WASHINGTON DC

Here we are on our road trip! First stop....

washington dc!

We didn't have nearly enough time but we sqouze as much into a day and a half as we could. we stayed with sweet miranda and daniel and took over their room/apartment. they are the sweetest and we loved playing games with them and bunking in. 

We spent the morning seeing all the monuments. Started out at the Lincoln Memorial...

We figured out how to put this little man front ways in the ergo baby. He was not happy being stuck in there and not being able to see the sites. He loves it front ways now. :)

The Washington Monument...

our new home state!

We found the White House! And saw President Obama's dog romping through the yard and visiting the garden. It was the greatest and our new claim to fame.

"Dan, take a picture of me smooshing the Washington Monument! It will be so funny..."

I wanted him to do it so bad but he was a little embarrassed. He humored me.... 

Met up with Miranda and Vanessa at lunch for falafels! It was oh so joyful. :)

The Smithsonian was so great. We needed many more days there.

Lots of disgustingly cool, oh-so-live bugs.

And mummies.

And the funniest skeletons.

And the HOPE diamond!

After a little mini nap with all of us in the driver's seat of the car, we visited the Jefferson Monument.

And laid on the bench and looked up at the pretty ceiling.

And pretty much kissed and laughed with this little guy the whole time.

Our hearts our his!

My heart is officially melted in a puddle on the floor in front of me after those pictures!

He's balding a little. It's pretty adorable on that little head.

Few things make me happier than those little toes and those hands gripping his Daddy's shirt.

On our second day in DC, we tried to hit up a few more stops in the morning before our next destination. We went to the Holocaust museum and on our way to the Air and Space Museum we got stopped on the road by this cop on a power trip. We couldn't figure out why all traffic was stopped and no one was allowed to cross the street until...

PRESIDENT OBAMA DROVE BY with a caravan of literally fifteen vehicles of every shape and size. Motorcycles, Escalades, Escalade limos, Yukons with secret service men in the backseat with their windows down and M95's (i think that's what they're called, I'll have to ask Dan for sure) STICKING OUT THE WINDOWS. For real. And an ambulance at the end. Just in case. Not an Obama fan but he's still the President of the USA and it was pretty cool to see the whole thing.

So that's our new claim to fame. Then we went to the Air and Space Museum far to briefly. We loved it!

We loved DC and tromping around the mall. Can't wait to come back someday!

for grandpa & grandma

Grandpa said pictures of Jude are like "living water..."

and they are thirsty!

SNAKE

Just another day full of working in the yard when what did we see peeking it's little head out by the front door?

Oh,
just a snake.

A snake.

We stared at it for a minute and then it slithered back into it's home, which was actually our home. It lived right inside the outside of the house.

A few minutes later after Jude and I watched Dan working on the roof, we happily headed back towards the house when

HALT!

The snake was back. This time peeking out a little too far and a little too close to Jude and I. Dan scurried off to roof and quickly devised a plan to protect his family from the little rascal. Jude and I kept our distance. Before I knew it Dan has the FISKARS HEDGE CLIPPERS in his hands and he had them right above the head of the snake, still peeping out from the house.

....
...
...

Yes, he would.
...
...
...
He said not to look but I couldn't. It was like Lot's wife looking at Babylon. Before I could turn away,

SLICE of the Fiskars.

OFF with the snake's head.

Traumatized is an understatement here. I let out a blood-curtailing squeel, grasped my sweet little child and ran up the hill far away.

The snake was slithering away, headless. I guess they do that. Dan got the whole body out of the house. And that's that. I think that was more details than anyone cared to know. It was more than I cared to share.

Check out that outfit...

There are a lot of creatures and creepy crawlies and who-knows-what-else around here. We kinda live in the country. It's the greatest.

Exhausted after a long day!