This is what Valentines looked like at our house. Heart shaped pizza and roses. And one happy family! I couldn't ask for anything more.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Family Fun Day
I try to reserve Saturday as my Family Fun Day. The idea is to do at least one fun recreational activity together as a family. I am not always successful, all too often I use Saturday as my catch up day to get things done while I have another adult around to help out. But last Saturday we tried to get a whole days worth in. We went down to DC for the day, and had a lot of fun.
Our next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. Since Sam had found such a great parking space, we decided we should walk down. Having kids that love to use the camera comes in handy - this is a shot Harrison took of Sam and I. I think he did a pretty good job.
As we left the Lincoln memorial, the boys spotted a helicopter, and Sam wondered out loud if it was Marine One. I said, "wouldn't it be coming from or going to the White House?" as I pointed over to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, which was in sight. As we approached our car, the helicopter came around again, this time heading straight for the White House. We were standing directly across Constitution Ave. from the White House, so we watched it land right the front yard. It really brought home where we were, and the importance of so many places right around us. As we drove in DC we saw The FED, the SEC, the Capital building, to name a few. And you really feel the power of all the government and the important job they are doing.
I expect we'll have many more Saturdays like this in the coming months, especially with the weather getting warmer. I look forward to it, and am so grateful to live in such a fun area to tour around.
After stopping off at the Washington Monument to pick up tickets to go to the top, we went on over to the National Postal Museum. This is where we learned our fist lesson on museums and kids - don't take the guided tour. I had no intentions of doing so when I planned on taking the kids here, but we happened to arrive just as the guided tour started, and we were the only ones there, so I kinda figured the tour guide would gear his tour towards the kids, maybe even letting us in on some extra fun things about the museum we would have missed otherwise. Not so. The guy was completely oblivious to the fact that we were trying to keep 3 small kids entertained and interested while he lectured us on the history of the postal service. We finally had to bail on the poor guy. 
He did point out the carriage that you could climb in, and managed to get us in trouble with security by giving the boys a bumpy ride while they sat inside. It was the weirdest thing - I guess they have cameras all over, and they come over a loud speaker and yell at you if they see you doing something they don't like. You'd figure that the guy doing the tour would know the rules, but he was the one bumping the carriage up and down while we got yelled out over the loud speaker.
He did point out the carriage that you could climb in, and managed to get us in trouble with security by giving the boys a bumpy ride while they sat inside. It was the weirdest thing - I guess they have cameras all over, and they come over a loud speaker and yell at you if they see you doing something they don't like. You'd figure that the guy doing the tour would know the rules, but he was the one bumping the carriage up and down while we got yelled out over the loud speaker. 
All that being said, we still really enjoyed this musuem. There was a lot to see - airplanes, horse drawn carriages, and even a stuffed dog. And they had little stations where you could put in an address and have a post card printed out. We'll have to head back here someday and check some of the kid geared stuff out before the kids loose patience.
After the Postal Museum we headed over to Union Station for lunch. It's a big beautiful train station, but I always think of the food when I think of it. When I would go to DC with friends as a teenager, this is where we would get lunch. There is a huge food court, and lots of good choices. I went to the Panda Rice Bowl, a fave growing up, and it did not disappoint. The boys got some NY Style pizza, and Sam got a Ruben sandwich. Yum. 
Then we headed back to the Washington monument to catch our 1PM time slot to go up to the top. Unfortunately we did not alot time for parking, and so I waited in line for the 1, 1:30, and 2 o'clock ticket lines while Sam desperately looked for parking. Luckily he eventually got a great spot, and the ranger didn't seem to care that our tickets were for earlier. I actually watched as he sent many people away that didn't have tickets, but others he would let slip in line. Must be interesting to have such power. It seemed he favored the out of towners with small children. Once we finally got to the top, the boys loved looking out the windows.
We could actually see the DC temple in the distance, which was cool. I don't ever remember going up in the Washington Monumnet growing up in the DC area (part of the time it was under renovation/cleaning), and so this was a fun first for me.
We didn't stay at the top too long, as Olivia was beginning to get fussy after hanging out in the sling for over an hour, and the top of the Washington Monument is a small space for a loud baby.
We could actually see the DC temple in the distance, which was cool. I don't ever remember going up in the Washington Monumnet growing up in the DC area (part of the time it was under renovation/cleaning), and so this was a fun first for me.
We didn't stay at the top too long, as Olivia was beginning to get fussy after hanging out in the sling for over an hour, and the top of the Washington Monument is a small space for a loud baby. 
Our next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. Since Sam had found such a great parking space, we decided we should walk down. Having kids that love to use the camera comes in handy - this is a shot Harrison took of Sam and I. I think he did a pretty good job.
As we left the Lincoln memorial, the boys spotted a helicopter, and Sam wondered out loud if it was Marine One. I said, "wouldn't it be coming from or going to the White House?" as I pointed over to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, which was in sight. As we approached our car, the helicopter came around again, this time heading straight for the White House. We were standing directly across Constitution Ave. from the White House, so we watched it land right the front yard. It really brought home where we were, and the importance of so many places right around us. As we drove in DC we saw The FED, the SEC, the Capital building, to name a few. And you really feel the power of all the government and the important job they are doing.
I expect we'll have many more Saturdays like this in the coming months, especially with the weather getting warmer. I look forward to it, and am so grateful to live in such a fun area to tour around.
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