Flying High for Your Birthday!

Four-year-old boy + Birthday + National Air and Space Museum =

Happiest Little Boy in the World!

The Air and Space Museum is only about 15 minutes from our house. It's free admission, but $15 to park...and it's the best $15 you can spend in Washington D.C. We will be going again very soon.

From the upper level, you can get a great view of the entire hangar.


This is the Enola Gay...yep, that's the one. The plane that dropped the first nuclear bomb is on prominent display in the main hangar. Jamie and I both felt a little conflicted...

If you've watched the second edition of Transformers, you are familiar with the National Air and Space Museum and the SR-71 that comes to life. This was the Gavin's second favorite display...and it's not even a plane and he hasn't seen the movie.

The Air Traffic Control tower is really fun...just look at that face! You have a great view of the runway at Dulles Airport. You can watch the planes land and take off.

Here's a view from one of the giant windows. I bet it was incredible when the foliage was brightly colored.

And here is the best part of the whole museum...they let you "test fly" a Cessna. Gavin did NOT want to get out. You can turn the wheel, changes the position of the rudders, and look at all the flight gauges. He kept saying over and over, "Please, can Laynie come and sit in here with me? Can she be my co-pilot?"

Here is the mini-astronaut suit that NASA gave away as a publicity stunt. Seems like a pretty good idea to me.

The space shuttle is huge! Much larger than I ever anticipated.

Jamie and the kids went in a space shuttle simulator...no one threw up.

And while they rode, I studied the trench art. These incredible pieces are made out of missile shells from World War I.

The we came home and had dinner and some DELICIOUS cake...and yes, I baked it.

Gavin still blows through his front teeth. Totally hysterical.

Here's Jr. Cake Face with NASA shuttle still clutched in her hand. She didn't put it down for two days.

Gavin got a lot of great presents! Thanks to all of you!

It was a perfect day that Gavin, and the rest of us, will never forget! He was lucky to have his Guggy and Papa Rick to share the Museum and special birthday with.

He also got a dart gun...Jamie liked it so much that he sent me to Target he next day to buy three more so that Joel, MeMe, Jamie and I can have a major war when they come to visit in December. Watch out kids! We'll get you!