DC - Day 2

August 26, Day 2 - We all woke up feeling refreshed and ready for more adventures. The morning was slightly overcast and relatively cool at 74 degrees. We decided it was the perfect opportunity to take in some monuments. We walked past the Washington Monument, but decided not to venture to the top. We went to the World War II memorial, which was the nicest memorial I've ever visited. It was so inspiring and lovely. My grandfather was a POW, captured on Wake Island, so the memorial holds special meaning for me. It was so wonderful to see such an emphasis on our country. We visited the information center where there were computers set up to view honorariums/memorials written for the WWII veterans. What he did for our country amazes me. God certainly has His hand on my grandfather's life. We trekked over to the Tidal Basin and picked up a paddle boat. We paddled over to the Jefferson Memorial. Caroline did not enjoy the boat ride as much as we had hoped, so we cut that excursion a bit short. We walked past the White House and took the obligatory photo. We were desperate for some lunch, but all the restaurants in the business district were closed because it was Sunday! Argh! We walked back to the apartment for a bite to eat and everyone wound up taking a short siesta. We took a bus over to the mall in the afternoon. We stopped at the National Archives, with which Caroline was not impressed. We were, though. We headed over to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and Caroline had a large time. She especially loved the mammals exhibit and we loved watching her explore. It was truly exciting and wonderful to hear her exclamations and see her expressions. Toddlerhood is certainly a time of magnificent discovery and we felt very blessed to be able to see just a bit of the world through her eyes. We popped in to Gordon Biersch for dinner on our way back to the apartment. We all played and giggled on the bed before bedtime. Caroline was pooped and so happy that bedtime came and we didn't hear a peep out of her.