Airplanes

The girls got rubber band airplanes while on vacation. After realizing that we didn't have the space at home to fly them, we headed to the open lot at the church. We were really impressed by how far these planes flew even in a strong wind!

First Day of School!

Sammie started the 6th grade on August 23rd. There was a lot of anxiety around the beginning of the school year for her. Her school had changed start times which resulted in her having to start riding the bus to and from school. The first week was rough, but now we're in the swing of things and everything is going smoothly!

Erin started Kindergarten on August 26th. She even has the same teacher Sammie did in Kindergarten! George came down from work to walk Erin into her class so that I could get Samantha to the bus stop on time. Erin was very nervous and excited at the same time. It's been a rough adjustment for her but she's getting used to the routine! Once she memorizes the daily schedule, she'll be much more comfortable!

Vacation Recap: Fredricksburg

We spent an afternoon visiting historic Fredricksburg. There was a lot of antique shops including one full of vintage Star Wars toys. I think we could have sent days roaming through all of the shops! We ate an amazing lunch at a place called Sammy T's. Our new theory is that any place with Sam in the name is a good place to eat. The final stop was a local ice cream shop that had more flavors than we had ever seen before.

Overall, we had a really great time on vacation! We're thinking that our next stop on our great American cities tour will be Chicago!

Vacation Recap: DC Day 3

Our third and final day in DC started with a tour of the White House. We had to wake up really early in order to make it to the White House in time. Once there, we waited for our tour time and then had to pass through three security check points before entering the White House. It was a little intimating, but all of the guards were really nice. One was even from Akron and pointed it out when he looked at our licenses and saw where we were from. The tour was limited to the East Wing lower and ground floors. We were able to look into the China and Vermeil Rooms and the library before heading up to the second floor. There we were able to walk through the East, Green, Blue, Red, and State Dining Rooms before exiting out onto the North Lawn via the Entrance and Cross Halls (tour map). There were secret service agents in every room that were extremely knowledgeable about everything we were seeing. We tried to walk back into the entrance after walking outside, but were firmly denied by a highly armed agent. Then we saw an agent in full field gear with more armory than I've seen in video games before being ushered off the property!

After the White House tour, we headed back to the hotel to check out and then found a parking deck that my truck barely fit into near the Air and Space Museum. The museum was really cool! George and I really enjoyed seeing the Apollo landing capsules.

Sam really enjoyed the Wright Brothers exhibit since she had learned about them at school. Erin was not as impressed.

For lunch we headed to the Old Post Office Pavilion. It's on Pennsylvania Ave halfway between the White House and the Capital Building. They had an amazing food court and a clock tower that you could go up and tour for free. From the top, there was a beautiful view of the city! It was the perfect ending to our time in DC!

Vacation Recap: DC Day 2

For our second day we drove all the way into DC so we could check into our hotel. We then walked around the national mall checking out the Lincoln and Washington Monuments and the newer World War 2 Monument that was beautiful! We were hoping to see the reflecting pool, but it was under construction and a giant pile of dirt. The girls really enjoyed seeing the monuments that have seen on TV and on the backs of pennies. Erin spent the rest of the trip talking about she saw the giant statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Kitty packing her lunch

Meow...

Vacation Recap: DC Day 1

Our first day in DC started very early. We headed north on the always busy I95 and parked at the end of a Metro line. We spent a good amount of time riding the Metro which the kids loved and I found easier than NYC's subways. We also appreciated the escalators instead of stairs even though the really tall ones made me nervous!

We made the National Zoo our first stop. It opened at dawn and we arrived around 8:30am, making us one of the few people in the park. It was beautiful, peaceful and quiet. The girls loved looking at all of the different exhibits and really loved the misting stations. We were able to see the whole zoo before lunch time.

We stopped for lunch at Ollie's Trolley before heading to the National Aquarium. The restaurant was decorated with a ton of antiques with notes reminding customers not to touch them which disappointed the girls. The food was excellent! The aquarium on the other hand was a bit of a let down, which is why there isn't any pictures. It was located in the basement of the commerce building and wasn't what we were expecting. We did get to see some fish that we haven't before and we there for a piranha feeding which was neat.

After the aquarium, we walked around the White House grounds before heading back to the cabin. The girls were really excited to see the White House, especially Sammie. We started at the North Lawn and then walked around to the South Lawn. George and I were jealous of the beautiful vegetables gardens in the South Lawn. They even had a bee hive near the garden to help with pollination!