Day Three

Day Three had us up bright and early for a trip down to DC. The kids were pretty excited, especially Noah. He was really looking forward to this trip.

Our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery. We went inside the visitor's center. It was quite a zoo. There were several school field trip groups coming and going. We picked up a map and them headed to the Marine Corps Memorial. This was Brian's first time to see it.

Then we, but mainly I, decided we were going to walk across the Potomac to the National Mall. The kids wanted to take the subway, but it was actually quicker to walk.

The next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. We went downstairs first, then up to the main area inside. I think Matt read the entire wall while I waited to take a picture.

Next stop was a little gift shop, then off to a food cart for polish dogs and pretzels. Then we were off to the White House.

After wearing myself out, we quickly went to the Washington Monument, The World War II Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial.

We get back in the bus and head to our hotel. Dinner at Ruby Tuesday tops off our day.

P.S. Never order a milkshake around Josiah if you aren't willing to share. This was actually Matt's milkshake.

Day Two

Day Two of our trip had us heading into the historic district of Philadelphia. We headed to our first stop, the Liberty Bell. On the way we passed right by Christ Church. This was where some of the founding fathers attended church. One of the most famous was Benjamin Franklin.

Next stop was the Liberty Bell. We all passed through security with no problems. The boys were starting to get used to all the uniformed security officers, they were everywhere near the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

It was really quite an experience to be so near such an historic piece of our nation's history. Our next stop was across the street to Independence Hall. Again, we passed through security with no problems. We took the tour and saw the assembly room where congress met and the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was a beautiful room that looked untouched since the 1700's.

Next it was off to lunch at a food court for the kids and Philly Cheesesteak from a street vendor for Brian and I. Everyone enjoyed their lunch.

We headed back to the bus and walked by the graveyard where Benjamin Franklin is buried.

Next stop of the day was Valley Forge. We spent quite a bit of driving around the grounds. They have a auto tour route around the park.

Finally, we head down to Baltimore to get ready for Day Three. We get to our hotel and order pizza from Pizza Planet and watch a DVD together. Then we collapsed into bed having thoroughly enjoyed our day.

Day One

Our day started by loading up our van with 12 pieces of checked luggage and 14 pieces of carryon luggage. My parents dropped us off right in front of the check in for our airline. No dragging luggage through the parking garage. When we got inside, we were deciding how to best attack the zigzag maze to the checkin desk when a nice airline worker asked us if we would like him to check us in to avoid the line. What a blessing to not have to drag everyone and everything through the line. He got a nice tip for his help.

Then it was off to the security check point. With just the carryon it was pretty manageable. Off with the shoes and jackets, the boys each went through with no problems. No one had to go through the puffer machine. Matt is the only one who had to walk through the metal detector 3 times.

Then it was off to watch planes from our gate. The boys were having a lot of fun. Soon it was time to line up for boarding. We all had the first boarding time in the A slot except Sarah. She was in the B slot. The nice ticket agent let her go through with us, so we all managed to sit together. Another blessing.

After getting situated, it was time to take off. The boys are the only ones who had never flown before, and they did great. Josiah just kept smiling and having fun. After some snacks, reading books, and playing games, it was time for a nap.

Landing in Denver went smoothly, we had some great flight attendants. One of them commented on how well the kids did on the trip. Then it was off to the food court and to work off some wiggles.

The next leg of the journey to Philadelphia also went smoothly. The boys really liked getting to pick whatever they wanted to drink.

With a small amount of turbulence and a little pressure on the ears(not too bad), we landed safely in Philly. After picking up our luggage and getting the hotel shuttle, we tucked the boys into bed to get ready for an exciting day of touring Philadelphia.

Road Trip

Wow! What an amazing trip we have had. We have just returned from the most amazing road trip. We flew to Philadelphia, via Denver, and drove back to Oregon. I feel like I have just eaten my way across America. I had Philly Cheesesteak in Philadelphia, polish dogs in D.C., burgers in Baltimore, Dunkin Donuts in New Jersey, chocolate in Hershey, deep dish pizza in Chicago, Caribou Coffee in Minnesota, Dakota Style brand dill pickle chips in South Dakota, and Sioux City Soda in Wyoming.

We just traveled 4176 miles in 12 days, through 16 states,(3 more than once), plus Washington D.C., visited 9 coffee shops, went through 4 cases of soda, went to 2 Cabelas, spent 1 Sunday at Marquette Manor Baptist Church, and stopped at more rest areas than I could keep track of.

We spent the first day flying to Philadelphia. I'll describe our adventurous first day tomorrow.

Joshua's Word Wall

Joshua is enjoying reading his short vowel words. It took a lot of convincing, but I think he is starting to like reading. It was hard for him and he doesn't like to do hard things, unless it involves outside and dirt!

Our New Floor

Brian and Matt have been working a lot on our new floor. It's not done yet but I really like it so far. Matt has been learning a lot working with his dad. I keep telling him he will be glad for all this experience some day!

Puzzles

This month Josiah has discovered puzzles. He hadn't shown much interest in them before now. He has been sick a lot this month, in fact, I can't remember the last day that he didn't have a runny nose. So we pulled out the puzzles and he has been having a great time.