washington D.C., Virginia Trip Day 11

On Tuesday, September 7, we set out to introduce Washington D.C. to the boys! We drove into the District and parked at Union Station. We then walked over to the Senate office buildings to meet our tour guide for a 10am scheduled Capitol tour. Our tour guide, David, from Congressman Flake's office was fantastic. He showed us so many interesting things about the US Capitol, and was super nice to the boys! After visiting the Capitol, we headed over to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. After eating lunch in the food court, we explored every area of this amazing museum! We saw the original Wright Flyer and the Apollo 11 Module that was the first to land on the Moon! We were tired after the Air and Space Museum, but had just enough energy to head over to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. We came away pretty convinced that not even Benjamin Gates could steal the Declaration of Independence in real life! Completely exhausted, we then headed back to our car to head back to the Komers to grill burgers and swim in the lake!

Heading to D.C., Virginia Trip Day 10

Early in the morning on Labor Day, September 6, we boarded a train headed north. We were sad to say goodbye to family in Virginia, but excited about the adventures that awaited us. We were met at the train station in Alexandria by Dick and Linda Komer. Dick is Tim's close friend and co-worker at IJ. They have worked for 9 years together on school choice issues. They took us back to their beautiful lake-front home in Falls Church, Virginia, where we were to spend the next three nights. We settled in and then boarded their pontoon boat and headed to the beach on the other side of the Lake Barcroft where we played games and ate lunch. Soon, we were back on the boat and the boys took turns riding behind the boat in a tube. Eventually, we made our way back to the Komer's house where the boys swam and canoed before we enjoyed a dinner of grilled beef tenderloin and hot dogs.

Virginia Trip Day 9

Sunday, September 5 was our last day to spend with family in Mechanicsville. We met Grandpa Frank for lunch at the Hermitage. We ate in the dining room, and it was just perfect. The grown ups were served peppered pork tenderloin and the kids had grilled cheese sandwiches. Grandpa Frank loved all the attention from the residents and staff. Almost everyone stopped by our table to meet the four great grandsons and to compliment Great Grandpa on such a great group of boys. It was a very special dinner for all of us! After lunch, we headed back to Donna's house, where she had an open house for other family members. We enjoyed catching up with family and the boys swam in the pool and played softball in the pasture with Terry, Kevin and Ken.

Monticello, Virginia Trip Day 8

On Saturday, September 4, we visited the home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, in Charlottesville. We were able to schedule a special "kid-friendly" tour that focused on the lives and activities of the Jefferson grandchildren, who lived at Monticello. It was great!! Our tour guide talked right to the kids, asking them questions and highlighting things of interest to them. We loved exploring the grounds and there were neat activities for kids set up around the yard, such as nickel rubbling and writing with a quill pen. It was the perfect day to visit one of the most beautiful homes in America!

Virginia Trip Day 7

Day 7 of our trip was planned to be a more restful day, but it sure didn't seem that way! We started the day by helping Donna with the animals--feeding the chickens and ducks. Then we headed over to the Hermitage to take Grandpa Frank out to lunch. He picked the Houndstooth Cafe in Hanover. It was a beautiful drive into the country, we all enjoyed the time together. The Houndstooth was a charming restaurant, just perfect for us! After taking Grandpa Frank back home for a nap, the Keller family headed out to one of Mom's favorite places for ice cream: Friendly's. We split two Reese's Pieces Sundaes: a childhood favorite of Mom's. They were SO yummy! In the evening, we went to dinner at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Jim's house. We had a great time together and enjoyed chicken, homemade rolls, corn on the cob, potato salad and brownies and ice cream!

Busch Gardens! Virginia Trip Day 6

The beach was so much fun, we thought the rest of the trip would be downhill from there. But, we were wrong. Busch Gardens was a blast--every one of us had a super-fun time! We were joined by Cousin Donna, Cousin Terry and Terry's boyfriend, Ken. Terry was up for all the thrill rides, while Donna and Ken were happy to watch the younger kids while their parents did all the big rides! There was something at Busch Gardens for everyone. Actually, there was SO much there for everyone!! We had trouble picking our favorite rides, but Daniel loved the Loch Ness Monster, Benji really enjoyed the Battering Ram, and Ethan and Noah became big fans of Elmo's Alpine Express. Mom and Dad loved the extreme thrills of the Griffon--we rode it twice, once in the front row! It was just the perfect day to be at the park, the skies were cloudy, the weather was cool and the crowds were so small we were able to walk on to all the rides!!