DC day by day: two

On Friday, day two, we learned that the weather forecasts in our nation's capital are fickle. Fickle, fickle, fickle. The meteorologist told us sunny and warm {and by warm we mean 50s, which we were thrilled about}. The weather that actually presented itself was windy and cold. As in, our kids probably wanted to beat us up cold. They were mad. Poor Leah already has horrible circulation, so it's hard work to keep her warm in the sunshine. And Kate, well, remember how we forgot her socks? That ought to tell you how well we packed. 

Frigidity aside, we dressed and readied ourselves for a day full of sites. We rode the hotel shuttle {Kate was fascinated to have that kind of a view!} to the airport where we hopped on the metro and headed to the national mall. 

As we walked up the stairs at the Smithsonian stop, we had a fabulous view of the Washington Monument. And, though I guess I never really gave thought to how large it really was, I was stunned at how large it really was! We couldn't climb to the top as it's closed for repairs from the earthquake in August 2011. But it was still quite a sight. 

We met up with the Holbrooks and with two strollers and two bikes, we went on our way. We knocked out the World War II Memorial, reflecting pool, Lincoln Memorial, and  Vietnam Memorial before lunch. 

As for lunch, we headed to a place called Cosi where we devoured flatbread goodness in the form of sandwiches and pizza. Just having options of where to go seemed like a luxury! We love New Hampshire, but...

After lunch, we headed a few blocks north to the John Deere office. A former Tuckie that Ryan met last summer works in this office and invited us to stop by. We had a great time touring the office, picking out hats and toy tractors and getting a view of the White House from the roof. The employees there were so welcoming and it made us that much more excited for our next chapter and confident in our decision. Phew!

After John Deere, we walked past the White House and back to the mall where we met up with the Holbrooks again to walk the Tidal Basin. Sadly, the cherry blossoms weren't blooming yet, but the sun decided to show its face and we basked in its glory for a few short hours while we viewed the Jefferson and Roosevelt Memorials. 

After the tidal basin, we hopped back on the metro, caught the shuttle just in time and rode it back to our hotel to drive to dinner in Old Town Alexandria for dinner at the Fish Market. It was here we gave Kate her first taste of a lemon, expecting quite the show. She wasn't even phased.

By the time we tucked in the girls and climbed in bed ourselves, we were exhausted. Luckily, sleeping in the same room as your kids helps you to go to bed early, so we were well rested for day three.