I really wanted to take the kids in to DC this spring to see the Cherry Blossoms. It’s not something we do every year, in fact, I think I’ve been only a handful of times in the 27 years I’ve lived in Maryland. But, this year, I thought it’d be fun to go and was thinking we might even have a free weekend during their peak blooms.
But, thanks to the warm winter we had, they peaked early and there was NO chance of going during their peak week as it just didn’t fit with our schedules. We hoped to try this weekend, but the cold and rain didn’t make it seem worthwhile.
So, today Scott called me at 11:30 and said, “What are we doing tonight? Wanna go to DC?” I had an hour and a half to pack up some dinner, gather stuff together, (shower) and pick him up at work and the oldest 2 from tutorial. I was so excited, b/c I had given up on seeing the blossoms this year and while we knew it wouldn’t be peak, we figured we could hopefully still see some.
Once we arrived in the city we realized there really weren’t many blooms left, so we decided to make a bee line for the Natural History museum b/c I’ve been wanting to take the kids this year to see the mummies, dinosaurs, and butterflies (all things we studied in school this year). We had a little over an hour before it closed and were able to see all three exhibits! (wahoo, 2 trips taken care of in one spontaneous outing)
Since Scott’s dad works in the city, he met us and we enjoyed a picnic dinner on the mall looking at the Capital and Washington Monument. (can you tell we had them looking into the sun for this picture?)
The big 3 actually enjoyed sitting on a steam vent for the metro. It was nice and warm as the cool evening air blew in. 
I tried not to think too hard about the smog and pollution that was blowing up on them and their food.
Like I said, most of the blossoms were off, but we did enjoy walking around the tidal basin at sunset and we did see some blossoms. It was also peak season for the tulip garden which was beautiful!
We were so excited to find a tree in bloom. Daddy and Pop hoisted the girls up on their shoulders so they could get a picture with the blossoms.
What a wonderful way to start the week… with a spontaneous afternoon in the nation’s capital with the family.
It looks like you had a great time we are hoping to go this Thursday all things permitting.
ReplyDeleteJim and I were just talking about how spontaneous you guys are! I love it! The picture of the girls up by the tree is my favorite. Although your son looks pretty proud in front of those mummies!
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