you say you're having a birthday

When asked if Cyrus would like a birthday party he responded that yes he would and that he would like a blue cake.  Ok.  I can do that.  But it's going to be more like teal and I am going to indulge in my favorite color combo: red and teal.
We held the party at The Yards Park because we really like it there and it seemed nice to introduce more people to the new park.  Of course, it rained that morning.  And the balloon people were not on their game nor were the coffee people but we made it happen!  Primarly with thanks to our friend Jamie.
I had had visions of getting the party all set up and then sitting with a cup of coffee as I awaited our guests.  Who was I kidding?

morning of museums: or how I learned to (start to) love DC

Felix and Sol Lewitt

my favorite room on The Mall

What I Did On My Summer Vacation #2.
The weather is FINALLY feeling a little bit manageable.  Like maybe it would be possible to walk in the sun for a block or two without melting or burning..... or disintegrating into ash.
So let's get out there!
I packed sandwiches and the boys into the fun-mobile (aka Joyce's minivan on loan for most of august while they are in California) and headed into town.
We toured the desolate Hirshorn Museum for contemporary art.  My favorite.  There is a room on the 3rd floor that is filled with couches, a lovely view of The Mall, some great contemporary paintings, and NO people!  Cyrus jumped from one couch to the next while I fed Felix.  We saw some cool video art of elephants and a cubist Picasso sculpture of a mother and baby that Cyrus thought was pretty cool.  We then stopped for snacks in my second favorite locale on The Mall: the breezeway beneath the Hirshorn.  Again, few people, great views and the wind blows through sooo nicely. 
On to the US Botanical Garden but hey, there's the National Air and Space Museum!  So we whizzed through and checked out a 747 cockpit, eyed some old planes, and helped a lost boy find his mother.
This particular visit to the botanical gardens was even better than usual as we discovered the children's garden.  There are tools, brooms, trowels, plants to plant, watering buckets, a water pump, and even a playhouse with a green roof.
And all of this was done in 3 hours and 1 parking space!  Ok, DC, you've got that going for you.

a day at the fair

What I Did On My Summer Vacation #1.
The Arlington County Fair reminded me that we are not that far from the country.  Daddy took the morning off and we walked with our friends Caroline and Henry from their new house to the fair.
We took in some pig racing, baby carnival rides, and a sort of creepy family circus act.  It was a quiet, beautiful weekday morning and the grass was not yet trampled giving the whole place a sort of fairytale look.