Sunday, June 11, 2023

Mt. Vernon & SPY

 Elliot got the whole first week of January off of school, so we decided to stay in Virginia with Aaron working remotely. The goal was to hit up lots of DC museums, since we don't know how much longer my parents will be out there, and the kids are old enough to remember it some. Unfortunately, Covid hit again. 

Aaron's positive Covid test next to a puppet Elliot made out of my first draft dice bag. Elliot discovered Max's old Dice Masters set in the game cabinet and became OBSESSED. I sewed him some dice bags out of scrap fabric in the basement. We ended up taking it home with us. Elliot tried to teach his friends how to play, but it made poor James Mills cry. He has hoodwinked babysitters into playing, but all of them confess that they didn't understand the rules along and just did whatever Elliot advised them to do. He's a smart, game-loving kid!

Mom and I put the time stuck at her house to good use by de-junking the basement! It was a super satisfying project. We trashed a lot of stuff and made a big pile for them to bring to a flea market in the spring. 

When we weren't laboring in the basement, we entertained ourselves by:
Firing up the old Jacuzzi bath! We almost lost Isaac in the bubbles a few times!

Fierce bubble warrior


I had a good time wearing this pizza costume that I found in a closet. 
Isaac was the only one who properly acknowledged how hilarious I was. He's good for my self-confidence.  

Eventually we deemed ourselves non-contagious and ventured out to a couple of sites. First on our list was Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington. 

How picturesque! 

This old tree was there when George Washington was alive!

Isaac had a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that the ropes were meant to block off areas, not to swing on.

The wallpaper and dedication to color schemes was impressive


A couple of tourists in the Mt. Vernon kitchen

The Kimberlies! They both love George Washington!

The museum had a kid zone where they could make a Christmas ornament

The boys were less than enthusiastic about our dress ups photo op

It has been years since I've been to Mt. Vernon, and it was the first time visiting with the Christmas Décor. It is so very well done. 

Our trip the following day was to the new location of one of my childhood favorite places, the Spy Museum! They had some fun interactive challenges and fascinating displays. We had been watching Marx brothers movies and found out that Harpo Marx was actually a secret agent who transported diplomatic mail from the Soviet Union in his socks. The kids would have played in the secret tunnels all day long. 

Thanks always to Mimi to showing us such a great time in VA!

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