Washington DC

School got out on Wednesday and we left for DC on Thursday morning. It was a great way to start the summer.  We had an amazing long weekend at my our friend's house in Virginia.  They have six kids, and with our family in the mix, it was crazy fun time. 

 Isn't this a great welcome? Andrea and Nate took good care of us.  Great food and they rearranged the bedrooms to make room for the six of us. It was so nice to be with friends, and I'm glad our kids will have memories together.

 Jane & Marta (just 4 months apart) in their usual spot.  Love.

 We went downtown on Friday. We did some sightseeing and made our way to The White House, the American History Museum, the Lincoln Memorial, etc.  Andrea and her kiddos met up with us for bit in the afternoon.  It was so stinkin hot, but we pushed our way through. We were sticky and melting down by the end of the day.

 World War II memorial

On Saturday we went the National Zoo.  Since it's free, we didn't feel obligated to stay very long. We saw a few exhibits but spent most of our time at the main attraction, the adorable pandas!   It was the best. All of the girls were dying with happiness and excitement. I'm so glad they were moving and eating when we were there.  Pandas are Anna's favorite animal, so it was special highlight for her.  After we left the zoo, John dropped Anna and I off at the National Gallery of Art.  He drove around sleeping kiddos for about 30 minutes while she and I explored.  Anna's love for artists grew this year as she was inspired by some school projects. She wanted to see Vermeer's paintings because of a book she read. She also did a research project on Claude Monet, so she was thrilled to see some of his paintings, especially "The Japanese Footbridge". Vincent Van Gogh's "Roses" was another favorite.   

 Look at that smile.  I'm melting!

 Here's the crew of 10 kids. They had a blast. Lots of injuries, some squabbles, ice cream every night, nail painting, hair fixing, jumping on the trampoline, listening to music, riding bikes, making messes, and more!

 We took the older kids (Andrea got a sitter for the younger ones) to Rock the Block, a party in her city. It was good fun and good music. It was fun to see her life in Virginia.  We saw a Harley wedding at her neighbor's house, ate donuts at her church, walked in the dark to get custard at Freddies, walked to her parent's house, watched a motorcycle parade, and shopped at her favorite awesome thrift store .... and I must be missing something?!  Can't wait to do it again!