Washington DC Day 2

After a late night, we had an early morning as we got up to go about 7:30 am. We stole some cereal and drove out for the National Zoo. At the top of our list was seeing the pandas. We got right in and saw all three of them, active and moving about. It was a perfectly dry overcast day, and the temperature was about 65. All of the animals were really active, so it was extra fun. Some highlights from this zoo other than the pandas were the naked mole rats, the baby gorilla, and the fun Halloween decorations. There was hardly anyone there in the morning, so we enjoyed small crowds, which was nice, too. We could have stayed all day at the zoo, but we had other things we wanted to see.

The elephants were just waking up and moving around when we stopped by.

Seth wants to be as big as a Giant Panda.

We all agreed that we would take this Red Panda home as a pet. He is so soft and fluffy. 

The pandas were very active when we were there, which was awesome.

We got to see this panda really close!

He was just on the other side of the glass. 

The pandas were all eating their breakfast. 

They had a bunch of cheetahs, which made Mark happy! 

Where did the boys go? I just see a bunch of meerkats. 

Mom and Dad can take silly pictures, too! 

We watched the naked mole rats for quite a long time. We were amazed at how pushy they were.

We loved watching the baby gorilla climb around.

The seals were fun. This section reminded us a lot of Hogle Zoo.

We got some panda ears when we purchased a map.

Dad is sneaking up on the Roseate Spoonbill.

After a quick stop at Subway for lunch we headed to Arlington National Cemetery. We decided to pay for the tram tour, but it wasn't really worth it. We rode the tram past two stops and ran to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier just as the clock was chiming one for the changing of the guard. There was a huge crowd, but the boys shimmied to the front and watched in silence. The ceremony only lasts a few minutes, but after it was over they immediately did two wreath laying ceremonies, which concluded with the playing of Taps. It was a breathtaking ceremony, but Dax and Seth didn't appreciate it much. Not only that, it was getting late in the day, so we skipped the second half of the tram ride and walked to the Kennedy Grave Site. After a few minutes with the eternal flame, we walked back to the car, disappointed that the Iwo Jima Memorial was closed.

Mom really loved Arlington and learning about the history of this cemetery.

The changing of the guard is very impressive.

We enjoyed watching the wreath ceremony even more because they played Taps.

This is such an iconic place to visit.

Mark understands a little bit about why we visit places like this. 

Seth was excited about seeing the Eternal Flame.

We wanted to get to Mount Vernon and tour George Washington's house. It is only about a thirty minute drive, but we didn't get there until quarter to three. The mansion is beautiful, and the grounds are really amazing. The boys enjoyed doing a scavenger hunt for clues to the secret riddle and earned a pressed penny from Mount Vernon for doing so. We walked the grounds a bit and ran into a few character actors including a slave and Martha Washington. They were both really interesting, but we couldn't listen for long. Mrs. Washington even invited the boys up to take a picture holding "the General's" hat, telescope, and walking stick. We could have easily spent the entire day on the grounds, but we hurried down to the gravesite. That only left us about 20 minutes to hustle through the museum, which was had some really cool things like Washington's glasses and false teeth.

Mount Vernon was impressive and needed a full day. 

The views of the Potomac were amazing.  

We walked a lot of the grounds and Mom decided she could easily live here.

We were impressed with the size of the trees. They are huge!!!

The house was beautiful, too. 

Here lies George and Martha Washington.

This lady played a perfect Martha Washington and was so good to our boys!

On the way home we accidentally ran into a wonderful little diner where the boys had breakfast and we got shakes and cakes for dessert. We arrived back at the house in the middle of cousin Kenadie's birthday party, but the boys went downstairs and shot baskets, played pool, and had a Nerf war with the boy cousins. It was almost ten o'clock before we were in bed, and we have planned a 6 am departure for Shenandoah National Park. It was another late night.

We are having a lot of fun together!

This diner was just what we needed to refuel these kids.

Our rental car was small, so they all sit in the back together. They were mostly good!