More D.C.

We had several adventures during our trip to Washington D.C. The first and most dramatic, I think, was the thunderstorm we got caught in. We had barely arrived and while the guys went to check into the hotel, Janessa and I watched the kids run around. A storm was rolling in so we headed for down the sidewalk to cross the street to the hotel. I thought I'd grab the umbrellas out of our car so the guys wouldn't get soaked unloading suitcases. We started down the sidewalk when this wall of rain and wind hit us. It broke the umbrella I opened and I couldn't see anything. Jacob was crying and screaming so I picked him up (with Rachel on the other side) and walked as fast as I could down the sidewalk. Small tree branches were falling down around us and I was afraid Jacob had been hit by something. By the time we got to the hotel, we were soaked to the bone, two umbrellas were broken, Jacob was crying and Rachel was shivering and shocked. It wasn't until we made it up to our room that overlooked the park where we were that I noticed the tree that had fallen. I never heard it nor saw it but it must have happened while I was walking just a few yards away. How very blessed we were that Heavenly Father was watching over us! Especially because the tree didn't fall the way the wind was blowing.

Here's Craig's picture of the Grace and Abby next to the tree. A reporter was taking pictures and asking us about it. I checked the Post though and we weren't in it. Apparently the storm spawned a few tornados and several people were injured by falling trees.

The next day we hit the ground running...or walking I guess. We toured the national mall and saw a lot of the monuments. Jacob was really excited to find such a tall tower!

The Lincoln memorial from the Washington Monument. In between is the WWII memorial which the blog entry below is all about.

Michael, Jacob and Grace looking back across the reflecting pool at the "tall tower".

Jacob and Michael next to Lincoln. These buildings are so beautiful although I'm not sure I'd call them temples...(see the inscription above Lincoln)

On our walk to the Jefferson Memorial we saw this crane. We were thinking about you Kris!

The Jefferson memorial with the cool dome roof. It was gorgeous.

This is pretty typical of our travels...the kids want to get down and run around while we were trying to keep them safe and from getting lost. I also think this picture was taken right before lunchtime. That may have contributed to the downturned smiles on those little faces!