Sunday, June 11, 2017

Washington, D.C.

The best way to travel with a large family - stay in Embassy Suites, purchase portable bunkbeds, eat a large breakfast, take lots of snacks, and be flexible.
We began our adventures in D.C.
Our hotel was in the middle of a mall and the Metro station was under us - it was the best of everything.  
With our crew, ages 17-2, our point in this adventure was to expose them all to sites they had never seen - we figured the boys are old enough to remember and make plans to visit again if they wish, the middle girls just studied American history so we knew they would enjoy seeing their history lessons come to life, and our bitty babies were basically along for the ride.
Our daily itinerary was flexible and we did not plan many actual tours for fear that the bitty babies would have us scrambling for the quickest way to exit!  Day One began with a leisure walk around the capital grounds.   
We enjoyed taking the capital all in at our own pace and seeing it at every angle possible.
And, of course, I needed a few pics for memories.  
As we made our way to the Air and Space museum, the girls enjoyed getting some energy out on the Mall.
Orville and Wilbur Wright did not disappoint....we were all in awe of the many different ways one can fly.  
Probably our favorite part of this museum was the hands-on aspect....the children loved being allowed to play different games and climb into a real airplane and "fly" to wherever they wished!
Pryce decided to take a little rest on the Washington monument....
Day Two
Monument Biking Tour
This tour was the best!  We all enjoyed the biking - it was easy enough for all to do and each leg of the trip was just the right length.
The biking tour was such a great way to see the city too!  
Our first stop was the Thomas Jefferson memorial....
And then we made our way to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial....
The Korean War Memorial was very interesting....each soldier's eyes looked like they were looking right at you - the detail was very impressive.
The children were all smiles during our three hour tour....they listened intently at each stop for a bit of a history lesson on each monument and they were excited to take pictures of their own - and they willingly let me take pictures!
I love this pic of Maddox!  
The Lincoln Memorial
This cutie and her ring pop....
And then the rain set in....and it poured....MK and I made our way under a tree to wait it out.
The littles retreated to the trailer.....
though the rain came in, it did not dampen our day....
we spent time laughing and chatting our way on our bikes through D.C. and made memories along the way!
Day Three
We awoke, did our daily breakfast buffet, and then took on the Museum of Natural History.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time here!
We spied the carousel on the Mall and decided to take a spin while the boys took a little stroll to visit the White House.
We learned that this carousel was a bridge to ending segregation....this carousel was the first amusement ride to allow an African American little girl to ride - she was just 11 months old and took her ride with her father!
The boys, Chapman and the White House.....
The girls enjoyed making a nest on the Mall....it was a project they were so proud of!
Our time in D.C. was relaxing.  We had activities planned each day yet there was room for adjustments.  We did not see everything in D.C. but we each got a taste of what our capital city has to offer.  And, we thoroughly enjoyed out time together, experiencing new sites to us and just being together.  D.C. was the beginning of a wonderful family adventure!  

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