The Carillon Bell Tower

Last night we took the kids and met Ja and Laura at the Carillon Bell
Tower next to the Iwo Jima Monument in Arlington. The Carillon Bell
Tower was a gift to the United States from the Netherlands after World
War II. On Saturday evenings in the summer they open it up and have a
bell concert. The view from the top of the tower is just about the
beat view of DC I have ever seen. You have a direct line of site of
the Lincoln, the Washington and the Capitol as well as Arlington
Cemetery on your right and Iwo Jima on your left.

The boys went tithe top and the bellist(?) let Brigham and Jacob each
play a note. The keyboard looks like an organ but with wood sticks
instaad of keys. Jacob was especially excited that he got to play the
bell.

As you hiked tithe top of the tower you could see the larger bells.
The largest one weighs 16 tons.

It was a great spot and definitely on of the hidden treasures of
Washington DC since there was hardly anyone there.

A Perfect Day And a Bad Parent

Yesterday was great. In the afternoon we took the kids down to
Fletcher Boat House which is about 2 miles north of Georgetown on the
Potomac. For $11 we were able to rent a rowboat for an hour.

As we approached the boat Calen started whimpering, Jacob started
exclaiming that he had to go potty while pointing at his groin (this
is what he commonly does when he is scared), and Brigham was wailing,
pleading with someone to stay behind on the docks with him. Despite
their protests we threw them all in the boat.

About 30 seconds into the trip they all changed their attitudes. Jacob
had a huge smile on his face and Brigham said, "This isn't as bad as I
thought it would be."

We rowed up towards Chain Bridge and got to see a guy catch a huge
fish. Brigham had just said, "Does anyone actually catch fish. I
always see people fishing but I don't see them catch any fish." After
we saw the guy catch the fish he said, "Well, I guess they do."

We came back around on the Virginia side and Jacob decided he wanted
to get in. So I put him over the side and he began to swim around. He
was in absolute heaven. Brigham was having a heart attack. Jacob
started swimming down the river and Brigham started yelling as tears
streamed down his face, "Make him get back in the boat. Dad, you knew
that Jacob likes to swim far away. Why did you let him get in?"

At this point Holly started getting worried as well. Both Jacob and I
thought everything was all right but the redheads were quite
concerned. We called out for Jacob to come back and he replied with a
definitive "No!"

I rowed over and picked him up. As we returned to the the boathouse
Brigham said to me, "Dad, you are a really bad parent. You shouldn't
have let Jacob get in the river."

Jacob just kept asking us to take his "seatbelt" (life jacket) off.

Despite Brigham's concerns everyone had a great time and it is
something we are going to do again soon.

Best Uncle Ever

Brigham: Ja, I love you. You are my best uncle ever.

Ja: Brigham, you probably say that to all of your uncles.

Brigham: Yeah, I do.

Play date

I am watching the kids today while Holly is out. Brigham said, "Dad,
you are the only one we can have fun with today. That means you can't
work. Woo-hop!"