Friday Thru Monday....SETH AND CAYLA!!!

We had some Texas visitors this weekend!!!

Uncle Seth and Aunt Cayla!!!!!

What. a. blast.

Pictures are all in order:

1. Wagon Pulling competition:

 

pretty sure Uncle Seth won that one!

2.  Cheese competition:

 

it was a drawl.

3. Johnathan and Liza joined our extended crew on Saturday morning for donut eating and coffee drinking competition:

 it was donuts and coffee....I didn't think it would be kind to keep score!

4.  Our usual drill for company is to stuff them full of food, drive them to the nearest metro, hand them a speed pass, map, travel books and plan a pick up time for later that evening BUT

we decided to mix it up a bit this weekend....we tagged along!!!!

WOW!

Amazing to have extra hands and it turned out to be great day (for us. don't want to speak for them!)!

Day one (that's right, I said DAY ONE) was mostly Smithsonian's
(a whopping two - there are like 10 or something)
on the National Mall, with a quick look see up the National Monument and Capitol Building because we had to get home, rest, change and then head out for an adult only night in Old Town Alexandria!!!!!

 Samantha is IN LOVE with Aunt Cayla...can you take a wild guess why?

 Seriously, it was going to fall and they totally caught it saving the lives of hundreds of innocent tourists!!! I guess you just had to be there...

The whole crew!

 we did totally tire them out but can I just brag on my kids!!!???

THEY WERE SOOOO GOOD!!!!

We landed at the most amazing Greek restaurant we've been to, since we were actually in Greece, for dinner!!!!

 Then it was COFFEE time....we threw in a little walk down on the harbor because I say, if you have a harbor, go.walk.on.it.!

a Blue Heron flew right out of the blackness of the sky and landed on a pole right in front of me and Cayla - it was beautiful!

 (it was COLD!!!!!! poor Cayla is wearing my coat which is four sizes too big for her and I am wearing Jake's coat that he was issued as a freshman in college...ya know, 15 yrs ago!)

 if it's got your name on it, it's yours, right?

5.  Day TWO!!!! 

Tour of area that Jake works in, stop at Jake's coffee shop, Marine Corps memorial, Arlington Cemetery/Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Seafood, Tyson's Corner, Cold Stone, home to crash with a movie, some chit chat and some SHUT EYE!

We were all exhausted from an absolutely FUN day:

that would be Sophie behind Jake and Seth ;-)
right after we told them to not walk on the grass.
she's SO obedient!

the view from the Marine Corp Memorial is so cool...from Left to right it's:

the Jefferson memorial (the small round dome thing), the Capitol, the National monument and then the Lincoln memorial, all in a row!

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier:

explained to the girls as
'a special box that symbolizes all the guys who died in war but we can't find their body and that guy is making sure no one touches the special box'...

pretty sure that one went RIGHT over their heads.

they're only clue of what battle is comes from Civil War Reenactments, where the bodies are laying right there in front of you!  The whole thing was confusing to them and amazing to us.

I cry every time I see this place and I pray for my friend April every time I'm here or even think 'here'....April, you are a hero girl.

6.  Monday morning was "The Theater" (you have to say it with an English Accent, Samantha says so)

The girls practiced and prepped....it was adorable.

Shoot, there was play dough pizza and Christmas presents at this "Theater" (did you say it right?)!

We had to say good-bye to them this morning and we were all so sad.

What a blessing to have such amazing family members.

Truly a blessing!

We love you Aunt Cayla and Uncle Seth!

When are you coming back!?


(p.s.  that's 'where' I've been all last week (getting ready for them) and weekend (hanging out with them)....for all my awesome friends who called or emailed! I'm great and I love you!)