1st Lost Tooth

While we were on our trip to D.C., Zachy's tooth was very loose. We were hoping it wouldn't fall out and get lost during our adventures. Luckily it held on an extra week and today was the day!

Happy first lost tooth Zachy!

Boris

On a cold Thanksgiving weekend in Pennsylvania in 2003, we met an abandoned kitten who needed a home. We considered adding "her" to our family and the next weekend, just before a big snowstorm rolled into town, I drove back to pick up the kitten. The little female kitten we called Cleo (Cleopatra for Caesar) turned out to be a boy and was named Boris.

Boris was a very affectionate though dim witted cat. When he meowed, he would stare up at us, open his mouth big and wide, and the tiniest little sound would escape from his little mouth.

Caesar and Boris wouldn't admit it, but they got along well from the start. They would often engage in Cat Sumo matches, and the winner wasn't always expected or obvious.

Boris started out a Pennsylvania fluff ball, moved to Maryland (2 homes) and then made a cross country trek to California (5 homes). So many hours in the car with Boris crying and carrying on.

Boris was playful and loving and never let on that he was unwell. By the time he let us know he was sick, cancer had taken over his little body. Before Phil took him to the vet, the kids gave him some loving pets and words. When Phil returned without him, Mady ran to the cat carrier looking for Boris. "Boris in Mommy's car? I see him?" When we told her that Boris was sick and couldn't come home she was very sad. I'm writing this much after the fact, and she will still ask me "Boris no come home? Boris died? That's so sad." We were all very sad and miss our little BorBor.

Rest in peace Boris. AKA Bor, BorBor, Boraclease, Borasquirm, SquirmCat, Little Slut Cat, Squirm, Squirm-a-Bor.  We love you and miss you.

Quiet Time

Mady spent the morning playing with her little bear family. She was very carefully setting up the couch for them to sit on and making sure they all had a spot to sit. When they were done sitting, they hopped back into their camper and drove away.

2nd and 3rd Graders

It's the first day of school and the back packs are stuffed with books and the overflow bags are stuffed with more books and lots of school supplies. We need a pack mule to help us carry all of these goodies.

My handsome 2nd and 3rd grade boys.

Uh-oh! Zachy's in the front row. Do you think his teacher knows something?

And Alex is in the back row.

After school we went to the new ice cream shop with some school friends.

A Little Extra

Apparently Alex didn't think the first day of school was exciting enough so he arranged to have a tooth fall out today. He was extra excited to get the fabled "tooth box" since he lost the tooth during school!

Farewell Summer

Well, it is the last day of summer vacation. And you know what that means - Hot Fudge Sundae Dinner!

Some traditions are yummier than others, and this is definitely a kid favorite!

Washington DC

We finally made it to Washington DC with Mady! This was her first trip and we sure tried to see it all!
When we arrived, we took the Metro from the airport to a stop somewhat close to our hotel.  It is much closer when you aren't dragging all of your suitcases around!

Mady might not have been as impressed as we would like.

After checking in at the hotel, we immediately went out for our first sight of the White House. On the way there, we could hear the cicadas singing and were even lucky enough to find a discarded shell.

The White House....with an exceptionally green lawn. That is not something we see at home anymore!

We walked around the White House and saw the beautiful fountain. Then we headed back to the hotel to rest up after a long day of flying.

Next morning we started out at the Washington Monument. We could see this from our hotel window, so it was a logical starting point. We walked around the Monument and then headed out along the Reflecting Pool to see Mr. Lincoln.

 The troops were already starting to slow down.

We opted for a side view of Lincoln this time and then we read parts of his speeches.

 View from Lincoln Memorial out onto the Reflecting Pool.

Next up was a stop at the Museum of American History. Alex tried out being president.

Zachy and Alex talked to this nice lady about the gear the soldiers carried during WW2. These helmets are incredibly heavy and had no lining. There was also a display from the Vietnam War and the helmets had improved some by then in terms of lining. The Vietnam War helmets also had a camouflage cover piece for hiding in the jungle.

 Of course we saw Kermit the Frog!

Mady checked out Eisenhower's uniform.

Outside, I couldn't resist a photo of these giant flowers.

We met up with Grammy and Grandpa for lunch, and then we went to the Air and Space Museum. Each night, a different museum stays open a little bit later, and luckily for us, today was the late day at Air and Space!

Mady learning about the forces used in air travel.

And putting that knowledge to use. She seems a little serious, I hope this flight lands safely!

An evening photo op with the Capitol, complete with scaffolding.

Dinner in Chinatown.

The next day we had pre-ordered tickets for the Washington Monument. I have always wanted to take this tour, and even though we lived outside of DC for a few years, the timing never worked out. But now I got to experience it with the kids.

It rained some, but the views were still spectacular!

After the tour, we hopped onto the Circulator bus to visit Thomas Jefferson.

There were some people in paddle boats on the Tidal Basin and we walked over to see them, which led us to the discovery of little fish. A little walk down the way led to George Mason. Mady made friends with a group of Asian tourists who really enjoyed taking her picture.

Phil wanted the kids display their Federal Reserve Notes in front of the Eccles Building.

After picking up some Washington DC t-shirts from a street vendor, we once again hopped on the Circulator. Mady, understandably was a little sleepy.

New shirts and goofy poses in front of the Capitol this time!

Getting crafty at the National Museum of the American Indian.

A very foreboding sky on the walk back to the hotel. But not a drop of rain. We did have to walk through a couple of wind tunnels though.

In the middle of the night, Alex rolled out of his bed and scraped his nose along the night stand. He was fortunate not to hit his eye. Now he looks like a tough guy!

Off on an adventure on Metro...

destination, the National Zoo.

We were there just days before the new panda was born, so the mama was already in her private suite. But Bao Bao was very playful and provided some nice photo ops.

This young gorilla was playing games with the kids. She would sit with her back to the glass and then suddenly jump up and turn around, scaring everyone.

Riding the little train.

Chimpanzees and monkeys in the jungle.

After a fun day at the zoo, we met up with Grammy and Grandpa again for a yummy dinner. Then they stayed at the hotel with the kids for a bit so that Phil and I could run out for snack.

On our last morning, we spent some time at the hotel pool.  Mady taught Alex a new way to enjoy the water.

View from the hotel room window. Mady didn't want to leave.

After checking our bags with the bellman, we went out for one last spin around the Reflecting Pool.

Zachy, Mady and Alex turned in their complete Junior Ranger sheets. The ranger asked them who they would like to meet from history. Zachy said "Mr. Lincoln, so I could hear his speech." Alex chose Martin Luther King Jr, also for speeches, and Mady chose George Washington.

Junior Rangers of the National Mall.

The rest are just random pictures from our trip.
This flag is made out of Legos.

Reflecting at the end of a fun trip.

 Part of the Junior Ranger program was to make a rubbing from the Vietnam Wall.

 Wandering the streets of Washington D.C.

 World War 2 Memorial.

Mady chilling on the Circulator. She knows how to ride in style.

We even made it to the Museum of Natural History to see the Hope Diamond and dinosaurs. But I can't seem to find the pictures from that adventure. Because the boys have been playing a lot of Minecraft, they really enjoyed seeing all of the different gemstones.