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One never truly realizes how sweet home is until you return from a period of time away from it. Nothing compares to what is yours.

Nonetheless, after two + weeks there, Fam Och misses the rest of Fam Och back in VA. The twins were recovering from a terrible horrifying car accident just days before we got there. (Donald hurt his knee and aggravated his ankle, Daniel has three broken vertebrae and aggravated a previous slipped disc). So it was nice to be there just to reconnect and simply be with them. Dylan is officially one of the big kids now and had tremendous fun hanging with his cousins. Sophia and Liv hung onto them like velcro attachments, it was adorable.

Now, it is back to old everyday grind...unpacking...and planning for the next trip next month to Yellowstone!

Busch Gardens Williamsburg!

We drove the two hours straight from DC to Williamsburg and spent the night there so we can meet up with the older Ochoa fam the next day for an adventure filled day at Busch Gardens.

My niece Katie convinced me to get on this ride, the Alpengeist, at the front row with her. Stupid! I had awoken with a headache earlier that morning and it did nothing but terrify me and aggravate the pain in my head! Other than the kiddie rides to accompany my girls, it was the one and only big kid ride I went on that day. Boooo, Missus Och!

The kids, including Dylan with his newfound bravado hopped on this one called the Loch Ness Monster.

Dylan with cousins Kaitlynn, Brittney, Alex, aunt Melissa, and Katie's bf Andrew.

Checking out the park map to decide what coaster to ride next.

While the big kids abandoned the slower moving adults, we went our separate ways to entertain the little ones. We headed down to the Sesame Street themed Forest of Fun area. We discovered the place had a water playground complete with fountains, sprinklers, and all sorts of get-you-wet accoutrements. Seeing as my girls are averse to water being sprayed everywhere, we set them loose into it, thinking (stupidly) that they would just merely splash their feet in the little puddles. WRONG!

The two proceeded to get soaking wet on purpose! I was forced into buying a towel and new Sesame Street clothing (eeew).

We rode on some kiddie roller coasters and Sophia (Liv refused) cuddled with a number of the mascots.

This is the big daddy of the roller coasters here called the Griffon. It is the world's tallest floorless 260 foot 90 degree drop roller coaster. Mister Och got bullied into it by niece Katie. Initially, he had his reservations, but afterwards they raved about it for the rest of the day.

It was great fun, as always. We drove back to home base (3.5 hours, yuck) and called it a day.

Washington DC Day 3

On our third and last day in DC, and Sophie's SIXTH birthday, we kicked off the day with a tour of the White House. These pics were just grabbed from the net, as we were not allowed to bring anything but a wallet and cellphone.

You can request a tour of the White House through your state representative. A background check will be performed and then you are assigned a time to go through a limited area of the White House.

Yeah, there are a lot of people who get disappointed with this tour, considering the restrictions and hooplah to go through to get in. BUT, this is where the Prez lives for goodness sake! It was still cool. In Sophie's words, "This is where Okibama lives!" (hehehehe)

For lunch, we drove (I know, I know! But this time, L's mom and two nieces came with and we had a handicapped sticker to help us out with parking issues) to Capitol Hill to try out Chef Spike's (of Top Chef fame) burgers at Good Stuff Eatery.

Yum! The burgers may even be better than In-and-Out. But I really loved the seasoned fries (rosemary, thyme, and garlic). I ate so much of that I hardly had enough room for the burger itself!

Then, we stopped at the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials.

We then headed to the Museum of Natural History (it was Sophie's birthday after all). We had a limited amount of time, so Sophie decided on the Ocean Hall and Mammals Hall. She loaded up on some serious goodies (she was allowed six for her special day). We also got to sneak in an iMax movie on dinosaurs in 3-D.

This was the girls' first time witnessing 3-D. Liv hid for the first ten minutes, then finally settled in my lap and swiped or jumped at the dinosaurs.

Miss Sophie with cousin Alex.

The gigantic jellyfish that Sophie oohed and aaahed over for over ten minutes.


The next and final stop was at the Air and Space Museum. We headed straight for the simulator section.

Mister D and Alex chose the interactive flight simulator for an F-4 Phantom Fighter Jet. They rode on in twice, each taking turns as the pilot, trying out barrel rolls and all sorts of vomit-inducing moves. The Mister took the girls and cousin Brittney on the tamer ride simulator of a roller coaster. To my surprise, the girls weren't upset or scared of the ride...they were upset that it was over!

We stopped at Chinatown for some grub. We chose to eat at Tony Cheng's. Awesome!

Great food! A little pricey, but great nonetheless. I had Peking duck for the first time and it was scrumptious!!!!

It was a delicious end to our stint in the capital. We were on the interstate headed down to Williamsburg by 9:30 pm. We missed a lot of the other must-see's like the other Smithsonian museums, but we have to put that off for a later time. The kids had a great great time. I loved the fact that they learned a lot as well about this country, past presidents, and war heroes. A great vacay within a vacay. This is a must-see for children!!!

Washington DC Day 2

We had three main goals for the agenda: National Zoo, National Museum of Natural History, and the boys trip to the International Spy Museum. During my planning for this trip, I figured we would have enough time in between so as not to feel rushed for the day. As we all know, no matter how much planning is done, things don't usually come out as planned. :-)

In the morning, we hopped in the car (bad call!) and decided to forego the Metro this time around. We had hoped to arrive at the zoo earlier in the morning before opening time (the grounds open at 0600 but the zoo isn't officially in business until 1000) to catch the animals at their most active time. A slow iPhone GPS led us to miss one turn which then in turn led us on a wild goose chase trying to find the right way in crazy DC one-ways and closed off roads. Our estimated arrival time of 0915 became a reality of 1000. Oh well, so much for arriving early.

I was the most dissapointed at this fact, but my optimistic boys (the Mister and Mister D) pointed out our impromptu detours took us through the Dupont Circle neighborhood (bustling, but charming) and down Embassy Row. They had a great time identifying which building belonged to which country.

The entrance to the park is free. Although if you want a map, you need to fork over two bucks. It was well worth it, as Sophia took on the role of official navigator during the trip. She became pretty proficient in her map reading skills considering she was in her absolute fave setting!

The big cats were up and about still and we got to experience some eye to eye contact with a tiger and a male lion. Another lion was busy cleaning off the monstrous breakfast he had earlier. They had some great educational hands-on exhibits around the animal enclosures. Like this one for example, had the kids comparing the size of their hands to that of the tiger's.

We were lucky enough to catch the orangutans (it was Iris' the ape's birthday that day) inside
the think tank and had a great lady to ourselves to teach us the difference between apes and monkeys.

The kids loved the indoor exhibits the best. The reptiles and small mammals buidlings were chock full of animals they were familiar with. I pointed out to Liv, "Look, Liv, BIG turtles!!!!" At which point Sophie patiently tells me, "Mom, those are tortoises. Turtles are small!" Yes, ma'am! :-)

Seeing the male panda was nice and all, but the highlight of the zoo excursion was watching the apes travel across what they call the O-line. It is a system of towers and cables that allow the orangutans choice of location and freedom of movement. They can travel by swinging on cables 100 ft in the air, with no safety net, btw, from the think tank to the ape house on the other side of the zoo.

We were warned not to stand directly below them as these apes find tremendous fun in urinating on unsuspecting zoo patrons!
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Arlington National Cemetery

This was just supposed to be a quick peek/drive into the cemetery to show Dylan the size of the place and the number of heroes interned there. Instead, the eight mile drive from the zoo to the cemetery took a whole hour (again, GPS versus closed roads and missed turns). Once we got there, we stopped in the visitor's center at which point, Dylan pleaded to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Mister and I promised each other never to discourage any educational requests from the kids, so our plans for the day became officially derailed.

It was a great call, though. A diplomat from Lebanon was there to lay a wreath on the tomb, and so the usual ten minute ceremony became a huge 45 minute to-do with all branches of the services (including the Coast Guard!) and the Army band there. Dylan was in the front to witness the whole thing. The look on his face afterwards was priceless.

As fitting, we chose not to bring the camera into the cemetery in respect for the dead who lay there. So, no pictures for this one.
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International Spy Museum

I opted out of the Spy Museum so the boys can enjoy the experience sans complaining girls. They signed up for the Operation Spy experience: a CIA-based-on-actual-missions hands-on, role-playing experience.

Mister D LOVED it! He considers this his favorite portion of the trip!!!

Washington DC Day 1

The Fam snuck off to the capital for three days while here in VA. Of the numerous times we've been to visit the Mister's fam here, we haven't brought the kids over to experience DC. It was time to finally set things right!

Some details: Lodging is expen$ive here!!! AND, most hotel establishments have a max capacity of four per room. Five member families need not apply, thanks, unless you want to pay 2x for an adjoining room. So I found this uber helpful site (CLICK HERE) for those blessed with a larger than average brood (5+) and I was at least able to identify which were able to accomodate all of us. We decided on the Marriot Residence Inn at Capitol, south of the National Mall and a half block away from the nearest Metro station. Great military rates, FREE grocery shopping service, full kitchen (nuker, stovetop,fridge,dishwasher), and underground parking garage. Plus, the free hot breakfasts and even one manager hosted dinner sealed the deal!

The first day, we parked the car at the hotel and took the Metro to the mall (do NOT drive in DC! You will want to rip your hair out at the roots!!!).

First stop was at the Capitol. Soph had learned of DC and the presidents last February in school, so she was able to identify all the buildings!
We bypassed the Smithsonian museums on our way from the Capitol to reach the base of the Washington Monument. It took us a little bit, and by that time, we had to make our way back to the digs to officially check in. After a little nap and the free dinner, we returned once again, this time to view the monuments by moonlight.

We got there right at sunset (we got off at the Smithsonian stop) and made our way down. The girls loved all the open space and took advantage of the time free of mom's hovering.

The World War II Memorial was on Mister D's Wish List of sites to see in DC.

At the WWII Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial was Miss Soph's thing. From the time she learned we were going to visit DC, she has chattered on about the Lincoln Memorial and how there is a huuuuuge statue of the guy on the penny in it. Once we turned from the WWII memorial and caught sight of it off in the distance across the reflecting pool, she has had that goofy ecstatic look on her face.

Little Liv couldn't keep her eyes off the sculpture long enough to even give me a little smile.

"Wow." she said. My sentiments exactly.

Day One = Success

Now THAT's What You Call a MALL

My goodness, walking into this megalith of a building made me think I had died and gone to heaven. Tyson's Corner, VA is a shopping mecca amidst the political hullabaloo of the nation's capital. You come upon the end of a corridor and assume it's the end, but turn a corner and find yet another wing. And no, I did not get to see the whole thing...and we were there for four hours!

I love that there are both high-end designer stores and normal mall establishments under the same roof. My beloved Coach store was next door to an Ann Taylor. Even more impressive...both Banana and Ann had separate Petite stores just for moi.

We went with two carloads of family mbrs and we had to resort to splitting up and going to our respective favorites so we can get to everything before closing time.

The girls got new cases for their iPods (bejeweled, of all things!), Dylan picked up a game and a case for himself as well, the Mister got a new shaving kit complete with old-fashioned badger brush from the Art of Shaving, and I fell in love at first sight with a new full-sized wallet from Coach and found a cover for my Nook. It was truly a fantastic retail experience!

Flying with Children

I was obsessed with finding the right materials to purchase and stash away in our carry on to keep the girls busy and tantrum-free. I had these small sticker activity books I found at Cracker Barrel for .99 each and magnetic play scenes from B&N (not so great...and heavy). The thing that kept the girls focused was a pack of pipe cleaners I found at a craft store. They weighed next to nothing, and they were cheap and plentiful.

We shaped them to create their names and favorite animals. And when the boys seated in front of us (who obviously needed sedation) started their pre-show of destruction, Miss Sophie came to the rescue, whipped up a bouquet of pipe cleaner hearts and had the monsters mesmerized by the power of bendable crafts. Her offer ignited a calm friendship that I am certain the rest of the cabin appreciated.

Hooray for pipe cleaners!

Jetting Blue

So I've mentioned previously that Fam Och are officially JetBlue fans! What a lovely airline!

I know how air travel can be such a nightmare nowadays and how everything is being nickle and dimed for the customers. Well, here's one, alongside Southwest Air, that seems to be customer oriented still. I did my research on this one (as always) since the Mister and I wanted air trans that will only get us where we want to go at the most cost effective price tage, but also one that will make this fam vacay as enjoyable as possible for the little nuggets.

The airfare was a bit steeper (30 buck diff or so?) compared to the other air giants...at first glance. And I say this why? Because when I figured the cost of check-in luggage at $35 a pop for each member of the fam for a round trip, I about lost it! Jet Blue does NOT charge for the first check in baggage!!!! After doing the complete price comparison (luggage fees included for the other airfare) Jet Blue won out hands down.

See that picture above? This isn't only on select aircraft like Northwest or Delta....each and every aircraft on the JetBlue fleet have each and every seat with its own personal TV. It is not one major showing of a newish blockbuster hit that may be inappropriate for innocent eyes. It is DIRECTV!!!! 36 channels of it!!! For not additional costs!!! We brought our own headphones and each member of the fam personally chose their selection for their own viewing pleasure. The girls watched Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, the boys chose to watch the Lakers vs Nuggets basketball game on ESPN, and I enjoyed learning to cook an artichoke on Food Network.

Another great thing...I love their seats. Leather seats! Oh the joy I felt as I ran antibacterial wipes over these babies! I always felt so icky sitting down in fabric airplane seating.

And the snacks! They are FREE and UNLIMITED! Yes, that is right, if that bag of whatever you chose to munch on didn't quite hit the spot, you may have another....and another...and another...until the flight is over. The snack selection is superb...animal crackers, trail mix (not chex, Miz B), Terra Blue Potato Chips (my fave), chocolate chip cookies, and a whole bunch of others I didn't get to try.

We did not experience any delays, although we were expecting and ready for any. (Doesn't it seem every flight is late anyways?) The staff were AWESOME! They were friendly and funny and always always helpful. Hows that for service?

Really, (again this is not a paid advert) this is the way to go. My kids loved the flight. No snags, no crying, no nothing I was afraid to encounter. Jet Blue Jet Blue Jet Blue!

We Have Arrived

Yes, folks, we are officially in vacay mode! As I type, the Och fam is basking in the warmth of family reunion around the dinner table playing none other than Phase 10 Twist. LOL. For the next two and a half weeks, we will be enjoying quality fam moments both here with the 'rents and brothers and nieces and dogs and also during mini-vacays to D.C. and Hershey Park, PA. Yes, there is an amusement park by Hershey Chocolate. Wild!

The trip over was great. The girls travelled on their best behaviors (unlike some rambunctious hellacious children in the row in front of us). We are official fans of JetBlue Airways (separate post) and have overcome minor snags in car renting (another post). Since we took the red eye over, we spent the first day napping and recuperating. Tomorrow, it is the grand start of the vacay with a trip to TYSON's CORNER!!!! (only the biggest shopping destination in VA)

More to come...as always when I seriously slack on posting, I have heard grumbles from readers, and I just wanted to provide some reassurance that you, my favorite peeps, can tag along (at least vicariously) with Team Och on yet another adventure!!!! Until next time!

Off We Go!

Vacay time!!! Will post more very very soon! Yeay!!!

Boondocks

Happy Easter