The next morning we rode the Metro to the Mall in DC. It was absolutely sweltering -- we all needed water by the time we walked the three or four blocks from the Metro station to the Air and Space Museum. I feel as though my guidebook was misleading; the "lunar rock" that you can touch is no bigger than a microscope slide, and you can only view the cockpit of a jumbo jet. The only cockpit that the kids could actually sit in was of a Cessna, and even then, they could steer the rudder but the controls were all behind plexiglass.
The kids did step on a scale that revealed how much they would weigh on the moon (about seven pounds), earth (about 45 pounds), and Jupiter (about 111 pounds), and we tested my reaction time in another exhibit with a yardstick that falls unexpectedly, but for the most part, I feel as though the kids are still too young for the Museum. I did point out the display of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon
and The Spirit of St. Louis, which Charles Lindbergh flew in the first trans-Atlantic flight. 
One unexpected thing that we saw that we thought was cool was currencies from around the world in a receptacle for donations. 
Did you know that the Air and Space Museum is the most visited museum in the world, with more than 9 million a year on average? (The Louvre gets 8.5 million). The highlight of our morning, to be sure, was the freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches that we bought at the museum store on our way out.
As expected, Luke fell asleep on the Metro on the way home; he was a trooper, walking in oppressive heat.
Back at Nama's house, Bryn and Luke had a blast playing with new toys that Nama had gotten them. For Luke, a plastic road for his cars (and borrowed Matchbox cars, of course), and for Bryn (and Luke) a toy in which one uses magnetic cubes to complete color-by-number mosaics. Bryn and Luke cooperated beautifully on the first -- a teddy bear -- but Bryn did subsequent designs on her own.
For dinner we went to California Pizza Kitchen where they serve good macaroni and cheese (not bright orange) and really good salads for me and Nama and then to Baskin Robbins for the ice cream cones that are decorated with frosting to look like clowns. At night Bryn slept in my Dad's office, and she pretended she was in a hotel, while Luke and I shared a room. I was surprised that Bryn was willing to sleep in a room by herself, but it's a good sign that she feels comfortable at Nama's house. As for Luke, he didn't have an accident either night, and I'm gaining more confidence that we'll be able to do the big California trip without any pull-ups. :)Tonight, before bath, Luke said that we wanted to go back to Nama's house. "Right now." What a testament to the fun that the kids had in DC.
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