Spring Break Trip to DC

When the opportunity for a spontaneous trip with the boys to Washington DC came up, (there was a conference there for Drew’s work) we couldn’t pass it up! We were there from Sunday until Thursday (which I found out was quite a long time to stay in one hotel room with two little onesJ) and had a great time!

When we got there, everyone was exhausted from the drive, so we grabbed a quick dinner and just relaxed in the hotel room. That would be the last time I relaxed for the rest of the trip!Finn and Mitch slept pretty well, but then Mitch woke up earlier and earlier every morning (between 5:00 and 5:30am). After that, there was no sleeping for anyone else, since Mitch has found his new favorite noise to make. It sounds like some kind of wild animal. The loudest, most blood curdling shrieking noise you’ve ever heard. I’m sure the other hotel guests were thrilled. We also walked about 5 miles every day, so we were all exhausted by the end of each day.

On Monday, I set out with the boys to walk around the city and to explore the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. First, we made a quick stop to say hi to the Obama’s. They weren’t taking visitors, but we liked looking at their house anyway (Mitch wasn't as impressed as Finn - see below). Then on to the museum. The boys LOVED it there! The highlights were definitely the giant elephant and the dinosaur skeletons, of course.

Finn checking out the White House

Finn telling me that this is a "little dog" skeleton.

Mitch laughing at the fish tank

Finn taking some down time, watching his show on the computer

Finn and Mitch playing "neighbors in houses" (Finn's invented game) in their pack and plays. They did this for an hour - standing up and looking at each other and then falling down into their beds and laughing. It was hilarious.

That evening, we met up with Paul, Marla, Blair and Faith for a fun dinner. They were so sweet to make the drive into the city to meet us and it was great to catch up with them (even with the distractions of a crabby two-year-old and a surprise projectile vomit episode from Mitch).

Blair, Mitch and Drew - Mitch tried his first bite of ice cream (and, no surprise...loved it!)

Finn trying on my sunglasses in the hotel room after dinner

The next day, we walked over to the zoo (our hotel was about a mile and a half from the zoo and about two miles from the National Mall so we left the car parked the whole time and walked everywhere). Marla made the trip to see some animals and have lunch with us, which was so much fun! Finn’s favorites at the zoo were the lions (a family with lots of new cubs, playing and pouncing all over each other), the gorillas sleeping in hammocks, and a sting ray in the aquarium that splashed water out of the tank right near Finn’s face. He’s still talking about that one! J

It's hard to see, but there's a monkey's face pressed up against the window. :)

Finn looking at the lion cubs

Marla and Mitch checking out the lion mom and dad

The sting ray that splashed Finn

That afternoon, we met Drew to wander around and see some of the monuments. We checked out the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and (very very quickly because Mitch was making that shrieking sound again) the Vietnam Memorial. I don’t know what it is, but I could wander around those places for hours. I just love being there. It’s so beautiful and so meaningful and I loved having the kids there too, even if they didn’t really understand what they were seeing.

On our last day, I took the boys to the Air and Space Museum and on our way, we stumbled upon the National Aquarium. Mitch had loved the fish tanks at the zoo so much that I felt like we had to go in. They loved it there! Mitch was so excited to see the fish and Finn got to see yet another sting ray. This one was burying itself in the rocks at the bottom of the tank and Finn was fascinated! The Air and Space Museum was awesome too. We didn’t stay too long because Finn was having a hard time understanding that he couldn’t get IN all of the airplanes hanging from the ceiling. But he did get to sit in one and pretend to fly it, so mission accomplished!

Mitchie excited to see more fish!

Finn with Mr. Potato Head's tongue

It was so great to spend some time with the boys away from home. For four full days, all there was to do was walk, play, and focus on sharing new experiences with them. I realized how hard it is to give them my undivided attention when we’re at home because I get sidetracked by a work email or call, a sink full of dishes, or a basket full of laundry that needs to be folded. I think sometimes my control-freak nature causes me to miss out on the beauty of the everyday things we do together. It was nice to let go a little bit of the routine and be a little more spontaneous too (not one of my strengths). I’m already finding that some of this is carrying over since we’ve been home too, which might just be the best part of the trip.