Kress Family Vacation: Day 5

Happy Independence Day! The thing that tipped the scale toward our decision to go on this vacation was the opportunity to be in our Nation's capitol on the 4th of July, and as far as feeling extra patriotic, I was not disappointed. Jennifer did not join us today because she had been invited to sing with my mom's NEA choir, so the four of us took our time getting going and meandered downtown later in the morning. The metro stop we used had an entrance to Maceys, which was having a big holiday sale, so we took a quick detour to see if they had some shorts that would fit Matthew. Success! We then walked down to Constitution Avenue for the Independence Day Parade. With the stroller we were able to easily work our way right up front and had a great view, especially considering we got there about 3 minutes before it started. I always get a bit emotional when I hear patriotic music or see soldiers in uniform. I am so grateful for the founding fathers and all the many people who have fought throughout our nation's history to give me the rights and liberties I enjoy today.

It was SUPER hot and the boys were literally turning into puddles of mushy red hijo, so we only stayed at the parade about 20 minutes before deciding to head back inside. We got burgers to go at a place that according to the reviews posted on the door and included in their menu was top notch. We ate them at the hotel while the boys took a short nap and were not especially impressed. Matthew's wasn't bad, but mine was definitely not worth such honorable mention. After cooling off a while, we loaded back up and walked about half an hour to Georgetown where an old high school friend of mine lives. We visited in his apartment for a while, then he took us to an cool little playground near his place. It was completely fenced in and was mostly sand. It had some awesome toys and the boys (all three of them) had a really fun time playing. 

They both look a bit like deer in headlights, but it was the only picture I got of Mike

Matthew would fill a bucket with sand and raise it up to where Hyrum could grab it and dump it through a tube back down to his dad. They did this for quite a while.

The kids were very sandy and Mike had a party to get ready for, so we set off for the hotel swimming pool. The boys did better than we anticipated. Abraham was actually braver than his brother. We swam for about 15 minutes, then went in to take proper baths. The boys got in their pajamas, ate dinner, then Grandma read stories and put them to bed while Matthew and I went on a proper date. We sat down for dinner at a Greek restaurant that seriously disappointed us. We finished the dish because we paid for it, but that was the only reason. It had cooled off a little and we enjoyed some time together as we sat near the base of the Washington Monument waiting for the fireworks. The show itself wasn't especially artistic, but it was an impressive display of pyrotechnics. I was a bit distracted by the random music they had playing. Fireworks on the 4th of July ought to be accompanied by a brass band or symphony playing patriotic tunes. The spot we chose had a good view, but we were a little surprised that there weren't more people. After the show however, we walked up a little hill and saw a massive sea of spectators. It was insane! Perhaps our favorite part of the night was walking along the closed streets in the midst of such a throng. We eventually made it back to Dupont Circle and decided to stop by a smoothie place for a little nightcap. It was a really fun night.