Family Vacation 2012 - Maryland, Virginia, & Pennsylvania

Brandon wanted to take a training class this summer, and he ended up finding one offered in Alexandria, Virginia.  I thought that was fairly perfect because I've been wanting to go to that area to visit my grandparents and see some sights.  We stayed with my grandparents in Maryland for a night and went to church with them.  Then we cashed in on some of Brandon's bagillion Hilton points to stay at a Homewood Suites in Alexandria, close to where Brandon's class was.  The kids and I had fun exploring during the day, and we enjoyed some family time in the evenings.  A few days later, we went to Longwood Garden just outside of Philadelphia, staying in the heart of Amish Country that night, Lancaster.

We love hanging out with the Kiley grandparents!  Seth and Renae just followed my grandma around everywhere...they were pretty much smitten with her.  Who can blame them...she's a saint!  One evening, while we were staying in Alexandria, we drove back up to their home because my mom, my aunt, and two of my cousins were visiting my grandparents, too!  It was fun seeing everyone.

I took the kids to the Air and Space Museum annex by Dulles Airport.  I liked it, but the kids weren't overly impressed. They like being able to do more hands-on stuff, but they did think the space shuttle and the observation tower were cool.  I liked killing a few hours there!

I also took them to Mt. Vernon another day.  I loved it!  I would have loved it even more if we'd been able to tour the mansion, but the earliest tour time available was 2 hours after we got there.  By that time, they were done.  The grounds were beautiful, and I loved the scenic drive.

After picking Brandon up from his class one evening, we headed into D.C. to visit some monuments.  Neither of us remembered having seen the Jefferson memorial, so we went there first.  The weather was PERFECT.  We also checked out the Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr. memorials while we were there.

Longwood Garden.  The photos sum up just how awesome this place is!  Once again we had gorgeous weather and the kids were really great the whole day.

I could have moved into the greenhouse in Longwood Garden.  It is seriously so beautiful!

There were plenty of things to keep the kids entertained, too.  They loved the treehouse and the children's garden!

Even though we did so many fun things, the only thing the kids really remember (or at least still talk about) is the hotel we stayed in.  Go figure!  At least Brandon and I will take away some great memories!