Camping

Last Friday was the Father-Son outing, so grandpa got to go with Rick and the boys. London tells me it was the "best night ever!", but Rick and grandpa have a different story: Rick spent the night chasing after two crazy boys. He lived in fear that one of them would drown in the lake they camped by. And he had to sleep on the ground because there was no room on the air mattress. Grandpa slept on the air mattress, but was kicked all night by a certain blond child who shall remain nameless.

But based on the amount of dirt on Brandt, and the stories from London. They still managed to have fun.

First they set up the tent.

Then they roasted some hotdogs.

They rolled down a few hills.

And in the morning, the bishopric provided breakfast.

Fun times!

Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Aerospace Museum

Of course I forgot my camera, but Thursday after school we took Grandma and Grandpa to the Aerospace Museum. I stole a couple of Grandpas pictures to share.

The boys loved seeing Jetfire or Blackbird (as London calls it), which is the black stealth plane featured in Transformers 2. They had the scene from the movie running next to the plane. It was really cool to watch the video and figure out where they were actually standing. PLUS, total bonus, they had a display of very cool Transformers toys. Brandt would have stayed there all day if we let him.

London said his favorite plane (besides the Blackbird) was the shark plane. Of course, I don't have a picture of that, but grandpa got him a model of it at the gift shop. Lucky boy!

The expression on his face, you ask? Me trying to get him to smile normally (instead of his posed smile). Alas, best I could do.

Brandt got a model of the crooked wing plane from grandpa.

And . . . he promptly broke it.

Still we had fun, and only lost grandpa once or twice.

Brad Paisley Concert

With Grandma and Grandpa in town, Rick and I got to sneak out to the Brad Paisley Concert. This was my birthday present (that I got for myself from Rick). I'll try to keep the narrative short:

So when we got there, pouring rain, no umbrella. Lots of adventure! Technically, it was the "Water Tour."

Here is the backside of the venue . . . the Jiffy Lube Arena.

Brad wanted to make this fun, so they set up a bunch of free games: a waterslide and dunk tank (in 60-degree rainy weather, no thank you!), an outdoor concert . . .

a Beat-the-Celebrity video car race (and no, neither of us beat him . . . I was 8 seconds off, and Rick was 32, but we don't talk about that).

So when I bought the tickets, I decided to pay the extra and join the fan club so I could buy advanced tickets (I knew I'd never do it otherwise). When you buy them that way, you don't find out where your seats are until you get there. FIFTH ROW, BABY! I'm standing by my seat. And yes, I'm soaked.

Rick was so overcome with joy at how close we were that he started calling out Brad's name and screaming like a little girl.

Okay, okay, he as pretending, but still . . . very convincing. I'll let the next pictures speak for themselves. AWESOME to be so close!

Sum up: Went to the water tour. Got soaked. Had fun. Saw Brad up close. Good times! (And our ears are still ringing.) :D

Swimming Lessons

The boys are finally back in swimming . . . and yay for us, we don't have to get in the pool with them!

Brandt couldn't put his head in the first couple of days because of his stitches, but he loved it just the same (actually, maybe he loved it MORE because of that).

This is London's second time through the class. And hurray, something clicked! Out of the blue, he started floating on his back by himself and can swim a few strokes on his own in the deep.

I doubt we have the next Michael what's-his-name, but he loves it. Especially with the goggles. You'd think they gave him super powers or something with how much braver he is when wearing them. Who knows, maybe if I'd read all the fine print on the label, it was in there: These goggles are designed to enhance courage. The maker is not responsible for any unintended consequences.

Grandma and Grandpa were fortunate to see the boys' last class and grandpa took some pictures. Since they did so well, we went out to celebrate with some soft serve. Yum!

Even Khyah enjoyed some.

Date Night

We've been exchanging babysitting with another family in our ward. Friday night was our turn to go out. And we had the best plan: Head into DC and walk the monuments and memorials at night. After almost a year here, we haven't done that yet, if you can believe it.

When it started to rain, we gave each other a look. "But won't it be an adventure?" I ask. The closer we got to DC, the harder the rain was falling. Even with the wipers at full speed, we could barely see the road in front of us. Cars were pulled off to the side, waiting out the storm. CRASH! Lightening flashed across the sky. The Emergency Broadcast System interrupted our music. And it wasn't a test!

"A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for the Washington area until 8:50 PM. A tornado watch is in effect in Prince Georges county . . ."

Seriously? I thought we were through with that when we left Missouri. The sky hadn't gone tornado-green on us, so we weren't worried. But we did decide that maybe a visit to the outdoor monuments might be better enjoyed at another time.

To brook our disappointment, we meandered home any which way,

 chatted about the world's problems, and stopped at a few "Scenic Overlooks" along the Potomac.

A quick stop-off at McDonalds for an ice-cream cone (I didn't have enough points for Cold Stone), and we headed home. Kids were asleep in bed, so I threw down the gauntlet and challenged Rick in Mario Karts.

Fabulous date! Not what we planned, but still a good time. I love date night!

Oops . . .

. . . is not a word you want to hear when getting your hair cut. Here's what happened:

I'm minding my own business, editing my book for the umpteenth time, when Rick calls from the bathroom.

"Hey hon! Can you come check my work." (I know that sounds bad, but bear with me.)

On his own initiative, he decided to give himself a haircut. (He never asked me for one, so I don't have to feel like a neglectful wife.) He handed me the electric razor with the comb extension already attached. I assumed that meant he wanted me to check the top. Woops.

The first sign I was wrong was when the cut hair was A LOT shorter than everything around it.

I froze. "Did I just do a major oops?"

Rick eyed me, deadpan. "Uh, yeah. You just did a MAJOR oops!" Then he started laughing, which of course gave me permission to do the same. After wiping away the tears, I begged to take a picture before fixing it (I was thinking of ya'll.)

So now, while Rick is working at the Soldier's Home this month, he is better able to show his appreciation for their sacrifices. After all, isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery?

And on the bright side, he won't need a haircut for a really long time. :)

What a good-natured hubby I have.

Science Project

So when they announced "Einstein Night" at London's school, he begged to submit a project. And with him telling us he wants to be a scientist when he grows up, how could we refuse?

So Daddy and London worked to build a model swing to find out which will swing faster: a big person, or a little person (Ironically, we can thank the 'Swing Grandpa' for the project idea).

First they measured:

 Then they sawed:

Then they drilled:

And Brandt had to have a turn:

Then Khyah needed one (and yes, Khyah made known her displeasure when Daddy tried to skip her):

Then they had a swing:

But Daddy is clearly not happy with it:

And yes, changes were subsequently made. And I'm sure there are more to come. Daddy is having too much fun with the POWER TOOLS.

We'll have to keep you posted on the finished product.