Jack'o lanterns

Brooklyn wanted a mad face

Barrett wanted the "BOO"!

.

And, then we just did a happy face for fun

Happy Halloween!!

DC-Day 3

we started off Day 3 with some coffee and such from the local coffee shop and then hopped in a taxi and headed to the American History Museum.  We had been there a few years ago, but they have remodeled and it was a great museum to visit.  It is filled with lots of iconic American culture things.

Brooklyn experimenting with sounds

 

Julia Child's kitchen- I loved this part!

 The kids in front of Dorthy's red slippers from The Wizard of OZ

 Brooklyn and I looked at the First Ladies Dresses Exhibits.   Brooklyn loved looking at all of the fancy dresses. We both liked Grace Coolidge's dresses, but Brooklyn's very favorite was Michele Obama's dress from the Inaguration.

 The kids were both really fascinated with Abe Lincoln.  We saw lots of things about him and the kids were very curious to learn about him.  Everytime we saw "bad guys" Brooklyn kept asking if they were the ones that killed Lincoln.  Here is B as Abe Lincoln, with a sword.

We saw  C3PO, Dumbo, and lots of other cool things and then it was time to leave.  We went to my dad's office and then went to lunch. We ate in the Congressional dining room.  It was really neat.  There were lots of  other congressman and some other guests as well.  The food was great. It was a fancy place and cool to think about all of the different people who have eaten there in the past.  What a special treat!

All of us at lunch in the Congressional dining room

 After lunch, we went to my dad's office while we had an interview.  We hung out in his office for a while.  Here is B working at Teddy's desk.

 Then we went to tour the old Senate wing in the Capital.  Its so fancy.

 At the front of the old Senate Chambers.  

 Then we went to the old Supreme Court.  They have their own building, but they used to meet in the Capital. It was very cool! Here is the desks where lawyers waited to present their cases to the Supreme Court

Dad and me in the Supreme Court

 We went to the cyrpt in the basement of the Capital.  This is where George Washington was to be buried, but Martha Washington wanted him buried at Mt. Vernon, so he was. This is where Presidents and other officials lay in state. This is where Ronald Reagan laid in state recently, until he was brought up to be viewed.

 Here is a view from the front balcony of the Capital.  It was so cool to look at the city from up here. It is a shame that people can't just wander around and use the building because of all of the security.  It  makes the building, government seem unapproachable.

 Derek and I on the Capital grounds

 This is a view from the back of the Capital.  So many steps.

 Dad and the kids in front of Teddy's work

 We went to go hang out at my dad's apartment for a bit.  Here the kids are with Teddy in front of his home.  Notice the Texas flag!

 After hanging at dad's house for a bit, we headed back to Dad's building for bit. 

 The kids had fun playing and working in the office.

 Dad, B, and Me in Teddy's office

 B in front of Dad's office

 After we left my dad's office, we went over to Union Station.  It is a beautiful building and so grand. Inside besides the sub station, are lots of restaurants and shops.  

The kids even got their picture taken with the Obama's

 After hanging out at Union Station, we met my dad in cool part of town and ate dinner at Matchbox. We had a yummy dinner of pizza and burgers and then headed back to the condo to rest up for the next day.

Being Lazy

Carrots

Brooklyn wanted some carrots with the tops!

Such a yummy snack!

DC- Day 2

On the second day of our DC vacation we hit the ground running.  We grabbed coffee and pastries at a local coffee joint then caught a taxi to the Air &Space Museum.

The museum was great.  Both kids had a blast looking at all of the space stuff and airplanes.  We even caught an IMAX show about planes that was good.  Brooklyn said her favorite thing was wearing the silly glasses during the movie.

After the museum, we headed over to a fish market on the water.  We ordered picked out our food and they cooked it right there. it was delicious.  We ate out on a deck overlooking the water.

After lunch, we went to my dads office and met several of the people who work for him.  Then we headed to the Capital and took a tour through the Capital and up to the dome of the Capital. We walked up the 300 or so steps to the top.  The kids were troopers and didn't complain at all.  Once we got about halfway, we went through a door and were basically climbing right up  the dome.  You could see all the way down below and it was a little scary.  Our tour guide told us lots of info about the capital.  it was really cool.  Once we got to the top, we looked around.  I tended to keep my eyes up, but Derek walked all around and looked down.  It was for sure the highlight of the trip for Derek.

 top of the Capital Dome

B at the top of the dome.  It was a little scary up there

 View from the top looking down

 George Washington

 My dad got finished his interview and met us at the top

Our family at the top

 The ceiling 

 The artist, Brumidi, painted the dome and many other places in the capital

After we looked around the dome, we went outside and could look out all over the city.  it was cool to see how the city is designed and see some of the buildings from up high.  It was a special treat to be able to do this.  Thanks Dad!

 Outside the top of the dome

the Supreme Court building

 The Pentagon

With Dad at the top

 Posing in front of the chandelier

 In the capital with Teddy

View from the bottom of the capital looking up

Stephen F. Austin statue

(we ran into Nancy Pelosi right after thsi. on her way to vote)

After that, B got to go on the house floor again. This time, he stayed awake and got to vote on many bills.  Even other congressman than my dad were having him vote for them. It was really cool. He also got to ride a tram and get some snacks while down there.

After B voted, my dad had to go back and do some more votes, so we headed out to eat dinner.  We ate at Dukem. it was our first time to eat Ethiopian food and it was great.  There were no utensils involved in the meal.  It was great food and there was a band and some dancers so it was a great dining experience. The kids even enjoyed the food.

Yummy!

Silly girl!

Full after a delicious dinner

"This bread is so good!"