Spring Break, Day 6: Arlington National Cemetery

Thursday morning CK had a meeting in Arlington, so I took the girls to Market Lunch again for breakfast before we drove over the bridge to pick him up. It was strange to drive roads that I drove for 12 years. They all seemed familiar, but I had to use my GPS to figure out exactly how to get to downtown Arlington, Virginia! With CK in the car, we drove to Arlington National Cemetery, which I haven't been to for probably 15 years, when I went with my Aunt and Uncle for a Easter sunrise service. It was a beautiful, sunny and crisp day that promised to warm up nicely. Instead of taking the bus up the hill to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we decided to walk. It was pretty steady uphill and by the time we arrived we were all warm! Plus, Olivia wanted to be carried, so she got a piggy back ride from either me or CK as we walked. The area surrounding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was already crowded, so we moved up onto the steps and then split up. Sofia and I found a spot on the stairs while Olivia and CK stayed on the balcony and he put her up on his shoulders.

The ceremony began and it was just as I remember it from when I last saw at 12 years old. The absolute quiet other than the sound of the soldiers' heel clicks and guns is really impressive. We watched the ceremony while standing up and then watched as several school groups were led in from behind us to place a wreath at the tomb. Sofia and I were right next to the soldier when he addressed each group before they went down the stairs to the tomb and also when he walked them back to the doors of the building. It was really cool!

We headed away from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and down the hill a bit to enjoy the peaceful spaces away from the crowds. While we walked, Sofia wrote in her journal about her experiences so far. I bought both girls journals hoping that Sofia would enjoy writing her thoughts down. When I was younger, I kept a journal and it was a fun way to reflect on my favorite parts of an experience. I loved that she was doing the same. Olivia used her journal to draw in at restaurants.

After the ceremony we walked down to an area of the cemetery that included a few WWII pilots CK wanted to pay his respects to, as well as other famous men buried there. The girls were hungry, so we found a bench near where CK was walking around and had granola bars, fruit leathers and water. Following our snack, we walked to Robert E. Lee's mansion, which is surrounded by the original garden and the grave sites of Union soldiers. On the far side of the mansion is where Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the architect who designed Washington D.C., is buried. It's a stunning view of D.C. from his grave and I'd never been there before. We took a few pictures before heading just below where we stood to see the eternal flame and the location of John F. Kennedy, his two brothers, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy's graves. Sofia enjoyed walking around the wall and reading all of JFK's quotes and Olivia wanted to run around and climb. She was far more interested in playing than being respectful and quiet. We returned to our car from there and headed back into D.C.

Olivia fell asleep on the drive, so CK carried her into the apartment while Sofia and I headed back to Turtle Park for a little playtime. After a while, CK said Olivia was awake so they joined us at the park and the girls had a ball playing together. I love that despite there being kids Sofia's age at the park, she'd rather play with her much-younger sister. They really do enjoy each other most of the time. The played and ran around and were soon warm thanks to the beautiful day it was. I walked over to the corner market that we used to visit often when we lived there, and bought drinks and snacks. The little market sure does look a lot nicer now too!

We walked back to our apartment and got ready to go out to dinner at Montemarte, our very favorite restaurant in D.C. CK went a little early to meet his friend Susan and we joined him a little later. Forrest and my friend Tina then joined us after they were off work. We ordered and enjoyed a delicious (as usual) meal and great fun with friends. The girls were awesome too. Olivia immediately took to Susan and sat on her lap and played after we were done eating, while Sofia wrote in her journal or played quietly while sitting next to "Mr. Forrest." She adores Forrest, which I always see as a good judge of character. Susan had to leave to pick up a friend from the airport, and she promised a visit to Texas which hopefully happens! After our meal, we all headed back to our apartment to visit a little longer and free up the table in the restaurant. CK and Forrest took the girls next door to gelato first while Tina and I returned to our place. It was so fun just to hang out with two good friends and felt like old times.

The girls love their Market Lunch pancakes! Yum!

Arlington National Cemetery

So much sacrifice....

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The changing of the guard ceremony

Olivia on CK's shoulders for a better view

CK and Olivia at the end of the ceremony

The trumpet

Such a beautiful and respected space...

Taking a snack break

CK and his girls

Sofia journaling about her day

The girls and I with Washington D.C. in the background

The view!

Sofia learning about John F. Kennedy Jr.

Olivia and the eternal flame

The girls playing together at Turtle Park

More fun together!

Spring Break, Day 5: Mt. Vernon!

On Wednesday morning we picked up Aunt Shirl around 10:15am to go tour Mt. Vernon. Both girls' shoes were soaking wet still so they wore their rain boots (I'm so thankful Bonnie suggested we bring a pair). As we drove down the George Washington Parkway toward Mt. Vernon, I had a lot of fun memories of running and biking on the walking path that runs along the road. It's such a beautiful path and my friend Brian and I ran a lot of miles on it.

We parked and bought our tickets and decided to get a quick snack before the movie on George Washington's life started. While we were enjoying our snack, a man dressed in period played his flute and recorder for the girls and explained all of the various instruments someone from George Washington's time would have and use. It was fascinating and Sofia really loved it since she has music in school and plays the piano at home. After our snack we headed to the visitor center and watched the 30-minute movie on George Washington's life and the crossing of the Delaware. It was well made and very interesting. After the movie we walked out onto his estate and toward his house. The roads are dirt and gravel and were very muddy with many puddles. Of course, the girls loved jumping in the puddles and trudging through the mud. It was probably the highlight of their visit.

We walked through the Washington mansion which was really beautiful and I couldn't imagine how hot in the summer and cold in the winter it must have been back then. Pictures were not allowed, so I carried Olivia, mainly to contain her, while Sofia stuck with CK and Aunt Shirl. It was a beautiful view from the back patio with fog completely covered the Potomac. The tour was really interesting and it's hard to imagine how much domestic life has changed in the past few hundred years. After we left the mansion, we visited the outdoor kitchen, where all of the food was made before being delivered to the house. Both girls realized they needed to go to the bathroom, so we walked over toward the slave quarters to find a bathroom. Just after the bathroom break, Aunt Shirl needed to return home to get work done. I offered to take her to the Braddock Road Metro while CK and the girls continued to tour the estate.

After I dropped Aunt Shirl off at the Metro, I drove the short distance to the very first row house I rented when I moved to D.C. The area around the Metro had changed so much with new shops, condo buildings and updated businesses where there used to be blocks of public housing. The street I rented on - East Luray Ave - hadn't changed at all, it seemed. I actually couldn't even remember which row house it was since they all are attached and look identical. After my drive down memory lane, I returned to Mt. Vernon where I met CK and the girls in the gift shop where they both bought Washington DC sticker books before we loaded up and headed back into the city. On our way, Olivia fell asleep so we decided to drive through downtown Alexandria to see how some of our favorite places had changed. We were both pleasantly surprised that it hasn't changed much at all and our favorite places are still there.

We returned to the apartment and CK took Olivia inside so she could continue napping and he could get some work done. Meanwhile, Sofia and I stopped at the little Italian store that used to be Marvelous Market and we each got a hot cocoa, which was amazingly yummy! Sofia chatted up the sales girl for awhile and wanted to walk to the park, but I didn't want to pay for parking at Eastern Market and risk a parking ticket. We drove to Turtle Park and parked right across from the house we brought Sofia home to - 409 South Carolina Ave. S.E. It looked exactly the same and even had the same light fixtures and paint on the walls. Of course, Sofia immediately found a friend and had fun playing. After awhile, I saw a man in the front yard of our old house and walked over to talk to him. He and his family are renting and have only been there for 6 months, but he offered me a tour! I couldn't believe how it looked exactly as it did when we sold it. Of course, I didn't see upstairs, but I'm sure it too is the same. It was so little! I couldn't even remember living in such a small space!

After taking a few pictures of Sofia at the park where she used to crawl around and took her first steps, we returned to our apartment and found Olivia still sleeping! I woke Olivia up and she decided to go with me up to Bethesda, Maryland, to have dinner with my friend Brian, his wife Melissa and their almost 4 month old baby boy, Jack. CK and Sofia decided to stay in the neighborhood and go to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. It took Olivia and I nearly an hour to get to Bethesda, which is only 12 miles away! It was tedious! It was great to meet Jack and visit with Brian and Melissa, who had ordered pizza for us to enjoy. It was fun to hold Jack and Olivia was so interested in when he would walk and why he doesn't talk, etc. It was a good decision to bring Olivia and let CK and Sofia have an evening together. After we were done with dinner, Olivia played quietly on the ground with the bag of toys I have in my purse while Brian and I caught up and Melissa put Jack to bed. After awhile, we returned to our apartment. Another fun day!

Ready to explore Mt. Vernon

Getting a special talk about musical instruments

Girls and I with Aunt Shirl

Thankful we had our rain boots. The girls LOVED jumping in every single rain puddle

Such a beautiful view, especially with the fog.

Turtle Park fun!

Playing on the turtle...

The slide where Sofia used to crawl around....

Turtle Park

Posing for me at the park.

Spring Break, Day 4: More Museums

We envisioned visiting two museums a day, so we felt like we really needed to get moving on Tuesday. We got up a bit earlier (but still slept until nearly 9am) and met Aunt Shirl at Market Lunch for breakfast. Market Lunch is always empty during the week and crazy on the weekends, so we were excited to be able to walk a short two blocks to enjoy such a delicious breakfast. It was as good as we remembered and both CK and I had the egg, bacon and cheese sandwiches while the girls split an order of pancakes, which they said were "almost as good as Mommy's." I was impressed because I think Market Lunch's pancakes are better!

After enjoying breakfast with Aunt Shirl, we headed for the Metro and rode it down to Smithsonian once again. This time, we walked to the American History Museum, which I don't think I've visited since I was 12 years old. We made it inside and all went to see the American Flag from 1814, which is much larger than I expected. It was amazing to see and is so thin and delicate from age and exposure. After, we decided to split up once again and see things on our own, with Sofia going with CK and Olivia and I heading off on our own. The night before I'd downloaded the "Smithsonian" app and it gave me the "highlights" of what to see for each museum and where each exhibit was located in the building. It was pretty amazing and very helpful! So, Olivia and I set off to see all the "highlights," most of which she wouldn't understand for several more years. The first thing we came across was the Greensboro Lunch Counter, which was so much smaller than I expected. So amazing to see and understand how history was made at that lunch counter. From there we saw Dorothy's shoes from "The Wizard of Oz" and then on to Julia Child's kitchen. We also visited Thomas Edison's lightbulbs as well as George Washington's uniform. We also looked at the doll house that's been there forever, and I remember taking pictures of it and exploring all the little rooms when I was 12 years old! It was such a fun museum to visit and there was so much more to see!

We met up with CK and Sofia so we could walk over to the Air and Space Museum, however, it was raining outside so we stopped at the gift shop to buy four blue "Smithsonian" rain parkas. We had to knot Olivia's at the bottom so it wouldn't drag on the ground, but both girls loved it, of course. The blue parkas certainly brought back a lot of memories of living in DC and watching tourists shlep along wearing them. They really did work well though! We walked to the Air and Space and CK ended up carrying Olivia for most of it after she fell off one of the tree boxes and skinned up her leg.

Just inside the entrance is the Spirit of St. Louis, Charles Lindbergh's plane that he flew over the Atlantic. I think CK stood and looked at it for at least 20 minutes! We walked around the museum and saw the replica of the Wright Brother's airplane, rockets, the lunar module and all sorts of airplanes. We also met Aunt Shirl at the Imax theater to watch "Journey to Space" about our efforts to fly to Mars in the future. It was fascinating and Sofia really loved it. Olivia fell asleep in my arms about 20 minutes into it and slept all the way through the end. Aunt Shirl had to get back to get things done, so we said goodbye to her and headed to the cafeteria where we ate lunch after Olivia woke up. We walked around the museum a little longer after lunch and the girls bought Space Ice Cream which they loved. The mint chocolate chip flavor wasn't bad, actually! Much better than Olivia's neapolitan flavor, which she seemed to love too. When we were ready to leave, CK contacted an Uber driver who picked us up (with a child seat) and dropped us off at our door step. It was great!

We relaxed for a short while before we headed to Aunt Shirl's house, where she cooked a delicious meal of chicken mirabella, salad and roasted potatoes for my friends Yvette, Bret and their daughter Ella. Another girlfriend, Tina, was planning to join us, but got caught at work. It was such a fun evening and such great food. It was to comfortable to be in Aunt and Uncle's house once again and it felt like old times. Ella, Sofia and Olivia were fast friends and they all started coloring on little Easter bags that Yvette brought with her. It was so sweet and they all loved it. We enjoyed a great meal and an equally good catch up and had a fun night. After saying goodbye to Yvette, Bret and Ella, we helped out with dishes before heading home to bed. On our way, the girls jumped in every single rain puddle they found and they were both completely soaked by the time we made it back to our apartment. Hopefully their shoes dry out by tomorrow morning!

Aunt Shirl and the girls at Market Lunch for breakfast - our absolute favorite breakfast place in DC!

Pancakes!

Inside Eastern Market - Love it!

Using the Metro.

Olivia and Dorothy's shoes

Julia Child's kitchen

Olivia looking at the doll house

All set for the rain

Off we go to the Air and Space Museum

CK and the girls in front of the Spirit of St. Louis

Next to the exhibit about Amelia Earhart

Telling the girls how we landed on the moon

Space ice cream!

Sofia and the Wright Brother's plane

Ready to watch the movie

Ella and Olivia playing together

Yvette and me

Spring Break Day 3: Museums

Before arriving in Washington D.C. we decided to spend Monday and Tuesday visiting museums and then head to Mt. Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, leaving Thursday open for anything we missed or wanted to go back to see. So, we were excited to get our vacation started by visiting the Smithsonian museums on Monday. Surprisingly, we actually slept in until nearly 10am! I can't remember the last time that happened for any of us and it certainly felt good to get a little extra sleep. After getting showered, dressed and ready, we walked two blocks to Eastern Market and ate at Le Pain Quotidien which was a relatively new breakfast/lunch place that opened before we left for Texas. It is a relaxed French-style place that is just a cozy and yummy place to eat (although a bit pricey. Welcome back to D.C.). We headed to the Metro after eating and the girls loved taking the escalator down into the Metro and really loved watching the Metro trains arrive and depart.

Of course, they loved actually riding on the Metro even more and they both wanted to stand up while the train was going and hold onto the center pole. Once they were comfortable with holding on, it was fun to let go while the train was moving and try to walk to the other pole. Lots of laughter and fun was had on the Metro train! We took the train the few stops to the Smithsonian exit and got off. Half of the Mall was under construction with all the grass torn up and new irrigation was being added. Plus, the Capitol dome was under scaffolding, so it wasn't a particularly picturesque view looking back at the Capitol. We were able to take pictures with the Washington Monument in the background though, as it was not under construction. A few weeks before our trip, CK looked into getting tickets for the Washington Monument and found that they were sold out through June! We were then told that a few are available each morning at 8am, but we realized getting us all dressed, fed, and down to the Washington Monument by 8am would be pretty close to impossible. We decided we'd have to hold off until our next visit.

We walked over to the Natural History Museum which we were all really looking forward to visiting. Sofia was particularly excited to explore it in light of the "Night at the Museum" movies she loves so much and her interest in dinosaurs, bugs, animals and pretty much anything. Once we arrived, we decided to split up with CK and Sofia heading off and I stuck with Olivia and followed her around wherever she wanted to go. Since Sofia can read and has particular interests, we figured we would all have more fun by going at our own pace. Olivia and started in the ocean section and I tried to read to her about what we were looking at, although she moved pretty fast. We then headed to the early human section and then to Africa, where we looked at all the African animals. It was very fun and the Smithsonian has done some impressive upgrades since my last visit many years ago.

We met up with Sofia and CK near the dinosaur exhibit, which includes a T Rex and a Triceratops and a few other dinosaur bones. The entire dinosaur section is under construction and should be fully renovated in a few months. We all visited the section on Mummies and ancient Egypt which was really interesting. Near that exhibit was a man giving a demonstration of insects from around the world and Sofia was immediately transfixed. She asked to hold the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, which then caused other kids to ask. I don't know how she holds that huge cockroach, but she enjoys it!

From there, we headed to the Imax theater to watch "Titans of the Ice Age 3D" about the Wooly Mammoth. It was our first 3D experience and was really well made and interesting. Of course, Sofia loved it! Olivia enjoyed it too, although I'm not sure how much she totally understood. After the movie, we visit the Hope Diamond and the minerals and gems section. It was very crowded, but well worth seeing. The mineral and gems were incredible! After, we headed back toward the Metro for a late snack and to enjoy the beautiful weather! It was in the mid-70s and sunny and just a beautiful Spring day!

Once back at Eastern Market, we bought animal crackers and waters and sat outside on benches while CK headed to the Capitol Hill Used Book Store, one of his favorite haunts from years ago. While he browsed, the girls and I snacked and fed the pigeons. I called Aunt Shirl too, since their house is just two blocks away and she walked over and met us. From there, she walked us bad to our apartment, which Aunt Shirl wanted to see. Olivia even got a shoulder ride from Aunt Shirl! Sofia showed Aunt Shirl "Patches," the giraffe outside our apartment (she came up with the name when we first arrived). We showed Aunt Shirl our cozy apartment and chatted for awhile before we headed over to CK's friend Paul and Andrea's house for pizza and to catch up. Paul and Andrea don't have kids so we tried to keep the girls playing quietly until pizza. After pizza, Andrea turned on the Disney channel and the girls were completely glued to the t.v. We were able to visit for a bit longer then headed home and bed. Such a fun day!

Outside our little basement apartment

Eastern Market

Breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien

CK and the girls in front of the Washington Monument

The girls and me

About to start exploring the Natural History Museum

Olivia in the African section looking at lions

Triceratops

T Rex selfie!

Learning about mummies

Sofia holding a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Obviously not phased by it....eew!!

All set to watch our first 3D movie!

Sofia looking at the Hope Diamond

Shark attack!

Overlooking the elephant and main entrance

Eastern Market Metro

Taking a sunny snack break while CK visits his favorite used book store

Being silly with Aunt Shirl

Love this picture!

Sofia with "Patches" the giraffe in front of our place.