Family Time at Iwo Jima Memorial

I know, I know... going to the Iwo Jima Memorial is not foremost in the minds of most new parents, but after finishing our first infant massage class (more on this later), we found ourselves craving some monument time.

The plan was to find a parking spot near the Lincoln Memorial, but... Right turn here, left turn there, and surprise!-- we're on Memorial Bridge crossing the Potomac. Going with the flow, we found a nice parking spot close to the Iwo Jima Memorial instead. Enter the Double Snap-n-Go stroller, a miracle of engineering that allows us to make our two infant car seats function as a double stroller of sorts.

We happened to arrive as a tour group of WWII veterans were posing for a picture in front of the memorial. I struck up a conversation with one man and learned that they and their families get together in Arlington every year, coming from all over the country. I asked the man where he'd traveled from, and guess what? He's from my home town of Bakersfield, California. Suddenly, I was talking with his friends from Tehachapi and other friends from nearby. Small world.

Then we, the Caballero-Taylors, became the sight to see. Twins! A boy and a girl!

A pair of twins in the group, grown women in their 50's, were alerted to our presence, and suddenly we were having our picture taken with the twin ladies in their matching hats AND their mother (with whom I felt a special instant bond). Lovely.

The weather was lovely, so we took a rest in the shade under some nearby trees. Sarita and Juanito slept soundly on their blanket while their parents marveled at how simple it can be, if only for a matter of an hour or two: these two new people can really go places so long as you've got a well-equipped diaper bag.