Circles

Magnus and Maliah entertaining themselves with a game of ‘put the dirt/leaf/seed down the drain hole’

                           

Newman Grandparent’s 25th Anniversary

Papa and Grandma Newman took a trip out to visit us at the end of Aug.  While they were here they celebrated their 25th anniversary on 30 Aug!  CONGRATS!

Arlington Co. Fair

We took the kids to the Arlington Co Fair this weekend.  It was just 8 blocks from our house, so we loaded the kids in the bike and ventured over for some rides, food and fun.  They both enjoyed the Ferris Wheel, neither were scared!  And Magnus was thrilled to ride on his first roller coaster.  

  

 

Magnus was not a thrilled, when we came back the next day, and he was picked, after volunteering, to help with the “Sue Wee Flying Pig Races.” He was instructed to stand in front of a section of the crowd and have them cheer for their pig vested with their designated color.  He basically just stood there fearful to move. But it was fun to watch the little pigs run and try to guess which one would win.  They even had a race where the pigs had a water obstacle they jumped in and swam across before getting out to finish running the rest of the race. 

Hirshhorn - Suprasensorial

The Hirshhorn’s Suprasensorial: Experiments in Light, Color and Space, on display from Feb-Aug 2012, is meant to “create enveloping optical effects that overwhelm and transform sensory experience.” By developing large-scale, multimedia constructions of light, color, and space, these artists actively engaged viewers in a physical process of exploring the possibilities of visual and spatial perceptions, forging new object-viewer relationships.
Suprasensorial may not have been created with kids in mind, but all of the displays are interactive in some way and can be appreciated on several levels, including from a child’s perspective. The artwork is intended to immerse viewers, so they can experience light and space in new ways.
The display that the kids liked the most was “Blue Penetrable BBL.”  It was a cluster of hundred of blue nylon strings hanging from a large rectangular frame ~ 10’x30’.   You walk through them, feeling the strings swarm around you and making the open space just beyond seem to disappear. The kids wandered through it 20 times or more, interrupting the relative quite of the museum with squeals of delight.
 
We didn’t get pics of much of the rest of the exhibition, except the outside of one other “Chromosaturation.”  Inside the room is divided into three areas lit by different colors, creating an illusion of seamless space, making you feel enveloped in ethereal color. Maliah and her bunny liked to experience this piece of art from the outside.

King’s Burger

No matter how many times we say "Burger King," Magnus keeps calling it "King’s Burger."  So much so, that I now find myself saying "King’s Burger" too.  I don’t think Magnus wants to go there for their burgers, though that is what he says, he has only finished his whole burger one or two times out of the many many times we have gone to 'King’s Burger.'  But EVERY time he has been very very very excited to go on the playground. 

The first time he went, he was scared and an older boy helped escort him around (very sweet).  The next time there was no older boy… and Magnus hesitated, and stated “I need a big kid.”  But he made it.  Now he is the kid big that helps his sister navigate the tubes and tunnels.

Pretty Face

One of Malliah’s favorite outdoor activities is playing with rocks.  And more specifically licking the rocks or putting them in her mouth.  Then she takes them out gets dirt on them and licks them some more.  The next thing you know she looks like she has been eating chocolate…. nope, just dirt. : )

Natural History Museum – Insect Zoo

Madagascar hissing Cockroach
 (Gromphadorhina portentosa)

The Natural History Museum has an insert zoo where visitors can observe live inserts and their many-legged relatives. Volunteers conduct tarantula feeding demonstrations, work with live insects that visitors may touch and hold, and answer questions about the many-legged creatures that live in the Insect Zoo.

Leaf Bug (Phylliidae)

Bee Hive

And what visit to the natural history museum would be complete without visiting the dinosaurs?










Then to top it all off… we got to see a garbage truck up close!  (A year ago when we lived in FL we used to see the garbage truck every Thursday morning, and now we just see one here and there randomly when we are driving to school in the mornings, so this was a rare pleasure!)