directions? keys? well, then off we go...

The kids and I packed the car on Sunday afternoon and, after brushing teeth and eating breakfast, left for our grand adventure Monday morning. We arrived in DC around 2pm, but drove around for 30 minutes trying to find a certain block of E street that was cut in half by the 395 on-ramp. After asking a police officer (they are everywhere, 2 per block) we finally parked the car, unloaded some suitcases and the children and proceeded to the front door. When I put the key in the lock nothing happened.

Nothing.

4.5 hours from home with 5 tired and cranky children and the key won't work. I looked down in shock at the return address on the envelope the key had been mailed in. A tiny spark in my brain reminded me that Grandmother had mentioned years before that my cousins had moved, but since my Christmas cards didn't come back I forgot about it.

Until now.

After pulling out the map, I realized that their house was only about 6 blocks away and shoved them all back into car seats for the short trip behind the Capitol. I prayed for a parking space and behold, one appeared right across from their house, the only one big enough for my van that I saw for the next 3 days. That sucker wasn't gonna move until Thursday afternoon.

After finding that the key did work (thank you cousins for writing the return address) we proceeded to unload all the gear needed for 6 people for 3 days and it was a lot. Pack-n-play, clothes, every stuffed animal and doll they owned, backpacks, and of course their Easter baskets filled with plastic eggs and candy. I figured out where everyone was going to sleep and decided it was a too lovely day to waste inside.
We made the first of our 4 trips down the hill inhaling deeply the fragrant cherry blossoms that were just starting to open and went in the National Air and Space Museum for an hour. We oohed and aahed over the LEM, the planes hanging from the ceiling, and all touched the moon rock. I promised them we would come back and I would buy them astronaut ice cream. Of course there was the typical nappie crisis with Charlie wetting his pants (his first accident in a long time) we hoofed the 8 blocks back to the house. I tried to stay up reading, but soon crashed from the long drive, my initial panic at the first house, and having to push the double stroller back up Capitol Hill. Tuesday's plan: Washington Monument and the Natural History Museum with the inevitable fun and crises.

Day 2: lions tigers and bears, oh my!
Day 3: off to the moon!
Day 4: Mommy, I want to see a da Vinci!