The Steeles March on DC

Hopefully this was the first of many visits to our Nation's Capital. One of the many great things about being a Marine Corp family is all of the great places you get the chance to experience all around the country. We are only 4 hours from DC, so Chris and I thought we should take advantage of how close we are and take the kids to see Washington DC for the first time. It was actually Luke's second time, but he was 15 months the first time he went so he doesn't remember it. Although he would argue that he does!

When we arrived on Friday afternoon, we really had no game plan on where to go first. We knew we wanted to go the the National Mall, but when we discovered our hotel was close to the International Spy Museum, we thought we would give it a shot.

There was a line and it took us about 30 to 45 minutes to get into said Spy Museum. You get to choose your own secret spy identity before heading to the briefing room about your "mission". We all were enjoyed the museum, but decided that it is much more suited for older kids. We couldn't take Hannah Beth's stroller inside, so Chris and I had to take turns carrying our 23 pound squirming bundle for the hour it took us to get through. I did enjoy seeing the Aston Martin car that was driven by "James Bond" in one of his movies. Pretty cool. I also walked away from the spy museum trying to figure out who in DC was a tourist and who was a spy.

Our hotel was also a few blocks from the Ford Theatre where Lincoln was shot. Luke has been very interested in President Lincoln lately, and he was all about seeing the theatre. Across the street is the house where Lincoln was taken after the shooting, and where he died only hours later. I had remembered seeing these things as a 7th grader on our school trip. Walking in the same spot where our countries history has taken place never gets old.

Friday night was most interesting with all 5 of us in the same room. Needless to say, it was not a great night sleep, but we were all up and excited to spend the day touring. And touring we did!

We headed to the American History Museum to see one of my absolute favorite things on display in the Smithsonian, the flag that was flown over Ft. McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. I think Luke and Hayley were as impressed as I was as a little girl the first time I saw it. It was Chris's first time seeing the flag too, and he said it was his favorite moment of the trip. We also saw Lincoln's hat that he wore the night he was assassinated, several of the First Lady's inaugural ball gowns, and Julia Child's kitchen.



It was an absolutely beautiful day. A little chilly and windy, but the sky was clear and the sun was shinning. We spent the next 5 hours walking to see the White House,

The White House Christmas tree,

The World War II Memorial,

The Lincoln Memorial,

view from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,

and The Air and Space Museum.

This baby girl was such a trooper. She never fussed, napped through the cold and windy weather, and had a big smile for us at the end of the day.

After the day was said and done, I think we had walked about 5 miles. So worth it!!!! Can't wait to try and return in the spring before we headed out of Virginia to who knows where this coming summer.