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.

. 

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...

Week 2- Friends

This week was another full week of exploring and visits from friends!

Sunday, we ventured to the grocery store on the metro (that was kinda nuts) and got back in time to go for a picnic lunch in the Sculpture Gardens.

As good as it got for this photo attempt :)

That night, Tom took the biggies back to the Natural History Museum.

 Bedtime stories

Tom's fellow resident, Billy, is up here, too.

His wife, Casey, and their daughter, Kyle, came to visit this week. It was super fun hanging out with them!

On Monday morning, we walked around the Mall and then Henry and Margaret Gray showed us all they saw the night before at the Museum of Natural History.

They discovered an insect room.

Before we left the museum, I realized that I hadn't heard a peep from Simon. Hot dog, he had fallen asleep and I had totally forgotten about him! (He had never before fallen asleep in the Baby Bjorn without a fuss)

Don't know who this guy is but he was celebrating Simon's slumber with me.

That evening, Simon practiced sitting. This lasted .004 seconds.

We also hung out with the Taylors and enjoyed dinner that Casey made.

Tuesday

Random picture of sticker fun

Our friends, the Hartzlers, are doing a rotation in Baltimore, MD.... which is about an hour away.

Sari, Witt, and Helen drove down Tuesday morning to have some fun with us.

We decided to check out the National Aquarium that morning, along with Casey and Baby Kyle.

Not sure what was going on at the Navy Memorial, but thought it was worth documenting.

Simon fell asleep again!! (People, he is not the easiest to run around with when he gets tired, so this was a big deal) Gave Simon plenty of time to snooze on the walk there, since I kind of read a map wrong. :)

The aquarium was the 1st (and only, so far) place we've had to pay an admission... and the biggest let down, too.

Sari and Witt

The tanks were too high off the ground and the kids couldn't see what was swimming around. No wonder kids 3 and under were free.

Witt, MG, and Henry had a dance party instead.


The Hartzlers came back to the apartment for lunch and to celebrate Helen's 1st birthday.

We got to have dinner with the Taylors again.

Sweet Kyle...  my rambunctious kids wore her out :)

Late that night, Mary Pat, Ryan, and Baby Gwyneth arrived. They were coming in for a wedding in Virginia and we got to spend a little time with them.

Wednesday

We love Gwennie Mae!!

Mary Pat taught Henry some new silly faces. Margaret was crying because she dropped her snack while we were crossing the street and then witnessed it being run over by a million cars. Was very traumatized.

We had a little time to kill before meeting Tom's brother, Jack, for lunch. (He was in town for work/ the same wedding MP was going to)

So we did a quick drop in at the Natural History Museum... We've gone about 5 times and still haven't gotten tired of it.

Well, maybe Simon was a little tired.... (ha)
Tom has got a way with settling Simon when he's fussy.

Dr. Tom finally found the Fish XRay exhibit. This made him happy.

That evening Tom and Henry went with Jack to a Nationals Baseball game. Got no pics, but Jack did send this video to Sister Kate for her birthday. Henry had a blast with the big boys.

Thursday

Packed a picnic lunch and went out with Casey and Kyle

Casey let Margaret Gray push her stroller. MG was in hog heaven.

After Tom got home that day, we walked to the Capitol.

Hot and tired

That night, Henry and I got brave and rode the Metro to the grocery store.

Friday

The kids and I went on a long walk Friday morning and when Tom came home from work, we checked out the Portrait Gallery.

Art + Kids = loads of fun. ha. Margaret did set off one alarm when she got too close to a statue.

I tried to keep Henry busy by having him look for his and Margaret's names. No sightings of Simon.

He loves him some Abe.

George #41

I told him that GW used to own the Rangers. So he was pointing at his shirt.

The courtyard had this neat water feature. The security guard told me that kids were actually allowed to play in it... I did not let the kids know that.

Loves to spit these days.

Found a Chinese restaurant on the way home.

Waiting for our take out.

So fun to experience the city with people we love!

Had a fun filled weekend with the Hartzlers, but more on that later...

I have to admit, I'm running out of steam.