Elsa rides!

Elsa had been riding around our backyard and our sidewalks on and off for a few months with the pedals off her bike. (After seeing how quickly Amelia learned to ride using the balance method, we definitely wanted to do the same with Elsa.) We don't have a balance bike so we just take the pedals off the bike.

We took the bikes to Jones Point Park (best place to learn to ride) a few weeks ago and decided to let Elsa try riding with her pedals back on. Ben tried holding onto the back of her bike while she attempted to ride and she was really wobbly and it just wasn't working. After a few attempts he took a break and we were discussing that she might not be ready yet. Then I looked over and saw her riding on her own! She had even started on her own which is the hard part. When Ben was helping her, she was using him as a crutch and not balancing. But she was not about to give up and just went for it on her own. It's so fun to witness this childhood rite of passage.

I love this look on Elsa's face when she realized she just rode a bike on her own! (Also, we weren't very prepared with appropriate footwear. But at least we remembered a helmet this time.)

Oliver got stuck with the pink tricycle.

We walked over to the lighthouse as the sun went down and watched airplanes approach and saw lots of bats and fireflies. Another beautiful summer evening.

day of parks.

We have been enjoying a mild summer with some of the most beautiful, humid-free days. On one of those days a few weeks ago (I have a ridiculous amount of catching up to do on this blog) we headed to a park first thing in the morning and ended up at another park right before bed. And met a friend at a different park in the middle of the day.

We started at Jones Point Park. Elsa even wanted her jacket because of the cool morning air! I took the kids to explore the lighthouse and the rocks while Ben did a run across the Wilson Bridge. Then he played with the kids on the playground while I walked across the bridge. Perfect.

Amelia with her new glasses!

I love this big tree by the bridge.

We ended the day with a walk to our school playground. There are three different playgrounds there and the kids had to hit all three. There is also a little stream that goes behind the playground and Oliver soaked himself as usual.

 

The next day the girls set up dueling ice cream shops in the backyard. The shovel acted as a divider between the two shops. Elsa's was called "Sweet Sweet Chocolate Shop" and Amelia's was called "Sweet Treat Delights." I made sure to order from both.

 

titan arum (the corpse flower)

The legendary titan arum bloomed at the U.S. Botanic Garden a few weeks ago. We had been watching the giant flower (largest in the world) all week on the webcam, waiting for it to bloom. It doesn't bloom regularly or often and only stays open for about 24 hours once it does bloom. It's called the corpse flower because it smells like rotting flesh when it opens up. It finally started opening on a Sunday evening, after the Botanic Garden had closed for the day. So Monday morning we made sure to arrive early, knowing there would be a big crowd. When we arrived, there was a mass of people already waiting for the Botanic Garden to open. Luckily, we were one of the first few groups in and only had to wait a few minutes. The line grew longer all day and many people had to be turned away at the end of the day. Celebrity flower for sure.

It was pretty amazing, standing eight feet tall. We were disappointed that it didn't really smell. (Because who wouldn't want to smell rotting flesh?) Apparently it smelled pretty bad right when it opened Sunday night but had worn off by the time the flower paparazzi arrived.

Nice, Oliver.

We still had some time on our parking meter so we stopped next door at the National Museum of the American Indian. We hadn't been here for a few years and a lot had changed inside. The kids were excited about the children's area and we spent most of our time there. It's crazy to think that this museum hadn't even opened yet when we first moved here nine years ago.

Elsa in the Post!

As soon as we arrived at the sunflower field, a Washington Post photographer approached us and asked if he could follow us around and take some photos. He said he had been in the fields for several hours and we were the liveliest group he had seen (we are nothing if not lively). There were just a handful of people there, mostly photographers camped out with their tripods. He said to pretend like he wasn't there, but really, how can you not be a little self-conscious knowing that someone is following you around looking for a good photo op? Amelia and Oliver had wandered away so he mostly followed Elsa. I think the yellow dress sealed the deal.