Resident Tourists: Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

Henry and I have hit up our second Smithsonian Museum-the Museum of Natural History, which I was pretty excited about, knowing how much Henry would enjoy the dinosaur and insect exhibits.

Like our other visits, we took the metro (first wrong exit experience, but no big deal, hopped back on after realizing my error) and made the short walk inside. The beauty of going midweek, like anything, is the lack of crowds that really add to the enjoyment of experiencing the exhibits. And once again, we only scratched the surface when it came to the volume of exhibits and attractions to see. Easily the highlight of the trip was the butterfly atrium where you can walk in and be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies--so many you have to watch where you step and be evaluated by staff member in a decontamination room before exiting. My photos don't do it any justice--it's definitely something to experience first hand. While we weren't lucky enough to have any land on us, we watched plenty of these small and large creatures land on other unknowing attendees' derrieres, backs, and shoulders.

The insect exhibit is pretty awesome too-they have several tarantula feeding times and allow people to hold a variety of bugs. This is where I fail as a mom because I want to be brave and show Henry how cool it is be able to hold caterpillars and hissing cockroaches--except I really don't WANT to hold a cockroach, hissing or otherwise! And I certainly will never hold or feed a tarantula. He's going to have to get that example from his dad. But, I wasn't a total failure because I am just selective about what I'm willing to hold-caterpillar...sure. Not nearly as threatening or sinister as the others! There was actually a great selection of other insects to view as well-varieties of beetles, spiders, camouflaging 'leaf' bugs (really need to brush up on my insect vernacular), and even crabs and scorpions.

We also walked through the mummies exhibit which fascinated Henry--I can't wait to explore that one a bit more with him.

On our walk home, we spotted this squirrel going to town on these pumpkins. #MoPumpkinsMoProblems

A belly shot for anyone who is interested--I'll be 9 months next week and will finally see a doctor and hopefully get a c-section date scheduled. I've had two strangers ask me if I am having a girl...so we'll what's in the cards sooner rather than later!

Resident Tourists: Washington Monument and The Mall's Memorials

Scott gets to see quite a bit of the city and its buildings by nature of his job, so on the weekends when he's home, we've started taking advantage of the sightseeing normally reserved for tourists-which I think I'll probably feel like for a few more weeks. However, I have started not waiting for the appropriate time to cross the street when it's clear and safe (and when Henry's not with me-no "do as I say, not as I do" conversations) which makes me feel a bit more like a local.

This last weekend, we visited the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and Korean War Memorial. Walking up to the Lincoln Memorial, a young girl was singing the "Star Spangled Banner" in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, and it was quite moving to behold these sights with a live version of the anthem in the background.

It's actually really nice to see that tourists-both Americans and international-are so respectful of these memorials and monuments--quietly observing as well as preserving them for the future.