Sunday Stroll to Some National Landmarks

Today we went to DC to check out some national landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial, World War II Memorial, the National Mall, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and more. Each landmark brought about a different aura for me. What struck me about the Lincoln Memorial was its "grandness". Jenna seemed pretty impressed by the grandness of it as well. She got pretty excited when we got up to Lincoln's statue and stood by the towering columns. The Washington Monument was also grand and stood so proudly. It is really pretty difficult to resist going up and just running your hand across the beautiful stone (marble, granite and bluestone gneiss). The circle of flags around the monument is quite the sight to see. The World War II Memorial was striking in that it felt to me that it gave an aura of unity. Jenna liked the fountain and was upset that she could not wade in it. We did get some nice pictures though. The National Mall was gorgeous, the walk through the park is a must-do. Finally, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was a visit that I am glad to have had. It was lined with roses for Father's Day. Walking along, there was a deep sadness yet respect felt. Looking at the wall and seeing your own reflection gave me a feeling of connection, although I do not have a family member (that I am aware of), that was in the Vietnam War, it just makes you feel so grateful. Seeing Jenna put her little nose to the seemingly endless list of fallen soldiers' names and her dainty fingers rubbing the names is an image I will not soon forget. I know Blake will love to see these landmarks one day. I look forward to coming back as a whole family so that he can experience this too. I can hear the comments and questions pouring from his mouth now. :) Jenna did an amazing job today with all of the "tour-esk" demands we put on her-ha! We did A LOT of walking and it was extremely humid. It was a beautifully sunny day and the clouds were simply perfect. We experienced loud traffic whizzing by, hundreds of tourists' voices and conversations throughout the day, there were various scents, there were people to navigate around and crowds to navigate through, there were unexpected sounds and movements by people everywhere we went, there were sirens/ambulances speeding by on a regular basis as we walked from and to the car.....the sensory experience was huge today for our Jenna-bug. She simply amazes us by her adaptable personality, her natural coping skills, her efforts and attempts (and successes) to self-regulate when things get to be too much, her tenacity to keep going, her drive for experiences. The only times that she got upset was when she fell on her tailbone and then every time I tried to get her to look at the camera for a picture. The latter is quite normal for her...she hates having someone point a camera at her. She impressed us with how well she handled all of the walking and moreso, all of the sensory stimulation. She is pretty tired tonight and will likely sleep REAL well (let's hope). We got some great pictures today that I will work on posting.