Fourth of July, DC style

We learned from our previous mistake and packed a lunch for our trip down to check out DC on the 4th.  We were excited to see all that DC would offer.

We had hoped to leave a little earlier than we did and worried that there wouldn't be anywhere along the parade route to sit once we got there.  Turns out there was still plenty of seating because everyone who was already there had crowded into the shade.  It was SO hot, like melt-your-face-off hot.  Sarah found a little shade.  We eventually moved across the street and sat in front of the American History museum where there was enough shade for all of us.

We tried to watch the parade which I heard can last a couple of hours.  I think we lasted about 20 minutes before we bailed and went into the museum.  Too hot.

The kids spent the next hour or so building pyramids with Legos.  Not really what we came for but they were happy.

Tanner and Ella were pretty proud of their pyramid, but a bit disappointed that before they left the room another kid had destroyed it to build something else.

While the kids built with Legos, I took Rylee and Mary over and walked through the Star Spangled Banner exhibit.  It was amazing.

We also walked over to the National Aquarium that is in the basement of the commerce building.  That was not amazing.  In fact it was quite a dump and a big waste of money.  Skip that if you go.  I hear the National Aquarium in Baltimore is quite nice.

We tried to go to the South Side of the White House but it was blocked off for invited guests only.  Apparently someone was throwing a party that we had not been invited to.

So we walked on the north side and our kids ran through the White House sprinklers to cool off a bit.

We had planned to go back down to the mall for fireworks but really were not looking forward to the crowds.  Marc overheard someone in the line at Whole Foods say they were going to the Kennedy Center to watch them.  This was literally about a 5 minute walk from our hotel so we decided to check it out.

It was great.  Not crowded, (still hot!) a great view and we passed the time while we waited watching the boats go by on the Potomac and taking pictures of the kids.

Washington DC, Day 2

On the second morning of our trip, Marc got up early and went to grab some tickets to tour the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  We watched money being printed and learned all about the process so we can duplicate it!  Unfortunately, this tour did not end with any free samples of their product.

Since we were so close, we walked down the road a bit to the Jefferson Memorial.  I couldn't remember that I had ever visited that one even though I spent a couple of summers living in Northern Virginia with my parents.  

I was a little bothered that the concrete just ends with no fence or anything and drops right into the Potomac.  At one point I couldn't find Sarah and thought for sure she had fallen in.

The Martin Luther King Memorial was new since the last time we were there too.

Again we found water to put our feet in.  It felt a little disrespectful at the WWII memorial but everyone else was doing it too.  Good reason, right?  

After having to leave our water at the door at the capital building, we left the hotel empty handed and decided to get lunch at the Museum of Natural History.  That was our most expensive and least impressive meal of the whole week.  I think it was almost $70 for sandwiches and french fries for our family.

The elevator operator at the museum (yes, they actually pay someone to sit in the elevator and push the buttons!) told us that the butterfly house was free on Tuesdays.  I sat in line while Marc walked around with the kids.

I think almost everyone ended up with a butterfly on them at some point.

We made a stop at the American History Museum, pretended to give a very presidential speech and saw Abraham Lincoln's hat.