A Day in DC

One of the girls' favorite things to do with Daddy: Explore museums. A day in Washington, D.C. was just the ticket.

First Day of Preschool! Finally!

Noodle started preschool today! She is so excited. Snappy started school about a week ago, and it's been torture for poor Noodle to watch her big sister get on the bus every day and leave her home with boring mom. There have been many tears. Many tantrums. But finally, her day came.

First Day of School! Finally!

Thanks to Hurricane Irene, the first 5 days of school were canceled. Snappy's school didn't have power, plus there were many trees and branches obstructing the bus routes. But finally, after Labor Day, she went back to school! The smile on her excited face was a bright ray of sunshine on a wet, dreary day.

State Fair

I hate the fair.

I hate the crowds.
I hate the rides.
I hate the noise.
I hate the prices.
I hate the greasy food...

Lucky for my kids, however, their father LOVES the fair as much as they do! So I do my time for the first hour or two for the sake of family togetherness, and to get a few pictures. Then, under the guise of having to get the little one home for a nap, I skiddadle while Snappy, Noodle and Daddy stay and live it up.

Everybody wins!

Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene hit the Eastern Seaboard this weekend. We were lucky enough not to lose power. Many of our friends were without electricity for up to 5 days after the storm! We had some downed branches in our yard, but no major damage...

Unless you count the damage the kids did to our room when we let them camp out in there during the storm.

Pick a Peck of Peaches

To celebrate the last day of summer before school starts, my friend and I took our kids peach picking. There was the train ride, the peach and nectarine picking, a picnic, a petting zoo, and two playgrounds! Having that much fun was exhausting, but totally worth it. Now, what to do with all the peaches...

The Home of the Brave

One of my favorite places in Baltimore: Fort McHenry. It has such an incredible history and an amazing view! It's so fun to share it with my kids now.

Taking a Pass on Grants Pass

Job hunting is miserable. The upside: traveling to new places! Here's our trip to Grants Pass, Ore., which we LOVED. Unfortunately, the job wasn't quite what we were looking for, so the hunt continues.


We flew into Medford on this cute little plane.

Our first stop after leaving the airport was to find the Medford temple.

The Rogue River runs through Grants Pass. Our hotel was right on the riverfront. And we went on a speedboat tour down the river that was tons of fun! (Although it took me forever to untangle my hair afterwards...) We saw a bald eagle, ospreys, and other wildlife.

There are bears all over town for the tourists. This one in front of our hotel had an interesting wardrobe.

We had a nice time, but it was nice to come home to our kids! Thanks to Gma and Gpa for taking such good care of them while we were gone.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Every summer, my husband takes Snappy to a baseball game. This time, Noodle was old enough to come along too.

They ride into town on the train...




And explore Camden Yards....




And eat lots of junk food.




Oh yes! They also watch a baseball game. Go Orioles!

Art Hour

Clearance-aisle painting project = $6
2 hours of kids completely self-entertained = priceless.

Reading Never Tasted So Good

Step 1: Place books on floor.
Step 2: Place small treat atop each book.
Step 3: Tell kids if they want the treat, they must read the book.

Result: Mom gets 20 minutes of peace and quiet.

Noodle sums it up: "This is the best game ever!!"

Princess Party -- Just for Fun

My good friend Tynley has a fabulous habit of throwing parties -- for no reason. That's right, it doesn't have to be someone's birthday, she just wants to party anyway. And we're more than happy to comply. A couple years ago, she invited us over for a princess party, and it was such a hit, she decided to do it again this summer.

So my girls put on their favorite princess dress-ups joined the festivities. Tynley had costume jewelry for them to put on and sparkly crowns to adorn their heads:



She even had manly crowns and knight armor for Mr. Monkey and the two other boys who came along with their princess sisters.



There was a beauty station, where the girls got their hair done and their nails painted. And there were games, such as trying to walk like a princess with a book balanced on your head. Check out Snappy. Such poise! Such balance! Such beauty!



They also rolled out a big sheet of paper and let the kids draw castles, fairies and whatever else struck their fancy. But everything came to a halt when a ladybug joined the party. We made it an honorary princess. After all, it is a lady!



To top it off, there was a colorful pinata...that was apparently made of steel. I think the kids spent a half hour beating this thing, and it got nary a dent. Finally, Tynley pulled it down and pried it open, revealing ring pops and candy necklaces and bracelets. Yum.



A lovely time was had by all, as demonstrated by my demure little princess:

Grilled Twinkies & Other Things That Make This Country Great

Ah, July 4th. A day to celebrate and count our blessings we enjoy in this wonderful country.
To name a few...

Slip 'n' Slides...

Family and friends...

Poolside hunks...

Our freedom...

Cedar-plank grilled Twinkies smothered in Nuttella, marshmallows and Oreo cookies
(only in the U.S.A!)...

And, of course, our right to blow things up for fun.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Backyard Ice Sculptures

Snappy is very interested in science. So I thought I'd have a little science lesson with the kids about solids, liquids, and gasses.

I gathered up a bunch of tupperware, and froze water in them. And I made a bunch of ice cubes. Then I dumped them all on the back patio and turned the kids loose.

They had a great time making ice castles. They had to move fast, though, because it was hot! We talked about what they observed -- such as the ice on the bottom of the castles was melting faster than on top -- and tried to see if we could come up with a scientific reason for our observations.

Mr. Monkey enjoyed licking the ice cubes.

All in all, a fun, cool, and educational hour spent!