Monday March 19, 2012

On Monday morning we went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  From the first minute in the aquarium we found out that I had forgotten to put the battery back into my camera when I last charged it.  So, my MIL took these pictures and let me have them. 

Jelly fish

We went to a 4D movie!  It was my first time ever and I loved it.  I didn't mind being squirted in the face but when I was poked in the back several times...it startled me.   We also saw a great dolphin show.  The dolphins were so bright and smart and very playful.  Great animals.

We saw very large fish, including a huge tank of different kinds of sharks.  We saw so many different kinds of fish...so many.  The aquarium is a fun place to spend the day.

At the very top of the aquarium you can see the Baltimore Bay.

Here are some fruit bats.  There was an exhibit on animals from Australia, including fish and turtles and maybe even a crocodile.  I'm so glad my in-laws wanted to visit the aquarium so I could go there one more time.  It was a great Monday!

Saturday March 17, 2012

Saturday morning SM picked up his parents at the airport.  They took a red-eye flight out to visit us.  SM's brother and sister-in-law were also here and so we took all four of them to the National Arboretum.

Look at these beautiful, big blossoming trees.

We went to one of my favorite places, the Bonsai garden.  So awesome!

Don't you love the miniature leaves on this tree?  Since it was early spring, the leaves are tiny, currently growing bigger to their full size but I got to take the picture when they were still tiny.

Here we are with my mother-in-law.  We both enjoyed the beautiful gardens and the beautiful weather.  Afterwards we took SM's brother and his wife to the airport.  We had a great week with them.

Friday March 16, 2012

Friday morning we went to the Washington DC Temple. 

The tulip tree was just beginning to blossom.  Such a beautiful tree and beautiful spring day.

After the temple we went to Mount Vernon, the former home of George and Martha Washington.  Here we are standing next to life size replicas of George, Martha and two grandchildren.

The main house on the Mount Vernon property.  Originally the house was one story and about a third of the size.  After George married Martha the renovations began.  And soon the house was big and after he was such a great general and leader, they had strangers stopping by very often.  I think I heard they had over 600 strangers stop and visit in just one year.

Here's that cute husband of mine.

This is the back yard view from the house at Mount Vernon.  Imagine looking at that view each morning and evening and even during the middle of the day.

Washington and his wife are buried on the property along with other family members.  I love that idea, of being buried on the family property near other family members.

Mount Vernon is an active farm and they had a couple lambs along with two week old piglets.  Oh so cute.  I love that I grew up seeing baby animals in the springtime.  My grandmother had goats and in the spring they would drop their kids.  I loved petting and holding them.  I also remember playing with chicks, kittens, and once there was a baby monkey for a short period of time..

After touring the farm we went to the underground museum and interactive area.  It was really cool.  We didn't see all of it since closing time happened before we were finished seeing everything.

One last photo before we left Mount Vernon.

Thursday March 15, 2012



We started Thursday off at the Library of Congress.  I love how ornate the building is, the tall columns, the molding and each little detail.   There are now interactive computers that tell about the building and all those cool things.  I loved reading about those details.

These two boys represent North America and Africa.

And these two little boys represent Asia and Europe.

I was able to see President Jefferson's library...just couldn't take a photo of the books.  It was a very cool library.  Jefferson sold it to the government after their library was burnt down.  In 1851 there was another fire and two-thirds of his library was burned.  Slowly they have been replacing those books when possible.  His library was very diverse and had a wide variety of topics.  It was neat to learn about it.

SM and his brother and wife took a tour of the US Capitol Building.

The ceiling in one area of the Capitol Building.  So beautiful.  SM has a book about all the paintings and decorations in the Capitol and I love looking at it.

Here's a photo of the statue of Brigham Young...and a random person.

After a quick lunch of peanut butter sandwiches, we went to the National Botanical Gardens.  They were having an orchid festival and I was in heaven.  I love orchids and these were so awesome!

And then we went to the National Gallery of Art.

And I found this painting.  Can you believe it's a painting with an orchid in it?  So pretty...

I had to get a picture of the azaleas.

Look at this awesome tree...a metal tree!

We then went to the Natural History Museum where we saw dinosaur bones, jewels, and butterflies!

SM got a photo of the Hope Diamond...large, huh?

Then we went to the American History Museum.  We saw the American flag that Francis Scott Key wrote about when he wrote the Star Spangled Banner.

SM took the camera while my sister-in-law and I went to see the display on the Dresses of the President's Wives.  Here's a mask from the Lion King...that's one of the things SM went to see.

And then after the Smithsonian's were closed, we walked to see the Washington Memorial.

And then we walked to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

And that was just another day...another busy day.  But we are still smiling!