Adventures in D.C. + Mother’s Day Recap

Last month we’ve had the wonderful honor to witness two of our dear friends in the D.C. area pledge their love to each other in marriage at not one but TWO ceremonies!

My husband’s best friend Jomil, who was a best man at our wedding–and incidentally Miguel’s godfather–married his lady love Stephanie, whom we just simply adored from Day One.

Miggz witnessed both the civil and formal ceremonies with us. Here are some photos from his Uncle Jomil and Auntie Stephanie’s Big Day (or should I say, Big Days)…

Rogers-Madrid, The Civil Wedding Ceremony on May 11th

Rogers-Madrid, The Formal Wedding Ceremony on May 12th

It was quite difficult for us to take some decent photos with Miggz on both days. As expected of a two-year-old, he showed no interest in taking pictures. He either made silly faces, or did not hesitate expressing his boredom.

Case in point:

Bored + Silly Miggz = These Pictures!! Still priceless.

On Mother’s Day, May 13th, Terrence, Miggz and I had a chance to really explore the D.C. area.

And EXPLORE we did!!

Thank God the museums and monuments were open on a Sunday. Well…the monuments ARE always open, LOL! But I did not think the museums would be. A little make-ahead research on my part before we left (just Google “top ten things to do in D.C.” or “best D.C. sights for kids”), and we had a little wish-list D.C. itinerary that included:

– The Whitehouse

– The Monuments/Memorials (Lincoln and Washington definitely, Jefferson and MLK time-permitting, WWII, Veterans, etc.)

– The National Air & Space Museum (I marked this a must-see for Miggz)

– The National Archives (a question mark…Terrence and I, or at least I, thoroughly enjoyed this on our first visit to D.C., but it might be a little too advanced/boring for Miggz at his age)

– The National Museum of Natural History (another must-see for Miggz, even if it’s just the Hall of Dinosaurs)

– Bureau of Engraving and Printing

– Smithsonian National Postal Museum

I added the last two to our D.C. tour wish list out of curiosity, but it was not a big deal if we couldn’t get to them (and we didn’t…they required advanced tickets to be picked up the morning of, and they were not open on a Sunday).

The awesome part about touring in D.C. is that most (if not all) sightseeing spots + the museums cost nothing. That’s right, these national treasures are free to be explored, though you can pay for guided and more detailed tours if you choose to.

With the exception of The Whitehouse (a tour for this–FYI–requires advanced registration and contacting your Member of Congress for tickets. Click here for details. I COULD have advanced registered us, but after careful thinking decided against it…imagine two-year-old Miggz running around The Whitehouse!!), The National Archives, and both the Bureau of Engraving and Printing + Smithsonian National Postal Museum, we were able to go to all the other ones on our tour list in ONE day!!

That required a lot of patience in finding parking in D.C. on a gorgeous day in May, a little bit of luck finding the perfect parking spot on Madison Ave. right in the middle of where we wanted to be, a whole lot of walking, and an attitude of really wanting to explore a little bit of everything, even if it means not seeing literally every thing.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from our D.C. trip…

The three of us in front of The Smithsonian.

On the grounds of The National Mall, overlooking the Washington Monument.

Same spot, different direction. Turn around from this very spot every which way, and you’ll see The Capitol (as seen here), The Washington Monument, The Smithsonian, and The National Museum of Natural History.

Miggz in AWE at the Dinosaur Hall in The National Museum of Natural History. Again, priceless.

Missile Pit at the National Air and Space Museum. Five years ago, Terrence and I were in the same spot!

Walking the grounds of the World War II Memorial.

The long–but beautiful and tree-lined–walk to the Lincoln Memorial.

Atop the Lincoln Memorial, overlooking the Washington Monument.

Priceless Mother-Son Moment.

To sum it up, it was a fantastic first time in D.C. for Miggz, and an even more fantastic way to celebrate and spend Mother’s Day for me.