S.T.E.M. Egg Drop

Applied physics and busted eggs.  Weslie's team won for building a protection system for the raw egg with the lowest mass that actually worked.

Santa's Helpers

Pretty much if we go into a store and there are funny hats, they're going to try them on.  Really cute.  I had to take a picture.  They really are great sisters.

Sleep

This little dude can sleep anywhere in any position.

Hurricane Sandy

Hey look, hurricane Sandy is pretty much going to go directly over us.  Last year around this time we were hit by hurricane Irene that knocked down about seven trees, destroyed a part of our deck, and we were without power for almost a week.

Update: We only lost one small tree, no other damage, but were without power for about four days.

An Early Halloween

They say there's a hurricane a-coming, so just in case we're going to do a little early "trunk" or treating.  Both Gabbie and Brian are Finn from Adventure Time and Weslie is an alien ... that's naked I guess.  It's just a weird costume.

Lost Bridge

There are some nature trails very close to our house.  Earlier we found the bamboo forest and the old ruins, but now we finally found the lost bridge.  Beautiful spot.

The Adventures of Banana Boy and Taco Tim

by Weslie

Gabbie turns 7

Gabbie had an "Adventure Time" birthday party with a Finn and Finona cake and laser tag.  I'm not sure what laser tag has to do with "Adventure Time", but somehow it did today.

Guess What You're Drinking

Whenever we go out to eat at a place where you can get your own refills we play the game "Guess What You're Drinking". It works like this: Someone asks or you offer to go get a refill. When they take the first sip and make a funny face you say "Guess what you're drinking." The new Coke fountain machines have made this game even crazier.

Ride 'Em

We were at the Bel Air Art Festival and kind of hidden away from everything else was this mechanical bull. Well, of course the girls wanted to give it a shot. It's in their blood.

First Slumber Party

Weslie is having her first slumber party.  It was insane for us to agree to this.  "Loud" and "Chaotic" doesn't even begin to describe what's going on.

Not Too Close

Brian is studying this caterpillar as he waits for his sisters to come home from school.

First Comics

Took the kids to their first comic book store.  They had a great time.  They bought some "Adventure Time" comics and met Spider-Man at Collectors Corner.  Brian did not want to get too close to Spider-Man.  Go figure.  He dresses like him all the time.

Waiting

The kids are excited about their new school supplies and want to go everywhere with them.  We're on our way to the mall for a little more shopping and the girls are having a hard time trying to figure out what to take.  Brian on the other hand had no problem and has fallen asleep waiting for his sisters.

And Just Like That

Brian has really been all that interested in his bike over the summer. He'd rather run or ride a scooter. However, today that seems to have all changed. It's like something just clicked in his head.

Heaven on Earth

I believe we've found the perfect beach vation spot, Topsail Island. It's wonderful, beautiful, relaxing, peaceful, and not crowded. Even Buddy loved it.

Shopping is Always an Adventure

Brian wore his Captain America stuff to the grocery store.  After about 10 minutes in the store he says, "People look at me and think I'm awesome".

Exploring

Took the kids to do a little backyard exploring.

A Pile of Dirt

Question:  What is probably the greatest thing that you can give a kid for hours and hours and hours of entertainment?

Mississippi

It's always nice to get back to Mississippi.

Star-Spangled "Sail"abration

Tall sailing ships from all over the world were anchored in the Inner Harbor at Baltimore for the Battle of 1812 Bicentennial celabration.

Too Many???

Nope.  You can never have too many hair clips.

Science Fair

Weslie's GT class got to participate with the older kids' science fair.  Their project was on roller coasters.

School Field Day

It's that time of year when school starts to wind down and everyone starts to get ready for summer.  This was Gabbie's first "official" school field day.

"Sleeping"

A self-portrait by Gabbie.

Lordy, Lordy ...

Look who's over the hill, but you know what they're saying, "40 is the new 30".

Yikes!!!

Just saw a runner get hit by a car crossing an intersection. He's ok, only got hit by the driver's side mirror, but at close to 50 mph it knocked him way off his feet. It was also the runners fault. The car had a green light, but they didn't even hit the breaks. The driver had no idea what they hit.

Happy Easter

Easter hats for one and all,
Easter bunny makes a call!

Happy Easter always brings
Such a lot of pleasant things!

Trip to the Zoo

We love the National Zoo.  It was such a beautiful day that we thought we'd pop right over to see the wild and crazy animals, and then stop looking at the people and enjoy some of real attractions.  The problem was a lot of other people had the same idea.  It was really crowded, but still fun.

Tonsils Out!

Gabbie had her tonsils taken out.  She was incredibly brave and did great despite her parents being nervous wreaks.  Just look how cute she was in her gown and cap.  Everything went great and Gabbie is still her happy, silly, self ... just without her huge tonsils.

Gabbie's Turn to Ride

Gabbie decided that she no longer wanted training wheels on her bike.  I took them off and we went to our favorite parking lot where she could have a lot of space.  It really is amazing how quickly she picked it up.  After a couple of short lessons, she was off and riding by herself (with me jogging beside her).  Weslie also did a great job at shooting the video.

Meeting up with the Dabbs in DC

Mary's brother and his wife and kids were in DC for a little bit, so we drove down to hangout with them while they were in our area.  We always have a great time when we're together.  Weslie, Gabbie, and Brian can't get enough of their cousins Dawson (on the left by Weslie) and Everett (between Gabbie and Brian).

Spring is in the Air

Beautiful day today, so we took the kids to go feed the ducks.  In this case it was mainly geese and seagulls.

Duckpins

We took the kids into Baltimore for a little duckpin bowling.  I love duckpin bowling.  The ball is smaller and lighter, the pins are smaller, the lanes shorter, and you get three bowls per frame.  It's perfect for kids.

Bye-Bye Nursery

Brian wants a big boy's room.  He was very clear on that.  No more cute animals and such on the wall.  They're being replaced by Spider-Man.

Father Daughter Dance

This year's theme was "sports".  Personally I don't understand why the dance needs a theme, but no matter what it's fun to spend some time with Weslie.  She's getting to be such a grown little lady.  On the plus side we got to meet Poe the Baltimore Raven's mascot.

Brian's Favorites

I can't say I disagree with him.  Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest.

It's Warm and It's February

It's hard to believe that's it's February 1st.  It feels like spring time.  I guess we really aren't going to get any decent amount of snow this year to play in.

What's that White Stuff

It finally snowed this winter, kind of. We got maybe just a little more than an inch of snow with a nice layer of some crudy ice on top, but at this point the kids are willing to play in just about anything.

Brian, Professional Shopper

Brian has taken a real liking to grocery shopping. That is as long as it's at the right store, he gets to use the little gun and push his own cart, and we only buy a few things.

Happy New Years!

I never thought we'd be swimming on New Year's Eve, but we did. We drove down to Tennessee where we met up with some of Mary's family at the Wilderness Lodge Resort/Waterpark for a little get together. All the kids had a lot of fun.