Brynn was really living the good life. Bundled, cozy, and doing zero work.
When you walked out of our back gate and turned to the right, this is the view of the alley.
Our plan was to go see the tree, get lunch at Shake Shack in Union Station, and then walk over to the Botanic Gardens, as we realized that, while the girls and I had been several times, Brad had not been yet.
I have to say...the tree was really rather impressive!
Please enjoy this series of Lily poses.
Some closer shots
Found this handy guide to decode what all of the symbols on the ornaments meant.
In addition to the magnificent tree, there's also a huge, old-fashioned train set and scene in the middle of the hall. I have a special place in my heart for elaborate, old-fashioned train sets and scenes; my granddaddy loved them and had a very large collection that we all enjoyed over the years. Thankfully, my girls also love them, so we spent a while watching the trains and little village and people from all different angles (while Brad ordered our burgers).
Union Station is so very grand.
Lunch! I really love Shake Shack. I don't care if it IS a chain.
After lunch, we started our walk to the Botanic Gardens (I think it's roughly a mile). The day was GORGEOUS, so we were really happy for the walk.
We made Lily ride in the stroller through areas with lots of traffic. She could walk on sidewalks in between intersections, but geez. There are too many cars to let Lily loose.
Look at that beautiful sky!
Our path from Union Station to the Gardens took us by the Capitol. I took quite a few pictures of it as we walked by, even though our tour was scheduled for two days later. I'm so glad I did, as the weather was DREADFUL and so gray the day of our tour. Please enjoy these images, as the ones on my post specifically about our Capitol tour are rather gloomy.
It is so gorgeous.
Side note: this was ~3 days before the impeachment hearings. Looks so serene on the outside...
I was already glad that I'd taken the girls to the Gardens to see the trains a couple weeks earlier, but our visit this particular day confirmed that decision. The line to get into the train room wound through the building, outside, and around. It was crazy! Unfortunately, Brad wasn't able to see the trains, but he was a sport about it and just as happy to meander through the actual gardens.
The Mediterranean garden reminded him of his time in Greece.
I LOVED all of the poinsettias that were out for Christmas.
There was an entire wall of them!
And so many colors
We always love the desert greenhouse.
And the tropical forest
This tree had ornaments sent to the Botanic Gardens from gardens all across the country. I even found one from Huntsville!
Miniature replica of the Botanic Gardens...
...and Union Station!
We had such a fun outing with really beautiful weather. Everyone had a good time, and we made it home *almost* before everyone was overly tired, so I count it as a major win! Here are a few sights from our (one-block) walk home from the metro station.
Our back gate with our best biggest girl
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