Awesome Blossoms

For years I've wanted to visit DC during the Cherry Blossom Festival, but we've never been able to fit it into our schedule ... until now! This past weekend the three of us took a mini-vacation in Washington, DC. Partly to celebrate our third anniversary, and partly to visit with my parents and give them some much-needed Jack time! Unfortunately, the weather was somewhat dreary on Saturday. Thankfully it didn't rain that day, but it was misty and chilly out. Of course, it was also much less crowded than it would have been if the weather had been nice so that was a plus.
We spent most of Saturday meandering around the blossoms, visiting a few monuments and checking out the Museum of American History and the Musuem of Natural History. Jack was such a trooper. The rain did nothing to dampen his spirits, and he took everthing in stride. He's been a little fickle lately about "eating out." I think I've fed him too many times in the same place (left cushion of the living room couch) and he's starting to develop a preference. So I was grateful to see him happily snacking in the drizzle of a park, in a few museum cafes and in the car during a traffic jam.
Our hotel was just a few blocks from the White House, so we were able to walk wherever we wanted to go. Jack especially enjoyed the king-sized bed which made "snuggle-in Saturday" (and in this case Sunday too) extra enjoyable! Jon and I were able to escape for one evening while Marmie and Poppa watched Jack. Apparently "he didn't cry once" which is good news since this event overlapped Jack's daily 5:30-7:30 fussy-fest. They took him to the pool where everyone commented them on their big grandbaby (although Marmie is positive some people thought he was her child) and Jack had his first "swimming" experience. I missed out but from what I heard he handled it much like any other new occurence - with complete apathy. I'm beginning to think my son's stoicism will serve him well should he choose a military future like his father. :)


I'm somewhat embarassed to admit that this was Jon's and my first alone date since before the baby was born. There's no reason why we should have waited until he was over 5 months old to get some much-needed one-on-one time, but I'm determined to make it more of a priority in the future. We had a delicious dinner at Ruth's Chris, it was our first trip there and well worth the wait! Jon makes fun of me for serving dinner HOT, lately he's made it a habit to wait 5-10 minutes after I announce dinner is ready before coming to the table. I'm getting smarter and I now announce dinner 5-10 minutes before it's ready. But my food doesn't sizzle on a 500 degree plate like Ruth's. I've got a new standard to work towards now!
Sunday ended up being beautiful! Much to my disappointment, Jon had a pile of homework to do that night, so we had to leave after visiting the Spy Museum that morning. My parents stayed on and had a great time while I enjoyed the sunny blossom fest from the rearview mirror. :(


All and all it was nice to get away for the weekend and extra nice for Jack to spend some time with his grandparents. It's been 3 months since we saw them over Christmas and we've determined that is entirely too long to go between visits, especially with a boy who is growing and changing every day ... and just learning to give kisses! We're going to try to schedule more trips more often over the next year or so ... at least until Jack is old enough to attend Summer Camp at Marmie and Poppa's.