Saturday, April 2, 2011

Let's go fly a kite

Today was so warm it felt more like summer vacation than spring break.  It was also breezy, so we decided to to Expo Park and fly our kites.
The boys rode their bikes.  The girls and I walked.
The pirate kite is the best, so Seth got it our first.  It went right up without any problems.
Seth turned the controls over to James. 
James watched the kite soar way up into the air... 
while Seth and Ryan assembled Jozsh's dragon kite. 
The dragon kite looked great... 
but getting it into the air proved to be a challenge. 
Meanwhile, James kept flying his kite. 
The dragon went up... 
but it didn't stay up! 
Seth, Ryan and Jozsh persisted. 
Meanwhile,  James kept flying his kite.
At times, it really looked like the boys were going to win. 
 The dragon would go up and circle a bit...
 but inevitably, it would come crashing back to earth.
 Meanwhile, James kept flying his kite.
Eventually, Seth and Jozsh gave up.
 Not Ryan.
 He really wanted to see the dragon fly.
 Meanwhile, James was getting pretty bored with flying his kite.
 So bored, he couldn't even stay upright.
Finally, Seth put the dragon away and let Jozsh borrow one of the Buxton kites. 
Hurray! 
That kite went up! 
For a moment it really looked like we had this kite flying thing down pat. 
And then--disaster!  A strong wind whipped James' kite right out of his hands. 
He tried to chase it down but he wasn't fast enough.  Can you see it?
It's way up in the left hand corner near the top cloud. 
Higher and higher.  The string is caught on a tree somewhere but that kite is gone! 
Hours later, I can still see it flying high in the sky over our neighborhood.  I wonder if it will ever come down? 
April 2011

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Day at the museum

We went to the museum Monday.
Our friends Kristin and Nathan came with us.  The museum was extremely crowded due to the recent opening of Real Pirates: The Untold Story.  That exhibit was sold out, but that didn't prevent us from enjoying all the pirate decor.
It's entirely possible that the boys enjoyed the pirates a little too much... 
 See what I mean?
Ryan couldn't resist trying on a pirate hat.
Dread Pirate Ryan?
Captain Ryan Sparrow? 
Ryno Beard? 
Of course, we also visited our usual favorites--the Space room, Discovery Health, and Mineral Hall.
I don't quite understand the appeal, but my kids love looking at rocks.
Experimenting with the camera.
My favorite artifact in the entire museum is on the second floor in the Native American Indian Cultures exhibit.
You've got to admit--this is pretty cool!
March 2011

Darcy's bath

Seth and Ryan gave Darcy a bath.
Darcy is not a big fan of baths.
After the bath, Ryan decided Darcy need a good brushing. 
 Darcy likes brushing more than bathing...
but not by much. 
After all that grooming Darcy is soft and beautiful and she smells like green apples.
Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the bathtub!
March 2011

Monday, March 28, 2011

The reader

March 2011

Streeeetch

March 2011

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Headwound Harry

About a month ago, Ryan got into an argument with his best friend.  Details are sketchy, but the end result was a trip to the ER and a diagnosis of concussion.

Yesterday, both boys were outside playing with the neighbors.  I called them in and was unpleasantly surprised to see that once again my kid was on the receiving end of a blow to the head.

Just for the record, I don't much like this trend!
March 2011