Last Full Day in D.C.

Our last full day in D.C. was full of museums and much lighter on the walking.  (Thank goodness for that, because all of our feet needed a rest after the massive amounts of walking we had done the days before!)  We took the Metro in to the Federal Triangle and paid a visit to the J.Edgar Hoover building.  We were lucky enough to get a tour inside and visit the closed to the public FBI museum, after a lot of security checks.  I mean a lot of security checks, no cameras allowed.  It was fascinating.  Thank you to our connection for making that possible. :)  Here we are giving our best "special agent" poses.  Don't we look intimidating?

We walked through the Butterfly Habitat Garden as we headed to the National Gallery of Art.  There were gorgeous flowers and butterflies aplenty.  A perfect little oasis to see some of nature's masterpieces before seeing some of the great man made masterpieces.

The only DaVinci in the Western Hemisphere.  So many interesting Renaissance works to see.

The boys were a little less than thrilled with all of the art.  Luckily there were lots of couches to lounge in and some boy-friendly works of art, like this huge depiction of David in the lion's den to draw them in.  Mr. Three and Mr. Four spent lots of time napping through this visit.

But for me, this was a "bucket list" moment.  To see works by Monet, VanGogh, Rembrandt, and many of the masters was a dream come true.  It was tempting to touch them, but rest assured, I had lots of self control, and if I lacked that, the many friendly, yet very present, museum guards definitely discourage you from any such attempt.

Our last museum stop was to the National Museum of Natural History.  This captured the boys' interests much better.  We saw dinosaur bones, mysterious and strange ocean creatures, a giant whale, mammoths, insects, mummies, and lots more.

The area we spent the most time in was the rocks and minerals section.  There were rooms filled with every rock and mineral imaginable:  from lava rocks and copper mines to the Hope Diamond.  We could have spent a lot more time here and in other parts of the museum, but sadly, it was closing time and we had to head home. 

 At Carla's apartment, we ended our day with quesadillas and a rousing game of Color Slap with the kids.  With an evening of laughs, full tummies and tired bodies, the boys drifted off to sleep while the adults chatted and packed up the bags for our return flight home the next morning.

This was truly a dream come true trip, and we are so grateful Carla helped make it possible.  It was hard to get up that next morning and get on a plane to head home.  Goodbye beautiful architecture, rich history around every corner, cool breezes and green, green landscapes.  I truly hope we have the chance to explore D.C. again, when the kids are older.  For the present, we will be happy with the memories and can relive the fun through our pictures. 

Monday in North Carolina

 

After a great big breakfast at the hotel, we ventured first to Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brother's National Memorial.  We wandered the area where the Orville and Wilbur took their first flights, toured the visitor's center, and hiked the Big Kill Devil Hill, where the brothers conducted their flying experiments.  The name of the hill sounds much more intimidating than it really was. 

 

Unless of course you are Mr. Two and you insist on taking your own "short cut" down the hill, opposite the way the rest of the family is going, and when you discover that you can no longer see your family, you wail and run the whole (longer) way around the hill until you find them again. 

 

Good times.  No need to panic too much about a lost child when you can certainly hear him coming.  I sure do love that stubborn boy!  Tantrums aside, the views were awesome, and the boys loved seeing the replica gliders and dreaming about flight (and I do mean all of the boys ;)).

Our next stop was the beach.  We grabbed a Subway lunch and headed to the shore.  I was really excited to experience the Atlantic Ocean. 

 

 

We heard that the east coast beaches were different than the west coast.  The water warmer, the waves gentler.  Well, either the people who claim this are fibbers or we caught a strange day, because that water was cold!  The cold water aside, it was a beautiful day at the beach.  The tall grasses off the shoreline waving in the breeze, the pale colored, stilted beach houses, the warm sun, the small crowds of beach goers, just enough to feel like you had friendly company, but lots of room to stretch out and explore. 

The boys loved playing in the water and sand, building sandcastles, running along the shore, jumping in the waves.  It was strange to have the sun set behind us as we gazed onto the ocean, being so used to the setting sun on the ocean horizon.  The sunrise must be amazing.

We just missed getting to the Bodie Lighthouse in time for a tour, but we still got some great pictures.  I have never seen a lighthouse in person before.  It was probably a good thing we didn't try and get a tour in because all of the littles, except for Mr. One, were fast asleep by the time we got there.

After soaking up the sunshine and ocean air, and a quick stop for salt water taffy, we packed up and headed back towards D.C..  Salt Water taffy must be a big thing there because we saw signs for it everywhere.  Naturally, we had to get some to go, along with some chocolate sea shells.  Next, our intent was to get some good Carolina barbeque for dinner.  Unfortunately, the local places with good reviews were closed when we go there.  There wasn't even a chain barbeque place!  We were famished, so we stopped at McDonalds.  The kids were thrilled, the adults too tired to argue.  I guess we just needed one more thing left uncrossed on our list to entice us to venture back again someday!  A day full of sun, walking, swimming and adventure, and tummies full of food made for slumbering kids on the way home.  A few "short cuts" later, we enjoyed some extra scenery on the roads, and we were finally back in D.C. well past our intended 10:00ish estimated time of arrival.  It was a very full day indeed!  Good thing our last full day in D.C. would involve significantly less walking.

Summer Miscellany: Splash Pad, Legos, Toothpaste and an Anniversary

Here's a list of some of our summer activities from the previous week:

* We headed to Tempe Town Lake's Splash Pad with our summer play group.  The boys loved playing in the water.  I could hardly get them to leave. 

The measure of a successful day of play is how soundly Mr. Four naps.  Mission accomplished.

* This is the preferred spot for the three oldest Mr.'s- playing Lego Star Wars on the wii.  They would seriously play all day long if I let them.  They are lucky if they get more than 45 minutes a day. ;)

*  Mr. Four was caught blue-handed the other evening.  I knew it was a little too quiet.  Then I discovered he had assembled his own "sensory tub."  He had a grand time squishing, sampling, smearing the toothpaste all over the bathroom.  It's a step up from the toilet water that he is so fond of lately at least!

* Mr. Two is so creative.  Here is just one of his Lego creations that is all kinds of awesome:  C3PO's head on a strange purple-handed monster body, riding a skeleton horse with handlebar ears, a police light saddle with a lever.  He makes things like this all the time.  You should see him in all his imaginary play glory.  I never tire of seeing what he comes up with.

* At our second outing at the movies, Hotel Transylvania, we were able to meet up with our friends and sit together.  We shared a large popcorn and sodas, and it is a good thing that we upgraded to the free refill popcorn because Mr. Four spilled both the popcorn and the soda before the movie was over.  That boy has some skills because not only did he manage to get the floor incredibly sticky, but poured a good part of the popcorn into my purse!  The older boys seemed to like the movie and from the parts I saw when I wasn't in the bathroom with Mr. Three (who is potty trained now, yes!) or getting more popcorn or chasing Mr. Four, it looked funny.

* Mike and I celebrated our 12th anniversary on Saturday (Sunday was our actual anniversary).  Thankfully, several of our family members answered our plea for babysitting (our regular sitter was out of town), and we were able to go and do some temple sealings and head out to dinner just the two of us.  It was a perfect evening together.  A big thank you is in order for my sister Sarah and other family members who were bribed with oatmeal cookies, pizza and nephew time!

Weekend in California

Mike's brother blessed their son last weekend and we decided to take a long weekend in California with family.  We arrived late Thursday and came home Monday morning.  It was a relatively quick trip, but worth it to spend time with the Crofts.

A little over half way to Mike's parents' home, I realized I left my entire makeup bag at home as well as Mr. Two's sneakers.  A trip to Target was necessary to start off our day on Friday.  Good thing I brought my coupons! :) By the time we got to Mike's brother's home outside of Los Angeles to spend some time, it was mid afternoon.  We decided to go on with plans to drive into L.A. and explore the California Science Center with Joe and Kate, even though we got there with only one hour to play until closing time. 

The kids loved it.  We will definitely have to return another time and do more exploring. 

The ecosystem rooms were so fascinating and we just missed the huge aquarium.  We also would love to see the special space shuttle exhibit.  With free admission (just $10.00 parking) to the main museum, we will have to come back.

After the museum, we knew we would be sitting in the infamous California traffic, so we decided to head over to the L.A. Temple visitor's center and wander the temple grounds before getting a bite to eat. 

The grounds were beautiful, and with some of the cool ocean breeze drifting in, it was heavenly. 

 We wanted to have a peaceful, serene moment, and we got little glimses of it.

But the reality was, the boys could hardly sit still to take a picture or two.  Life with little kids.  Gotta love it! 

We had dinner at a little pizza/Italian restarant that Mike's brother liked.  It was tiny and the kind of place that probably wasn't used to serving a troupe of little kids.  The boys liked dragging their feet in the sawdust and watching the soccer game that was on the flat screen.  I wish we could have snapped a picture of Mr. One and Two sitting at the little table by the window, with their dinner plates, looking simultaneously so mature and so very little, chatting, smiling and eating away.  It will have to be an image that I store away in my memory.  So very sweet. 

We headed back in much lighter traffic with fuller stomachs.

Saturday morning was spent at Mike's late grandparents' home in El Monte, going through some of their things.  It is so strange to sift through another person's belongings, thinking about their stories, their lives.  We were able to keep a few things that held special meaning to Mike, as well as a few things that will add some charm and beauty to our home.  Their home was sold and hopefully a new family can fill it with happy memories of their own.

We headed to the beach, Seal Beach to be exact, for lunch and some play with a few of Mike's siblings.  The wind was cold and it was a bit overcast, but the water was actually quite warm. 

The boys wanted to jump in the waves immediately.  We convinced them to eat some food first, then they were off to the waves.  Mr. Two was especially excited to get wet, diving into the waves and splashing about.  Mr. One preferred to stay in the more shallow water himself.  Mr. Three had fun getting wet, then quickly became cold and wanted to stay wrapped in his towel with the potato chips for the rest of the outing. 

We let Mr. Four get his toes wet and try out the surf for the first time.  I think he liked it.  The waves were very rough, decidedly not boogie boarding conditions, so we hung close to the sand. 

Mr. Four really loved the sand!

All the boys seemed to enjoy playing in the sand...

After a few hours, we headed back to Calimesa for dinner and showers, and lots of visiting.

Sunday, we almost missed the baby blessing with a few wrong turns, but thankfully made it.  The church building that Joe and Jenny attend was just beautiful, lots of dark wood and interesting details.  We had lunch at their home and enjoyed the nice, cool breeze with the doors open, the kids playing in the back yard, and family eating and visiting inside and out.  I wish that we could do that in the summer here, but 110 degree days just don't allow you that freedom.  And then there was playing with the new baby, oh I love the new babies!  He is such a content, sweet little guy.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture!  We also spent a bit of time that evening playing games and visiting with Mike's sister and brother-in-law back in Calimesa. 

It was a quick trip, with lots of driving, but we were very glad to be there and spend time with the whole family.  We have been a little spoiled lately, seeing Mike's family several times already this year, with his sister getting married in April and Andrew's baptism in March.  Mr. Four is finally recognizing them and was more willing to go to them, giving lots of smiles and waves.  It was a happy time.

End of the Year Goals, Celebrating Star Wars-Style

 

 

Mr. One is a reading machine.  He has his face buried in a book at least half of the day.  I have even threatened to take his books away as punishment because he gets so distracted when he has something new to read.  Loving to read is not his problem, but having him remember to take his AR tests in class (this is a reading comprehension program that the school uses) to meet his goals has been a challenge.  Until we realized how badly he wanted to watch the Star Wars movies. 

Our agreement was that for each quarter of the school year that he met or exceeded his point goal, he could watch an episode of Star Wars.  He very quickly started to meet his AR goals, and ended up having the most AR points in his class!  He finished the year with 78 AR points. 

Since the original movies are a trilogy, we weren't sure what to do about the final quarter of school.  Eventually we decided that, even if Mike and I aren't really fond of The Phantom Menace, Episode 1, the boys would like it.  Mr. One met his goal and we watched Episode 1 on Saturday. 

Mr. One and Mr. Two have been anticipating our movie night for weeks.  In school, Mr. Two has been making paper "tickets" to use for the movie.  I have found lots and lots of little colorful squares of paper, cut with decorative edge scissors in his shorts pockets (and in the dryer ;)).

 Mr. One and Mr. Two spent a good chunk of the day making bags for collecting tickets and signs for the movie, that they cheerfully taped around the living room.  So, after dinner and showers/baths, we got ready for movie night.  I popped some popcorn using the paper bag trick (Awesome! just put 1/4 cup popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, fold down top and secure with a piece of tape, then set your microwave like you would for regular microwave popcorn.), burned and tossed the first few bags (still haven't gotten the hang of the new microwave), finally got it right, then sprinkled generously with salt and melted butter.  Along with the popcorn, we let everyone pick out a few movie sweets, then snuggled onto the couch to watch Star Wars together. 

(In case you can't read this, the brown bags say, "ticket collector" and "money collector".)

The boys loved every minute.  Even better, Mr. Three fell asleep before the scary fight scenes started.  I may have taken a little nap while the movie was playing, too.  I was a little sad that I missed the ET's cameo.  It was a fun way to celebrate Mr. One's hard work this year.

Ice Cream Dough

This summer, I have a plan:  work first, then play.  Simple enough, right?  We are going to do chores together and some "homework" first, then we will play.  I am going to try to do at least one fun activity with my kids each day, a simple science experiment, a game, an outing, so forth.  Nothing elaborate or overwhelming.  I want my kids to enjoy this break we have together, but I don't want to be stressed about making everything a big production.  They help me around the house, then I have
more time to set up some extra activities.  Sounds good.   Hopefully it will work.

Friday was the first day of summer for us.  We woke up and pulled weeds (well, I did most of the pulling, but I intended on the boys helping...).

 In the afternoon, we made ice cream dough to play with (1 1/2 cups cornstarch and 3/4 cups hair conditioner).  I used a strawberry conditioner and some red food coloring for strawberry ice cream, put some bead "sprinkles" in a cup, and pulled out an ice cream play set I found at Ikea.

 The three oldest Mr.'s enjoyed taking imaginary ice cream orders and molding the dough into the cones and cups.

(Mr. Four entertained himself with empty backpacks.)

I loved watching them at their imaginary play, and joined in the fun a bit.  This dough is really fun to play with, messy but fun.  As I was taking some pictures, Mr. One tells me, "Mom, come take a picture of this."

I look over at his creation, a bit puzzled.  He then explains, "Look, it's Darth Ice Cream!"

And Star Wars takes over again.  Sigh.

Star Wars Day

Saturday was Star Wars Day, you know, "May the fourth be with you"...

My boys woke up at the crack of dawn.  Literally.  They were that excited.

They put on their Star Wars tees and wanted to bust out the Legos as soon as possible, creating their own Star Wars worlds all over the dining room table.

They reluctantly paused and cleaned up to eat breakfast.  Luckily it was a breakfast served with whipped cream, so the complaining was kept at a minimum.

They also had a blast playing Lego Star Wars on the wii and other games on the Lego website.  In fact, they would have been happy playing all day if we had let them.  However, we had Mr. One's soccer game to attend and some errands to run.  No worries, because I was armed with Star Wars fruit snacks for the boys to enjoy at the game.  I think Mr. Three spent more time studying the box than watching his brother play soccer.

I also set up a little scavenger hunt for the boys in the afternoon to break up the game playing.  I found the general idea here and decided I could easily adapt it to fit our Star Wars theme.  They donned their Star Wars gear, and I hid Mr. Three's toys, along with clues around the house.  Ending the hunt, they were lead outside to free Han Solo from his carbonite prison.  (The carbonite was baking soda and colored water, molded around a Han Solo action figure and left to dry out overnight.)  I was hoping the carbonite would end up with a grayer hue, but I guess I was a bit heavy-handed on the green food coloring.  They gleefully trapped Darth Vader in a plastic container and used their light sabers (medicine syringes filled with vinegar), to free Han, giggling at the foaming reaction as they worked.  They loved this and asked if we could do it again, but, could we please freeze Darth instead of the hero next time.

To reward their hard work, we gave them light sabers (glow sticks) and Darth Vader candy filled eggs (thank you to a great friend for finding those for us). 

We giggled as we watched some funny Star Wars related videos (thanks to a fun auntie for finding them).

They went to bed humming "Luke's Theme" and the "Imperial March", dreaming of Tie Fighters and X-Wings, using the Force and destroying the Death Star.

In truth, the boys had so much interest invested in this holiday of sorts, that they would have considered it a good day without Mike or I doing anything but playing along.  But, with a little extra effort and a pinch of planning, we really made it a special day.  And so often, it is the little things that make all the difference.