Zoey--3 Months

Yep, its true. As of yesterday..our little Zoey turned 3 months! Seriously, time is going by WAY too FAST!! Although, with time passing, she is becoming a much easier baby. She is sleeping a little better and going a little longer without eating. So this is a good thing. She smiles all the time and really is a fun baby when she is happy. Happy 3 Months, Zoey!

Of course the only picture I get her to smile for, the coloring sucks. Oh well..

Discovery Place--Charlotte

After getting all the wedding crap over and done with. It was time to have a little fun on our last day in Charlotte. So we decided to head over to the Discovery Place in Uptown Charlotte, which obviously is very kid-friendly. It was a decent little place. Addison seem to really enjoy it of course. She was in heaven b/c she could run around freely (for the most part) and touch anything she wanted to without mom screaming at her all the time. It was nice to get out of the house and let the little kids have some fun.

This is what Zoey did most of the time

They had this huge "light bright" that the girls had fun with.
Pictured: Addie and the back of cousin Macey's Head

Putting in the ""light bright" bulbs

They had these pots and pans that the kids could bang on...so Addison went to town on them.

Anything that makes a loud noise = HAPPINESS for Addie

They had a waterworks station there...you bet your butts that Addison was in it, playing.

Water + Addie = MUCH HAPPINESS

They had an aquarium part at this place...Addison as you can see was VERY excited about this part. The girl loves the water!

Nana Sally and Zoey

They had a rainforest room with turtles, frogs, and whatever other little things live in the rainforest....here is Addison pointing to a "froggy, mama, froggy"

There was another room with all kinds of stuff for the kids to play on. Here is a tight rope that the girls wanted to join in on the fun. Macey and Addison pulling with all their strength...(the boys won on the other side)

They had this lever thing, where the kids sat on the seat and could pull themselves up into the air. Here is Addie trying to do it with a little help from Aunt Ashley...

Ok, a LOT of help from Aunt Ashley. But she loved the ride for that matter.

It was a fun day for the kiddos. They seem to have a blast. I really wish I was a better photographer or had a better and faster camera. One day hopefully I can make that happen. Thanks Nana Sally for the day that the Discovery Place. We had fun!!

Arlington National Cemetery

On Sunday, July 11th...we hit up a church service that morning. After the service, we went back to the hotel, got all of our things, checked out, and headed for Arlington National in Arlington, VA. This is a place I would definitely go back to. It is absolutely gorgeous and such a peaceful place. There is a certain spirit that lives there and it is such a neat place to visit. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wish I had more time there. This was another whirlwind of a day...we were short on time b/c we were driving back to North Carolina that night. So it was a quick trip, but a good one.

First stop was the Kennedy's Grave sites. President John F Kennedy, his wife Jaqueline, and two of their kids were buried here. Behind their graves is the "eternal flame" which stays lit 365 days of the year, 24/7. It never burns out.

The Eternal Flame

Jacqueline Kennedy's Grave

President John F. Kennedy's Grave

The view from the Kennedy's Grave Site

Another view from the grave sites looking into Washington DC

So neat

One of our stops was the "tomb of the unknown soldier". This was so awesome to see. This tomb is a monument dedicated to American servicemen who have died without their remains being identified. It is located in the center of the cemetery. It is guarded 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day.
Every 30 minutes, there is a changing of the guards which we got to witness. It was so neat to see and something that I would go back and see again. If you havent researched the "tomb of the unknown soldier"...I recommend that you do. It is very interesting and such a cool way to honor those who have died while serving our country.

"Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God"
(the tomb--pictured above)

The guard, guarding the tomb. If you look at the bluish/blackish pathway he is standing on...every 21 seconds the guard changes position and holds that position for 21 seconds, then he will take 21 steps along that pathway and repeat his about faced position. The 21 alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

To be a guard of the tomb...it is a very high honor and very crucial to become one of those guards. They live under very strict rules and its just amazing to me how and why these men choose to become one of these guards. They commit 2 years of their life to guard the tomb. Again, I recommend reading about it b/c its awesome. I just Googled some facts about it, you can find a million facts on the tomb of the unknown soldier and on the guards that get to guard the tomb.

The changing of the Guards...the sergeant (or whatever he is) is checking the gun of the next soldier coming on to do his shift. Again, they change guards every 30 minutes.

Saluting the tomb..

So cool to watch.

This wall is dedicated to all the Women who have served for our country.

Again, awesome place. Peaceful and gorgeous. Definitely want to go back! Thank you to all those who have served and died for our country and for those of you who are still serving. This place really makes you appreciate these men and women who give up their lives for this country. (Ok, totally had a "moment" there...sorry. It was just that cool to visit)

After briefly visiting Arlington, we headed back to Charlotte. But not without stopping at a 7-Eleven!! For those of you who dont know me, I LOVE me some Slurpees now. We really dont have 7-Elevens in the South, so when I see one...I HAVE to stop.

Oh man, I LOVE my Slurpees!!! So good!

My brother Alex loves him some Slurpee, too.

Not sure what Cameron was doing here...but he likes his Slurpee as well.

And this brings us to the conclusion of our Whirlwind of a Tour of Washington DC. It was awesome and hopefully soon we can go back!

Washington D.C.

After spending the morning and early afternoon at the temple for Ashley and Justin's marriage...we all decided to hop on a subway near the hotel and head downtown Washington DC to go and take a whirlwind of a tour of the National Mall....and a whirlwind of a tour it was. We didnt even get downtown DC until after 4pm.

Addison and Aunt Heather waiting for the "choo choo" to come.

We went from the subway station to the White House first....they had the section right in front of the White House blocked off for whatever reason....probably b/c Obama's reviews arent to hot right now...but that is a whole other subject. Anyways, we were still able to get a pretty good view of the White House....

The famous Pennsylvania Ave

The White House with the lovely crane in the background.

Of course Addison would find herself a Water Fountain...the girl lives to be in the water.

Next stop was the Washington Monument...which is pretty cool to see in person. Its huge.

After the Washington Monument, we wanted to hit one of the Smithsonian Museums. I really wish we had more time in DC...but like I said..it was literally a whirlwind of a trip...We got to the Smithsonian just before closing time...which we all know, it is IMPOSSIBLE to see everything in this place within 1 day, let alone in less than an hour (which was all we had)!

As you can see below, we went to the National Museum of American History Smithsonian. One of these days I will make it back to visit ALL the Smithsonians in DC.

The only part of the Museum we got to see was the First Ladies' Inauguration gowns...only b/c A) all of us girls were interested in seeing this part and B) it was right there on the main floor of the museum. This part of the Museum had all the First Ladies' gowns from the Past to Present Day. All the gowns, shoes, and jewelry that the First Ladies wore for their Inauguration Ball. It was fun to see, especially First Ladies like Jacqueline Kennedy's, Hilary Clinton's (not that I like her), and Michelle Obama's (definitely dont like her husband). But it was fun to see...I just wish we had more time to see other things....one day I will make time.

National Monument again with the Lincoln Memorial in the Background....unfortunately we didnt have time to go and see it...as mentioned before, we didnt get to downtown DC until after 4pm. It ended up being a very late night.

Just taking a break from all the walking we did...Addie and Macey had fun playing with the trees...they probably helped the grounds around DC out....I was pretty dissapointed in how the landscaping and the grounds were kept around DC. Sure, there were some pretty parts....but many other things needed a LOT of help. A lot of the grass wasnt mowed, many of the pathways were made of this ugly dirt and rocks, we kept getting rocks stuck in our sandals, why arent they paved?? And that is just naming a few of the flaws. I was a little embarrassed for our Country and the way they kept some of the grounds around the National Mall. I mean people come from around the WORLD to see our Nation's Capitol and we cant even mow the friggin' grass!!?? What I want to know is where are all the tax dollars going, when they cant even keep up with the grounds around DC?? Nevermind, dont answer that, I already have somewhat of an idea.

Addison and I in front of the Capitol building...see the grass?? UGLY...see the pathway to the right?? Dirt and Rocks...it sucks to walk in with Sandals on. The Capitol itself was cool though. Its HUGE!

Addison insisted on standing up on the Subway back to the Hotel. She seems so grown up (tear).

She wanted to hang on the bars on the Subway...so Uncle Christian helped her out.

DC was pretty cool to visit. One of these days I really want to make it back there so I can have more time to see more and not feel rushed. Hopefully one day soon.