Maelle and I joined Andrew on a work trip to Alexandria–our happy place!–and then spent Easter weekend with my parents and brother, Josh, his wife, Hannah, and baby Jack. (Who isn’t a baby anymore! He’s almost two!)
Daddy was at a conference for a few days, so Maelle and I got to enjoy some great weather and did lots of things outside. We stuck around Old Town on Monday, hitting our favorite kids’ consignment store for clothes and did some other shopping before grabbing lunch at Vola’s. I love sitting outside by the water and their food is so good.
Then, we hit the local park for some playtime. I love that there is a great playground within walking distance of our hotel.
The following day, Maelle and I went on an adventure! We took the metro downtown so we could go to the Smithsonian! (Spoiler alert: it might have been the seventh circle of hell for me. So crowded. We had fun, and it was the right thing to do, but it wasn’t without a lot of frustration.)
Our metro rides might have been the highlight, as once we got to the mall, it was a zoo. I couldn’t even SEE the Smithsonian for all the tour buses parked along the streets. Between multiple weeks of spring breaks, plus the fact that school kids go there all the time, it’s never NOT crowded.
We went for their live butterfly exhibit, which required time-entry tickets. We spent almost two hours fighting the crowds before I could pick up our tickets, but seeing the butterflies was pretty neat. Two of them landed on me, and one landed on Maelle’s head, but not long enough for me to snap a photo. Bummer.
After the butterflies, she and I were DONE with the museum. We snapped a selfie with the National Monument (Something she sees in her DC book!) and headed back to the metro.
The following day, Andrew had some time to spend with us, so we spent the day in Georgetown! I’d never been, and it was nice out, so we took the metro and then walked the rest of the way. Once we arrived, we enjoyed some Spanish Tapas as a light lunch, did some shopping and grabbed coffees before finding a playground. I always enjoy the people-watching in DC…kids with nannies, stately homes, expensive strollers and cars.
The following day, we left Old Town and drove to my parents’ house in Manassas to spend Easter with them. My brother’s family met us at the legion Friday night for dinner, and Maelle took baby Jack’s hand to lead him inside! So cute.
The following morning we went to Burnside Farms to pick tulips! It might have been my favorite part of the entire trip. I’m always amazed at how much earlier the flowers bloom here; we’re traveled to either Ohio, Pennsylvania or Virginia almost every Easter since we’ve lived here in New York. Seeing the foliage makes me excited for spring at home.
There must have been a hundred varieties of tulips from which to choose, and I grabbed a handful of stems and about a dozen with bulbs attached. Now I just need to devise a creative way to keep the deer away… Last year, they ate my tulips along the driveway BEFORE THEY EVEN CAME UP. All suggestions welcome.
Later that day, mom set up an Easter egg hunt with the kids and we had lunch with Bamma. After our 80-degree days in Alexandria, we had much cooler (and windy!) days at my parents’ house, unfortunately.
Nana also made Easter baskets for Maelle and Jack, which they enjoyed opening on Saturday. We saved the rest of the Easter goodies for Sunday, but I failed to take a photo of any of it. #momfail
I made Pioneer Woman’s baked french toast for breakfast Easter Sunday, and we all sat down together at a beautiful table decorated with colorful tulips. (Again, no photo. Ugh.) We went to church with my parents, then snapped some photos in their backyard before everyone started packing up to leave.
Josh got this great shot of my dad with Jack and Maelle:
Happy Easter! He is Risen! Bring on SPRING!
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