a great vacation. Hopefully the first of many family vacations to come.
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