DC: museums + 2 Amys

We headed downtown Friday morning and visited two of the Smithsonians (after spending some time searching for street parking). We started at the Museum of Natural History. The kids loved looking at all the animals but it was hard to get around because of the crowds. And Simon decided to be difficult and threw himself on the ground a few times for some two-year-old tantrums. We popped into the American History Museum but I had to take Oliver and Simon out almost immediately because they were both being difficult. We had a hard time finding a lunch spot (and parking) for our group of 12. We tried Shake Shack but there was no parking and the line was really long. After sitting in some traffic, we finally made our way to 2 Amys and were seated on the patio which was really nice and quiet after a crazy morning. The pizza was just as good as I remembered.

Pretty magnolia trees everywhere.

Two unhappy boys. Oliver finally calmed down after I gave him my phone. He also took some photos of me trying to entertain Simon.

pizza + mini golf

Amelia requested pizza for her birthday meal so when Ben was back in town we headed out for an afternoon of activities that started with pizza at Pupatella in Arlington. The pizza was so delicious. And they have donuts! The nutella donut was amazing.

You know Elsa enjoyed her nutella donut.

My margherita DOC. Yum.

Oliver was a fan.

Our next stop was the National Building Museum to try out the new mini golf course. (Check out last year's course here.) The holes are all designed by area architects and are a lot of fun. As usual, Oliver was difficult to manage. He kept wandering off and interfering with other people's balls.

Simon checking out the giant columns.

pizza + ping pong

The final adventure of our Saturday outing was a stop at Comet Ping Pong for some pizza. We were hoping to eat lunch here on Christmas Eve like we did last year, but realized they wouldn't be open so we stopped by a few days early. They have delicious pizza and the kids love to play ping pong while we wait for the food.

The brunch pizza, with potatoes and an egg. Yum.

Oliver actually remained seated through lunch thanks to a large screen TV playing A Charlie Brown Christmas.

pizza and a memorial.

After spending the morning outside at Jones Point Park, we ventured back out in the evening to continue enjoying the cooler weather (wearing pants and sweaters in July!). Our first stop was Del Ray Pizzeria (made more popular recently by a visit from Obama, a fact the restaurant will not let you miss). We tried a thin crust and a deep dish pizza and they were both delicious.

We've been driving past the Air Force Memorial ever since it was built several years ago but have never managed to stop for a visit. The rain stopped by the time we left Del Ray so we made our way to the Air Force Memorial. It was stunning. We were completely surprised by how beautiful the memorial and the views were. The kids loved running around and exploring (although the "keep off the grass" signs were frustrating for Oliver and us). At one point we were the only people there and just enjoyed the quiet setting and the beautiful views (and the grass). I can't wait to go back and see it at night.