Washington D.C. - Kids Choice Awards

Now that we are home and have had a chance to let 

all of the sightseeing and excitement set in, 

I have asked the kids what their favorites were

and I'd like to share them with you today! 

Starting with Ryker's favorite,

pictured above, 

was visiting The White House.  

Even though this was as close as we got,

it was still cool to be there

and probably the fact that 

President Obama landed in his helicopter when we were nearby

and there were snipers on the roofs of the surrounding building,

also helped.  

The day we hit up the White House 

we also had a few other highlights I'd like to share…

We started at 

The Library of Congress that morning

Admired the intricate detail of the building. 

Took a look into the main reading room at the library

and 

even learned a bit about the history of Nike. 

Nike 

was named after the Greek Goddess of Victory,

Nike,

and the swoosh symbol comes from 

the shadow of her wing. 

Pretty cool bit of pop culture picked up along the way. 

From there we headed to the Capitol. 

Not only was the dome covered in scaffolding, 

but no food or drinks are allowed,

whatsoever.

Since it was before 11 am and we had a whole days' worth of 

food packed, we decided to forgo the inside. 

Next time, 

stop here later in the day. 

Upon Alayna's request,

we visited the National Archives, 

where we could view the 

Constitution and Declaration of Independence. 

Unfortunately, 

this was underwhelming for the kids.  

The adventure continued at 

The Smithsonian Museum of Air & Space.

This museum has so much to offer, 

unfortunately, 

I think we were a little too tired and hungry to take full advantage of it.  

Time to re-fuel

and no place like 

Chinatown 

to take advantage of a great meal.  

Alayna and Landon in the very front seat, checking out the tunnel!

Of course, 

another highlight of the DC area for kids is often

The Metro.

Managing to hit the metro during 

non-rush-hour is a huge plus. 

There is actually room for everyone to sit

and time to allow the kids to navigate a bit. 

Lincoln Memorial view through the World War II Memorial.

The next day we wandered around the National Mall 

and took in some of the most famous sights
and it was a perfect day for it!

The Wisconsin pillar at the World War II Memorial.

As we walked toward the Lincoln Memorial, 

we met up with some friends from home. 

While Alayna didn't mention that as one of her highlights,

I do believe it is something that she will never forget! 

And, I know that Jerry doesn't totally qualify as a kid,

The Lincoln Memorial 
was one of his highlights of the trip.

The building is so impressive and
bears so much significance.

Ryker, Alayna and Landon hoping for knowledge by osmosis. 

Another family tradition is to hang out a bit with
Albert Einstein (Memorial). 

If I looked hard enough, 
I could probably find pictures from when I was about this age
climbing on him. 

We took our first pit stop of the day there,
grabbed a seat along with some snacks and water.

The beautiful day we were enjoying wasn't going to last,
so we ducked inside the
International Spy Museum. 

The kids enjoyed trying to memorize a cover,
decoding messages and
attempting to hang on to the edge of a building
just like Bond, James Bond.

One of the biggest disappointments for me was missing out on 
Ford's Theatre.

The day we stopped by,
the theatre was closed (boo, hiss)
and I didn't want anything less than the full experience.

So, in order to ensure a visit the next time around, 
I will order tickets in advance, 
otherwise same-day tickets are available at 8:30 am.  

Alayna hoping to see money be made!

Our final stay started in-line bright and early,
in two of those same-day ticket lines I mentioned earlier.

Alayna and I got in line at the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Got in line at 7:50am and had our 5 tickets by 8:10,
and were all set to come back for a 9:45 tour.

(They said only 4 tickets/per adult, 
but apparently don't adhere to that policy).  

This was one of Alayna's favorites!

Learning about how money is made is pretty cool,
but actually watching $5 bills be printed was another!

This has always been a treasured highlight of mine, 
so I'm thankful that the kids enjoyed it just as much. 

While, of course, there are not pictures allowed on the tour,
at least we could see how much our kids were worth in $100 bills.

I know it can be a little hard to see, 

but they are each worth over a million dollars each!  =)

DC Sweatshirts compliments of Grandma Mary

Part of traveling is taking the good with the bad…right?

Well, we weren't able to get tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument either. 

Since we were traveling during peak 'school-trip' season, 

advance tickets sold out early. 

So, we got ourselves into one of those infamous

same-day ticket lines at 7:45. 

Ticket distribution started at 8:30 and were gone by shortly after 9. 

Even people who were there at 7 am didn't get any…

Best thing to do is get them on-line in advance!

Lots of people see the Washington Monument from afar, 

but this is what it looks like up close!

Those bricks, uh, boulders, 

not even sure what to call them, 

are huge! 

We kept plugging along and made our way to 

The World Bank

for lunch with my sister. 

While this was one of Landon's highlights, 

I don't believe that it is open to the public without being a guest. 

And, funniest part is that what he loved about it was

the Cafeteria. 

In true 9-year-old-boy style, 

he picked himself up a personal pizza and some mashed potatoes. 

Strolling through Peace Plaza.

Our last stop on this DC Adventure

 was the Old Post Office Pavilion. 

Another attraction with family memories, 

this also has a bell tower, 

which is the 2nd best view of the city since we didn't get to the top of the 

Washington Monument…

However, 

this is now closed as it is being converted into a hotel.  

We certainly saw a lot 

and thankfully there is plenty more to see 

the next time we venture to 

our Nation's Capital. 

I am a bit torn about the need for all of the advance tickets, 

I do prefer to be a bit of whimsical traveller

and just take it all in as we go. 

Too many advance tickets 

can make for a bit of a rushed trip as we hustle from one destination 

to the next…

so, I'll have to balance out the opposing forces. 

Great times and great memories had by all!

Washington, D.C. - Jefferson Memorial and Mount Vernon

The 5 of us in front of Mount Vernon

Wow, these first few days in the great DC metro area have been fabulous,

to say the least. 

I'm excited to document and share our first 2 days of adventures with you!

Sister Barb and niece Lee touring us around for the day.

Despite it being a bit chilly on our first day, 

we still wanted to head out and do some sightseeing. 

Ryker, Jerry and the Great Falls.

It may have been a windchill in the 20s, 

but that didn't stop us. 

The sun was shining and we got to see quite a few deer 

as we drove to Great Falls, Maryland.  

Landon and Alayna, doing what they love...climbing!

And, there were rocks for the kids to climb on, 

so how could we go wrong, 

getting out, getting some fresh air and sunshine.  

My niece Lee and the 5 B's in front of the Jefferson Memorial.

Next stop, 

Jefferson Memorial. 

The 5 of us in front of Tommy. 

The view of the Washington Monument from the Jefferson Memorial.

Unfortunately, with such a cold winter, 

we are too early for the cherry blossoms. 

The kids with the bucket drummer. 

On our way to the Museum of Natural History, 

the kids wanted to give some money to a street performer. 

We watched for a while and then headed into the museum. 

Little did we know, that the performer

would be trying to get into our car the minute we walked away. 

Alayna, Landon and Ryker in front of Henry.

Henry is part of the greeting committee at 

the Museum of Natural History. 

Ryker went first.

Then Alayna.

Each of the kids taking turns holding a

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. 

I wouldn't do it!  

The next day, 

we took advantage of the access to a car and no rush-hour traffic

and headed off on our own. 

First stop was Arlington National Cemetery. 

This was my first time there and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. 

We got there right at the top of the hour, 

which worked out great! 

It was a 10 minute walk to the Kennedy grave site,

JFK and his wife with an eternal flame. 

and then another 10 minutes to the 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

We got to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 

about 20 minutes before the 

Changing of the Guard

and that worked out great!

Gave us a chance to get a good view of the ceremony. 

This tomb is guarded 24-hours a day, 

changing guard every hour from October to March

and every half hour from April to Sept. 

Even every 2 hours overnight,

when the cemetery is closed. 

The changing of the guard is a very precise ceremony. 

Every move it calculated, 

every step and every second is counted. 

There were certainly lots of questions to be answered on our way out of there. 

While the kids did enjoy the significance of the cemetery,

there is no doubt that they were looking forward to letting loose a little at our next stop,

Mount Vernon.

Alayna is getting in on the groupies. 

I pre-ordered our Mount Vernon tickets that morning,

which worked out great! 

Crowds are generally bigger in the morning, 

so showing up at 1 pm was perfect...

no line whatsoever. 

But, you would hate to show up at 1 pm and not be able to go through the mansion! 

That would be terrible. 

In general, I'm not too big on ordering tickets in advance,

I like to be able to fly by the seat of our pants while on vacation, 

but in this instance, it worked out great! 

Everything in Washington seems to be under construction this year! 

We did the welcome video about Mount Vernon 

and George Washington

and headed straight to our tour. 

No pictures allowed inside the mansion, 

but this is what we were able to get out back. 

That, and a groupie of us with the Potomac in the background. 

There is lots of green space to explore on the plantation. 

We saw sheep, pigs, cows and 

these adorable babies on the grounds. 

We also saw the 

Washington Tomb. 

The slave quarters were still intriguing, 

even on my 4th visit here. 

Loved watching the blacksmith

 make nails that are used by the carpenters on Mount Vernon. 

Also, got to listen to Martha Washington

speak so fondly as to how she met George and a bit about their life together. 

One last Groupie and it was time for us to hit the road. 

Four hours to wander around Mount Vernon

was the perfect amount of time.  

Come back later this week for the second half of this 

Washington DC Adventure.