Alexandria, VA and DC

On our way we stopped for the night somewhere in Ohio and the first motel we went to had no vacancy. I think there was some sort of college football game going on that day. So our only other option nearby was probably the worst motel I've ever stayed in. We probably should have kept driving down the road a bit further but we were super tired. Anyway, we survived and headed off early the next morning.

That evening we arrived at my aunt's house in Alexandria, VA. She lives in Old Towne Alexandria which is the historic district. I should have taken a picture of her house. I love it! Adam loved all of the stairs so I had to keep my eye on him every minute. Luckily once Ryan and Liz were home from school they were more than happy to entertain him!

Despite the look on his face in these pictures, Adam had a blast with them!

Nine years ago I lived here with my aunt and uncle to help take care of Ryan and Lizzie. Their adoptions ended up happening pretty close together so there were two little babies to take care of. I have some great memories from my time there with them and it was fun to come back and see how much they have grown.

Ryan is now 10 years old and in 5th grade.

Lizzie is now 9 years old and in 4th grade. They grow up so fast!

I didn't get any pictures, but Adam also had a great time playing with Aunt Becky. She let him talk on the phone, gave him a few of her famous tummy tickles, and carried him around so he could see all of the construction guys outside.

Rex spent the month at the Howard University Hospital and they sure put him to work. He would leave around 6 a.m. to take the metro into DC and he often wouldn't get home until 8 p.m. He was pretty exhausted so when Saturday came around we didn't end up doing as much sightseeing as we originally planned. Instead we took it easy in the morning and let Adam get a good nap in and then we spent the afternoon at the National Zoo.

It is a free zoo and we went on a Saturday so it was pretty crowded, but it was a really nice zoo. All of the animals had really beautiful habitats.


On our way home from the zoo we decided to stop in Chinatown since it was a stop on the metro line we were on. We got some good Chinese food and then some Italian ice for dessert. Yum.

He sure tried, but Adam didn't quite make it all of the way home awake.

A couple of days before Adam and I hit the road again, Aunt Becky and the kids threw a little early birthday party for Adam.

We waited until Rex came home and all of the kids were tired and ready for bed, but we still had fun! I think Adam favorite part was all of the balloons.

Adam got these cool pirate shoes, some clothes, and an adorable blanket that Lizzie made. Thanks again for everything guys, we had a great time!