The Fourth of July

So, I know I am continually back tracking, but these pics are so cute (in my humble mommy opinion) that I couldn't resist posting. We had a really fun Fourth this year. Jeff's parents were in town so we decided to go Washington D.C. to take part in the craziness up there. After getting redirected several times by traffic cops, we ended up checking into our hotel, near Dupont Circle, a little later than we expected. As we were preparing to head out to the mall, Jeff's parents flipped on the news. Surprise! The mall had just been evacuated for a tornado warning! Now, I will be the first to say that Virginians get a little over excited about the weather, but aparently it was a legitimate warning. Everyone was evacuated from the mall and sent into local businesses, etc. for a few minutes. After that everyone was let back on. So, we joined the masses and made our way by Metro to the Washington Monument lawn. The fireworks are launched from the WWII Memorial which is right inbetween the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Monument. We were right there. It was amazing to look across the reflecting pool and see masses upon masses of people on the steps of the Lincoln Monument. Anna fell asleep on the train, but woke up just in time for the fireworks. They were amazing! Some of them felt like they were coming right at us. It made me think of "bombs bursting in air." I'm so grateful to live in a free country. After the show we hung around a bit to let the crowd disperse and then it was back to the hotel and to bed. Although I missed the normal barbequeing and local parades that usually make up the Fourth for me, I was glad I was able to experience Independence Day in our nation's capital.