Lance has been wearing underwear and at the end of dinner he said he had to go so I took him in the bathroom while my friend made sure Lily didn't tip over in her bumbo. It was quite chaotic and at some point, don't know whose watch it was on, but Lily got a hold of her baby jar of peas and made quite a mess with herself.
Everyone was filthy and bathed. Lance had a good time in the bubble bath with Colin. We don't usually put in bubbles in the bath so a bubble bath was an extra special treat.
My friend had bought the boys matching pjs which they sported after bath, they looked very cute all matchy-match. Colin and Lance were wrestling in the hallway and Lily tried to get in on the play, she was fearless and tried so hard to stand up and join in.
Lily was just sitting on the carpet one moment and then laying face-down the next. She isn't asleep, I think she was just enjoying the wall-to-wall carpet that our house lacks.
The next day was the surprise birthday party so the kids and I played out back until the guest-of-honor arrived. My friend's children have two powerwheels and after some practice Lance had a blast going round and round and round the back yard. I think he would love to have one.
He drove the powerwheel around until the battery went dead and I had to pry him off of it to come and eat.
The birthday girl and her cake, it was really good too.
One morning Lily and I were up way too early and she was playing peek-a-boo with her blanket.
We went through Lancaster to get to the Strasburg Rail Road, the Amish buggies among the traffic fascinated me. I tried to get a picture of an Amish buggy in the drive-thru line at the bank, but I couldn't find my camera in time. Amish using banks, sounds like being a part of the modern world, don't understand it, but what every works.
One of my biggest chuckles was the horse parking at the outlet mall, it was right near Pottery Barn Kids. The Amish shop at Pottery Barn? Interesting.
The train was the biggest reason for our trip. I wanted Lance, lover of all things that go, especially trains to get to experience riding on a train.
We rode in the open-air car through the Pennsylvania countryside, it was beautiful and a lot of fun. The trip was 45 minutes, about as long as a toddler can stand to be confided, it was perfect.
The engine switches from the back to the front halfway through the trip which was quite exciting for the boys to watch.
Lance can now say that he has ridden on a steam locomotive and loves it.
The scenery from train, so much open space, it was beautiful.
Tuesday we headed down to Northern Virginia to visit another friend. Despite the heat, we headed out to the playground to play. Lily and Lance had to share a bucket swing, Lily did not like sharing.
Lance on the other hand, loved it.
My friend's husband is a state trooper. Lily had no problem climbing in the front seat for a photo. Lance on the other hand,
hid in a tree, he would not come near the car, though he LOVES police cars.
The plan was to ride the metro to the mall in D.C. and visit a few museums Wednesday morning. Tuesday night we checked the metro website to see if their was going to be any construction delays, there was not any construction, but we did discover that the week was currently gap pride week and events were occurring all week on the mall. Being the mothers of small children, we were hesitant about going down to the mall not knowing what we may see so we decided to go to IKEA for breakfast instead. Their 99 cent breakfast is the yummy! 
Lance and Lily enjoying breakfast. Lance and I also shared a cinnamon roll. We then wandered through the showroom. While I was admiring something in one "room," my friend was about ten feet behind me in another when the power went out. It was BLACK, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. I immediately called out for Lance, who fortunately was standing beside my friend and grabbed ahold of her when it got dark. Fortunately the power came back within a short time, though not to full capacity so it was a bit eerie walking through a few shadowy sections of the store. By the time we checked out and left the power was back to full capacity. Within three minutes of us stepping out of the elevator and into the parking garage the electricity went out again, I am extremely thankful that it didn't happen when we were in the elevator! Close call.
I did not go to D.C. without visiting a museum so we headed down to Quantico and visited the Marine Corp museum. Lance enjoyed the planes, helicopters, and tanks. He was a bit afraid of the mannequins, I don't blame him, they look real.
Lance was a little timid at first about the planes hung from the ceiling.
Lance in front of an enlistment poster, not as scared here.
I now know what the strange building I pass on I-95 is, the Marine Corp museum and I now can say I have been inside. Though the museum was interesting, not crowded and all, and nice and cool, I was still disappointed that we didn't go to the mall in Washington, until I heard the radio. On the way back to my friend's house I happened to hear that there was a shooting at the Holocaust museum. The museum that is adjacent to the metro station we had planned on riding if we had gone downtown, the museum that is adjacent to the mall and the other museums we planned on visiting that day. The area was a madhouse and I am so thankful that we decided not to go, handling two kids and a stroller is difficult under normal conditions, but in crisis conditions, I would not have had a chance. I am now thankful that we didn't make it to the mall and will try yet again to go hopefully later in the summer (it was too cold to go when I was up there in January). We drove back home Thursday morning and it is so good to be back. I love my friends and had a good time with them, but there really is no place like home and it is so good to not have to share my bed with a kicking toddler. So we survived and I look forward to more adventures yet to come.
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