Spring Break at the Capital!

We decided to take a little get-a-way to Washington DC over spring break. It's just 4 hours away and we thought it would be fun to get out of town and have a change of scenery. Walking around DC, taking in the sights, learning about history and seeing some of the great monuments - what's not to love?

We had a 4 hour road trip to get to our destination. We had packed lunches and a cooler, with the intent of finding a picnic area at a rest stop and getting out to stretch our legs. A playground would be a bonus. But...it poured the whole way there so we ate our lunch in the car under a gas station overhang, while Dayven pumped gas and we took turns using the very scary restroom. Best laid plans! All in all, the kids did ok in the car but I think that was about their limit. We could tell they were right on the verge. Anytime anyone starting whining, we just fling more food back there. We won't be driving to Florida anytime soon!

Seriously, only THREE days!

The kids alternated who got to sleep in the top bunk. They loved it!

We stayed in the Dupont Circle area, which was perfect. There was plenty of action and places to eat and a great park/playground just two blocks away.  Our hotel was just a one bedroom, but had a kids area with bunk beds, a TV with an xBox, board games and a mini fridge stocked with juice boxes. The kids were in heaven. The bunk beds may have been the highlight of the trip. They're still talking about them!

It was such a beautiful city and surprisingly clean. I enjoyed all the scenery even on the drive in. The old colonial and tudor style homes were just stunning.

The capital area was pretty amazing too. The architecture was something to take in and Dayven and I both agreed we would have spent a bit more time just strolling along, taking it all in if we hadn't had the kids with us. The first two days we had great weather so we just spent our time wandering around the city, alternating between wearing kids and pushing them in the double stroller. Dayven checked the GPS on his phone later and figured out we had walked almost 5 miles in one day and by we, I mean Dayven and I. I think the kids walked about .5 miles total so we definitely got our workout in.

Secret service on the roof...

Yes yes, the Lincoln Memorial is amazing. But first, I need to show you this thing on my ipod.

Hadley wanted to ride like Tate. Dayven' back didn't last long. 

Waiting for the metro

If you go the Museum of Natural History, you should try breakdancing under the whale

...or not.

I don't know why Dayven looks like he's posing for a mug shot.

It was so fun to see all the monuments in person after seeing pictures or footage of them for years. The White House seemed smaller than I had envisioned (it's not, unless you count 55,000 square feet as small) or else I hadn't pictured it so landlocked, thinking it'd be surrounded by sprawling land, not city congestion and traffic. I loved the Lincoln Memorial and the reflecting pond and mostly just walking around in a city foreign to me, taking it all in. The kids enjoyed walking around the pond at Constitution Gardens. They had fun doing random things you wouldn't even think about - like jumping over an empty fountain or playing in the World Ward II memorial that Wyatt said looked like the dome from X-men. I guess we all appreciate different things.

Hadley was a bit cranky and we could tell she was out of sorts, but she rallied occasionally so we pressed on. Later in the day she actually fell asleep sitting up in the stroller so we knew it was time to head back to the hotel. Both she and Tate took naps while Dayven and Wyatt headed to the playground. It's pretty hard to travel with napping kids because it means sitting around the hotel in the afternoon, which seems like a big waste of vacation time to me, but what can you do. Tate is a bear without his afternoon nap and Hadley needed it too, being sick.

We took the metro train (another big highlight) down to capital one day and checked out the museums. All the Smithsonian museums are FREE which is pretty amazing. It also makes them pretty crowded, or maybe that's because it was spring break. I have never been to a museum this crowded before and it was almost impossible to even see some of the exhibits. We went to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs and then headed to the Air and Space museum. Wyatt loved all the planes and rockets. Finally Dayven and I were tired of battling all the people and decided to call it a day. I just can't take those crowds anymore.

That evening we took the kids to a nice seafood restaurant the concierge assured us was hip and trendy, but still kid friendly. All restaurants in DC are expensive but this was our most expensive meal while we were there. After shuffling kids around at the table, taking turns walking the restaurant with a grumbling Tate, watching Hadley sleep on the restaurant bench and Wyatt inhale shrimp cocktail at $2 per shrimp (yes you read that right), we decided it had been the most expensive, unenjoyed meal we'd had in a long time. That sealed the deal - it was time to cut the trip short by a day.

The trip seemed longer on the way home, maybe because we were tired from and just ready to be there.  Poor Hadley. After day 4 of coughing and not feeling great, her negligent mommy finally took her to the doctor and it turns out she has a mild case of pneumonia. She's on meds now and should be on the mend soon.

Seriously, all that aside, we really did have a nice trip (we can say that now that it's over) and will plan to do DC again...in a few years.