On the Mall

Our final stop was Washington, D.C.! In the summer of 1999 I was an intern for Senator Stevens (Alaska) and grew to love the city. I have always wanted to take Kent to see the sights.

There are some very moving memorials including the Korean War Memorial and the Holocaust Museum.

We were there! We took a nice tour of the Capitol building while in Washington, DC.

The Lincoln Memorial with the reflecting pool is such a dramatic effect.

My Dad's friend's brother died in Vietnam so he did a rubbing for him.

It was very warm and muggy this day, but we still got out for a good morning walk around the monuments. Here is my mom and I in front of the Washington Monument.

Kent and I love to travel. One of our favorite things to do get out and walk many miles to see the sights of the city. This evening we took the metro into the mall and then walked back to our hotel as it got dark. It was fun to see all the monuments and government buildings lit up at night.

Cheese Whiz Fries

For a morning excursion we explored Philadelphia. We were lucky to find a two hour free parking space right next to Independence Hall. We got in a quick Dunkin' Donuts stop for our morning coffee and snack, a tour of Independence Hall and a short photo op at the Liberty Bell all in two hours.

Let me out!

We bought this $30 stroller at Babies R Us and it went everywhere with us. Here we are in front of Independence Hall.

The famous "we were here" photo.

Another very important item on our trip was the GPS unit. We plugged in the address for Geno's Steaks and off we went through South Philly. I'm sure it would have taken us hours to find it if we didn't have that lady's voice helping us. Over and over again we heard "TURN RIGHT" and "RECALCULATING".

One of my friends told me that we must visit Geno's Steaks for lunch. What an experience! The tables and walls were covered with photos of all the famous people that have eaten there.

A pot of cheese whiz and a pile of onions... disregard the worker's finger.

Cheese whiz fries were definitely a once in a lifetime experience. I don't think I'll ever order those soggy things again, but it was fun to try!

Plymouth, MA

We took a short trip down to Plymouth to see the sights. Kent toured the Mayflower II while we saw Plymouth Rock.





Dad and Mom went to a nice dinner to celebrate my Uncle Tom and Aunt Norma's 50th wedding anniversary.

What a beautiful view!

Right before the huge thunderstorm we stopped by Plymouth Plantation. Brooke loved the sheep and goats. She kept on saying, "mooo, mooo".

On the Road

For Brooke, the jacuzzi suite was more like a pool suite!

Shealynn walking Brooke around the parking lot of our hotel.


Lunch at Chili's! Brooke was trying her first lemon slice, she seemed to like it!

Dad and Shealynn keeping busy before our food arrived.

The reason for traveling all the way across the country was for the McCabe family reunion. My dad grew up in Boston, so all of his family is still in the area. It was really nice that it took place at Lori and Jim's house in Bridgewater so we could help set up for the 80 people attending.

Here are my Dad's parents, the reason for the reunion!

Brooke absolutely LOVES rocks!


and bouncy castles!


Here is Dad and all his older brothers and sisters.

We set up this large tent with lots of room for people to sit and eat. Jennifer bought the flag with the McCabe family crest on it, what a fun touch!

Boston

The first morning in Boston we stopped by my dad's childhood home. I have heard stories all my life about him at this house and in this neighborhood, so it was fun to see the actual place. My dad was very surprised at how small the streets looked, everything seemed so much bigger when he was a kid.

Walking towards the city.


When in Boston, you must ride on the swan boats!


Kent and I walked all over Boston following the Freedom Trail (a red line of bricks throughout the city). It was a great way to see all the important sights like the USS Constitution which gives a great free tour.

After all that walking we relaxed a little bit and played in a fountain.

Bridgewater, Massachusetts

I'll be adding photos from our East Coast trip the next few days so stay posted for more! Kent, Brooke and I met my parents, my dad's daughter Jennifer, Jennifer's daughter Shealynn and her step son Taylor in Seattle. The first leg of the journey was a long 5.5 hour flight over to Newark, NJ. From there we drove up to Bridgewater, Massachusetts to stay with my cousin Lori and her husband Jim.

Shaelynn did a great job playing with Brooke.

This is their wonderful pool which was such a great feature to get out of the humid heat. The photo above was taken on the day of the renion (notice the bouncy castle in the background).

Shaelynn even helped out in the pool!

The diving board was a huge hit with all the kids.... and Kent. Even Brooke got a chance to wander out on the plank.

Watch out below!

Lori and Jim just finished an impressive remodel of their basement before we arrived.It was really fun to play a few games of bumper pool.

1st Birthday Party

Happy birthday to our little sweet girl Brooke Anne!

Grandma Britta, Grandpa Bing, Grandma Carol, Auntie Caitlin, Whitney, Jacob, and Riley were all here to celebrate Brooke's first birthday today. Garden fresh veggies and fruit were served before chocolate cake and ice cream. Balloons and stuffed animals added to the fun. Brooke was very excited when she saw the monkey and made a loud monkey sound "Ah! Ah!" Brooke got a great Dora the Explorer tricycle from her grandparents Bing and Britta which she loved sitting on and pushing the buttons.


Brooke and her friend Riley enjoy some sweet watermelon.

Grandma Britta made Brooke a wonderful chocolate cake and I added the finishing touches with the white frosting. I believe that my Grandma made me my first birthday cake too.

Brooke loved looking at the cake and the candle on top. As we all sang to her she looked around at all the smiling faces and enjoyed the attention.

She ate a couple small pieces of the cake but was WAY more interested in the cold creamy vanilla ice cream! We all laughed at the fact that her Great Grandpa Wally would be very pleased with this. She was timid and lady-like with the cake (the first time I have ever used that those words to describe Brooke!) but loved the feeling of the cold ice cream in between her fingers.

After getting a slightly messy chocolate face she then rubbed the sloppy mixture onto her thigh. Once she was put down in the grass she thought it would be fun to flip over her tray. For some reason the cake appeared so much more appetizing!

Yes, We are Alive.

Sorry for the no photo blog post. We are on vacation at the moment and happily do not have a computer along. There will be many photos from our adventures in the next two weeks! So far we have flown from Seattle to Newark, drove to Boston, had a fantastic McCabe family reunion and today drove from Boston to Philadelphia. Tomorrow we will spend the day as tourists in Philly. I'm looking forward to seeing Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and hopefully devouring a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich from Geno's! We'll be heading down to Washington, D.C. (my favorite city!) for four days of museums and sightseeing. We've been dodging the downpours and enjoying humid sunny days too.


Brooke has been a complete angel on the trip and impressed everyone with her cheerful mood, big smiles and waves, and her ability to adapt so quickly. I am such a proud mommy! She is closely turning one year old and I'm loving this little active girl to pieces. The people behind us on the five hour flight mentioned that they should write her a note stating how good she was on the flight (I was so nervous about that long of a flight!). It's hard to believe how much she is learning and vocalizing everyday. Her favorite words right now are "All Done!" which can mean "all done" or "not done" depending on the circumstance. Right before we left Wenatchee she learned the full arm wave (instead of the backwards finger movement wave) and she is putting it to use waving at every friendly, or not so friendly person we see. Homeless men, people in coffee shops and family have all been given the wave and smile and it sure draws a crowd!

Well, it's getting late, big day tomorrow. Wish us luck~