Cherry Blossoms

My parents were here this week for a visit. We invited them to come down to see the famous cherry blossoms in DC. They've never been here to see them before and they really are worth the trip if you can make it. It's nice that they're retired now and can come down on a whim. I just invited them a couple of weeks ago when I heard that the blooms would be at their peak this week. My mom has always wanted to see them - I'm so glad they could make it.

In the 12 years that we've lived in this area we've probably seen the cherry blossoms 5 times. No matter how many times I've seen them I'm still amazed by their beauty. I told Mom that you haven't seen DC until you've been there during cherry blossom season. It's truly amazing. There are trees completely surrounding the tidal basin. Here are a couple of the great shots that my dad and I took.

Jefferson Memorial (dad's pic)

Washington Monument (my pic)

We had a good time in DC on Wednesday. It's been a couple of years since we've been down there. I blame it on having kids, but it probably has more to do with the fact that we've been here so long that some of the novelty has worn off. That makes me sad because I absolutely love DC. Now that there's a chance that we may be moving back to NY I'm hoping to cram as many DC visits into our schedule as possible.

I will say this - doing the tourist thing in DC is a lot tougher when you have a baby in tow. First, we had a stroller, diaper bag and car seat to get on and off the shuttle bus. Then, by the time we got to the Jefferson Memorial Jenna was really upset. It was chilly and windy and she was very hungry. She was too cold and distracted to nurse so I ended up finding the only warm and private place there - a stall in the bathroom. I was praying the whole time that the automatic flusher wouldn't go off and soak my butt. Thankfully it didn't. After that the day greatly improved. Ian saw the paddle boats in the tidal basin and of course he wanted to go on them. I was game. He was totally mesmerized by the whole process and was virtually silent the whole time we were on the boat. It was a lovely time.