Muppets, Mausoleums and Mini-golf.

On Saturday we headed downtown to check out the Jim Henson exhibit at the Smithsonian's Ripley Center. Amelia was fascinated by the creatures from the Dark Crystal. There were several of Henson's original drawings, cartoons, and storyboards. There were also some original video productions, including some interesting excerpts from Henson's early career and experimental films. And of course there were a few Muppets on display, including Kermit the Frog, Bert, Ernie, and one of my favorites, Rowlf.


After viewing the exhibit, we enjoyed a picnic lunch and then wandered through the sculpture gardens at the Hirshhorn Museum.


Later that night we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather with some mini golf and ice cream.



This week's Sunday evening excursion was a trip to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, followed by a stroll through Rock Creek Cemetery.



We were fortunate enough to catch the end of an organ recital. You really get a feel for the vastness of the basilica when you hear the organ echoing through it. Apparently, it's the largest Roman Catholic church in North America.


Rock Creek Cemetery was a beautiful old cemetery and another great place to go in D.C. if you want to get away from the crowds. We were the only people there which was nice.




The following photos may be a bit disrespectful considering that this is a cemetery, but Amelia was very fascinated by this statue (I was a little creeped out) and she really wanted to get the bird poop off of his head. She kept trying to "give him five" (he does appear to be asking for it) and talk to him. She made a rather sad statement on the way home..."I don't have any real friends, just pretend friends like statues."

The week in photos.

A trip to Hidden Pond Nature Center.


Elsa discovers two of her fingers and seems to be hooked.



Amelia and her friend Taryn cool off at a spray park.


Elsa turns three months old and continues to be a happy baby.


Amelia saw this picture of her as a baby and insisted it was Elsa. So here is the side-by-side comparison of the two girls, both around 3 months old.


Enjoying my girls.

Funniest video ever. (If you're a font geek like me)

So far my attempt to name our children after fonts has failed. We came close to Arial Black. If we ever have a boy, it's Garamond for sure.

Magical attic lost its magic.

On Saturday we tackled a 12-hour project to finally clean out our attic. I am constantly cleaning out our house and trying to get rid of clutter. I have a hard time parting with some things (I mean how could I possibly get rid of the inflatable cow my cheese scientist dad gave me many years ago?) and of course there are all the kid-related items that have to hang around for awhile. So I would just keep putting things up in the attic. It was a magical place for me. I never had to see the stuff piling up, but it was still there should I ever need it. Or was it? Apparently things started to get a little crowded up there. I sent Ben up to look for some boots awhile ago and after an hour of searching, we came to the conclusion that I had thrown them out. So I bought new boots. Of course, we found the boots a few months later.

So what is the point of storing things in the attic for the reason "I may need them later" when later comes and I can't find them? Ben kept trying to tell me that the attic was not a bottomless pit and it was reaching capacity. So despite the 120 degree temperature up there, I decided it was time to face the reality of what I had actually been tossing up there over the past few years.

Phase 1:

The attic (half of it). The living room.

Phase 2:

The attic. The living room.

Phase 3:

The garbage. The new and improved attic.

It felt so nice to not only get rid of a ton of stuff, but to also get rid of all the random boxes and fit most things neatly into 27 plastic bins. Everything was well labeled and the contents were thoroughly documented on a spreadsheet. It actually turned out to be a fun project as we sorted through old memorabilia. My family knows how much I like to start collections (remember the antique typewriter collection?) and Amelia caught a glimpse of my massive Pez dispenser collection, Gumby collection and vintage coat collection. I finally decided it was time to part with some of the many shoes I had been storing. I got rid of about 20 pairs but had to keep a few just in case they are "retro cool" some day. Also, you can learn a lot about your spouse by going through their old financial records to sort out documents for the paper shredder. Who knew Ben had received so many traffic tickets??

Weekly shout-out.

This week's shout-out is going to School House Rock. Grammar has never been so catchy. Saturday mornings just aren't what they used to be...

Summer swimming.

What happens when a water park is bordered by dense Virginia foliage? The lifeguard pulls a live snake out of the water. Despite the snakes and a little bit of rain, we all enjoyed a fun day at the water park yesterday.





Elsa thought the water was a little cold and did not like being posed for pictures.


Amelia wanted to go down all the water slides by herself. This is Ben and Amelia at the bottom of the slide.

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said...

No more Amelia getting out of bed.

So Amelia has always been really good about going to bed. Even after she moved to her toddler bed, it took about a month before she was brave enough to get out of it after we put her to bed or in the mornings. But lately she has been coming out a few times after we put her to bed to get a drink of water, find a toy that she just needs to sleep with, or fulfill some other 3-year-old excuse. At her 3-year doctor visit, the doctor asked Amelia if she was staying in her bed at night like a big girl and getting lots of sleep. Amelia didn't really answer the question but ever since then, she has remained in her bed after we put her down each night.

This is a picture of Amelia at the cardiologist's office. She got to have an EKG and an ultrasound to check out her heart murmur. Everything looked fine and her heart murmur appears to be "normal". She enjoyed this visit much more than the urologist.


Elsa, two months old.

The business of sisters.

Amelia takes her role as a big sister very seriously. If we tell her she is silly, or funny, or too loud, or anything, she will respond "no, I'm a big sister." Everyday she points out new things she will have to teach Elsa and frequently states that Elsa doesn't know how to do anything. Yesterday, she said "I have to teach Elsa how to play at the beach" and she says it in an anxious and exhausted tone, as if she has so much work ahead of her to get this little sister up to speed on life.

At the very first peep out of Elsa in the morning, Amelia is the first one in her room, climbing into her crib to get her pacifier and talk to her. When Elsa is in her bouncy chair, Amelia makes sure that she has a blanket tucked around her. She loves to give Elsa a bath and works diligently to get her all wet and clean.

The other day when Amelia was helping Elsa in the bath, Elsa could not stop looking up at her big sister with lots of smiles and admiration. Elsa is finally starting to smile at Amelia instead of just giving her that "deer in headlights" look that she used to give when Amelia came near.

Weekly shout-out (by Ben)

OK. It's my turn. Michael Phelps has been getting a lot of attention in his quest for, like, a hundred gold medals. That's fine. But my shout-out goes to this guy. He's the one who chased down the French dude in the last 20 meters of the relay. I'm tired of nothing but Phelps' wide-open mug splashed across all the news outlets. This is the guy. LEZAK!!!!