Thanksgiving in Washington D.C

For Thanksgiving, we decided to get out of town and take the girls on an adventure. We flew to Washington D.C. for the week.  Up and at em at 4am for our flight! We really impressed ourselves by getting everything into carry-on luggage. 

When we landed, we learned how to ride the Metro. No rental cars for this crew. We checked into our hotel and walked out to the National Mall. Food trucks were lined up along the streets. We picked up lunch and had a picnic next to the Washington monument. 

Our hearts broke in the Holocaust Museum. I had to take Maisy through the end of the tour very quickly because she was so upset. It is truly a horrifying event in human history that everyone needs to know about. 

 We saw the World War II, Korean, and Vietnam Memorials too. It was a chilly and windy day- but the sky was bright blue and the American flags were all waving proudly.

We walked a lot- and it was only the first day! These girls were worn out. 

On Monday we visited Mt Vernon- home of our favorite President. George Washington. His home was like a plantation. It was fun to see how he lived and explore his home. His property was huge, lots of buildings and gardens to see. I think it was one of the girls' favorite parts of our trip. 

 After a lot of walking we went back to the hotel and took a nap on the rooftop while Jeff made work calls. 

Then we went to the Navy Yard and picked up our race packets for Thursday.  It was so pretty by the water and downtown. 

We stopped by the White House and saw some weird people exercising their 'freedom of speech'. Then we had a fancy dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill. It was a good day!

The weather on Tuesday was gorgeous- sunny and crisp. We grabbed Starbucks and then toured the National Air and Space Museum. Maisy wrote in her journal each day about our adventures. 

Then we spent the rest of the day at the Smithsonian Zoo. The elephants were our favorite part. I loved being outside all day like this- everyone was so happy. 

Before dinner, we popped into the Apple Carnegie Library and then practiced riding Uber scooters. Maisy was begging to do these the entire trip. We would have used them, but we could never find several charged scooters that were available. 

 We had dinner at City Tap in Penn Quarter and then walked around admiring the Christmas lights.

On Wednesday we went to the National Museum of Natural History. It was by far the girls’ favorite museum. We spent the most time in the mammal, human origins and the live butterfly exhibit. We really could have spent the entire day there. So many interesting things to do, see, read and learn. 

           

 

 

Then we went to lunch at “Lincoln’s Waffle House, which was a funny 'hole in the wall' cafe. They were known for their Chicken & Waffles- which is what Maisy ordered & devoured! Lol!

  

We crossed the street and toured the Petersen House - which is where President Lincoln was taken after he was shot. We learned about his assassination and his poor wife! Then we went to Ford's Theater and saw the “Christmas Carol”. It was magical! 

        

 

 

And then because we still had time-- we walked by the FBI building, toured the National Archives and viewed the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We re-fueled with some ice cream from a food truck on our walk to Capital Hill. And then marveled at the building all lit up at night. Dinner was at “Pi Pizzeria”. Lots of great memories made today!

 

It was a Happy Thanksgiving. Afton and I ran the ‘Trot for Hunger 5K’.  It was pretty cool to run with thousands of people towards Capitol Hill. The race was organized by S.O.M.E. “So Others Might Eat”. They raise funds and awareness to combat poverty in the Washington metropolitan area. It was a great way to "give back" on Thanksgiving. 

Then we rode the Metro to Arlington Cemetery. I was in awe at the number of people who came out in the cold on Thanksgiving Day to pay their respects to JFK, the Unknown Soldier, and all of the heroes who have been laid to rest there. I am glad we got to experience it as a family and reflect on the meaning of Thanksgiving.

 Afterwards, we went to the Museum of American History. Loved the hands-on activities. We had a delicious Thanksgiving meal at ‘Founding Farmers’ and then watched the Saints play.

On Friday, we wrapped up our Washington D.C. trip with a little shopping and one last visit to the National Mall. We arrived home and promptly put up our Christmas tree! 

We even missed this stinker!

I am so thankful for this time with our kids. Getting out of town with them is a gift. There is so much together-time. Even if they drive us a little crazy at times, the conversations and closeness we had over the week was something that would never have happened at home. I am proud we were able to teach them our country and what a privilege it is to be an American.  It was truly a week full of 'thanks'.