Happy 4th of July!

Steve and I were so excited to celebrate Independence Day this year!  It was a HOT day, and I was half expecting to melt into the sidewalk, but we had fun through it.

We started the day at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens.  After the free gardens in Fort Worth we were a little disappointed to learn that Richmond's is $11 to get in, so we took advantage of the 4th being free!

She wouldn't let go of the pin wheel the entire day

Looking at the lake from the treehouse

A piece of art constructed by weaving branches together.  Seriously, it was the coolest thing

Wondering around the rose garden

I'm seriously excited that hydrangeas grow here

By the reflecting pool

The butterfly exhibit

We let Cadance take a nap during the afternoonand then we headed out to the Diamond to watch Richmond's own Flying Squirrels face off the Mets (the lesser known minor league version).  

You know, I was a little worried about the game.  Benches, sitting, late night, etc, but Cadance actually had a lot of fun.  I know the picture Steve posted on Facebook doesn't show that, but she really did.  She enjoyed climbing on and off the bench, looking through the program, tearing up the program, watching the game, and making friends with people sitting around us.

Can you tell how hot it is?  Her hair was soaked in sweat!

What I was most excited about was the fireworks.  I was so excited to see Cadance's reaction.  It wasn't what I thought it would be.  She didn't get really excited or started talking and pointing.  She sat completely still and gazed at them.  She was in complete awe.  It took her several minutes and some prompting and all she did was point and make so random noise.  I loved it though, fireworks are pretty amazing.

Washington D.C.

Last Thursday when my brother asked if I wanted to come up to D.C to watch him perform at ACDA symposium at the Library of Congress we were all for it.  We figured it was as good a time as any to get our feet wet into the workings of D.C.  Thanks to some great advice we found some great parking really close to the library, and it turned to be a pretty good day as far as crowds were concerned.  We figured the 100 degree weather mixed with the crazy storm from the night before were in our favor.

Before I get into the pictures of everything we did, first let's make a list of some of the most memorable moments.
1. Turning the corner on I-395 and the Washington Monument popping into view- we were instantly excited.
2. Cadance dancing in the Gershwin exhibit
3. Watching Stephen Colbert in the Bob Hope exhibit, looking down, and Cadance being no where in view.
4. The recognition on Cadance's face when she saw "Where the Wild Things Are" book on display.
5. Not being able to stop myself from laughing while playing on the teeter-totter at a nearby park after we ate lunch.
6. Being kicked out, not once, but three times from Peter's concert.
7. At about 4pm noticing that Cadance's legs are pretty much sunburned- whoops!
8. Running across the lawn in front of the white house and realizing that it felt pretty good after a day of walking.

Here are some pics from our great day!

Playing at the park.  It was a sad time when we had to leave.

Library of Congress in the background.

Not wanting to have her picture taken while playing in the children's garden.

A little homage to Thailand- we loved the orchids

Whether or not Washington actually said this I think it's pretty fantastic

Having fun with Uncle Peter

In front of the Lincoln Memorial

My first time seeing Lincoln.  I was so excited!