Elephant Racing

Elephant Racing... 'nuff said.

July 21 Dallas Zoo. Treo Camera

she's not my girlfriend anymore

It wasn't meant to be a test, but I guess dragging your girlfriend on a 1,000+ mile trip WITH your three kids to stay as a guest in the home of one of your closest friends can be somewhat daunting...

We went to DC.

With stops, including Mass at St. Paul's Cathedral (Yea! MassTimes.ORG), it took 27 hours to get there.

Our site-seeing party included 5 adults and 8 kids. There was much potential for many problems. By day three, we had been threatened with heat stroke and lightning and deviations from the spreadsheet.

But day three also found us in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/current.html) The Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals (http://www.mnh.si.edu/earth/text/2_1_3_2.html)...
past the Hope Diamond...
and the Tiffany Diamond...
and the The Carmen Lúcia Ruby,
somewhere near the giant beryl crystal. And I said:

All of these gems remind me of what is truly precious in this world and what a gift it is to find you. So to paraphrase our late Pope (John Paul II), will you do me the honor of joining me in the *gift* of matrimony?

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Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family - a domestic church. -- Pope John Paul II

Orange

Today we went to the National Museum of Natural History. We wore orange.

We saw an Arma'posum (or Pangoron?) and mummies and elephants and shiny things.

Ben liked the skeletons. But I think he expected them to move like zoo animals.

Paul held a cockroach.

Yep, we wore orange.

A man with a M16 just told us to have "an exciting day..." but I was so looking forward to a nice sit down at Becca's.

Joined another family

While waiting in line for the Capitol Tour, Patrick joined a new family...

Well at least he joined their game of "Bubblegum Bubblegum in a ditch."

The long long march

First day in DC... What should you do? Take advantage of the fact that the kids are still niave and don't quite know what "walking" means.

It took an hour to get from the middle of The Mall to The Lincoln Memorial via a sculpture garden and sprinklers. The Washington Monument was halfway. We did not go up but we did get quizzed by Russ.

The Washington Monument from Mid-Mall'ish

Srinkler below the Washington Monument

The Washington Monument from The Lincoln Memorial

Pooped at the Lincoln Memorial

(I promise we won't walk -as far- tomorrow)

Lunch @ the NAAS Museum

You can get McDonald's at the National Air and Space Museum.

The trashcans open automatically!

And we all touched the moonrock.

Smithsonian

Today we went to museums. Paul read everything.

Lainey found cool things like ruby slippers and Princes' guitar.

James really liked Barbie.