D.C. - I heart you!!

Road Trippin' - Part 2!!

 

 

After all of our fun in the ATL we headed off for Daddy - 8 hours and one crazy crazy storm in North Carolina later we were at Daddy's place, kinda tired, kinda silly, kinda ready to relax!!

 

Daddy actually lives in Virginia just a few Metro stops from D.C., our first day there we went out and walked the streets of Alexandria - it's a pretty awesome little area with lots of cool shops and restaurants and a Whole Foods 2 blocks from Daddy's apartment!! We walked or rode the metro pretty much everywhere which we both loved!!   

 

Here you are right outside of Daddy's...

Saturday was off to see the sights day!!  We packed a TON into this one day but it was amazing and so much fun!!  We rode around on a double decker open air bus, and got off at lots of places!!  Here are a few highlights!

Well hello, Mr. President!!

 

 You were so excited to get to the Lincoln Memorial!!  If only that walk along the reflecting pond wasn't SOOOOOOOOOOOO long!!

 

Totally worth it once we got there...

 

We made a relatively quick trip through the Museum of National History - the Dinosaurs were your favorite - the Hope Diamond was mommy's!! 

We also visited lots of monuments, and went to Arlington and the Ford Theater and lots lots of other places!!  It was a long but pretty great day!!

Sunday was a day of REST!!  We needed it after Saturday's see everything day...  But on Monday we were off again and this time to the National Zoo which, hands down, my new most favorite zoo ever!!  We had such a blast!!  A few highlights...

 

There is a panda bear way way back there!! 

 well, hello Panda!!

 This picture just makes me smile...

Tuesday morning came too soon and we hit the road - we drove straight through because your momma is kinda crazy and you happen to be a rock star in the car - 11 hours and 55 minutes later we were home sweet home... we both were wired and didn't fall asleep until close to midnight and then slept for 12 hours to wake up at noon, have a lunch breakfast and fall back asleep for a 2 hour nap. 

All in all our road trip was pretty epic, pretty fun, and filled with great memories...  For all the fun we had and all the cool things we saw, moments in the car with you are the ones I'll cherish the most for ever and ever...

I love you Bug-a-licious!!!

xoxo,
Momma

Road Trippin' Part One

June 2013... Freshly out of 1st grade and ready to take on the summer!!  Greyson and I hit the road for a pretty epic summer vacation road trip, mommy and Greyson bonding trip...

 

For all the things that totally blow about Greg having to move to D.C. I will forever and ever be thankful that because of his move I got to have this experience with Greyson - because it was EVERYTHING!!! 

 

We left bright and early on a Wednesday morning, our first stop was not to head straight to Daddy but rather drive to Atlanta.  I've wanted to take Greyson to the Georgia Aquarium from the moment they opened their doors.  So we went a bit out of our way and headed to the ATL!

 

I have made the Florida to ATL drive plenty of times back in the day when we were moving here and knew that alone I could make the trip in around 6 hours flat, I figured that since Greyson has never been in the car more than 2 hours (expect one time as a wee baby) that it could take us potentially 8, 10, 12, 4 days??  We had his phone, DS, movies, car games, paper, pencils, markers, snacks, toys, basically every comfort of home was in the back seat, perfectly organized and at his finger tips...

 

We started playing 20 questions about 5 minutes into the trip - 5 hours, 55 minutes and one stop for gas later we were pulling into our hotel!!  Traffic was non-existent, and my boy - he's a dream of a road trip partner.  We talked and talked and rocked out to oldies on the radio and giggled and played about 7,436 rounds of 20 questions, and time flew and never once did he whine or complain or ask to stop.  We checked in, got some lunch, went and surprised a few of my old friends in the city and then ordered amazing room service and got to bed early... the next day was Aquarium day!!

 



 

Hotel Breakfast - Oh yeah!!  We were walking distance to the Aquarium....



 

 

 We were lucky enough to be there on a day when no one else in the world was... We walked around a corner and this room was ahead of us and Greyson (my son who never runs in-doors - ever...) RAN to stand in the middle of this room, fish and colors and sea life swimming all around him... This quite possibly could be one of my favorite pictures - ever.

 

 

This is definitely a place that just held infinite amounts of magic and joy... I can't wait to go back...

He could have spent all day in this one room...

 

I may have squealed out loud when I saw these little weedy sea dragons!!

 

Because penguins are just so fun... 

 

This window held a FABULOUS surprise... 

 

the coolest ever WHALE SHARK!!!

 

Beluga!!!

 

Well hello there...

The day was everything it could have been and more and more and more!!!  We left the aquarium, hit the road and drove 8 crazy fun hours (wait until I tell you about the storm!!) filled with more talking and singing and being super silly to finally pull into Daddy's just a little after midnight...

We were exhausted, slap happy and closer than ever... I learned so much about my boy on this trip... Something about being in a car, miles of road flying by... We talked about life, his thoughts on everything, school stories I hadn't heard.  He asked questions about me, what life was like when I was young, when I met Daddy, how we fell in love... What it was like being pregnant with him and what he was like as a baby, how I fell in love with him... We laughed and we cried and we shared in ways I didn't know we ever would.  Greyson and I are two peas in a pod, always have been, always will be.  I know for a fact that we have a crazy strong bond, we spend every single day together, play for hours, eat dinner, read bed time stories and talk each night, I thought I knew everything about him and that we couldn't ever be closer than we were... and yet... this trip, this trip gave me just that... I can't wait to do it all again...