Spring Break in DC - Part 1

For several years Tim and I have been anticipating the time when the boys would be old enough to enjoy a trip to Washington, DC. We finally decided the time was right, so last week we spent our spring break in our nation's capital.

We left on Friday afternoon with Tim's mom, Ann, to drive a few hours. Then, we stopped on Saturday by Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was a beautiful Spring day to enjoy Thomas Jefferson's home and its grounds (pictured below).

We all tried our hand at writing with a quill and ink. It was quite challenging, but we did our best. You can see Seth's good work in the following photo. The experience certainly made us appreciate the many handwritten historical documents we saw later in the week.

After managing the Metro for the first time on Sunday morning, we made our way to Union Station, where we departed to brave the wind and cold on an open-top bus tour.

When we were too frozen to bear it any longer, we hopped off the bus and jogged up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to thaw. I think we all expected to Lincoln to stand up and walk around after seeing the statue featured in the movie "Night at the Museum 2."

After our visit with President Lincoln, we walked past the Vietnam Memorial to the Museum of American History for an overpriced lunch and a glimpse of Thomas Edison's light bulb (several of them actually). Seth did his research project this semester on Edison, so it was neat for him to see pages from his notebooks, photographs of him at various stages in his life, and memorabilia from his work.

We tried to hop back on our open-top bus tour after the museum, only to have our driver sideswipe another bus. Detained until another bus came for us, we decided to walk back a block to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Below you see my amazing husband, who decided to forego watching the Vols play in the Elite 8 ballgame and sightsee with us, tracking the final disappointing seconds of the game on his cell phone.

The boys were extremely patient as we waited in lines throughout the week. Here Tim, Reed, and Ann sit waiting for our entrance to the National Archives.

Ahhh, our first day in DC is over and we're ready to head to our home on the Metro (pictured below). We thoroughly enjoyed the convenience of public transportation during the week. Our house was only five blocks from a Metro station, so it was very convenient. Once we parked upon arrival, we didn't get into the car until the day we left. The boys enjoyed the excitement of the station, the crowds, and the ride, and they got the hang of reading the Metro map very quickly!