DC PART 2: The slideshow continues...

Turns out my camera did not sprout legs and walk off.  A certain child "borrowed" it to take pictures at school this week. 

So, where did we leave off?...

At the expo the night before the race:

 The girls won these giant shoes a the expo. I want them!  I promise that the welcome sign behind me did not, in fact, say "Welcome, Virgin Sarah!"

 I'm ready to run in the morning!

 One of my favorite things about Emily's girls is that they do not require any "warming up" time when I come into town. I may only visit every 2 years or so, but they cuddle up to me, hold my hand while we walk, and love to be cuddled. Oh, I love them so!

 Impromptu dance performance.

 OK, this is one of my favorite parts! The girls say to me, "Sarah! Come see this! Shhhh! It is a surprise for our mom! Do NOT tell her!"  They had found a box turtle and made a very complex and creative little home for it in their yard.

 "Don't tell our mom!" they kept telling me. It is a SURPRISE.  I, of course, would never spoil a surprise.

 It was a comfy little home. I can't imagine for the life of me why the scared little turtle wouldn't come out of its shell and enjoy it. It had a bedroom, a fenced play area... everything a turtle could possibly want!

 The end of this adorable story is that their mom somehow already knew about the turtle and kind of freaked out about the germs turtles carry on their adorable shells.  It wasn't a "surprise" I was keeping secret.  It was a secret-naughty-no-no!... and they knew it!  Sneaky, cute girls. I agree that germs on turtles are probably super gross, btw. I did not touch it. :)

 Mount Vernon the afternoon after the race. You may not be able to tell by looking at this picture... but, my legs are super sore and tired.

 Have you ever been to Mount Vernon? It is restored as accurately as possible, including the interior paint color which they were very adamant about it being NOT photographed by the public. The colors are, well, a bit garish. Think Easter egg blues and greens.  The wall paint looks like a tween girl's room. No joke.  I kept asking the docent, "Are they SURE this was the actual color??"  Apparently garish colors were a sign of wealth.

 Emily is such a cute pregnant person.

 We both agreed this was just one beautifully shaped tree. Majestic.

 Extensive museum they have there at Mount Vernon.  You know what I learned? The whole bit about the cherry tree is FALSE. Never happened. And this fictional account from George Washington's childhood is extremely well documented.  I found this depiction to be the creepiest. 40-year-old head on 8-year-old body.

 OK, now we have left Mount Vernon. Emily's daughters are adorable, even in their sleep.

 Yes, Hazel? Do you have a question?

 My cozy accommodations. Welcome basket and all.

 I got to rock out with the Funky Butterflies with a front row seat in the basement.

 This is one of my favorite pictures ever.  Yee-haaaw!

 And THEN, even though we only had a few hours on Monday, we hit DC for a walking tour, albeit brief. We covered a lot of it with an aerial view from the Old Post Office tower.

 You really can see everything from up there!

 We had a few minutes to run through the American History Museum and see the First Ladies' dresses.  Here is a picture of not the first ladies' dresses.  :)

 We rode the Metro to the Pentagon to get a tour from Clark. Kids don't like to sit on subways. Did you know that? It is way too much fun to hang onto all of the germ-infested poles!

 Navigating the Metro system is fun with kids!

 More fun on the train.

 So I couldn't take any pictures in the Pentagon because it is totally against the rules,although I was tempted. Oh, yes I was tempted. But I was trying to act like a responsible adult and not embarrass Clark. I especially really appreciated seeing the memorials and chapels to reflect on those lost on 9/11.

They have an amazing chocolate shop at the Pentagon! And a pretty decent food court. I got a huge salad for $6. There. Now you know.

 AND... that was all we had time for because I had to catch my flight.  The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and gorgeous! I saw them all from the open window of the mini van as we drove by...

 Gorgeous!

 Beautiful!

 Wish you were here!

 And then all-too-soon it was over. And I had to get back on an airplane and go home to real life where children don't adore me and beg to hold my hand.  And there is not a Cafe Rio nearby. Or a sister.   :(

I love you, Scharmans! Thank you so much for a perfect weekend! I miss you lots and lots and lots.