The kids did really well. I was able to keep Baby X in the umbrella stroller on the train... which was much easier than trying to hold him still and hold onto a stroller.
It was a colder than last time we went to The Mall. Last time it was hot and we were sweating and PS complained the whole time about the heat. This time, I'm glad I made everyone change from shorts to pants and I grabbed sweatshirts. It was about 60 and even though the only time we were outside was walking from the Metro stop to the museum and back, it was a bit chilly.
The first picture is in front of the Capitol. Then Buddy next to a Bombadier (sp?) which is some sort of vehicle contraption that current native fisherman in Canada use to ice fish. Then PS in front of a pretty cool statue. Then one PS took of Buddy in front of the water feature outside of the museum where we ate lunch. Then the tiny pictures... all three kids in front of a fun native painting and Buddy and Baby X in front of a canoe on display.
The museum is part of the Smithsonian and thus, free. It is a bit more modern American Indian culture than historic... but I realized that's something we should all learn about too. The Native culture still exists and their way of life is often still very different than our own. If I was shelling out big bucks (or any bucks) the museum had a restaurant where you could chose from four different native regions on the menu... one was salmon.
The kids liked the museum okay. We picked up the family guide at the information desk on our way in, which directed us to find certain things on each floor, and had stuff for the parent to talk to their kids about. So that was nice. There were parts they actually enjoyed, but for the most part, it wasn't the fun they were expecting. So when we left, we went across The Mall to walk back to the Metro, saw the Capitol, and walked through the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery. They liked this a lot. Although, really, the highlight of the trip for Buddy was riding the Metro.
Buddy was especially handy to have with us because he has his dad's sense of direction. I knew basically where we needed to find the Metro stop, but had forgotten to pay exact attention to where it was when we emerged on our exit. I told Buddy as we were walking back toward it to go home, "We need to look for Metro signs, okay?" He answered, "Why? I know where the Metro is." I asked him where and he pointed, and far off in the distance, I could see the Metro "M" sign.
The train was much more crowded heading home, but eventually, as we got closer to our stop it cleared out. Baby X kept pointing at the floor of the train and saying "Woo ooo ooo" which is his word for train. And I'd say, "Yeah, we're on a train." And he'd point at the floor and repeat the converation. Finally I explained to him that we weren't just ON a train, but in it. So he looked around in amazement. Buddy and PS took turns standing and holding on to a pole. Baby X joined in on this as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment