Washington D.C.

We made our yearly pilgrimage to D.C. for the Army 10 miler.  Rich runs this race yearly in honor of our friend, Major David G. Taylor Jr., who was killed in Iraq in 2006.  

 Cloudy start

 Declan loves the fact that where we stay has lots of Lego.

 Meeting up with Shannon, friends since 5th grade.

 Botanical Gardens

 Changing a tire...no road trip is successful without a breakdown of some sort.

 Arlington...the kids wanted to go.  They especially wanted to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

 Quick stop at Iwo Jima Memorial

 T and our friend Alex having fun!

 Delicious Ethiopian food.  So excited we found this place.  It is right near our friend's house so we will be frequenting it!  Delicious mango juice.

Happy Birthday Declan

Declan turned 9!  He got lucky and Rich got to come in and volunteer in his class by building rockets!  Declan loves Lego and it showed on this birthday.  Think he might be done building by Christmas.  

 We headed out for Japanese food for dinner.  So yummy!

Declan's birthday rock

We have realized black is the way to go on the rock.  Much easier to cover!  The kids and I had fun painting in the rain and then a little tree climbing!  Jackson Pollock is Declan's favorite artist so his paintings were our inspiration.

Ethiopia world cup soccer ma

 We streamed the Ethiopia game live.  Kids loved it...too bad they didn't win but it was fun to watch.

Declan's birthday

Declan had his best friend over for a sleepover to celebrate his birthday.  They built Lego models and watched a Lego movie.  

The Art of the Brick

These are so cool I had to include them all.  Nathan Sawaya is a lawyer turned Lego artist.  His pieces are fantastic.