Because we decided on taking the trip too late, the kennel we usually use for Charlotte (and all others we called) were booked for the week. So we first drove to Raleigh on Saturday so we could leave Charlotte with Brian's parents. We stayed there overnight and then headed up to DC on Sunday morning.
We made it just after lunch and went straight to Karey and Mike's new apartment to visit. Then we went with them to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's annex at Dulles International Airport. We loved this place because there is a ton of room for all the planes, etc and it's relatively new, unlike the Air and Space Museum downtown that feels dated.
The retired Discovery space shuttle was pretty impressive.
Gray enjoyed squealing and pointing at everything.
Luckily he never ducked under any barriers before I grabbed him!
An awful attempt at a picture of me with the boys (sometimes three kids, including a toddler, is just too much!) ...
One of the coolest parts of this museum is getting to go up in the observation tower and watch planes land. I think the boys could have stayed there all day.
The big boys kept saying, "That ones coming in hot!" No idea where they learned that expression!
After the museum, Karey and Mike took us to dinner at Right Proper.
We were a little nervous going to a nice place for dinner with our three crazies after a long day, but everyone did great! And it was very good - thanks guys for dinner!
We took Karey and Mike back to their apartment and headed to our hotel. We stayed in a SpringHill Suites near Old Town Alexandria. The hotel had been redone recently and it was really nice (and clean - I'm especially picky when we have a toddler who is all over the floor).
The next morning (Monday) we took the metro into downtown DC. The boys had been so excited about this!!! Our hotel was less than a mile away from a metro stop but it was REALLY cold so we parked our car in the lot for the metro stop.
Waiting for the metro ...
Trying to stay warm!
LOVING the ride!
Our first stop of the day was the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. We were disappointed that the dinosaur hall was closed for renovations but we found a small exhibit upstairs.
The boys had recently watched Night at the Museum (which is set in the Museum of Natural History in NYC) and were excited to see this guy ...
We walked through the entire museum, I think. The boys seemed to like just about everything.
We ate lunch at the museum and then headed over to take a look at the Washington Monument.
We didn't stay too long as the wind made it extra cold.
The boys were able to get cancellation stamps in their National Park Passport books at this monument, as well as all the others we visited. Having to find the stamp kiosks helped to keep their interest everywhere we went.
Our next stop was the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The children's area of the museum looked awesome but unfortunately it is closed on Mondays. We didn't stay too long (and I apparently took zero pictures). We then headed next door to the United State Botanical Garden. Our main reason for stopping in was to find a letterbox but it ended up being pretty cool.
After the Botanical Garden, we walked to the nearest metro stop and got back to our car in Old Town. Everyone was pretty exhausted so we opted for an easy dinner in the new National Harbor area. Rylan, of course, fell asleep on our 10 minute drive and was a bear for the first part of dinner. But we had some amazing food at Nando's and it was well worth putting up with him :)
The new Gaylord hotel was a couple of blocks from the restaurant so we walked over to see if they decorate like the Gaylord hotel here (Opryland). They had some cool stuff but nothing like the hotel here.
The boys were bonkers when in the hotel room and since it wasn't bedtime yet (we were still operating on central time), we drove over to the FDR Memorial. We seemed to be the only people there and were a little nervous with how dark it was so we ended up not staying. Of course, as we were pulling away, a tour bus full of people showed up :)
The next morning (Tuesday) we drove downtown and found street parking close to all the Smithsonian museums. We were there before the museums opened so we stopped by the Smithsonian Castle. There was a cool kiosk that made pictures out of photos of Smithsonian exhibits. And we were able to email this picture to ourselves (it's much cooler in higher resolution!) ...
Our first stop of the day was the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Tickets to the first planetarium show of the day were free so we decided to try it out. Gray only made it through about 10 minutes before I had to sneak out in the dark :)
The boys always enjoy learning about space and had fun exploring the museum.
We ate lunch at the museum and after a little more exploring, headed out to see more of the memorials and monuments. We drove close to the FDR memorial and left the car there for the afternoon.
The FDR Memorial is one of my favorites, and a good place for the boys to run around a little. Unfortunately none of the water was running at the memorial which definitely took away the impressiveness of it, but it was still fun for the boys.
We found another letterbox in this area and then walked along the tidal basin towards the MLK, Jr Memorial.
The MLK, Jr Memorial was constructed since the last time I'd been in DC. The design was really impressive.
Then we continued on to the Korean War Veterans Memorial ...
And the Lincoln Memorial. The boys have been learning more about presidents in school (as well as what is on the front and back of money). They were pretty excited to see this memorial.
Even though Rylan whined a bit with all the walking (and cold), the boys did great visiting all the memorials and monuments. The big boys listened as we explained what every memorial and monument was for and genuinely seemed interested.
We visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and then decided everyone was done for the day :) The boys and I ended up playing in the park while Brian went to get the car. Gray had just really started walking well at this point and enjoyed some freedom :)
We stopped by the hotel for a little bit and decided on where to go to dinner. I interned in DC while in college and lived in Alexandria. I spent a lot of time in Old Town so we decided to find a restaurant there.
We stumbled upon the perfect place - Bugsy's Pizza Restaurant. It was very kid friendly, the food was surprisingly amazing, and the NC State basketball game was on the TV closest to us!
The next day (Wednesday) was our last day in DC. We planned on only spending about half the day there so we could drive back to Raleigh and get in at a reasonable time. We expected traffic to be rough with Thanksgiving being the next day.
We were out of the hotel early and made a quick stop at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Gray had fallen asleep in the car so I stayed in the car with him in a bus loading zone. It was empty and it worked out great not having to find parking!
Our next and last stop of the trip was Smithsonian's National Zoo. It was huge and we ended up spending more time there than expected.
I don't remember what time we finally got on the road, but the normally 4 1/2 hour drive took a lot longer (something like 7 or more hours - I've blocked it out). Gray melted down for a few hours and screamed and screamed. I think he even made himself throw up, but again, I've blocked it out! It was a tortuous drive!
We finally made it and had a very nice Thanksgiving in Raleigh with lots of family.
Brian and I were even able to sneak away on Friday night for an NC State basketball game (on our own!).
