WWII Memorial

Magnus and Maliah enjoyed thier visit to the WWII memorial on the National Mall. 

Maliah prepping for her Marilyn Monroe USO tour

Kids showing thier respect by... getting wet?

....and wetter

Deborah & sister Theresa posing in front of our home state
(The Show-Me State)

The U.S. National World War II Memorial, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is a National Memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II. It consists of 56 pillars and a pair of arches surrounding a plaza and fountain, as well as 24 bronze bas-relief panels that depict wartime scenes of combat and the home front. Two-thirds of the 7.4-acre site is landscaping and water. Each pillar is inscribed with the name of one of the 48 U.S. states of 1945, as well as the District of Columbia, the Alaska Territory and Territory of Hawaii, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The northern arch is inscribed with "Atlantic"; the southern one, "Pacific." http://www.nps.gov/wwii/historyculture/index.htm

Cherry Blossoms

The family checked out the early blooming cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in downtown DC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daffodils

There was a massive field of brilliant yellow daffodils that Dylan and I passed by on our runs from Arlington down to DC.  We decided to take the kids to the field and let them run a muck and snap some fun spring pictures!  Magnus loved racing through the flowers, Maliah wasn't quite as sure about the situation... nonetheless she allowed us to place her in the middle of a patch for some photos.

 

 

 

 

At one point we saw Magnus at the other end of the daffodil patch and wondered what he was doing.  Upon further investigation we found he was fertilizing the flowers!  In Magnus' rush to run from the scene of the crime, he failed to take the time to pull up his pants, and we caught him literally 'with his pants down!"

Magnolia Tree

Magnus & Maliah and the Magnolia tree....  On our early morning bike ride down to the DC tidal basin to check-out the cherry blossoms, we stopped at this magnolia tree that was in full bloom.  The tree is just next to the Arlington National Cemetery Church, where all the official military funerals take place.  You can see the church in the background of some of the photos.

Here I come....

I can't make my smile any bigger!

Maliah, Mom and the Magnolia Tree

The National Mall

National Mall (Capital lit up in background)

We enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather of the 1st weekend of the new year, by taking an outing to the National Mall.  We took the Bus and the Metro from our house to downtown DC.  Magnus enjoyed that immensely, probably more than he enjoyed looking at the trains and trucks at the Smithsonian American History Museum.

Then Magnus and Maliah loved running a muck in the some-what grassy fields of the National Mall, and watching all the passer-byes walking, running and riding along the sidewalks.

White House

Now that we are in DC we decided we should go visit our neighbors.  We rang the door bell, but no one answered!

   

Button says "Welcome to the White House"