Our Home Invasion...

The week following Easter, my home was invaded by 4 boys and their mother...

Well, kind of, but it was actually my dear friend, Michelle [Bolker] O'Neill and her four boys... ranging in age from 15 months to 11 years old. Her older boys were on their spring break from school and she decided to drive out and visit with us and let her boys experience all that Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. have to offer. We were thrilled to have them all.

When I first mentioned to Benjamin that they were coming, he was ecstatic. We always spend time visiting with them when we are in Illinois and he was thrilled that they were finally all coming to his home.

Michelle's husband, Eric, wasn't able to join her and the boys for the first leg of the trip due to work constraints. So, Michelle made the 12+ hour trek as a solo driver. She is such a trooper to begin with but that long of a car ride is hectic for anyone... never mind, 4 kids including a 15 month old! Everything went smoothly though and after leaving Sunday night and spending a night in Ohio, they arrived safely at our door on Monday afternoon.

We had a couple rainy days but enjoyed an indoor moon bounce place and the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum (which is close by). Then the rest of their stay was full of gorgeous weather.

The boys all had a great time together and my boys' truly enjoyed having all the boys in their house! Samuel and Eli (15 months old) have very similar interests and enjoyed shooting hoops (in the little hoop we have indoors) and dancing around together (see video clip below!) We visited a nearby playground and enjoyed chocolate fondue one night as well. I asked the O'Neill boys several different times what their favorite part of their day or trip had been and they always came up with more than one thing!

They spent Friday night in DC and toured much of the sights then we met up with them on Saturday. Michelle got up early and made it to the Washington Monument to get in line for same day tickets to go up to the top. Benjamin has been asking to go up int he Monument for sometime and it's something I've been thinking we need to do before we leave this area. So, I was more than thrilled when Michelle was able to get tickets for all of us to go!

It was a beautiful day which was great. Except that thousands of other people decided to head to DC as well and parking was horrific. I drove around for about an hour once we got into the district just for parking. ugh. Finally, we parked and I raced to the Washington Monument pushing the double stroller as fast as any 6 month pregnant woman could. Phew! We made it just in time and all enjoyed our quick time up in the monument.

After our trip up to the top of the Washington Monument, we stopped for a bite to eat then headed to the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. They had a good children's area that the boys all enjoyed.

At about 3:30 p.m. we headed back towards the car. It was a long tiring day but we all had a fun time.

The O'Neills all packed back into their SUV that night and started their journey back towards Illinois. We enjoyed every minute with them and look forward to spending time with them when we visit Illinois this summer.