We love when family visits! Part 2

Tired tourist

Abi did so well sleeping in her stroller when she needed! What an amazing toddler! She was so tired this time, we could position her arms however and she didn't even twitch. So here she is in a mummy pose.

U.S. Capitol Building

The Capitol building is a beautiful, sacred building that I love! This is definitely one of my favorite parts of D.C. The tour of this building is entirely too short though. If any one of my friends or family every becomes famous enough to warrant a behind the scenes tour of this building or the White House, I would love to be your "plus-one!"

Abi's favorite thing at the museum - a fake dog

Reagan Building in DC with some accidental effects

Abi waiting for me while I loaded the car

James had to go back home a day earlier than the rest of us because somebody has to work and support our travels. :) So, I loaded the van with our stuff and left Abi in the hotel room between trips. I loved coming back to see her face in the window! It was always relieving to see she was safe and, of course, it's nice to know that a face this adorable misses me when I'm gone!

Independence Hall in Philadelphia

On the way home from D.C. to NJ, we stopped at Philadelphia, PA to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. What fun! Those are incredible spots in history!

Niagara Falls

After resting for a day or two in NJ, we went north to see Palmyra, NY which is significant in our church history and to see Niagara Falls where we crossed into Canada just to say we did! At this point, Abi was a bit tired of having to be good in public spaces and I was a bit tired of being the sole disciplinarian since James was working while we played. So, I don't have as many pictures of this leg of the trip. I very much enjoyed this destination though! Buffalo, NY and Palmyra, NY are beautifully historic places.

Ferrying across the Hudson

We had to see NYC of course! So we ferried to the Statue of Liberty!

Abi loves the ferry - a bit too much!

Abi loves taking the Ferry, but she doesn't understand that she has to sit or she could fall out. So while I know she's having the time of her life, to other people, she probably looks super frustrated and angry because I don't let her run all over. :) Sad to be 2 years old sometimes.

Wheeee!

My other favorite picture from the trip

I went to great lengths to get some awesome pictures for our family with Lady Liberty. I was laying on the ground, focusing on the camera, hoping Abi was staying close by and not being kidnapped, singing songs to entertain her. Basically, I had no idea where she was while I took the pictures. When I went back through and looked at the pictures, I found this one which made me laugh because, of course, leave it to Abi to demand my attention when I can't give her enough. :)

Ferrying to NYC

We rode the ferry to NYC which is such a stunning sight!

Makes you want to shout for joy!

This famous corner...

This is a fun picture brought on by all the history I learned from National Treasure. Haha!

FAO Schwartz famous piano

I'm so glad we made it to this store before it closed down. This was a NYC landmark and now it's gone. BUT I can check this off my bucket list!!

Abi loves music so this was a big hit!

Piano teacher and student! Wish I could take all my students on such field trips!

I loved being here with some of my former piano students! What a satisfying treat!

Pizza at Times Square

This was my favorite part of our NYC trip. My sister-in-law and I pretty much planned the whole trip with a few suggestions and approvals from the hubbies. As we planned, it was decided that Broadway would have to wait for another trip. Well, that's just ridiculous! So, James and I and his brother planned a secret date for those two so they could have an afternoon in NYC to themselves. After a wonderful morning all together in Central Park and at the temple, we went to Times Square and had an Italian lunch which was amazing. Then towards the end of the lunch, James's brother stood up, took his wife's hand, and led her out of the restaurant! She was quite confused, especially because he was hurrying her along since they were just barely going to make it on time to the Broadway show. I know they really appreciated having some time to themselves; I even got a bit choked up at the awesomeness of having a surprise kid-free afternoon. The best part though was that James and I got to have the kids all to ourselves for a few hours! Haha! Party!!!

Learning how a subway works...

So we took them around NYC by way of subway... haha! Quite an adventure...

...because we are just too tired to keep walking

And we walked a LOT! The kids were such great troopers but there does come a point when you're too tired to continue.

Turns out NYC is exhausting as well

Abi and her beloved milk shake

To ward off the exhaustion, we ate dinner at the Shake Shack which is famous for some reason that we don't know, like they were on TV or something, but the food is great!