Washington DC

 We took our kids to Washington DC for Spring Break! Chase and Hudson have been asking to go back for years, and Davis has developed a deep love and interest in the US Presidents so we decided it was the perfect window to go. It did not disappoint!

Our first day we spent at the Smithsonian museum of American History. This was great because it had something for everyone. The pop culture stuff interested all the kids, but Chase and Hudson were super interested in the civil war exhibit. Davis loved the exhibits with artifacts from various presidents. Lila loved the exhibits of the first ladies dresses and dishes (and went back and forth to match the dishes to the dresses). And they all got to see the original "Star Spangled Banner". 

Even just riding the subway was exciting for this kids who live in the suburbs!

We also stopped by the National Zoo to see the real pandas! Lila squealed with delight at how cute they were.

I loved seeing these two asleep in their hotel bed. The kids love even the luxuries of staying in a hotel :) We stayed in Foggy Bottom which was a beautiful neighborhood. 

Our second day in DC was hot and the National Mall was SO CROWDED since it was Cherry Blossom time. We tried to go to the Air and Space Museum but couldn't get it due to crowds, so we decided to head to the other side of the mall and see the National Art Gallery. This was when we bought the kids very mediocre ice cream from a food truck to avoid a complete hot/tired/overstimulated meltdown- that's like $60 worth of ice cream right there! 

The National Gallery was actually such a cool experience. My boys all loved it (Lila was a little tired by then, but did love Degas Ballerinas). Chase took an art class a year ago, and I was shocked by everything he retained. He'd see a painting across the room and say "That looks like a Mary Cassatt" or "That looks like Renoir" and he was right! We spent about an hour there and it wasn't enough for him, I promised him we'd try to come back. 

We also explored Mt Vernon! It was such a beautiful morning. It could not be in a more beautiful spot and I love the way the whole plantation was preserved and presented. A lot about Washington and his life and contributions, and also a memorial dedicated to the enslaved who lived there too. 

Sunday morning we headed into Arlington Cemetery. This was something Chase really wanted to do. The cemetery was in full bloom with blossoms and so peaceful and reverent. 

When we got to the Tomb of the Unknown soldier it was completely packed. They only change the guard once an hour, so we wanted to see it then. We were near the back of the crowd and they ask you to remain silent at the tomb out of respect. Ben lifted Davis up on his shoulders and I lifted Lila so they could see. I tried to silently find windows for Chase and Hudson to see through the people surrounding us. Then an older gentlemen in front of us, wearing a Vietnam Veteran hat, silently motioned to me if he could help hold Lila (which is of course a hard NO from her), and then stepped back and silently ushered my boys up in front of him where they could see. His act of kindness, right there in this sacred spot, made the experience so much richer for us. After they finished and the crowd cleared, we went up closer and Chase and Hudson took some time to take it all in. 

We toured the rest of Arlington, including Arlington House, the astronauts memorial, and Kennedy's grave. 

Sunday night after a yummy dinner I took the boys to the mall to see it all light up at night. I love these sites at night. They are just spectacular. We hiked up the steps of the Lincoln memorial and when Davis got his first glimpse of the statue of Lincoln he gave the most excited gasp. It was darling. We read the Gettysburg Address together and then checked out the Korean War memorial before grabbing an uber back to the hotel. 

Monday we headed out to really tour the mall and all the monuments and memorials. It was the perfect day because the cherry blossoms were still beautiful, but the crowds had cleared significantly. We started the Jefferson Memorial and worked our way towards the Washington Monument where we had tickets to go to the top (so cool!).

Davis and Lila found these sticks and they were entertaining for hours. We stumbled upon the FDR memorial, which we didn't even know existed and then got our first glimpse of the MLK memorial- a first for all of us!

After all this walking everyone was pretty tired, so Ben took the younger kids back to the hotel. Chase really wanted to keep exploring so we hit up the National Archives and saw the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Then we headed back to the Art Gallery to see the rest without the littles. It was such a fun day with this adventurous boy!

Ben bought a deck of cards and it provided hours of entertainment for Lila. This trip was definitely planned more for her brothers, but she did a pretty good job coming along for the journey. And her favorite thing ever is to play games- so lots of card games were had. 

And then we flew home! Lila decided after flying to the East Coast twice in 2 months that she doesn't like to fly. It's boring and all the snacks, games, coloring and movies apparently don't help. In her stubbornness she resorted to changing the screen with her toes, if that tells you anything about how well she was cooperating at this point. It was such a fun trip- we saw and did so much and made so many wonderful memories with the kids!