The Wilsons (and Mottas) Storm the Capital

On Sunday, December 18th, my sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece rolled into town.  I had been looking forward to their visit for months, and we had a lot of fun stuff planned.  It had been over a year (maybe closer to 2?) since we had last seen each other.  We definitely wanted to make the most of the visit.

On Monday, we went to Mount Vernon.  I loved it!  The house is the most amazingly preserved historical home I've ever seen.  For example, in the dining room, 8 or 9 (I can't remember which) of the chairs are the original chairs that were there when Mr. Washington died in 1799, the rest are from the time period, not replicas, actually from the time period.  Of the approximately 800 books in the library, 60 were physically owned by Washington, however, the other books are all titles he owned and from the time period.  His presidential chair, the actual one he sat in while president, was also there.  Knowing who some of the guests who were in that home (James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, etc.) well, it was just amazing to imagine the conversations that must have taken place within those walls.  The grounds were also spectacular, we saw a camel and the pardoned Thanksgiving turkey.  The outbuildings were interesting as well.  I really felt like the place portrayed an amazing glimpse into history, both of our first President and a wealthy plantation in the 1700s.  We weren't able to spend much time in the visitors center, although we did see the infamous dentures, which were far more sophisticated than I imagined.  They had a nice children's area, that the kids loved.  Unfortunately, Jack did set off an alarm in the museum part, climbing under a barricade and touching something (I can't remember what).  I was sure security would come running and toss us out, but apparently their security cameras showed them we weren't truly a threat.  Anyway, it was a fantastic day.

Thomas, the kids, and a camel

I wonder if the Washington's grand kids also enjoyed rolling down the hill?  After seeing how they did laundry, for the sake of the servants who would have been tasked with removing grass stains--I hope not!

Anna in period clothing in the children's area.

On Tuesday, we went to DC and toured the White House. Also amazing. It was especially nice to see at Christmas time. The decorations were beautiful and the entire floor smelled like Christmas.  We had quite the adventure to get there: we took the metro in, and were unable to transfer to the correct line. Another train had lost a brake or something and was blocking the tunnel--no trains in or out. So, they sent everyone to buses. We told the bus driver which metro we were trying to get to, and he let us off somewhere nearby--supposedly. According to Thomas' phone, it was 0.9 miles from the White House--a very long walk with 2 4-year-olds and a 2-year-old, especially since we were running late. We had less than 20 minutes to get there. We alternated carrying kids and they did surprisingly well and somehow we made it on time. After the White House, we walked to the Natural History museum, at a much more leisurely pace thankfully. The kids loved it.

I can't even remember how many Christmas trees we saw (a lot), but here are two of them.

 

And, at the Museum of Natural History

Jack taking a break after all that walking.

Wednesday, we went to a flea market and hung around at home. It was nice to see the cousins playing together. Thursday, we went to the St. Clements museum. Also fun. My sister and brother-in-law went out that afternoon for some quality alone time, so that night Thomas and I took all the kids to a local farm that has an amazing light display. They all loved it.

At the farm.

Friday, my sister and I went out to lunch with no kids--very nice! We, well I, did some last minute shopping and then Thomas and I had our date night. Saturday, we did lots of baking. And Sunday, of course, was Christmas--which I will have to write about later. The kids really want me to go take a "nap" in their new playhouse.


Dads assisting with cookie making.