random's from national mall day

One more highlight of the day - the carousel. What little girl doesn't like a carousel ride?

Evidently, big kids like it too. I'm so glad I have this picture. Michael rags on me all the time about being on my phone. He's just as bad.

That night we met Rusty and Krista for dinner near Chinatown. We took the metro all by ourselves.

Addison in Chinatown. This was her new smile she started at dinner.

For some reason I just really liked this little entrance way. And again with the smile.

Such a fun day of sightseeing. That night I was worn out and ready for bed.

smithsonian

We were told by Krista that the best museum for the kids was the Natural History Museum. The place is massive and it's a little much to take in the whole thing in one day, but we did hit some of the highlights. Anything dinosaur and animal related will get the kids attention. It's pretty cool to walk in and be greeted by this guy.

Large dinosaur bones everywhere!

I have no clue what Addison is doing in this picture. Maybe pretending she's a turtle??? It's better than the sourpuss face in the last picture.

And then I have a picture of this random bear.

We walked through the exhibit with the live bugs, insects and snakes. For some reason these are always a hit. They gross me out and make me have nightmares. After that it was our turn in the Butterfly Garden. I've never seen so many. 

Did you know that butterflies only live about two weeks? Unfortunately for this guy, his days were numbered. The wings become frail and break as they get "older".

I could have spent an hour in there looking at them and all the different colors, shapes and sizes, but it was time to move on. Next on the stop was the Air & Space Museum. It was late in the day and we had dinner plans so we literally walked in, went for milkshakes, stopped by the gift shop, and headed out. Even in that short time, we saw some pretty cool stuff.

Milkshake break at McDonald's. Yes, there was a McD's inside the museum. It's perfect! You don't have to go far, the kids are happy and I get to rest in the air conditioning. Win, win for everyone!

This was all we could handle for one day. Michael was able to go back the next day and hit the AMerican History Museum and the Archives by himself. I'm sure he was in heaven.

national mall

We ventured out in DC on our own one day. Rusty dropped us off near the Washington Monument so we could rent BOB the stroller. I have to give credit where credit is due. Renting that stroller was the best idea Michael has had in awhile. $25 well spent.

Here's BOB at the Lincoln Memorial. Do you have any idea how long the walk is from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial? A lot farther than it looks on tv. 

Before climbing the steps to see Abe.

View from the top.

I don't know if it was the heat, all the people up there, or the heat, but it was HOT! Like dripping sweat hot up there. It took about 5 minutes for us to take these pictures and the girls were done. Honestly, I was too.

This nice lady offered to take a family picture of us. It would have been nice to have Abe's face in the picture, but I'm not complaining. The fact that she used my big Canon camera in the first place was positive. I'll take what I can get.

Addison took this one of us. An interesting perspective.

From there we headed back towards the museums, all the way on the other side of the mall. We took in the sights along our walk. The White House.

Before returning BOB to the rental place we made one pass by the Capitol Building.

Look at us being selfless. Michael and I had to give up our sunglasses to get a picture. It's a little rough, but it works.

Up next: museums!