It's A Haigood Life!: WASHINGTON D.C.

During our stay in Maryland, we took the Metro train into Washington D.C. a few times to visit the area. The boys loved it! (Caleb was goofing off in this photo below:)

Our first stop was to get junior ranger books for the boys to complete. I have to say, this was a very challenging junior ranger program! It took the boys 2 1/2 days to complete their requirements! There is SO much to see here, and we estimated we walked anywhere from 3 to 7 miles each day. It was pretty hot as well, but we still had a good time. (Lots of water and an ice cream treat sure helped! HA!)

In August of 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Washington D.C. area and caused damage to the Washington Monument. The monument actually swayed, causing some pieces to fall off the outside and some cracks both in the interior and exterior portions. They are working to repair the monument by filling in the cracks, securing loose stone, replacing pieces, and stabilizing the damaged area.

Not too far from the Washington Monument is the World War II Memorial that opened in 2004. It has a beautiful fountain area surrounding it, along with an amazing view of the Washington Monument...

The World War II Memorial has 56 granite columns split in between two half circles that surround the Rainbow Pool and fountains. These symbolize the wartime unity among the 48 states, the District of Columbia, and seven federal territories. As we explored the memorial, we noticed many of the tourists finding their "states" and taking photographs. So- we had each of the boys pick the state they were born in for a photo.

My Dad served in the U.S. Army years ago and we were living in Japan when I was born at an army hospital in Okinawa. We moved and lived in several places when I was a child. I attended college and lived in Texas for many years, so I would consider myself a Texan at heart :) I chose to just hop in for a Texas photo...

Since Joshua was born in South Korea, we took his picture at the Korean War Memorial...

When we arrived at the memorial, we caught the end of a special ceremony being hosted by a university from South Korea...

Walking along the Vietnam Memorial it was quiet as people paid their respects to those who gave their lives in service during the Vietnam Conflict...

A view of The National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial...

The Lincoln Memorial...

We found the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech, "I Have a Dream"...

Honest Abe!

After a full afternoon of walking, we stopped to take a break at the house. The White House, that is...

I felt very safe with all of these guys around!!!

On our walk back to the Metro Station, we also passed the FBI Building and we just couldn't resist taking a few pictures :) We all got into our serious FBI mode...