I was just sitting here looking back through Instagram because I’m a sucker for a trip down memory lane. And when I got to the DC trip pics it made me so happy and so sad at the same time because I LOVED this trip. I could do it every single year. We did a thousand things and there were a thousand more that we just didn’t have the time for. The weather was the absolute WORST while we were there and we still loved it! On my very favorite day of the trip I forgot to bring my camera. Seriously, there are so many reasons NOT to blog this trip (pictures aren’t great, my favorite things didn’t even get documented, it’s been almost nine months)…but the fact that this little old blog is also my little old baby book is the one reason that I must blog it. So, here goes! Washington DC, May 2016. We stayed at Cherry Hill Campground in Maryland, which was wonderful! It let us sleep in our little airstream beds, cook our own meals, and in general made this vacation one of the cheapest we have ever done. Because nearly EVERYTHING in DC is free. I love free. =)
We took the metro into the city each morning which was an adventure in itself. The first morning we got on the train Mak said “It’s like Disney only scarier.” HA! It truly wasn’t bad. And I tend to freak out a little in those type of situations. The only time I got a little bit scared was when we were waiting on the bus one morning to take us back to the campground. A group of two early twenties guys and a girl were hanging out and one dropped his iPhone and broke the screen. That did not make him very happy and, well, Mak and CB had quite the vocabulary lesson that morning. Heck, I had quite the vocabulary lesson. After that little incident we discovered that it was better (and even cheaper!) to drive our own car to the metro station and park it in the parking garage, just taking the train into the city. Problem solved.
The National Art Gallery. Y’ALL. If we had only done this it would have been enough for me. Just to see her face as she saw the ACTUAL WORKS of all of her favorite artists. My girl LOVES her some art history, specifically the impressionists. She was in complete and total awe.
A real DEGAS!!! NO WAY. She couldn’t believe she was actually seeing the real thing that he painted.
Collin explaining traditional portrait lighting to the kids…
There were several times that she just couldn’t take it and had to sit down because she was just so happy to be there. Gracious, I love her heart!
We packed picnic lunches nearly every day and ate them on the Mall. The National Mall was completely torn up because they were preparing it for the Inauguration. We’re going back this fall and I can’t wait to see it without all of the tarps and scaffolding!
He loved seeing the Wright Brothers first plane and all of the steps that they went through to get there. We had read about it, but seeing it made it so much better for my visual learner.
Seeing the actual American flag that was flying when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner was incredible! That was definitely one of those moments that choked me up a little. Actually, there were many of those moments on this trip. I just love the history of how our nation began. They wouldn’t let us take pictures inside the actual exhibit.
The architecture was incredible. I’m a small town girl who really doesn’t do a lot of big city traveling, and I’ve never seen so many big buildings in one spot. It was a country come to town moment for me.
Ford’s Theater! We didn’t get the chance to tour it, and that’s definitely on my list for next time.
One of the few meals that we ate out was at Old Ebbit Grill. It was also full of history and many important meals have taken place there, but Clara Beth was most interested in the painting on the menu. We had another little art history lesson right there at the supper table. 😉
And then on the Metro ride home that night she had me look up her facts about her favorite artist that she saw that day, Mary Cassatt. We discovered that CB and Mary Cassatt share a birthday, and y’all, it was all over from that point on. My girl became obsessed and as a result is now doing her big end of the year research paper on her beloved artist.
And this one, just because Airstream pictures make my heart happy.
The Library of Congress was GORGEOUS!
We did a tour of the Capitol which I highly recommend, however it was undergoing extensive renovations and everything was covered in plastic and scaffolding. Another one I can’t wait to return to.
He kept this camera with him the entire trip.
See what I mean about the plastic?
Ah, good ol’ Reagan. Love.
And then one of my favorite moments from the trip happened. We were just standing there, deciding where to go next, and a group of Louisiana firemen walked up and asked Collin if he would photograph them. They obviously had no clue that he was an actual photographer and when he started posing them one remarked “Hey, you really know what you’re doing!” =) We ended up exchanging email addresses with them and they gave the kids firefighter seal coins. They were such a great group of men and it created one of my favorite memories!
Food Trucks! The kids love that show on Food Network, The Great Food Truck Race, and eating from a food truck was high on their priority list. Southern fried chicken for Clara Beth, a gyro for Makgill. Very messy but very delicious.
Remember how I said I was fascinated with the architecture? Well, the one thing I really wanted to see was an old brownstone. I have a slight obsession with them. Not sure why. Blame it on the Huxtables, maybe? Anyway, I loved these right outside of The White House.
I wanted a picture of CB on the steps of this brownstone. You can see how well that went. I’ve mentioned in the past that our girl has a huge fear of birds, right? Huge really doesn’t touch it. GINORMOUS FEAR. And they must know it because, no lie, they find her and taunt her. We were walking down the middle of Southpark mall in Charlotte a couple of months ago, INSIDE, and all of a sudden a bird swooped down and flew right at her face. They find her. Anyway, one found her here so this is the best I got!
He looks good here, don’t you think? =)
Museum stuff that went along quite nicely with our science last year…
Back to the art gallery with CB while Collin and Mak headed back to Air and Space. This photo is one of my favorites! Ballet and art, two of her favorite things in life combined into one.
We closed the museum down that evening and headed out to the gardens to wait on Mak and Collin. That’s the face of a girl who is just SO HAPPY. In fact, she kept saying it over and over.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, but obviously from the pictures you see that my parents came with us. I loved having them there so much! They were familiar with the city and helped us get around, but more than that I just loved seeing them experience this with Makgill and Clara Beth!
And here was one of my least favorite memories from the trip, but it’s funny when I look back on it. We had decided that we would eat a small supper of dessert (because we had the giant food truck meals earlier and really weren’t hungry for another meal) in the city that night and then go to the National Mall to see all of the monuments lit up at night. We searched and searched for a restaurant, and I don’t really even know how it happened, but we ended up here. This super fancy, tiny food, giant prices restaurant. I’m so not a fancy restaurant person and I never pay $30 for a dessert (but if I do it better be HUGE), but that’s exactly what happened here. I’m sure it’s a wonderful place, it’s just not our kind of place, you know?
So, they brought CB her dessert which included a yummy chocolate drink, and then just as she was going to take a sip the waiter grabbed it from her because he remembered that it was liquor. HA! They replaced it and this is her timidly taking a sip. Later that night she said “Mom, I could have gotten DRUNK.” Bless her. =)
It started pouring down rain and we never made it back to the Mall at night. More from the Metro. Side note, ALWAYS find a bathroom before going through those Metro turnstiles. Just trust me on this one. Or ask Mak. He’ll tell you. 😉
And that’s it! Or at least that’s it from the big camera. I’m going to add some of my Instagram pictures below for documentation sake.
First time on the train…
Talking with Mom about their favorite things so far…
Holocaust Museum…
At the Lincoln Memorial. He told us that if they ever build a monument for him it should be made of cardboard and duct tape. I. LOVE. HIM.
These next photos are from my favorite day, the day I accidentally left the camera at the campground. We did the Air and Space museum annex at Dulles and it was incredible!
Then the National Zoo to see the cutest pandas ever!
And then Arlington to see the tomb of the Unknown soldier.
And we’ll end with this. Because he’s cute and he turned thirteen last week and I love him like crazy.
