Riley walking through the pumpkin patch with Aunt Amy
Regarding our pumpkins
I like this one
A Riley sized pumpkin
Riley got frustrated when her feet repeatedly got tangled in the vines so she refused to walk
Aunt Amy, Riley, Jamey and Ellie
Apparently Amy's pantry needs reorganizing
Riley loved Keeva and Keeva mostly tolerated her
A rainy day in Maryland
"I'm as cute as my aunt"
Here Kevin, let me help you with that, I'm great with electronics.
Aunt Amy gave Riley her first pedicure
The National Zoo
Aaahhhh the panda's got me!
Riley loves walking on curbs or anywhere she can balance
Hi panda!
A baby and mommy gorilla, awww
Sampling the cookies they baked (Amy seriously planned so many fun toddler activities)
Aunt Amy asked Riley to paint the pumpkins that we got at the pumpkin patch (with acrylic paints, she is very brave)
Hmm, what else does this pumpkin need?
Glitter!!!
Riley takes in the Capital building
The family on the Mall
The Washington monument is so impressively tall
A view of the WWII monument, Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial
D.C. is awesome!
World War II Memorial
Illinois!
The Korean Memorial
"Freedom is not free" on the Korean Memorial
All the walking and the silence at the memorials put Riley to sleep
The Lincoln Memorial is my favorite
On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
Heading to the reflecting pool to check out the ducks
Where's President Obama?
Chad, Jen and Riley, Natalie and Chris and Kevin and Amy out to dinner
Lunch with Daddy at the Sculpture Garden
Natalie, Chris and Amy at the Museum of Natural History
The cousins in front of Smithsonia Castle
Amy said all girls need red shoes so she got some for all of us
The Freese's loved D.C.
Riley and I were only home from our trip to IL for 4 days before we flew out to Washington D.C. We did the trip east by ourselves since Chad's conference didn't begin until later in the week and he didn't have the vacation days to spend extra time away from work. I was nervous about being on a plane alone for 6 hours (that includes boarding and deplaning time) with a toddler but Riley was fantastic. She really is a good flier and again impressed the attendants and other passengers. I bring lots of treats, books, music and new toys which help keep her entertained. We walk up and down the aisle and our social baby likes to stop and talk to particularly friendly passengers. The bigger challenge was certainly getting a carseat, diaper bag and 20 month old onto the plane!
Riley was so happy to see Aunt Amy. She visited us in July and Riley definitely remembered her. Aunt Amy seemed happy to see her, too. She had planned all kinds of fun stuff to do and first on the list was a local farm that has a pumpkin patch. At first Riley loved it, she was so happy to walk beside her aunt among all the pumpkins. But her feet kept getting tangled in the vines and she became very frustrated, refused to walk, and decided she did not like the pumpkin patch so our visit was a little quicker than expected. The good news is, she still developed a love for pumpkins and the next morning was very happy to see the pumpkins we chose all around the apartment.
Sunday evening Riley, Amy, Kevin and I were invited over to my friend Jamey Fry's house for dinner. His wife Nicole made an amazing meal, she's an excellent cook. Their 6 year old Ellie was ecstatic to have another kid visitor and thoroughly entertained Riley for our entire visit. I'm so glad I had the chance to catch up with these friends who I do not see often enough.
Unfortunately Amy had to work and Kevin was occupied with job interviews, but Riley and I kept very busy during the days. We visited the National Zoo and were treated to a very up close and personal greeting by the pandas. We did some shopping and took walks around their apartment building, they are in a nice area. The week flew by!
Friday afternoon Chad finished his work conference so the 3 of us went into the city to visit some monuments and memorials. We walked all over the Mall and saw the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Korean Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the reflecting pool. I was truly moved by all these tributes. I loved the WWII Memorial, it contains many quotes from world and military leaders of the time. But the Lincoln Memorial is my favorite. I think growing up in Illinois you can't help but feel proud of Abe.
Riley was also moved by the memorials...to sleep. All the walking and silence around the memorials put her sound to sleep in her stroller. Which worked out great, more time to check things out!
That evening we met Amy and Kevin and my cousin Chris and his girlfriend Natalie for dinner. I haven't seen Chris in years so it was great to catch up with him and meet Natalie.
Unfortunately Friday night Riley woke up with a nasty cough. She had been fighting a cold all week and it seemed to get worse Friday. She slept in Saturday and was doing better after spending time in the steamy bathroom so we decided to head back into the city. She was much happier when she was moving around and entertained. That day we again met up with Chris and Natalie and hung out around the Mall. We went to a few museums but Riley wasn't interested in being inside, she wanted to RUN. It was gorgeous weather and we were happy to talk and catch up, so it was a good last day.
We had a really wonderful trip. We were so happy to see friends and family and explore the nation's capital. I can't wait for our next trip. I'm not sure if Amy and Kevin feel the same after hosting a toddler for 9 days, but we're coming anyway!
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