Kites, Carousels & Taxis

This past Saturday the National Kite Festival took place on the National Mall. Its an annual event put on by the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and last year we happened upon it quite by accident. We actually ended up on the metro with the thousands of other spectators but I do believe we were the only ones that had absolutely no idea why the trains were so crowded...this year, we were more prepared and took on the crowds by choice!

Because we learned a valuable lesson last year about the crowds, we decided to again metro into the the city which immediately put Owen in an indescribable mood. I brought along his brand new Toy Story kite featuring Buzz & Woody and we set out after his afternoon nap. Since we waited until he finished his nap we actually didn't get to the mall until the festival was technically over at 4pm. This really worked to our advantage though as we didn't have to fight the crowds on the metro, and there were less people out flying kites which meant Owen was free to fly, crash and otherwise be crazy without us worrying about too many other people. He liked flying his kite, but I think Robert and I had more fun with the kite then he did. It was a fabulous day outside and perfect for flying a kite, but it certainly could have been just a tad bit warmer. About 10 minutes into our fun, Owen spotted the Carousel on the mall and started asking to go for a ride. Since its been closed all winter and every time we drive by we promise a ride upon its reopening, we had to make our way over and enjoy our first carousel ride of 2010. In typical toddler style, as we stood in line to get on the carousel Owen stared doing the potty dance but denied the need to go until after our ride was 3/4's over, and the museums were about to close. We hightailed it to the Castle and got inside with 3 minutes to spare! And thankfully, no accidents to report :) Once we got back outside the wind had really picked up and it was pretty chilly so we decided to grab a taxi to Chinatown and get dinner at an awesome eatery called Matchbox. Owen was stoked about his first ever taxi ride and was intrigued that he did not have to ride in a car seat. After that, every taxi we spotted he said "That was just our taxi Mama!" And if anyone asks what he did at the kite festival, he tells them that "we didn't have our car, so we had to take a taxi!"

Here are a few pictures of the excitement-