Weekend with the Hartzlers

Last weekend we had a fun filled time with the Hartzlers. Since we only see them about once a year, it was super special to spend so much time with Rob, Sari, Witt, and Helen.

 

Our 1st stop was Arlington Cemetery.

 A guy I went to high school with was recently killed in action. He was a Navy Seal and his helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan last August. It was very special to find his grave site and pay our respects.

 Civil War tombstones

 After feeding Simon in what I thought was a discreet place, (a people mover carrying hundreds of tourists drove by... slowly. ) I joined everyone at Arlington House- Robert E Lee's house, at the top of the hill.

Tomb of the Unknown Solider

 It was VERY hot... well, not last summer Texas hot, but quite warm. Simon was a trooper.

Went back to the apartment for naps.

After everyone was well rested, we headed out again.

 Pizza Picnic on the Mall

 Henry and Margaret Gray had been begging to ride this carousal and were thrilled to have finally taken a spin.

Thanks, Sari, for capturing their excitement.

After dinner, the dads took the big kids to... you guessed it- the Museum of Natural History.

After the kids went down, Sari and I vegged in front of the TV and Rob and Tom went downstairs to play virtual golf.

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The next morning...

Off to the National Zoo on the Metro!

 Safe

 The train rocked Simon to sleep... and he slept for most of our time at the Zoo... thank goodness!

Whenever we would talk about our get away to DC, we would remind the kids about the pandas at the zoo. They were so excited to finally see them. Someone asked, "Where are the pandas?" Margaret answered "China!".

 The zoo had this awesome "zip line" for their orangutans.

Somehow, we exited the zoo different from where we entered. Rob's phone showed that the street we needed to get to was close by.

So we began our stroll.

Unfortunately, the street we needed to be on was above us. It was a looong walk to where we needed to be. Luckily, very scenic and Simon didn't mind eating on the move. 

 We worked up our appetite and made a stop for lunch at a Lebanese restaurant. It was delicious.

We rode the Metro back to our neighborhood and stopped off at the National Portrait Gallery. They were having a Family Day celebrating Asian Pacific Heritage Month. There were arts and crafts for the kids, as well as performances, and a very exciting photo booth.

 Making fortune cookies out of clay

 Masks

 We first took a family photo, then Sari found out that they would let all 9 of us in there.

Awesome. Not sure what I like the best- Helen's 'stache, Simon's disco ball necklace, or Tom's glasses???

They ended the celebration with drums and dancing dragons. When Tom noticed others "feeding" the dragons money, he gave a dollar to each of the kids.

Such a fun weekend with our dear friends! Not only was it special for me and Tom to hang out with Rob and Sari, but it was extra sweet that our kids got to spend quality time together.

On Tuesday, the kids and I drove up to meet Sari and the kids at their apartment. We played at their playground, ate a picnic lunch, took naps, and then went off to a Rangers game against the Orioles.... but that's another post...