Last year, we went to DC for Spring Break and saw two of the Smithsonian museums. My very favorite one--American History, where I interned as a college student--was closed for renovations. It's open now, so I loaded the kidlets onto the Metro for our city adventure. We also had a picnic on the National Mall and had ice cream from a street vendor. Highlights: Dorothy's ruby slippers, learning about sit-ins and desegregation, watching a performance about the original Star-Spangled banner (which is now laying flat and well-preserved, rather than hanging in the middle of the museum lobby), oooing and aahing at the First Ladies' dresses, listening to jazz music, watching cartoons with WWII propaganda and trying on water backpacks used by troops in the desert these days.
My 2 favorite stories from the Smithsonian actually have nothing to do with the exhibits, and those of you on Facebook have already heard one of them:
Amelia is screeching in the bathroom as Rebecca does her business. The sound is echoing. The usual distractions/comfort measures are futile. Mommy has a (rare) brilliant idea, pulls the bubbles from the lunch bag (intended for use during the afternoon picnic) and begins to blow. Screams melt into giggles, other museum-goers look bewildered as we exit the stall with bubbles floating all over the bathroom! I keep bubbles in the diaper bag now at all times!
Another Amelia screeching story (she was happy most of the time, I promise!). She needs to eat. She's fussy and tired, but the nap will not happen until lunch is served. We're touring the military history/war section. I find a bench and stealthily begin feeding her a sandwich. All is well. I look up and notice we are in front of the exhibit about Nazis, next to a video about concentration camps. Nice. Feeding my chubby baby while others view a video of starving people. So appropriate. This less-than-brilliant Mommy move cancels out my earlier bubble-blowing brilliance.
Since I am a glutton for punishment, I loaded the kids on the subway a second day, this time to visit the National Gallery of Art. Sketch pads and colored pencils in hand, the big girls parked on benches and drew their favorite works, noting on each page which artist's work "inspired" their own. They loved this activity. Amelia fell asleep in the Gallery, giving them plenty of time to sketch away. Molly's favorite was Picasso, Rebecca's was Manet and his dog and horse portraits. Usually, I am over-prepared for outings with children. I absorb a fair amount of teasing for my zealousness, in fact. This day, however, I did not pack the parkas or the umbrellas, and we walked about a mile in the pouring rain. (Amelia's stroller has a cover, so she was dry.) "It's an adventure!" I urged brightly. They were good sports, but the poor kids were soaked to the bone! To make up for my ineptitude, I agreed to 2 games on the subway ride home. First, the ABC Pizza game, often played as we wait for food in restaurants. ("Hi, I am Alice, I am from Alaska, and I like Apples on my pizza," for example. Next player offers B words, etc.) Second, the Person Game, where she who is "It" will think of a person and answer yes or no questions from other players until they figure out who it is. (Mine: Noah. Molly's: Martha Washington. Rebecca's: Jafar the mean wizard from "Aladdin.")
Our other two days included a trip to the River Farm House in Alexandria with its gardens and views of the Potomac River & Baltimore's Inner Harbor and the National Aquarium there.
I must admit, the aquarium was disappointing. It was not interactive enough and, my biggest beef, no strollers were allowed. I put Amelia in the backpack, but she figured out how to unlatch herself and STAND UP in it, so I struggled with keeping her from tumbling out into the sting ray tank most of the time. Also, my back was sunburned, so the backpack was, well, painful. The dolphin show was the best part, and the girls got to talk to a trainer afterward. Amelia squealed with delight as the dolphins waved and leapt into the air, and both Molly and Rebecca announced they now have a new favorite animal. Move over, cat and panda, the dolphin has taken the lead!
No comments:
Post a Comment