552. Summer road trips.  Ava, Kate and I packed up the mini van and headed East to Washington D.C. to visit Kacy & Mike. Long solo drive but I had my coffee and music and the girls had headphones and iphones and they did awesome.  It was a beautiful day for a drive through rolling farm fields,  mountains and cities.  My parents always took us on trips East growing up and so the drive brought back great memories.  I love long drives, slowing down to think and be thankful while taking in beautiful scenery.  Grateful.


532. Mike & Kacy. They opened up their beautiful home to us, showed us their beautiful city and we absolutely loved, loved, loved our time with them.  I am so thankful to have these two in my family.  So dynamic, loving, artistic, caring, kind, smart, down to earth, fun people - they are great to say the very least.  When we got there they fed us and we ventured on a short walk from their house to the Capitol building.  It was beautiful and peaceful at night.  Standing there it was tough to think that this is where so many hard decisions are made and hub-bub takes place.  The big deal while we were there this week - waiting for Supreme Court's decision on whether Obamacare was constitutional or not.
553.  Mike had a banjo and ukulele and drum that the girls immediately fell in love with.  They thought they were hot stuff with the instruments!

554. Old homes and architecture - not only do I love the look, but love imagining what life was like so long ago!  Who passed through those doorways and closed the curtains on those windows?  All the things those walls and bricks must have seen over the years.
555. Aunt Kathy and Aunt Juli!  My two dear aunts rode trains into the city on Friday so see us. We ventured around town together - they loved on Ava and Kate and made them feel so special - and it was so great to spend time with them.  Love my Aunts!

Here we are getting ready for the day - breakfast!
First stop of the day - U.S. Botanical Garden.  We saw so many beautiful flowers and plants.  The girl's favorite: the Venus Fly Trap plant simulation.  
556.  In awe of God's creation: Bat Plant:-)
557. Spice!  This room had spice jars and showed children how a lot of things we eat come from plants.
557. Stories about history.  We met up with Aunt Juli and headed to our first stop of the National Mall - the American History Museum.
 The Choctaw Indians had set up a display in the museum - we got to meet an Indian princess, watch someone sew moccasins, mold pottery, eat traditional food (well...at least my Aunts and I...the girls had chicken fingers and fries:-)) and see a tee-pee.
558.  All things mechanical - that help us get from points A to B - and explore our world and galaxy.  Next stop - the Air and Space museum.  Just amazing.
The Hubble Test Telescope
The Wright Flyer - Orville and Wilbur's first powered aircraft.  The first successful airplane!  Pretty amazing! 
The Spirit of St. Louis - the plane Charles Lindbergh made the first ever transcontinental flight between New York and Paris (1927)
Kate in front of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega - plane she flew across the Atlantic in -first woman to do so!  Loved this - so did Kate!

559. The women my girls have to look up to in our family.  Kacy's just one of the many!  Next stop - DOE where we visited Kacy on her work day.  She is working on some neat stuff - she is such a great example to my girls in so many ways.  The girls were excited with the view from Kacy's office - and LOVED drawing on her giant whiteboard wall!  And they loved their hot pink visitor passes:-) So proud of Kacy!!


560. Milkshakes with family on a warm summer night in downtown D.C.
561.  Slumber parties!
562. Said it before but going to say it again - God's creation.  I love being reminded that some of the most beautiful things on Earth - jewels, natural formations, crystals, dinosaurs aren't man made - but created by Him.  Such an amazing artist!
Amazing to think how hold these bones are...
This was probably my most favorite creation - beautiful.  Not the plaque...but the sandstone formation...:-) 
The Hope Diamond!
Jewels from Napoleon...the girls liked this room.  Lots of princess jewels:-)
View from the Clock Tower of the Old Post Office Pavilion.
 The Bells of Congress - given to the U.S. from England as a bicentennial gift.
The White House!  The girls found some sprinklers (among protesters) to gain some relief on this HOT D.C. day!

 I sort of liked this pic - demonstrated childhood at it's best.  Ava's happy oblivion to the sad protester sign next to her.  Oh to be a kid again and not know the stresses of this world!

Can't forget the subway...

Friday night was pizza at an adorable, yum little spot near Kacy and Mike - the pizza was fantastic!  Such a great dinner and cap to such a fantastic weekend!  We also walked down to a nearby park and let the girls run around for a while!

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