The Butler and Butler - Spring Break 2011 - Washington DC EXTRAVAGANZA!!

The Participants:  Roger, Ethan and I, my brother Arek, and his two oldest, Eli and Aislynn.  

The Purpose:  to visit Elder and Sister Butler on their mission, visit Amy, and see as many Smithsonian museums as humanly possible with a 7, 8 and 10 year old along for the ride.  

So: we took off for the airport in SNOW, natch!

ON OUR WAY!!! Salt Lake City airport

The last time a plane ride will be so exciting.  They decided it was kind of a chore after that. However, our kids were pretty darn stellar on both flights; I will travel with this crew any time!

This was cool, at the rental car place where we got a van.

There was alot of this.

And This.   

So.  When we got to Amy's house, she had set it up all nice and convenient for us, thank you so very much AMY - you are a rocking hostess.  That was one totally delicious stew!  The secret is out that you're a fabulous cook.  

The next day we set out to go to church, and had the singular and novel experience of having the fire alarm go off in sacrament meeting!  We all filed out to the parking lot for awhile, then straggled back in to finish the sacrament.  Never had that happen before!

Amy gave the kids special spy glasses - they have mirrors on the corners so you can see behind you!  A total hit.

After Sacrament meeting, we hit the town.  Here we are in the metro.  Arek (with the map of course!) was the most EXCELLENT travel and event coordinator.   I really need to express my gratitude of his git 'er doneness and leadership skills.  

Union Station, where some of those statues up there proved to be going commando under their shields and capes.  It provided MUCH amusement, but by the end of the trip Eli remarked that he was tired of seeing naked statues, and artists ought to put clothes on their subjects.

The Capitol Building.  A pretty classic and illustrative incident occured while Arek was explaining what happened government-wise in each of the buildings we could see from here, and the kids were all - "SQUIRREL!" -  like the dog in the movie UP.  They just couldn't get over all the squirrels in every tree.  We dragged them from place to place with the promise that they could chase the squirrels OVER THERE NOW.  Sheesh.

That would be MY bright pink purse that lovely Roger is carrying for me.  Amy is holding Flat Stanley for Ethan, who didn't have much enthusiasm for the homework assignment the teacher gave him. (get as many pictures of Flat Stanley in places not American Fork as you can.  The point was to mail him to our relatives and friends and have them take pictures of themselves with Flat Stanley.  So you can thank me very much that I was too stinking lazy to do that. I figured we could get enough variety on our own vacation)

 (I resent homework that teachers give parents)

The cherry trees were pretty much done, but the magnolias were magnificent!

Too-wrists.

Flat Stanley with a ..........Picasso? 

Aislynn's expression pretty much sums up the kid's opinion of the Museum of Modern Art, so we were quick.

Cool!

A carpet of magnolia petals

SQUIRRELS!  DC just has a more fascinating variety of them than Utah.  During our sack lunch on the grassy mall, they cornered one intrepid rodent by luring him in with trail mix, but they were a little too close for his comfort, and he made Eli scream like a little girl by jumping straight at him and rebounding off his legs!  Actually, I think we all screamed.

  The kids loved the Air and Space Museum along with Imax show.  But the gift shop was the best of all the game, of course.

This was as close as we got to the white house.  TOO MUCH WALKING for our pioneer children.  Well, ok,-  me.  They probably could have been talked into it.

The lovely end of a lovely day.
Tommorow:  the Zoo!