Captain's Log

After returning from Singapore Friday night, Dave told me he had to drive up to Washington on Monday for a conference. I really, really wanted to go (I mean, I'm 29, majored in political science, and had never been to our nation's capitol. That's just sad.), but given Mabes' temperament lately, I wasn't sure if this was the best idea. We decided to go for it, since I didn't love the idea of a jet-lagged Dave driving 7 hours by himself.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Tuesday morning, we dropped Dave off at his conference and then it was time for us to see the city. Given that I hate driving in big cities, Washington streets are confusing, and Mabes' insistence on questioning/commenting on EVERYTHING (and demanding an answer), the day was pretty amusing. Oh, and wanting to tear my hair out from listening to the same Primary CD for the 28th time in a row didn't help either. We parked at Potomac park and walked around. Immediately, Mabes tore off and ran down the grass to look at the boats, lost her footing, and slipped in a puddle of mud. I had a change of shorts, but she had to wear the dirty shirt. Why is mud the same color as poop? We walked a lot, watched planes land at Reagan airport, and walked to the FDR memorial. The Lincoln Memorial was just a little farther, but Mabes was getting tired of walking, so we started heading back to our car and stopped at the Jefferson Memorial. I tried to explain that it was a special place and we had to be very quiet, and she did pretty well. She threw a fit after we left, but hey, she was good at the memorials.

World War II Memorial

We went back to the hotel, had lunch, and she took a nap. She's doing her wide-awake-for-2-hours-in-the-middle-of-the-night-for-funsies thing again right now, so that, combined with the morning of walking, made for a nice nap. We picked Dave up from his conference, and headed to the Lincoln Memorial. Again, lots of walking, but Mabes put up with it.

Lincoln Memorial

Dave and Emaline at the Lincoln Memorial

On the way into the city, we passed by the Air Force Monument. Mabes decided that this was scary, and kept saying that it was scary. Dave said, "it's not scary--it's hair!" Seriously, Dave? You know that stray hairs are among the few things that scare her (an irrational fear she shares with her uncle Jeff)--you might as well tell her they're twigs.

Memorial Gate at Arlington National Cemetery

Wednesday morning, Mabes and I went to Arlington National Cemetery. Because of Dave's work schedule, we were limited to that and some driving around, but we got to see the Pentagon, and drove back into the city again. Mabes got excited when she recognized the buildings--"It's the Washngtn MOMUMIN!" "It's the Morial where we be quiet!"

The Capitol building Wednesday night...
...and Thursday morning

On Thursday, Dave dropped us off at the Capitol on his way to a meeting. We took some pictures and headed to the Natural History Museum. Mabes loved the dinosaurs and fish, but by the time we got to the History of Western Civilization exhibits, she was getting tired and was begging for her stroller (which we didn't bring, since hasn't ridden in a stroller in ages). We were running short on time, so we blew through the gemstones exhibit, saw the Hope Diamond, then made our way to the exit. I stopped to take one last picture in the atrium, only to realize that a tired and frustrated Mabes had thrown herself down, face to the ground, crying because she wanted to leave. Worried about judgmental stares from other parents, I picked her up and hurried out, but now I wish I had taken a picture because hey, it was funny.

Mabes meets a dinosaur

We walked several blocks to where we met Dave. It ended up being quite the walk, and Mabes alternated running, jumping, and complaining about how tired she was. She's got a long way to go before she qualifies for one of my dad's "death marches," but I'm starting to see why he never attempted those with little kids. So we weren't able to see as much as we did when Dave and I walked all over London, but I think Mabes did pretty well for a 3-year-old. We'll work our way up to a march deserving of the yellow legal pad.

And because it's cute: Mabes and Ricecake enjoy their queen sized bed