Monday we went to the National Zoo. It was a great day- though we all got a bit warm after a while. Eli was kind of ho hum about all the animals- and there were several we saw- the Elephant house was amazing!! They are working on a new habitat, so all the elephants were in the house and we got to see them up close and personal. Then the hippo came in and body slammed into the big pool and began tossing around his ball.
We didn't stay in any one place too long. Eli kept asking when we were going to the playground. We worked our way over to the petting zoo, only to find out that the animals had all been turned out to pasture already.
No problem for Eli- the highlight of his day seemed to be when we went on the back road to the Amazonia area and saw the little excavator sitting behind the building. He was so excited!! Forget the baby pandas coming up to the glass to say hi, or the orangutan looking at him through the window, or the apes showing off- the excavator won hands down. Boys and their toys--- of course he probably still had in his mind when we went to COSI a few days earlier and he got to ride on one....
Tuesday was our kick back and relax day. We found a little playground and Eli was all over the equipment. I could barely keep my eyes open, so Papa and Eli played for a little while as I rested in the car. Very nice :0)
We took a little tour of the suburban neighborhood outside Washington, DC where she lives and got some great photos. I'll post them soon. I can not believe the houses we saw!! They make the Extreme Makeover Home Edition houses look like a garage!!
Wednesday dawned cool and misty. We drove over to Aunt Charity's house and got a little tour before heading out for the Metro and our day on the town. It sure was good to finally get over to see Aunt Charity and Uncle Brian. We've been wanting to do that for such a long time!
We made it to downtown Washington, and after a quick peak around the Castle, we headed over to the Merry Go Round. We were the only ones on the ride!! He let it go until someone else came along- and it was fast!! But we had a blast!
I was soo thankful for our stroller. It was great!! I couldn't help but compare our last visit with Eli to a nation's capitol--- Moscow. I was surprised at the many similarities. Charity and I discussed them a lot as we walked around.
It was neat to see these buildings again. I don't think I've been in Washington, DC since I was in High School.
The museums were very cool!! Due to a recent shooting, it took about 1/2 hour to get through the doors as every bag was checked. Going into the old castle the guard was very serious about his job, and pretty gruff. The guard outside the Natural History ( I think that is the one with the dinosaurs) was hysterical- he was like some form of Eddie Murphy.... singing zipadee doo daa and putting words in when he needed to. Then he pointed both fingers at us, while nodding his head in time to his own music and told us to have a great day. It was great!
Eli warmed up quickly to Aunt Charity, and they walked around together ooohhhing and aahhhing over the many exhibits in the dinosaur hall....
We walked past the new World War II memorial and got to take in all the sights there on our way to George Washington University and lunch with Uncle Brian.
I read these words and realized I truly didn't know the end- only the famous first line. What an amazing orator President Lincoln was. Charity and I discussed many things as we were walking around- I wondered out loud if Lincoln was one of the last presidents to write his own speeches. What deep insight he portrays with so few words.
As we were standing there looking at the statue, Eli asked who that man is. I began explaining to him a little bit of who President Lincoln was.
"What's he doing, Mommy?" he asked, looking up at his somber expression.
I told him he was probably praying for wisdom to be the best president he could and that he was president during a time when he needed a lot of prayer.
"He want to come stand next to me?" Eli asked quietly.
"No, sweetie," I said, "This is a statue of the man- he is not real. He can't come down and stand next to you."
"But Mommy, he want to come stand next to Eli?"
Amazing how there is a quiet hush as you stand there, reading these words that must have been inspired.
Our happy family:0)
Korean memorial. The last time I was in DC, this Memorial had just opened. I remember there being bus loads of veterans- in particular, there was a bus load of nurses, who came in their old uniforms to come see this memorial placed on behalf of their fallen comrades. How can anyone live in DC and not remember the sacrifices made over and over again by our military personnel and their families?
The Vietnam memorial wall was moving as always. Hard to believe just a list of names can move you so much. Amazing that you don't need any pageantry or extras. Just the realization of how many people fought and died so we could continue to live the way we live.
And we who come often have no idea of just how much they truly lost.
Lunch with Uncle Brian was great- Elisha fell asleep on the way there and slept through the majority of the meal- so we were able to just talk and relax for a little while. We met up again with Uncle Brian to ride the Metro home and then went out to eat for dinner. Happy Birthday, Mommy!! How nice to be able to be with family on my birthday!!
Thursday we went to Arlington National Cemetery. It was beautiful for the majority of our time there- and just as we were ready to start heading back, the rain began. The downpour hit full force just as we entered the Metro. I was so thankful for such a beautiful morning, though, for us to walk around, remembering again all the sacrifices made for us and our country- and time with my sister. You can't ask for a much better tour guide in Washington than a history major and avid fan of history. There are facts you learn that can't be gleaned by the less discerning among us...
I love my sisters and am soo glad I had these few days with Charity!!
Row after row after row, stretching on as far as the eye can see. It is with quiet reverence you walk through this area.
I didn't realize that the Kennedy's had 2 other children- one lived for a very short time and one stillborn. This is the eternal flame
Here is Aunt Charity, pushing Eli and keeping him a bit occupied while Tim and I were able to look at the eternal flame. He didn't argue when we told him he couldn't beep his horn and play the music on his little stroller car. I told him people were here that had come to say goodbye to the people they love and we needed to be quiet.
I told him it was like when he went to see Miss Kacy and her family when her Daddy died a few weeks ago. The body is asleep, but the person we know and love is with Jesus. I wish I would have written down what he said, I can't remember it exactly, but it was something to the effect of, is he with his Mommy now in heaven? Sometimes he comes out with these little pearls that tell me he understands far more than most give credit to a 3 year old for knowing.
There were several funerals the day we were there. Here is one of the tents. We heard the 21 gun salute several times through out the day, and as we were heading back in the rain, we saw a beautiful black stallion being led down the road by a soldier looking neither to the right nor left.
The golden boots were symbolically placed backwards in the stirrups and the horse remained riderless as he pranced through the graveyard.
We got back to my friends house and Tim made Pizza for all of us for dinner. He is such an amazing guy!! I'm so glad to be married to him!!
Friday we got up and packed and just relaxed in the morning. We were very close to our adoption agency, in McLean, so we drove over there so we could see what the place looks like and meet our wonderful family coordinator at work. It was great! I hope to have a pic soon of us in the offices with Kristen.
We had a great trip home and within a few days, life had settled into a normal routine.... somewhat.... :0)
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