Georgetown University farmer's market, Palisades zip line

The children have been off school this week...and the time has flown...

 

 Georgetown University has a solid farmer's market...Julia and Graham fell in love with the huge tree on campus...Julia found some sticks...quite a large one plus a smaller one...she's wearing her Easter dress, as it was Yellow Day at school (this, taken last week during school)..

 The children went on a field trip to the National Gallery of Art...here, Julia is pointing out something...her friend Darren is next to her. Jules is sweet on him!

 The teacher had the children lie down on the floor to look at mobiles made by Henri Matisse...

 The Palisades Playground, which features a zip line for children. Graham and Julia are the perfect size for this playground, and it was truly a great day.

Hiking in Rock Creek Park

Sunday was a gorgeous day, hopes of Spring days to come, so Graham and Julia and I hoofed it over to Rock Creek Park and hiked along some trails...Graham believes he saw the works of Amos the Beaver (his friend), as we saw piles of wood and straw around the park floor.

 

In other news, Julia cut her brother's bangs (!)...ahem. See below.

 

Graham, with one of his designs...it's a 'chute' with a flat bed truck somewhere in there (below)

 Taking a hiking break...Graham, sporting his new bangs, compliments of his sister.

 Graham poses with his walking stick

 Julia proudly displays a Barbie doll with a new pixie hair cut (not even sure where the Barbie came from!)

 Julia, walking free in the woods.

Graham watching the horses at the stables

Snow day--well, rain day--means building

 Julia's design, she proudly showed off the brickwork as well as the yellow top.

 This is hilarious...Graham hung up his art work...the square is the head, and he taped a cut out body to the head--on our book holder for the Musee d'Orsay in Paris book.

 Graham's creation on "rain day" involved the entire playroom.

 To the right, you have the dog nursery...where the doggies sleep and the mommies put the dogs to sleep.

 Dog sanctuary

Julia "I have nothing to do!" on Rain Day...she found her way out of this slump. At times, it involved 'bothering' her brother...

Rock Creek Park Stables

On Saturday, Graham, Julia and I visited Rock Creek Park's cozy and small planetarium...lots of little children shouting out the wrong answers to the uber-patient Ranger Tony's questions. It was very funny, but enlightening at the same time. Meaning, we all learned a thing or two.

After that, we walked over to the stables to visit the horses. We were fortunate enough to meet Sue, a volunteer, who gave Graham and Julia each an apple as well as several peppermints to feed the horses. She patiently introduced us (lots of patience with the Rock Creek crowd!) to numerous horses...Julia shrunk back, initially, but she started to enjoy the 4-legged animals after a couple licked peppermints off of her hand (Sue carefully held the children's fingers, so the horses would not 'mistake your fingers for carrots'--a detail that Graham repeated to Terence later)...it was slobbery, it was messy--

In short, it was fun. The horses also gobbled the apples out of the children's hands...then, later, the children and I watched a couple of young girls take lessons in the barn.

It was freezing! But later that evening, as we ate the spaghetti with pesto and scallops -- a dish that both Graham and Julia helped me make -- and sipped hot cocoa with marshmallows...the day made for a good memory.

Volunteer Sue helps Graham feed a horse

Julia and Volunteer Sue pose near a horse