Skipping Town {Day #2}

Saturday: We got into DC early enough that we totally scored on some free parking right next to the Washington Monument. We warned the kids that we were going to get in A LOT of walking today. They all did great but then Christian decided it was now HIS turn to have a meltdown day! You just can't win. Ü

It was a clear, beautiful day but the wind was freezing. We all bundled up and faced the cold. I had to laugh as we were walking by another family and heard a little boy yell, "I'm going to DIE!" Yes, DC can be a struggle if you have little kids, especially when it's too hot or too cold. It made me grateful we don't have a stroller to cart around or diapers to change. Children can only last so long on trips like this. Their feet are tired. They are tired. They are bored. They're hungry. We knew right away on this trip that we were not going to be able to see everything we had wanted so we just went with a general idea of what we wanted to see and just went with it. No strict schedule to abide by, no stress. Just enjoy. I think our plan turned out very nicely.

We first walked to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Magna Carta, and Bill of Rights. I enjoy this building a lot because of the beautiful murals on the walls in the rotunda. The little ones (Gretel and Christian) found it boring, yet Pierce and Gwen were very interested. We then headed over to the White House just to do a walk-by. That was cool. We then walked over to the Washington Monument to get a closer look. As simple as this monument is, it is so darn cool. You can always gauge where you're at anywhere in DC by where the Monument is because it stands so tall. We didn't get tickets to go up the elevator to the top, but it was neat standing by it and realizing just how large it really is!

This was after National Archives, our first stop and the meltdown had already begun!










We then walked down to the World War II Memorial, a huge circle with a fountain in the middle surrounded by each of the states. This Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the US, the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. Utah was the first state the kids wanted to find! They have left their hearts there, I'm afraid. But we did find Virginia, how could we not?



Next was the Lincoln Memorial. It was neat to witness the respect all the tourists paid to this monument, American or not. There are signs asking for quiet and respect. One can't help but be quiet and reverent anyway as there is something very sacred and special about this monument. This one, along with them all, force you to reflect upon the past, present, and future of our country and what our duty is as the people of such a great nation and you instantly feel such a deep love for our forefathers.


My favorite thing to see on Saturday was the Korean War Memorial, which is right next to the Lincoln Memorial. I didn't think I would be affected by it the way that I was. There are huge statues of a group of soldiers trudging through the snow, all going in the same direction, towards the American flag. It made me so appreciative of this country and our soldiers and their bravery. On the wall of this memorial it says "FREEDOM IS NOT FREE". Ain't that the truth. Engraved in the ground it says:

"Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met." Korea 1950-1953

DEAD: USA 54,246; UN 628,833
MISSING: USA 8,177; UN 470,267
CAPTURED: USA 7,140; UN 92,970
WOUNDED: USA 103,284; UN 1,064,453

After these monuments the kids were pretty worn out from all the walking. Things are not as close as they seem in the movies! Christian was about ready to collapse so we went back to the car and I stayed with him in the car while Ry took the other 3 down to "The Mint" as it would have fulfilled a requirement for a merit badge for Pierce. Unfortunately, they had just closed before they got there. Bummer. It was really a wonderful day though, couldn't have asked for skies any more blue. The kids expressed how fun they thought this day was, and I am so, so glad because I had fun too. We went back to the hotel, crashed and took a nap, had dinner, swam, watched a movie, all that good stuff!