Washington DC

 After our trip to Virginia, we headed up to Washington DC for a quick extension of our trip.  Todd and I both had never been to DC before and were a little unsure of what to expect.  This trip could prove to be SUPER boring for the kids, so we were a little hesitant, but eager to see the sights ourselves.  

We had reserved a little house on Airbnb and were delighted with its location and decor.  It was so cute!  Two bedrooms upstairs with living room, kitchen and patio on the lower level.  The neighborhood was adorable and full of these little historic row houses.

The kids were so confused by these houses - thought they were apartments!

We only had two days to explore - which was not nearly long enough!  So as soon as we got settled in the house, we were off to the White House!

The public is allowed to tour the White House, which I would have loved to do, but it is only open on Friday and Saturdays with a reservation.  We were there on a Monday and Tuesday - so that was a bummer.

We were walking around the White House grounds to the other side - heading toward the Washington Monument when we saw all these police officers moving around and barricades set up.  It was very strange.  Todd asked one of the officers what was going on and he said "well, the President is driving in"

Uh, what?  

We got to see President Biden's motorcade pull through which was pretty cool.  Although, both Todd and I wondered if they actually have the president in some random Honda Civic that pulls in later.  Like a decoy motorcade.  LOL.  It was Memorial Day and apparently he was returning to the White House from his Memorial Day speech.

After that fun moment, we were onward toward the monument!

Halle, Lia and I were HOT and tired from all the walking, so we got up to the main sidewalk of the monument and then ran off to find shade.  Todd and Erin powered through and went all the way up and got some cool pictures from the base on of the monument. I think people are allowed to go up inside the monument, but again, you have to have reservations...  which we didn't have.

The girls and I scored a primo spot for the Memorial Day Parade!

From our spot for the parade, you could turn around and see this - amazing.

One of the things that both Todd and I noticed is the incredibly bizarre the architecture of Washington DC.  Random buildings like this futuristic alien building would be right next door to some ornate historical building.  There was French architecture that looked like it should belong in New Orleans right by some very modern, sleek building right out of NYC.  Almost like a bunch of people from other countries came to DC and started building in the style they were familiar with - not caring if it matched the overall theme of the city.  Which, created this very unusual setting.  Todd and I were both curious about learning the origins of DC after seeing all this crazy architecture.

Scooter rides!

Restaurant we went to for lunch - super fun building!

After a relaxing lunch to cool off, it was time for the Lincoln Memorial!

View from steps of Lincoln Memorial

I have to say, the Lincoln Memorial was pretty dang awesome.  Just being there was an experience, but then hearing people's conversations around us about who he was, how brave he was, and how he made such a big difference in history was amazing.  It was neat to share with the girls.

 

The entire thing was made of marble and the kids found these "slides" to be too tempting to resist...  It seemed slightly inappropriate, given where we were, but it was also adorable.

We were walking back toward the car and happened by the Vietnam Memorial.  They had a big display out for Memorial Day, so we took a look.  Apparently soldiers that are/were missing in action are not memorialized on the actual wall, so people brought photos and descriptions of their loved ones to be sure they were included.  The girls found these stories very interesting - it was more impactful to read the individual stories than to just see names on a wall.  

That evening we walked around the little neighborhood by the house we were staying in, bought some treats from a local bakery and felt a little bit like local residents.  :)  

The next day was off to the US Capitol!

It was sweltering.  I didn't realize that unlike the Texas State Capitol, the US Capitol is surrounded by nothing but concrete.  No shade to be seen.  There were trees off in the park area WAY far away from the actual building, but nothing close to where we wanted to be.  The kids (and Todd and I for that matter) were hating life at that moment, but we powered through.

We walked around the entire thing and were entertained by the sounds of whining children the entire way.  After we got back around to the original side, the kids found a little corner of shade and plopped.  I wasn't sure if they would ever get back up.  It was this moment when I recalled being dragged places I found to be very boring when I was a kid - they were OVER IT.  

We motivated them by bribery (of course, right?) and the hope of a cold Starbucks snack and beverage.  On the way to the coffee shop, we passed by the Jefferson Library of Congress.  It was open to visitors without a reservation and was COLD in there with the AC.  WIN.  So we opted to go in for a bit and cool down before walking the rest of the way to Starbucks.  

SO glad we did!  This place ended up being a highlight of our whole day.  It was beautiful on the inside.  So ornate and full of hand detailing in the marble.  Completely enchanting.

Each wing of the building had a different art or historical display to tour.  

One of the wings was full of books from Thomas Jefferson's personal library.  Really awesome the way they displayed everything in these glass cases.

We also passed by the Supreme Court building and snapped a quick picture.  There were multiple fences and gates around this building and some protestors out front as well.

We got some much needed nourishment and drinks at Starbucks and then we were off to the two Smithsonian museums we all agreed would be the most fun.  First up was the American History.

 

The kids found this little duckling that had gotten stuck in the fountain away from its mama.  Lia scooped it and they had a great time snuggling with this little guy before reuniting the family.

The American History museum was super cool.  Lots of pop culture/invention type things that the kids could easily relate to and understand.  

One of my favorite sections was the one all about Girlhood!

They also had a display of all the First Ladies of the US - their dresses, fun facts about them, the china they chose for the White House, philanthropy work, etc.  Lia really liked this area.

Had to check on the duckling before we moved on!

The museums all close at 5pm, so we had to get to and through the Natural History museum pretty quickly - but it was a super fun one as well!

 

We could have spent much longer at either of the museums, but I'm so glad we got to see two of them.  Next time we want to hit up the air and space one - it was closed for renovations when we were there.

After our big and hot day, we were all eager to head back to the house and relax.  We spent the evening together and were off to the airport bright and early the next morning.  Both Todd and I agreed that we could have spent more time in DC, but regardless, we were so happy with our choice to extend the wedding trip to include some time there.  

Maybe next time we'll do NYC and DC together - I'd love to show the girls NYC someday!