Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. I love you!  Luke and I came here a few years ago and we spent two days sprinting all over the city trying to see everything!  So this trip was a lot more relaxed since we had seen most of it already.  The one thing I absolutely HAD to do before we left the east coast was to see the cherry blossoms.  Well...I saw them and I was very disappointed.  The blossoms only bloom for a few weeks of the year and the city is covered in cherry blossom trees.  This year however, the blossoms bloomed earlier than usual and then a late freeze came through.  So, it was still beautiful but it was not in its full glory this year.  Oh well, guess we just have to come back!

We went to the air and space museum and Truman was losing his mind with excitement.  This kid can spot a plane the size of a pin head on a cloudy day.  So he was in heaven running from plane to plane.  We were walking around the Lincoln monument near the end of the day and I hear someone call my name.  I turned around and it was one of my best friends from Junior High!  I crazy is that!?  It was fun catching up with her and her cute little family. 

We stopped at the zoo on our way out because it is FREE!  Parking was outrageous though.  It was really cute though.  Did you know that the only pandas in America are at the D.C. Zoo?  It was really cool walking through their exhibit because it is almost like a museum with so much information and really person stories about the pandas and their history.  This panda in particular has had a really rough time.  She has been through more than 5 miscarriages and has other fertility issues, she is my spirit animal, haha.  Truman absolutely loved the snakes and turtles, our little slytherin in obsessed with snakes.  The zoo is a lot of fun, it was a bummer we were there when it was cold because a lot of the orangutans were inside.  During the summer the orangutans can travel through the zoo by high ropes on poles, they also control sprinklers so they can spray you with water from their exhibits, also there is an area where you can play tug-o-war with them!  Also, check out those naked mole rats.  Those poor mama's are a little too fertile!

We ended our trip with a stop at the D.C. Temple.  It was a perfect ending.  This day started off a little hard for me because it was only a couple of days before my due date.  We went into the visitors center and a senior sister missionary showed us around.  We sat down in front of the huge Christ and she turned on the speaker so we couldn't listen to the little dialogue, Truman thought it was so great!  He loved walking around and pointing at all of the pictures and saying 'Sese' (translation: Jesus).  We gave him a little pass along card with a picture of Christ on it and he treasured that picture and held onto it the rest of the day and a few days after.  It is so beautiful to me to see these young little guys, who are so new to Earth and still so innocent and close to the Savior.  I can see that Truman naturally loves Jesus and recognizes him in every picture.  There was one room in the visitors center that had a huge collection of paintings of Christ and being in that room was very overwhelming.  The love and beauty I felt in that room was exactly what I needed that day.  I stood there with the Sister Missionary and we were able to talk and appreciate the paintings.  She gave me a hug while we were leaving and told me that my sweet little babies are waiting for me on the other side and it was everything I needed in that moment.  I am so grateful for the small tender blessings that are shown to me each day and I am eternally grateful to be sealed to my husband and children in one of these beautiful temples.

Goodbye for now D.C. I am coming back for you, Cherry Blossoms!!!