Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Summer Break: Weeks Seven and Eight

Coming back from vacation this year was hard, partly because our flight was delayed two hours on the runway in Houston upon our return. We landed on time at 11 pm but then couldn't get off the plane until 1 am due to lightning, which meant we didn't get home until 2 am. Gene and I were still awake at 3 am.  And to top it all off, Ruby came home at 6 am! Fortunately, our pet sitter just put her in her crate and none of us were up until 9:30 am. Thank goodness the kitties also let us sleep in! Monday in Houston was a blur. We were so tired and there was so much to do! And Gene had to go back to work.

Weezie (who is now 16!!) helped us unpack. Or maybe she's guarding the suitcase to make sure we don't jet off again anytime soon!


This comic was in the paper upon our return. Our kids did great on the trip, but there was some moaning about the lack of WiFi in Sequoia!


My kids never ask for McDonald's, but they do like sushi (none to be found in the national parks), so we grabbed some during our first grocery shopping trip on Monday morning. Late lunch at 2pm!


We forgot some essentials at the store on Monday, so headed back on Tuesday. While we were there, we grabbed all the ingredients to make homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream. It's a winner!


By the time Thursday rolled around, we needed to get out of the house (besides trips to the library and grocery store), so we visited the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston to check out their current exhibits. Below is Time for You and Joy to Get Acquainted by JooYoung Choi.


We also popped by the MFAH's Cullen Sculpture Garden.


Lunch and DubDubs at G&G's house.



On Saturday, Will and I visited The Holocaust Museum. Will read Number the Stars last year, so we thought a visit to the museum would be appropriate. Sad and hard, but important.




This is the Garden of Hope, honoring the million and a half children who died during the Holocaust. 


Danish fishing boat


During WWII, the Danish people evacuated nearly all the Jews in Denmark, hiding them in fishing boats and moving them to safety in Sweden. This is the story at the heart of Number the Stars.


Frozen yogurt and a trip to the library afterwards


Henry is still a bit young for the Holocaust Museum, so Gene took him to Hermann Park to ride the paddleboats instead!




It was hot, but Henry had a blast!


Lunch


Last week, our local library hosted a cardboard building event as part of the summer reading program. Henry, who loves to build, was in seventh heaven.


He called his creation "The Thing," and made a flag that said "In bananas we trust."


We also visited the dog show, which was fun and free.


One day, we had an afternoon adventure to get ice cream at The Chocolate Bar, followed by a visit to Half Price Books to turn in reading logs and get a stack of new books!


Another day, Henry decided that he absolutely needed a new dragon to add to his collection, so we headed to Fundamentally Toys so he could purchase one with his allowance money.


We also visited the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Sugar Land. A highlight was the "Sweet" exhibit, which was all about sweets. We also got a free bag of candy for being some of the first visitors on a Friday morning.



Sea turtle made out of jellybeans -- who knew jellybean art was a thing? 


I hope your summer days have been sweet as well!

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