We got lucky enough to have a little bit of time off in March, and even more lucky to have that time coincide with my brother's time off with his job. Believe me - they just might have the hardest jobs to get time off from, and for it to align was very impressive so we took advantage of it!
We each drove 5.5 hours to a middle-meeting-point and started out the short weekend by visiting Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.
The weather was freezing!! We tried to brave the wind and visit a colonial plantation farm with the few hours of daylight left. I have a random collection of photos, but a lot of them! So here we go.
Seriously ... it doesn't look that cold. But it was. Trust me.
These lonely blossoms on a bare tree were the only indication that warm weather was coming.
We enjoyed dinner at a local joint, Huzzah BBQ. Super nice staff, and always an adventure with kids.
Afterwards we went to get checked into our hotel for the night. It was a really nice place connected with our parent's timeshare, and we wished we could've stayed there all weekend!
The next morning we toured through the Colonial Williamsburg historic sites. This place would be gorgeous in the spring!
Lots of restored buildings and gardens, and very fascinating to (re)learn all about this time in our country. All about the life of the people in the 18th Century and during the Revolutionary War period. Lots of incredible stories and lessons from the people then who took the first steps toward our freedom as a country.
There was this hidden maze in the back of the Governor's Palace (which was an awesome building. The building itself and the beautiful grounds surrounding it had countless stories to tell) was the highlight of the kids' day. They chased each other for quite a while, and kept asking to go back all day.
And no colonial-town visit would be complete without the pictures of ruffians in the stocks!
L-man seriously thought these were so cool. I think his body's a little short for the sitting-down version though, don't you think?
We struggled to find some lunch and hadn't fully prepared to bring our own. But thankfully there was a little bakery-type shop where we bought apples, cookies, and apple turnovers. Yum. :)
Us adults loved the blacksmith shop. And the warmth it provided was a nice perk. We also loved the Magazine building, which was where they kept all the weapons, military supplies, and gun powder for the war.
Sorry for the over-exposure guys! But you still look great. :)
We stayed late in the afternoon to watch a brief reenactment of the militia, which included the military band.
The kids were all into it at first.
And then it started to get loud.
They shot off rifles (which makes you cringe as you watch them go through the tedious loading process and invision them having to do that in a battle!).
And then shot off some cannons.
The two youngest kiddos decided they were done and both had to leave the group.
We kept congregating on the courthouse steps - it was the perfect place to block the wind and feel the warmth of the sun radiating from the bricks.
That night we drove up to Washington, DC to spend the rest of the short weekend there. Saturday was spent exploring a slice of DC, and we can't wait to go back!
We started out at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History - a major hit with the kids! L-man loved all the dinosaurs and exploring every detail. He had such patience running from one exhibit to the next wanting to learn about it - and Ry was darling to watch as he was so excited to teach him and include him in the discovery.
(from sister A - thank you!!)
I had my camera on manual the whole time, and have not put in the time/effort to learn the intricacies of it still. So way more than half my pictures were awful. This would have been cool if I had the right settings! ha!
We enjoyed the butterfly/insect wing where the kids all took very timid and short turns at holding this massive grasshopper. Cousin M moved his hands away the moment it touched him - which made the museum worker a little nervous! :)
We walked through their butterfly exhibit and the kids loved seeing so many different kinds of butterflies!
L-man was obsessed with Monarch Butterflies, and kept asking this sweet lady if they had any (which they didn't), so she took him over to show him the monarch chrysalis they had. He was a little intrigued, but mostly just bummed he didn't get to see one already grown.
Lady-LE also took a sour face when no butterflies chose to land on her. Oh such a sad life.
L-man got lucky with one just briefly, and I barely got it on camera.
There was so much to see/do in this museum! The dad's wanted to go look at a couple other exhibits, so us moms sat down with the kids for a long snack break. We played, sang songs, and ate jolly ranchers (among other more filling food).
Our last hoorah was the wild animal exhibit which L-man was CRAZY about. With every animal we saw he would tell us what it was, where it lived, what it ate, anything! He especially loves talking about what animals battle against one another. He even corrected complete strangers when they were saying something wrong (we need to work on that). Seriously his favorite part of the day.
We had to do the carousel on the National Mall, even if it was cold! Reminded me of riding the carousel in central park with these fabulous cousins of ours two years before! Man how time flies!
(also from sister A - this one's my favorite! Thank you!!)
We took a break to grab some lunch (easy hot dogs and stupid power-struggles ... that was not my best moment), and then tackled the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
We took a break to grab some lunch (easy hot dogs and stupid power-struggles ... that was not my best moment), and then tackled the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
I think the general feel for at least my family at this point was tired and tired. :) The museum itself it really cool, and you can definitely learn a lot from it. But the super-excited-to-be-here-adrenaline-rush was gone for us. In all reality the museum is awesome, and I wish I would have gone into it with a better attitude.
And then Lady-LE peed on me. Like all over my pants while I was trying to calm her down after a meltdown. I packed extra clothes for her, but of course not for me. So that definitely added a little bit to the 'tired' feel.
And then Lady-LE peed on me. Like all over my pants while I was trying to calm her down after a meltdown. I packed extra clothes for her, but of course not for me. So that definitely added a little bit to the 'tired' feel.
But! Right at the end of the museum visit we found our way into a fabulous little kids' science center type area where you could explore and manipulate and learn the science behind flying. It was by far my favorite part (sadly, because there was plenty to learn and see - but this engaged my kids without effort on my part, and that's what I needed right then). The kids ran and played and laughed. And took turns flying a small Cessna 150.
We played on the escalators one more time, and then walked back out on the mall grass.
And D even scored some girl scout cookies!! :)
And yes, we were wearing winter coats, and eating popsicles. B & M already ate theirs while waiting for us to come out of the museum. By the end of Lady-LE's popsicle she was physically shaking from the cold. But they were so excited about them we couldn't say no!
We didn't really have a game plan at this point, so we let the kids simply run around on the grass. And boy was that needed! They played a mean game of tag with Uncle D, and chased to their hearts' content. Well, I bet cousin M and L-man could have kept going. But everyone else was tired of wrestling by the end of it and we called it quits. I have some fun video of them all just running around, and it makes my heart happy to watch kids simply be kids.
The sun was going down, so we tried to grab some family pictures, and attempted to walk down to the WA Monument to be closer to the war memorials.
We walked for a little ways, but actually didn't get very far before the sun was too low and we decided that food sounded better (and sleep for the kids!). Sister A got this one of us, and I hope I snapped a few good ones of her fam. My camera battery had died at this point, so we took turns taking pictures with her camera. :)
After walking back to the car we went separate ways. D & A went to pick up yummy Cafe Rio for us all to eat for dinner, and we drove around trying to glimpse the White House at dark for Ry to take a picture of. A little more challenging than we expected, with tons of road closures; but eventually Ry comes back and says that he really wants all of us to see it in the dark all lit up. So away we all went, expecting a short walk. Turned into a long walk, with almost the entire north lawn blocked off. There was a security guard at one point who said she didn't know the reason why, they just block it off when told to. As we're walking to the edge to get a better view, three HUGE helicopters come right toward us! We were almost directly below them, and were so close! Two veered off, and one went straight to the White House and landed on the front lawn. It was too far away to see details, but it lingered for a while and then took off again. It was awesome! The timing could not have been better! We saw the President of the United States of America come home on his personal helicopter! Pretty crazy, and the kids loved it.
We ended the night with Cafe Rio and exhausted kids. It was a good day!
The next morning we packed up all our belongings and had a brief celebratory birthday for cousin M. Hooray!! What a cutie!
Of course there's always helpers to unwrap birthday gifts!
This little guy loves Thomas!
We ended our DC trip with a visit to Arlington Cemetery. Walking the grounds felt a little sacred, and watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was very moving. My favorite part was when two small school/community groups of children came to present a floral wreath to hang in front of the tomb. At the conclusion of each ceremony, a soldier played "Taps" on his bugle.
My dad served in the Army and National Guard all my life, and is retired military now. I remember thinking that he was the most handsome man on earth in his Army Dress Blues, and always felt a surge of pride seeing him in any military attire. I used to wear his hat around the house, as I'm sure all of us kids did. It was always a treat to go to his work, and see the respect that service men and women give one another. I would feel such pride for my dad whenever the guard at the gate would salute us because of my dad's rank, and remember practicing that salute in my bedroom trying to have the same straight-lined posture my dad had when he saluted others.
I grew up in an atmosphere of respect and gratitude for our country, mostly taught by example from both my parents. There was a sense of duty and obligation, knowing that because I was apart of this great country there was something to be expected of me. My parents would drag all of us kids to museums and historical sites on any vacation they could, and even though as a kid you do not understand the scope of it all the memory serves as a reminder that our history is important and deserves to be remembered.
Watching the ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier moved me more than I had expected. It made me think of what it means to honor, cherish, and respect something to that depth. My thoughts naturally turned to the countless individuals who gave their life for my country, known and unknown. Listening to "Taps" being played swayed my heart to feel the grief of the parent who lost a son or daughter through military service. Yet in the song I also felt the greatest surge of gratitude for my dad and the man he is. That pride and love for him immediately grew to include my brother who stood beside me and is currently serving in the Air Force.
There is good in this world. At times it may be hard to recognize it on a grander scale. But there is still good out there. And I am eternally grateful that my little family is apart of it.
My dad served in the Army and National Guard all my life, and is retired military now. I remember thinking that he was the most handsome man on earth in his Army Dress Blues, and always felt a surge of pride seeing him in any military attire. I used to wear his hat around the house, as I'm sure all of us kids did. It was always a treat to go to his work, and see the respect that service men and women give one another. I would feel such pride for my dad whenever the guard at the gate would salute us because of my dad's rank, and remember practicing that salute in my bedroom trying to have the same straight-lined posture my dad had when he saluted others.
I grew up in an atmosphere of respect and gratitude for our country, mostly taught by example from both my parents. There was a sense of duty and obligation, knowing that because I was apart of this great country there was something to be expected of me. My parents would drag all of us kids to museums and historical sites on any vacation they could, and even though as a kid you do not understand the scope of it all the memory serves as a reminder that our history is important and deserves to be remembered.
Watching the ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier moved me more than I had expected. It made me think of what it means to honor, cherish, and respect something to that depth. My thoughts naturally turned to the countless individuals who gave their life for my country, known and unknown. Listening to "Taps" being played swayed my heart to feel the grief of the parent who lost a son or daughter through military service. Yet in the song I also felt the greatest surge of gratitude for my dad and the man he is. That pride and love for him immediately grew to include my brother who stood beside me and is currently serving in the Air Force.
There is good in this world. At times it may be hard to recognize it on a grander scale. But there is still good out there. And I am eternally grateful that my little family is apart of it.
