DOVE FAMILY: Cherry Blossoms 2013

Cherry Blossoms 2013

Posted by Mary Grace (MGD) on Monday, April 22, 2013.

Our family at the Tidal Basin. See the Jefferson Memorial behind us??

It's been a few years since Dave and I went to see the Cherry Blossoms. I believe Matthew was just a baby and we took the metro. Although getting there was a breeze with the metro, we didn't realize how LONG and tiring the return would be on the metro with a tired baby, a stroller and having to stand because there were no seats on the metro. This year we opted to drive and although it took us a bit longer to find a garage, leaving was a breeze and the kids could sleep comfortably in the car on the way home.

The Cherry Blossoms and DC monuments did not dissapoint and we had an incredible time. You may think that we are a bit crazy to go with the thousands of other people down there but we did it and we had so much fun. Each time we go to DC, I always tell Dave that we should pack a picnic and eat near the Washington Monument and this year we finally did it! We packed our blanket and enjoyed a family picnic by the monument - with the other hundreds of people that had the same idea! The boys even played football/catch while Julia and I laid on the blanket and blew bubbles. So many families, kids, adults, doggies, puppies, food trucks and our military men and women were just out enjoying the sites and the gorgeous day.

After our picnic, we headed to the Tidal Basin and we can't get enough of that place- its so beautiful and the cherry blossoms add that special touch. We took lots of pictures at the tidal basin, checked out the tulips, and enjoyed the views of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

We then made our way to the WWII Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial- which was Matthew's number one place to visit on this trip. He has learned so much at school about our Presidents and the American History that his favorite president is now Abraham Lincoln. As we made our way down the reflecting pool, we noticed hundreds of people gathered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We made it just in time to see the Joint Services Silent Drill Teams. How incredible and truly magnificient to see the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Airforce and Marine perform their Silent Precision Drill exhibitions! It was such a treat and we were hootin' & hollarin' for all of them. They were throwing their rifles in the air with style and grace. Each move, each step was precise and they were so trained and extremely focused even though many of us in the crowd were yelling and cheering them on. Many of the rifles had the bayonets on them which was extremely dangerous- the louder the audience cheered the harder and more fierce the exhibition was.

After the Joint Services exhibition, we made our way back to the Washington Monument, laid our blanket out again , had some snacks while the boys played more football. We then headed back to the car. We were tired. I don't know how many miles we walked...I don't know how many thousands of people were down there to see the parade, to check out the Japanese street festival, to checkout the cherry blossoms, to see the joint services exhibition but it didn't matter. We had a great family day in our nations capital, we enjoyed the sights, the people, the picnic and we hope to come back next year!

We packed a picnic and ate under a big tree near the Washington Monument. Although it may look like we were the only ones having a picnic, so many couples, families and friends were gathered around the lawn with their own picnic from coolers they brought or food purchased from the many food trucks. It was great to see so many people out and about and having picnics with their families...something that doesn't happen too often anymore.

Gosh- how sweet is this? We were walking towards the Lincoln Memorial and I just love the scene of little Julia with her daddy. He is so big and strong and she could eat him alive with her smile, sweetness and love. Yes- there were HUNDREDS of people!