Camp Q goes to DC!

Since we had a 4 day weekend for Columbus day and Jeff was on call, the kids and I took off for Northern Virginia to visit Kelly. The trip was long, but worth it. We had a wonderful visit. We got to see where they live and a little bit of the Capitol of the USA.

The first day there, we went downtown to the historic Fairfax area. They were having some sort of fall festival.

Later we went to see Justin's football team win their first victory. Afterwards we went to Reston for lunch at this nice shopping center. The kids enjoyed the fountain in the middle.

Sunday morning Kelly, the kids and I took off for Washington DC to see the sights. Ben was excited to see all the sights he has been learning about.

We parked in the area around the tidal basin across from the Jefferson Memorial. We got a good look at this from all angles, as we got a little misdirected and walked back to the other side of the lake. We looked across and realized we were supposed to be waaaaaaay over there. We finally got to where we needed to be and had a nice picnic in the shade. Once we were rested, we were ready for more sightseeing.

At the Washington Monument. It was such a BEAUTIFUL day! Very warm for October.

Next we walked to the Lincoln Memorial. Thanks Kelly for carrying the stroller up all those steps, it was only 20 steps right?

It is an impressive sight!

This was what Ben requested to see at the start of our trip. He wanted to stand where Martin Luther King Jr. stood delivering his famous "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial. I am not sure why it is wet, maybe it makes when taking a picture it is easier to read.

View of the Wash. Monument in the Reflecting Pool as we are leaving the Lincoln Monument. (Was that a ramp for strollers, etc. beside all of those stairs?) (isn't this the Wading Pool?)

Next the group of us drove over near the White House and finally found a place to park. It was worth it, we got a good picture of George and Laura's house.

Then we headed for the Metro line and bought tickets for a round trip to the Capitol. The was the big event for Daniel's day. It took all of us to maneuver the little kids on the train and off the train before the doors closed, but we did it pretty darn well.

Kelly wasn't going to let go of Daniel's hand. He was thrilled to be on the train.

The buddy system helped us all stay together all day.

A carousel ride in front of the Smithsonian.

An ice-cream break to cool off.

Ben was amazed how big the buildings looked.

The only museum we went in was the Air and Space Museum. We limited it to just looking at the space ships.

Ben and Justin learned how astronauts went to the bathroom in space.

Our last sight of the day was viewing the other side of the White House while Kelly was driving out of downtown. We has a great day! Not bad at all for 2 moms and 5 kids!

The kids had lots of fun playing in the yard of Kelly's house. They played football until dark each night. Then Ben and Justin moved inside to play video games. Rachel was excited that Amanda let her look through her hair bow box and pick out some to keep. Daniel spent the weekend trying to figure out the code to Justin's safe. Justin was a good sport and showed him how to open it right before we left. All the kids loved playing with Molly the dog. Rachel made sure she was cozy with a pillow and blanket as she hid in Justin's room.

Overall, we had a fantastic visit. We hope that the Smith's have recovered from our craziness that we bring with us. We can't wait to go back someday. See you at Thanksgiving!