Raising Three Boys and Their Sister: Traveling to DC

It feels like whenever we take the kids on vacation it takes me twice as long to catch up around the house. I have been in crazy mode and it seems like more and more things keep piling up but I wanted to share a bit about our adventures visiting with my sister and of course share pictures.

Last spring we visited my sister in Buffalo. This year she is Virginia so we headed out to visit her on the kids spring break. The big difference between this trip and any other we have taken was that there were no grandparents accompanying us on this trip. IN the past whenever we were on a plane with the kids we always had some extra hands and eyes so I was a little (ok.. .very) nervous.

I think most people seeing us walk through the airport just think "Oh God...please not on my flight"

So we did everything to ensure we had the most successful flights we could. Our kids do the best in the morning so we always book morning flights. I packed each of them a backpack with some toys and snacks. I always buy lollipops to help with the ear pressure and other treats that they don’t often get at home. I also bought each kid a new sticker book and some small toys. The excitement of new things usually keeps them occupied. We also had our ipad and Kindle to keep them entertain as well. On our way home the man sitting in front of us actually turned around and told me how well behaved my kids were. I was so proud of our little ones during most of the trip they had really good behavior.

While we were there we had a few sightseeing days and other days we just hung out and relaxed. Although there is so much to see in the DC area I also know that the kids need a little down time too.

We drove into DC one day to see some monuments and to visit the zoo where my sister works. We got to see the Mr. Luther King Jr, Korean War and Lincoln memorials. The boys had learned about Martin Luther in school so they really liked seeing the statue. Joe wanted to know if the statue was how tall he really was. He seemed a little disappointed when I told him that he was just a normal man and not a giant.

After seeing the soldier statue at the Korean War memorial James became obsessed with fighting, soldiers dying, and good guys versus bad guys. It’s a hard thing for a little five year old brain to understand but he was trying really hard and had tons of questions.

As we went up the stairs to the Lincoln memorial Lilly insisted on climbing up herself the whole time yelling “Mommy I am a big girl I can climb the big steep stair all by myself. I can do it!” I must say she had quite a few admirers as we went up. I know she talks a lot for a 2 year old but where ever we go she draws attention with people saying how cute she is. Maybe is the crazy hair? I don’t know but it is kind of funny. The boys like the big statue of Lincoln as well. We showed them that he was an important president and that he is even on our money. Nick was particularly interested in the penny and comparing Lincoln’s head with the Lincoln statue.

The Cherry blossom festival was the week before we came but we were able to see a few while we were there.

My sister wanted to show us where she has been working. Her colleagues allowed us to come in the back and take a little tour of their enclosure. We got to meet a red river hog, several cheetahs, and Oryx, and a zebra. The kids really enjoyed seeing them up close. None of them knew how loud a zebra could get so that was a little surprising. They were a little shocked when they were told to stay behind the yellow line because they were just the right size for a cheetah snack. Joe wanted to know if a cheetah would eat his clothes too or if they would have to take his hat off before they ate him. Apparently I let them watch too many nature films since the idea of being eaten by a cheetah didn’t really phase them that much. After that the kids were spent an no one wanted to walk anymore so we didn’t go any further into the zoo than my sisters area. We did get to see the maned wolf on our way out which I was super excited about. I love seeing animals I have never seen before.

Red river hogs, so ugly they are cute!

Lilly absolutely loved the cheetahs (guess who got a stuffed cheetah on this trip)

Maned wolf - this guy was awesome!

Another day we decided to go to the Air and Space Museum by my sister’s house instead of going into the DC area again. I thought LA traffic was irritating but wow….DC is rough. As soon as we walked in Lilly ran in screaming “Daddy Look! I have never seen this many airplanes before.” I have to say this museum was a big hit with my kids.

Daddy daddy daddy.....PLANES!!!

Joe was so excited to see a plane that looked just like his toy Skipper from Planes

We all loved seeing the space shuttle. I think my boys are a little spoiled. They have been to see the Endeavor here in LA and I think they think its normal to have a space shuttle in the science museums. They probably just think silly old mom is getting excited over nothing. I don’t care…seeing the space shuttles is awesome.

They even had the Enola Gay on display. It seriously gave me the chills. I don’t know if it’s because I visited Hiroshima as an 8 year old and it has left a lasting impression on me but seeing that plane was eerie. The kids didn’t know much about it but they did like looking at it and listening to their Daddy tell them that it was a war plane that carried a big bomb.

I think their favorite part was the place that was on display in an interactive exhibit. They loved getting they turn at sitting in a cock pit and touching all the buttons and controls.

The day before we left we decided to take the kids to a battle field. The National Battlefield Park at Manassas was pretty close to my sister house so we decided to take the kids there. They had an awesome program for kids. There was a little booklet and upon finishing the pamphlet they could earn a badge. Our kids were a little too young to complete the pages but it would have been perfect for ones a few years later. They did give each kid a set of 8 cards with famous generals and locations around the park. Our kids absolutely loved those. I didn’t think James would be a big history buff but that kid cannot get enough information about Stonewall Jackson. I love it. He and my dad will have to be history buddies.