Little did we know that Day 2 would be the beginning of sore feet and rapid weight loss! We were up and ready to leave the hotel at 8am to begin our sight seeing adventures. We started out at the Capitol and walked to the Washington Monument. Because the buildings and monuments are so big, they look a lot closer in distance than they really are. We walked for what seemed like an eternity before we got there. We had to be back at the Capitol for a tour at 2:00 so we had a little time to spare. Oh, the White House was only 5 blocks away so we decided to WALK "right over there" to check it out. Ella was in her stroller begging to get out and walk and we were all trying to figure out if her stroller was strong enough to hold us! We got over to the White House before they closed down the South lawn street so Michelle Obama could plant her garden. We saw the White House Chef and some of the grounds crew getting everything ready for the big planting. After we left the White House, we went back over to the Mall to check out some of the Smithsonian museums. After Ella decided she didn't care about the First Lady's Inauguration dresses, we decided to spend some time outside enjoying the beautiful weather and gorgeous flowers! I have never seen so many beautiful tulips! Washington DC is beautiful in the Spring!!! Ella love being outside because she could see the airplanes as they approached and departed Reagan National Airport. She would yell "hair plane! hair plane!" everytime she would see one! She also enjoyed working the crowd. She would wave at everybody that walked by us. She even walked up to a lady sitting on a park bench reading and poked her then waved. I think being in the Nation's Capital brought out the politician in her!
After a busy morning, we decided we would eat lunch at the Capitol so we would already be there for our tour. Everywhere we went, we had to have our bags checked and go through numerous security check points. Well at the Capitol, you can't take ANY food or drinks in and they make you throw them away. Of course, with a toddler we had a whole bag full of snacks that I wasn't willing to throw away. So once again, here we go a walkin'! Cory and I headed back to the hotel to unload while everyone else went to get lunch. Our feet hurt so bad that Cory and I flagged down a cab to take us the 2 blocks back to the Capitol. As we were getting out Cory handed the cab driver $5.00 and he said "Woa, that's not enough!" How in the world could a less than 2 minute (not even half a mile) drive cost more than $5.00?! Well, it was and ended up costing us $7.50! I obviously don't catch very many cabs. The important thing was that we made it back with a little less miles on our feet!! Our private tour of the Capitol building was remarkable! It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip! My Dad is an elected official for our township and was able to arrange a private tour through our Congressman's office. The history within that single building is amazing! One of the most amazing things to me was that the Statue of Liberty could fit in the Rotunda with room to spare! Ella wasn't quite as excited as we were...she slept the entire time! We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Smithsonian's before heading back to the hotel to finally give our feet a much needed rest!
The whole gang in the center of DC (the star marks the spot!)
This picture makes me laugh! This was when she was out politicin'
She was one tired little tourist!
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