A new play space in the basement

What to do when you have too many stuffed animals to store in your living room: buy a new house with a semi-finished basement. We got the basement space cleaned up and "opened" for play the other day. (Eventually, we'll refinish it-- anyone feel like taking out a glass-block-and-brick bar?)

River Ridge Trail

The River Ridge Trail is one of Ben and Alex's favorites in Patapsco State Park (the park near our house), but in winter and spring it often contains an element of disappointment: no, you cannot get in the water. But now, it is summer. Finally: yes, you CAN get in the water.

Found a crayfish

Daryl and the train

Cunningham Falls State Park

Yesterday we headed over to Cunningham Falls State Park, in the Blue Ridge. The short walk to the falls was lovely, and when we got there the boys gleefully hopped around on the rocks "like pikas" as Alex put it (if clueless, click here). After which they splashed and played in the lake for eons... and then, while we were eating ice cream, a ranger showed up with a barred owl. And after that we went down to see the rest of the birds in the park's aviary. So, from an Alex and Ben perspective, it really couldn't have gotten better, unless maybe there was pie or David Attenborough showed up. (And the adults had a good time, too!)

Like pikas, I tell you.

(Not a great pic, but it does have Alex, the ice cream, the ranger and the barred owl in one shot).

Cousin Mania

Right after the grandparental visit came a cousinly (and aunt and uncle-y) one. Much water-based fun was had, starting with an impromptu backyard crafts project that involved washing clam shells we dug up in the back yard (leftovers from a clam bake?) and coloring them. Eric was an especially assiduous shell-scrubber.

Ben displaying his finished product

The next day we went to Patapsco State Park, where there was much splashing-- plus we found a millipede, proudly displayed below on Alex's hat.

In a non-watery interlude, Rodney, Lucy and Eric were all smiles on the porch:

Finally, sprinkler fun!

Grandma and Grandpa's visit

A couple of weeks ago, Grandma and Grandpa Leupen came to visit. (There can be no excuse for such delayed picture posting, but if there were, it would have to do with the blogger teaching two intensive summer classes while arranging to move from two separate houses, one of which is hundreds of miles away, into a new house). Anyway, here are a few pics:

Reading with Grandma

Ben building a train car with Grandpa

Alex building a train car with Grandpa

With G&G at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis

Ben lost a tooth! Grandma spotted it right away.

Snuggling with Grandma. Awww.

Preschool Graduation

The skit at preschool graduation was the Very Hungry Caterpillar. As you can imagine we were thrilled when Alex was given the part of the cherry PIE, though he doesn't seem as happy to be ensconced in whipped cream as a person should be. Ben got to be a lollipop. The Muslim kid was given the part of the salami, I do not jest.




Ben won the "Bird Lover Award," no doubt overcoming heavy brotherly competition, and Alex's is "Best Reader."

Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware

Where we heard the laughing gulls laughing, saw shorebirds on the shore, heard a whip-poor-will saying its name in the night, and saw horseshoe crabs horsing around at high tide; and where Alex and Ben saw the ocean for the first time. Not content to leave the beach there, we brought back most of its shells in our pockets and most of its sand in our car.

Flowering plants at the Great Sand Dune

Digging at the Great Sand Dune

Mating horseshoe crabs

Ben's proud collection of horseshoe crab (exo)skeletons

Beach at which we saw dunlins, least terns, caspian terns, black-bellied plovers, red knots, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, dowitchers, yellowlegs, willets, osprey, cormorants, and lots of gulls.

Ben tapping a horseshoe crab

Closeup to the hc's magical ancientness (older than the dinosaurs!)

Tent time

S'mores

Running to see the ocean for the first time.