Capital Adventure

Each year I take myself and the kids down to our nation's capital to enjoy the company of their uncles, who live in the area, and to learn and enjoy our nation's heritage.  It is a little different each year.  The focus of previous years was set on monuments, I tried hard to to have the kids enjoy this year at the Hazy Air and Space Museum, the National Zoo, and of course our annual trip to the ball park with a ride on the metro.

There has been lots of driving with a chance to see the cites surrounding the area such as Georgetown and Arlington.  The kids have enjoyed different sites such as seeing a Turkish Consulate with his Turkish translator while at the grocery store of all places, enjoying the skyline of DC from my brother's balcony and seeing the Marine Corp Marching Band at the Iwo Jima Memorial.

It is odd with all that is around the kids, that the Harry Potter movie was my oldest son's favorite activity, while my youngest son enjoyed the museum and my daughter enjoyed just being at her uncle's house.  To me the yearly vacation marks a week to enjoy my brothers who I normally only get to see around holidays. It is funny when I see them and notice how much more alike we are then I remember, from allergies we have developed, tastes in food and books, and of course the normal subject of talking about relationships.  It leads quite often to typical brotherly insults and love that I know I can't live without.

Overall it is something I wouldn't trade for the world.  If anything, it is a return to the days of my childhood where the joy of being around my brothers cannot be beat.