Part 2: Washington D.C.

We had an amazing 5 days in Washington D.C.

We were able to stay in a really nice hotel in Alexandria, VA (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa and their Marriot rewards points!) We loved relaxing in the big comfy beds and sleeping in in the mornings!!

The kids favorite part of the whole trip was riding the "train". We rode the metro into D.C. every day. Cole of course loved every second. He still pretends we are riding on it and says "Stand back, doors closing" just like the metro :) What surprised me was how much Elise loved the metro. She got so excited every time we went to the terminal and would say "more, more!"

We spent most of Wednesday at the Air and Space Museum. Cole was in heaven with all of the airplanes and space ships! He loved going in to the planes and pretending to fly. Ellie did pretty well, but she eventually got tuckered out and fell asleep in the stroller, luckily. Ben and I got to ride in a simulator. Ben was the pilot and I was the gunman. It was a lot of fun, but way too short!

We also got to see the old train station. It was a grand and beautiful building. All of the architecture downtown D.C. was so amazing!

Thursday we spent the morning at Arlington. Apparently I forgot to take the camera out of it's case because I don't have a single picture. To my credit I think I was suffering from heat exhaustion. It was 100 degrees but with the humidity it was 110 degrees! We were all hot and sticky and ready for a nice dip in the pool.

Thursday we also got to see the Natural History Museum. It was a fascinating museum with all sorts of animals and bugs. Cole especially loved all the dinosaurs! Ellie wasn't so sure about the dinosaurs, she didn't want to get too close; but she loved looking at all the animals!

Friday was more for the adults. We went to the National Archives building, the Ford Theater where Pres. Lincoln was shot, and that night we took a drive to see the Washington D.C. Temple. We were going to do a session, but when we looked up the schedule we realized the temple was closed for cleaning while we were there. Bummer! It was beautiful to see at night though, so I'm glad we at least got to see it. Cole asked if we could go inside the temple for his birthday :) I told him maybe when he was twelve.

We had one more day in D.C., but it was Cole's birthday so I have saved those pics for a whole other post :)

We had such a good time in D.C. even though we were crazy and went the hottest time of the year. The kids enjoyed the museums a lot more than I thought they would, and Ben got his history fix for a little while. It was a good trip for all ages. We especially loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Coombs! Thanks for meeting us in D.C. and playing with us all week!

Part 1: Wheeling, WV Mission

Here is our Wheeling, WV Mission adventure:

We got to Wheeling really late Friday night. Saturday GG and Grandpa showed us the town. It's a cute little mining town with one main street.

We by the Ohio river to see the beautiful view. And of course we ran into a fire engine :)

Saturday night we were able to meet the Wheeling ward members at their ward party. It was a pioneer trek themed party. We got to walk our handcarts (wheelbarrows) across the plains and make stops along the way at a toy shop, where a missionary helped Cole make a spinning wooden toy and a sister helped Ellie make a doll, a candy shop where the kids were able to buy penny candies, a laundry station where we learned to make soap and hand scrub our clothes, and a game station where GG and Grandpa showed everyone how to play the stick-pull game.

Sunday we got to go to church with GG and Grandpa. After church they gave Cole his birthday presents. He got two john deere tractors and two basketball outfits...and he loved them!

Ben and Grandpa must have gotten bored because before we knew it they were both "resting their eyes". The kids were the complete opposite. They had a blast running around the house and playing outside.

When Grandpa woke up he took us for a Sunday drive and we stopped at Oglebay Park, the big park there. Ellie couldn't get enough of the swings, and Cole had fun climbing the rocks with a little boy he met there. I swear Cole can make a friend everywhere he goes! It was a fun yet restful day.

Monday we went to Pittsburgh, PA. We spent most of the day at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. It was a really fun zoo. Our zoo is really small, so the kids were loving all the new animals. It was extremely hot and humid, so we were wet and sticky, but it was worth it!

It was a big relief to go inside the aquarium and get out of the heat. And Ellie was in LOVE with the fish!! She just couldn't get enough. Cole loved petting the stingray! There was a pool with stingrays in it that would swim by and let you pet them. They were slimy with a prickly spot down the middle. Ellie loved climbing through the tunnel to get to the inside part of the pool to pet them.

That evening we were able to go to a Pittsburgh Pirates major league baseball game! It was rain delayed twice, so we were there 5 hours. Cole had fun wiping down the chairs after the rain, he even got tipped by another fan because she thought he was doing such a good job :) It was his first income and his first lesson on tithing. I didn't think the kids would last the whole game, but they had fun and endured all the way to midnight when it finally ended! It was a really fun game...and the Pirates won!

Tuesday morning we got loaded up in the car again and drove 4 hours to Washington D.C. That is a seperate post.

The next Sunday we headed back to Wheeling where GG had prepared a birthday dinner and birthday cake for the birthday boy!

We had a great trip on our "mission" to Wheeling, WV. Cole can't wait to go on a mission now :) Thanks for the fun times GG and Grandpa Green!