We knew they were forecasting rain all day. What we weren't counting on were torrential downpours and thunderstorms at seven in the morning. We got drenched between 'home' and the Metro station, and then again between the Metro and Ford's Theatre. Sophie got the worst of it in her stroller because it just pummeled her legs. The temperature was not helpful, either - it was 40s at best. We were the first in line at Ford's Theater, so that helped make up for the unpleasantness. This picture is of the boys waiting in line and trying to keep Sophie's hands warm. (The forecast was 68, so I left the gloves in the room today)
We were only able to tour Ford's Theatre. The Peterson House, where Lincoln died, is undergoing renovation. It was fine, thought, because the theater now houses a fabulous museum that wasn't there the last time I visited.
We were soaked by the time we got inside, but Aidan's excitement was so worth it!
Tony liked seeing John Wilkes Booth's gun.
Aidan has talked about nothing but seeing the 'blood pillow' that was under Lincoln's head when he was dying. Lucky for us, it was on display. He was a little disappointed that the color was faded, but it didn't stop him from telling everyone we met about what he saw.
I was disappointed that Ford's Theatre was actually a reproduction. Apparently after the assassination, it stood vacant and then collapsed. Someone bought it and rebuilt it. That piece of history had escaped my mind. At any rate, this is the "reproduced" box for the president.
When we left Ford's Theatre, the sun was shining. I'm not sure what happened to the forecasted thunderstorms, but we weren't complaining. We walked to the Natural History museum, where we spent about two hours. It didn't take very long to case the place - neither the kids nor Tony and I were interested in rocks and dead animals. Nonetheless, we can chalk it off the to-do list, because we saw the entire place.
In the caveman section, a volunteer had artifacts that the kids could touch. They were authentic, but the museum doesn't have paperwork on them to date them, so they use them for touchable displays. Sophie was adamant about participating, so I handed her a couple of different things to hold. At one point, I looked down and she was licking an arrowhead. I didn't want to make a scene in front of the museum docent, but it was all I could do not to laugh. I hope million-plus year old germs don't count!
Sophie thought all the stuffed animals were the zoo again.
Here's my next Christmas present (also known as the Hope Diamond!):
I actually love looking at rocks, minerals, and gems. I know, again, I'm a nerd. I had a strange rock collection going as a kid. Here's my boys with a big hunk of quartz crystal in my favorite color. Wonderful Andrew said, "Hey mommy - we did this in science class. Minerals are natural resources!" (Wonder who his science teacher was???)
We left the Natural History museum around 12:00 and decided to do lunch at our next stop. The weather was still sunny, so we walked out through the mall and in front of the Smithsonian Castle.
Next stop - Air and Space Museum! I remembered a food court there and was hoping for a cheaper meal with more choices. No such luck. Now there's a food court - containing a McDonald's. The same meal we had Saturday (in essence) cost us $10 more at a downtown location. Ridiculous.The boys and Tony were enthralled by the Air and Space Museum. Here are the boys, posing with some of their ancestry.
The museum has one really great exhibit about how flight works. All three kids loved playing with the science experiments. (Again, some great first grade science teacher had already taught some of this to Andrew!)
Just in case you were wondering, Sophie chose the Air and Space Museum for her daily nap.
We left the museum around four and considered making another stop, but everyone was getting tired and it was starting to look a little cloudy again. We wanted to avoid rush hour traffic on the Metro, so we headed back home. We happened past the Department of Education on our way back. They haven't called to ask my opinion on anything, so I considered dropping by.
We made it back to Paul's in good time, even changing Metro lines. We're kind of getting good at it. Fr. Paul was waiting on his patio in the sunshine for us. His house is so nicely landscaped, and Sophie noticed that the first daffodils were appearing. We're also starting to see cherry blossoms, which is really neat.
We walked with Fr. Paul to a nearby Mexican restaurant (meaning seven or eight blocks). The food, among other things, was awesome.
An exciting thing occurred during dinner. Aidan lost his tooth! He's been trying to get rid of this one forever, but has been scared of swallowing it like his first. I told him he might lose it on vacation, and sure enough, out it came. The tooth fairy is going to wait until we get home.
So, tomorrow is our last full day. I'll be so sad to leave, because we've really enjoyed the time together (despite whining children). However, there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed. See you soon!
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