Sunday is Free Parking! Or Plan B.

We had a plan (we have a theme of going with plan B here, don't we?) of me dropping of the big kids and Scott at the Holocaust Museum, but we discovered on the way that we needed tickets and they were sold out.  When we pulled up to our Plan B museum, we quickly found a parking spot, but no info on Sunday times and rates.  Come to find out from the lady at the pretzel stand, parking is free and unlimited on Sundays in DC!  Yay!  Why didn't we know this!?

Well, it doesn't matter, we planned to take full advantage of it, and we did.  Look, I'll spare you the details.  The bottom line is:  8 hours, four museums, the botanical gardens, photos in front of the Capitol, lunch at the Natural History Museum and countless gift shops.  There was no way we were giving up that parking spot until the federal government closed all the museums.  And also, the weather was incredible!!  Ask our kids, we cannot overstate that.  Scott and I raved about the temperate breeze a combined total of probably eight hundred times today.  "This breeze!", we'd say.  "August in D. C. and it's this cool?  Can you believe it?  No!  I can't believe it either!  I mean, this weather!  How could it be so perfect!?  It's downright cool.  Can you feel that breeze?  A breeze!  Kids, can you believe it's not 90 degrees and a hundred per cent humidity?  Can you imagine how hot we could be right now?"  Really, it was over the top with the incredulousness.  But the weather was so NICE!!

 Natural History Museum.  So many cool things!  The mummies were our favorite, I think.

 Holding bugs!

 Botanical Gardens.  I like this one because it's a nice walk up to the big pond in front of the Capitol.  In my opinion, it's as close as you need to get to the Capitol because it's not that interesting close up.  The gardens are cool and moist and tropical, and I love flowers as much as Scott looks like he does in this picture!

 Ah, this crazy group of kids!

 Gift Shop Face

 Looking at an exhibit on the history of intercountry adoption.  Not really taking it in until later.

 The Kennedy Center is awe-inspiring, inside and out.

 Too many cute pictures

 Look at that precious little face!

Gift Shop Face again.  You know what he's saying, right? :)

Then we hit the Kennedy Center on our way home.  We planned on seeing the free concert that they do every night at 6, but parking on weekends is a flat $22, and we were not about to pay that after being spoiled by all-day free parking, only to chase Tizzy around the back aisles of the Millennial Stage.  It's a relaxed venue, but still, it seemed more prudent to go, once again, with Plan B, which was Scott, Golda and Ruby touring the Kennedy Center while the kids watched a movie in the car and I made friends with the nice security guards who let us park in the no parking zone, even though we might have been terrorists.

We had just enough strength to pick up pizza and ice cream on the way home and have a nice dinner all together.  Scott wanted to take the kids to D.C. Cupcakes, but they were all too pooped.  There wasn't a single taker!  Again, Plan B.  Pajamas and milkshakes.  Sometimes, the Plan B's are the most fortuitous things.  Today, they worked for us perfectly.  (Especially since it was SUCH. AMAZING. WEATHER!!)