EAGLE!

 ... was Asher's unprompted exclamation when we boarded the plane Friday morning for a weekend away in DC. A friend had highly recommended a visit to the Wonder exhibit in DC earlier this year, so I coupled a desire to catch up with friends before baby#2 comes with the impetus to see the exhibit and planned a trip.

The highlight of the weekend was getting away with my little guy and getting to watch him discover the thrills of the city in conjunction with his new-found ability to articulate his excitement using real-life words. The weekend was all "WOW BIG TRUCKS!" and watching him delight  in the good-life things, like finding a particularly big hole to stand in at Lincoln Park. It was fun to experience the city with new eyes -- to exult in the passing of a garbage truck with the same delight we found in being up close to Lucy the orangutan at the Smithsonian zoo. Asher was also gleeful every time we rode the metro, exclaiming "yayyyy choo choo train!" to the bemusement of all the DC commuters. It was a fun realization for all of the nearby adults to be reminded that in the eyes of my little 18-month old Kentuckian, a DC metro ride is truly grand.

Overall, it was a whirlwind of fun -- we lunched at Tortilla Cafe, played in Lincoln Park, soaked up the beauty of the Renwick exhibits, and traipsed alongside the DC masses through the zoo on the sunniest and most perfect of Spring days. Add in all the modes of transport in between and it was the greatest of adventures Asher and I could have imagined.

However! In order to react to the internet-tendency to curate and paint everything with brush strokes of perfection, I will include this last photo - capturing Asher's lack-of-nap COMBINED with why-can't-I-touch-these-awesome-exhibits breakdown in the middle of the Smithsonian. I did think it was slightly ironic that Asher and I both hit our most-tired moment midway through the museum*. Thus, the thing I had most anticipated prior to our trip, which was still awesome, was kind of a blur. The real treasure was the relaxed mornings in the parks with friends. It's nice to be reminded that the best moments are the ones we don't necessarily hype up - the unstructured parts of our trips and the subtle, secret, quiet moments.


*the greatness of this weekend is dedicated to John, Becca, and Katie - who co-wrangled my wiry toddler and were patient and gracious when he and I both had some travel-weary moments.