Josh gave us a ride on his way to work, which was just a few blocks from the hotel where the events began. So we had the first of many, many walks through the streets of D. C.
Fortunately, the weather was beautiful all week.
We put a lot of miles on Nathan's stroller!
Our first stop was at the Liason Hotel, where we would stay for the rest of the trip.We had some breakfast, started meeting other angels, and talked to several adoption-related agencies who were exhibitors at the reception. The most significant one to us was the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS). Mark got to thank their president Tom DiFilipo and program director Rebecca Harris for being a valuable source of information during the Guatemalan adoption turmoil that began in September/October 2007--the exact time we were starting Nathan's adoption. Sadly, they said there are still a few hundred families whose adoptions have not been finalized and there are no plans to start any new adoption system by the new government.
For lunch we went to the Union Station, which was several blocks from the hotel.
Inside there were a lot of shops, restaurants, and of course a subway station. We had lunch in their huge food court, then walked to the Capitol Building for a guided tour.Most of our activities during the week were at or near the Capitol, so we saw it a lot. But it never ceased to be impressive, whether from the outside ...
...or the inside.
Our guide told us--if I remember right--that the Statue of Liberty would fit inside the Capitol dome with room to spare. Wow! Some of the figures painted inside the top are 15 feet tall!
There were statues everywhere, including this famous actor/politician.
They told us that there is a layer of the pedestal for Reagan's statue that is made of crushed pieces of the Berlin Wall. I thought that was pretty cool.
There were many beautiful views from the Capitol. This is on the side of the building looking over some flower beds toward the Washington monument.
After our guided tour came the highlight of Nathan's day--the bus tour! Yes, we got to ride on a real BUS! (He loves all big motorized vehicles.) Look how excited he is :)
Inside the bus! We're riding on a bus!!!
The bus took us all over D. C. to see the main monuments. Mark took many pictures through the window, but the one that was hardest to get was the Washington Monument. At first when we were driving beside it, the trees kept blocking the shot. Or the bus would start moving and make the picture blurry. Finally, he stalked his prey long enough to get the perfect shot.
Eventually, the long day overcame the little one's excitement. His face is so sweet when he's asleep, so Mommy didn't mind.
After the tour, we had to meet Josh again to ride back to his house and have supper. On the way, we saw the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial - for those who have died in the line of duty. We stopped to sit for a while and let Nathan play with some of the statues.
...or the inside.
Our guide told us--if I remember right--that the Statue of Liberty would fit inside the Capitol dome with room to spare. Wow! Some of the figures painted inside the top are 15 feet tall!There were statues everywhere, including this famous actor/politician.
They told us that there is a layer of the pedestal for Reagan's statue that is made of crushed pieces of the Berlin Wall. I thought that was pretty cool.There were many beautiful views from the Capitol. This is on the side of the building looking over some flower beds toward the Washington monument.
After our guided tour came the highlight of Nathan's day--the bus tour! Yes, we got to ride on a real BUS! (He loves all big motorized vehicles.) Look how excited he is :)
Inside the bus! We're riding on a bus!!!
The bus took us all over D. C. to see the main monuments. Mark took many pictures through the window, but the one that was hardest to get was the Washington Monument. At first when we were driving beside it, the trees kept blocking the shot. Or the bus would start moving and make the picture blurry. Finally, he stalked his prey long enough to get the perfect shot.
Eventually, the long day overcame the little one's excitement. His face is so sweet when he's asleep, so Mommy didn't mind.
After the tour, we had to meet Josh again to ride back to his house and have supper. On the way, we saw the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial - for those who have died in the line of duty. We stopped to sit for a while and let Nathan play with some of the statues. Raawr!
(That was Nathan and the tiger saying "Rawr!" together.)
This is the memorial.
After we met up with Josh we drove back to his house and picked up some burritos & tacos from a place called Chipotle's, which made an awesome supper.
(That was Nathan and the tiger saying "Rawr!" together.)This is the memorial.
After we met up with Josh we drove back to his house and picked up some burritos & tacos from a place called Chipotle's, which made an awesome supper.Then we got our things together and drove back into the city. (This is when we shot the video of Nathan saying "Wash! DC!" that we posted a few days ago.)
We made it to the hotel, got unpacked, did a little bed-time reading...
... and called it a day.
We made it to the hotel, got unpacked, did a little bed-time reading...
... and called it a day.Day 3 - check!
We had to get some rest because the next day would be even more exciting and busy: reception at the State Department w/Hillary Clinton, followed by legislative seminar, followed by appointments with 3 different Congressmen. Yikes!
... to get it done.
sang a lot of the "rain, rain, go away" song.
