Washington, D.C. Revisited

We spent they day revisiting the nation's capitol on Tuesday, June 7.  We visited a few years ago and saw everything in depth, so this time, we were more casual about our visit.

We decided to revisit the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution,  the Bill of Rights, and the Magna Carta.  (No more indoor photos allowed these days.)

The kids wanted to visit the Museum of Natural History again, so we did.  Here are a few highlights.

Julia loves the insect zoo.  This time, she got to hold a caterpillar.

Jourdan was a little more reluctant to touch the critters, but he was comfortable with the caterpillar.

We waited in line for 30 minutes for our chance to go into the butterfly habitat (at Julia's request).  Once inside, she was thrilled.  She stayed in there for 40 minutes.  We really had to drag her out of there so that we could see other things.  Otherwise, she might have stayed all day playing with the butterflies.

The next stop was the Smithsonian's Museum of American History.  I was really looking forward to that because it was my favorite as a kid, and it was under renovation (and closed) last time we were in town.  We got to see some cool "artifacts" from our country's history.  For example, here is Julia with General George Washington's dress uniform.  (Excuse the picture quality...it was dark, and the uniform is behind glass.)

She also tried to "try on" Abraham Lincoln's hat during our Smithsonian visit.

Since Jourdan is kind of a Star Wars "nerd", he was excited to see C-3PO.

Jourdan would like to work here when he grows up....the Environmental Protection Agency.

On the steps of the very crowded Lincoln Memorial.....

In the background is the Washington Monument...just in case you live on another planet and didn't recognize this famous landmark.  We thought it was interesting that repairs are being made to the reflection pool so it is currently empty and under construction.  Julia was disappointed to have to walk much further to see the ducks that she so vividly remembered from her last visit.

The Vietnam Veteran's  Memorial....also really crowded....

After this day, in the heat and humidity, we were excited to head back home to Aunt Maile's and Uncle Brad's home in Virginia to crash.  (Thanks for letting us stay with you!)