Day at the Museum

With Elise on call for the weekend, Bryant decided to take Henry and Vivian to the Port Discovery children’s museum in Baltimore.  It’s been a while since we visited the museum, which never fails to entertain (and wear out) the kids.  Our visit got off to a rocky start when Henry and Vivian clamored into the museum’s three-story climber and promptly got themselves stuck inside.  Bryant had to scramble up several rope ladders and squeeze through a few narrow openings to first rescue Vivian and then find Henry, who made it to the top on his own but was frightened to discover we weren’t there.  Reunited once more, and with some ground rules about not running off from dad, we set off exploring the Wonders of Water and Adventure Expeditions rooms.  The kids especially enjoyed a temporary exhibit about the Wizard of Oz with its perception bending “tornado house” (as the kids dubbed it).  Afterward, we had lunch at Panera and walked around the Inner Harbor before heading home to meet/hand off to mommy.

 

 

 

Break In

Elise came home from work to discover someone had broken into our home.  The intruders kicked in the basement door and ransacked the master bedroom, but left the rest of the house untouched.  They took mostly jewelry, including several pieces from Elise’s mom, aunt and grandmother.  Needless to say, those items held significant sentimental value for Elise.  We’ve talked about getting an alarm system but never got around to it.  Although the police assured us they would check the local pawnshops, we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would likely never see those items again.  The next day, we arranged for an alarm system to be installed.  Lesson learned.

UPDATE: The police called to report that they had recovered some of our stolen property!  They identified Bryant’s class ring from a list provided by a local pawnshop.  The pawnshop also had several items of Elise’s jewelry, including pieces from her family.  We couldn’t believe our good fortune.  We subsequently learned that the detectives have made two arrests in the case.  We’re awaiting further details, but for now, are grateful to have recovered some of the stolen items.

Bike Riding

The kids have been keen on riding their bikes this summer.  Henry is still using training wheels but is a lot more confident and agile than just a few months ago.  Recently, he and some other boys from the neighborhood have taken to playing smash-up derby (bumper bikes) in the cul-de-sac.  Next summer, he should be ready to take off those training wheels and glide.  Vivian inherited a friend’s Barbie bike and immediately wanted to go riding with her brother (for better or worse, she wants to do everything he does).  The bike is pink and sparkly, so naturally Viv loves it.  Below is a video of the kids riding in the parking lot of the nearby George Washington Masonic Memorial.

Weekend at Lake Anna

We were fortunate to be invited by our friends (and former neighbors), the Mates, to their vacation home in Lake Anna, Virginia.  The lake was created when Dominion Power damned the North Anna River to provide a fresh water reservoir for its nearby nuclear power plant.  In recent years, the area has become a popular vacation spot.  Whether or not it has anything to do with the nearby power plant, the water in the lake is always comfortably warm.  Below are photos of the kids swimming in the lake with the Mate children.  As you can see, they had a ball.  Afterward, Henry asked if we could get a lake house.  Maybe someday.