You can pilot a Cessna.
Look out the windows at huge bugs.
Pose for pictures against a rainy backdrop.
Become a traffic obstacle (but only if you sit on the floor in the air control tower).
Obey your mother ("Look at me with your eyes!" See how well they listen). 
And watch a clip from Transformers over and over and over. So on a happier note, I learned a TON about George Washington and his home. If you want some quick facts to use in your next battle of wits (or for the historical fiction novel you probably won't write), read on. If not, scroll to the bottom and glance at the lovely pics.
George Washington was a GIANT. At six-foot-four, he was eight-inches taller than the average man of that era. He died at age 67 of suffocation caused by a throat infection. Nasty. 
This model of the Mt. Vernon Mansion is on hydraulics. The facade lowers to show the interior of the major rooms. 
George Washington built a greenhouse on the grounds to house tropical plants and citrus trees.
The Upper Garden was a showpiece and many of the plants currently in bloom were the same types of flowers in GWs day. 
And Laynie is cute. 
Butterflies and bumblebees flitted all over the garden. We had to convince Gavin not to touch them.
Mt. Vernon is built of wood, not stone. Sand was mixed with the paint to give the exterior texture. The cupola on the roof was the last edifice Washington added. In the summer, they opened the windows to let the heat in the house out.
Laynie's cute again...this time on the ferry.
In three to four weeks each spring, Washington's slaves caught one million fish then salted and shipped them.
That's Ft. Washington. It was abandoned during the War of 1812. The commander only had 49 men to protect it from the British. He decided to blow up the armory, rendering the base useless, and vacate. After the war he was convicted of abandoning his post and executed. 
In 1798, Mt. Vernon hosted 677 overnight guests. I don't know how Martha Washington managed. She must have been really organized and had an army of slaves....oh wait, she did. Nearly 200 slaves are interred in a small burial ground a few hundred yards from Washington's tomb. 
The American Chestnut tree is nearly extinct. In Washington's time, it made up a third of the wilderness on his property. The Passenger Pigeon is extinct. The last one died in the New York Zoo in 1914. The bird was common at Mt. Vernon in the president's time. 
Here Gav is separating the chaff from the wheat. This wheat was crushed in the two-story 16-sided barn Washington invented as a wheat mill of sorts. Apparently, horses won't defecate unless they have a corner to stop in. Because the barn is essentially a colonial indoor track, the horses circle continuouslycrushing wheat beneath their hooves. The workers load everything that falls through the floor to the lower level in the into a small wagon. One person picks out all the stalks (see picture below), and then another removes the chaff. 
Wheat was a much more lucrative crop than corn. In Washington's day, each stalk only produced two cobs. 
We took Grandma Ardy to see the Blue Ridge Mountains. They sure live up to their name. The range is nestled in fog making the surrounding peaks always look well...blue.
Laynie's been glued to her daddy's side since we returned to Virginia. 
Thought we better get at least one mother-daughter picture. 
I'm a little jealous of the owners of this beautiful little ranch. It's nestled in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.
Skyline Drive is a 150 mile long drive that follows the hugs the mountain range. Since we knew the kids weren't going to look out the window for that long, we picked a rest spot along the road and stopped for potty breaks and treats. I LOVE that it had one pump at the gas station. 
We entertained the kids by taking pictures in the back seat. 
These are the binoculars that Gav got at the rest stop. He "saw" a black bear, deer, fox, and squirrels through them. Notice that he has them backwards...totally the best way to use them.
I LOVED this tree! How cool is that against the background?
More mountains....if you can call them that. We were a whopping 3,000 feet above sea level. 
One more shot of that cool tree. 
We were able to avoid a lot of the traffic and found a parking spot immediately. It seemed like a sign. And it was...sort of. 
I was a little nervous that the kids would be bored at the museum, but there are plenty of hands on exhibits. Here the kids are trying to wring clothes dry the old fashioned way. 
I know what it looks like...but it's really just a bucket of wash water. Each bucket holds 21 pounds. I felt very grateful for my washing machine today.
This is one of the original Dumbo carts from the Disney ride.
Hey Bay! These are Dorothy's real ruby slippers. Super cool, huh! My niece loves (or at least used to) the Wizard of Oz. 
This is a gunboat from the War of 1812. A 24-pound dumbbell (at least that's what it looked like) did enough damage to sink this ship. Technology - especially the technology of warfare - has come a long way. 
Here's Gavin the Riveter. That's hard work! I don't know how all the World War II Rosie's could manage those machines! 
Here's a Huey from Vietnam. Gavin was very concerned about the fallen solider. G: "Is he dead, mom?" Me: "No, he's just hurt." G: "Goliath probably looked like that after David got him." Me: "Sure Gav. If you say so."
Yep. That's the original C3PO. Gavin was so excited that he had to take this picture all by himself. 
Laynie: "Thomas, he's the cheeky one!" Gavin: "That's not Thomas, that's James!" 
This is actually a really cool story. This light house is from GALVESTON, TEXAS! Read the little blurb below for your history lesson for the day:
Gavin: "Look at the mouse, Mom!" 
Then we had homemade pizza for dinner (not my mom's favorite food, but she suffered through it for the sake of speed). And had a delicious homemade cake. Don't look too closely. whip cream doesn't make pretty frosting, but it sure was tasty. 
This was pre-firework fake sleeping. Obviously. 