Welcome to DC

On our first Saturday in our new city, we decided to play tourist and visit a museum. We let the boys pick which one, so bright and early we headed down to the Natural History Museum.

We drove to Daddy's office in Dupont Circle to park in his garage. As soon as we got out of the car, the boys were ready for action.
Then we rode down the most gigantic escalator, which Jacks adored and Cody not so much, and hopped on a train. The most fun part about that was buying the tickets, sliding them through the machine, and waiting for the doors to open.
In front of all the Smithsonian buildings, they have all these white tents set up in preparation for a big festival at the end of the month. Part of this festival celebrates...oh, why don't you guess? Go on! No, you'll never guess.
You didn't guess, did you? Ha! I thought this was such a cool juxtaposition for us...Washington Monument meets The Texas Festival. :)

There was a line out front of the museum before it opened, so Jacks and Cody hung out on a bench while we waited.
And then, in we went to see the dinosaurs!

The boys posed with Daddy in front of a fossilized tree.
Making friends with a Woolly Mammoth.
The museum also had a butterfly exhibit going on. It couldn't possibly compare to the one at the Houston Science Museum, but since we had just done our own buttefly exhibit at home, we had to go in and take a look.
What a great day!

Last Night at Magic Time Machine

On our last night in Dallas, we went to the boys' new favorite restaurant, Magic Time Machine, for a special farewell dinner with good friends. We had a wonderful time, although it was terribly sad to say goodbye.

See, look at these miserable faces.

We love you guys!

Volcano!

Knowing how into science Jackson is, K-K brought him a volcano kit for his birthday. He couldn't wait to get started blowing things up!

First, they formed the volcano shape out of papier mache around a tube. To make it more realistic, Jacks added some blades of grass around the bottom.

Then, he painted the volcano, adding some "old lava" for fun.

The final step was putting some baking soda into the tube inside the volcano, and then Jacks poured in the vinegar.

There was an instant reaction, and lava came bubbling out the top. Note the dinosaurs added around the base for realism.

It wasn't quite the explosion Jacks had hoped for, so he and K-K tried a few times with greater amounts of baking powder and vinegar. They ended up with a lot more lava, but no more "boom." Regardless, they sure had a lot of fun! Great present, K-K!

No One's Cuter than Me!

Ok ok, maybe my 2 big brothers are pretty handsome fellas, too. But come on. You know I'm right. Just admit it. It'll be our little secret. ;)

Jackson's First/Last Days of Kindergarten

I'm not sure if it's visible to the naked eye, or only to someone who is wearing the special "I remember when..." lenses of parenthood, but Jackson has grown so much in so many ways this year. Between August 27 and June 4, he made new friends, got taller, learned to read and write, and really got more comfortable in his own skin. I'm so proud of everything he has accomplished. Awesome, dude!

A Boy and His (Aunt's) Dog

K-K and her dog, Mia, are here for a visit. Jacks is in love with them both. Awwwww!!

Luke's New Trick

He has been sitting up on his own for a month or so, but up until now, he hasn't been particularly stable. If he started leaning one way, he'd just topple right over, unable to stop himself. Well now, he's pretty much mastered it! And it's ALL he wants to do. Tummy time is right out. Exersaucer, who needs it? Sitting up is where it's at!

He wasn't terribly thrilled with the grass, clearly. But that's not at all surprising, given that Jacks and Cody both cried when we first put them on grass. It's itchy, you see.

And here, you can see his new toofies. He got his bottom 2 together at 5 months, and then he went the freak route by getting his top right side tooth in next, followed immediately by the top right. Smile, snaggletooth!!