Tips for the kids

Tennyson is a happy boy. He maintains his happiness by following a few key rules of thumb:

Rule 1 - Always wear safety goggles

Rule 2 - Always follow proper tool safety

Rule 3 - Always wash behind your ears

Rule 4 - Always keep up with your studies

City slicker

Tennyson really likes playing with his farm set, though he's still trying to figure out what everything is (we just don't have that many farms on Capitol Hill). Here, we found Tennyson on the kitchen table, where he had fenced himself in and couldn't find a way out.

Climbing Sugarloaf Mountain

Sometimes you've just got to get out of the city, hit the trails, and enjoy nature. But since we don't have time for that, we opted to visit Sugarloaf "Mountain" instead.  As you can see in this photo, the summit of Sugarloaf towers over the valley below.  Fear not -- there is a road that gets you half way to the top so you don't have to work too hard.

Tennyson was a hiking fool.  There's just no slowing him down once he hits his stride.

Or at least we think that would be true -- he's never actually hit his stride.  He does like throwing rocks at the wildlife and trying to hit beetles and ants with sticks, though.

Suzanne just loved the reward at the end of the long, grueling, 15-minute climb.  "The view makes it all worth it," she exclaimed.

You have to stop and take pictures of signs with your name on them.  You just have to.

Oh, and we're potty training Tennyson, which only adds to the adventure and suspense.  

Ahhh, nature.

Family cycle

Our new family hobby is cycling. Tennyson is at a good stage where he's perfectly content to sit in his bike seat for hours while Suzanne and I pedal him around the DC area. In fact, he sings the entire time. So we're trying to take advantage of the good weather and Tennyson's cooperative spirit by hitting the roads/trails whenever we can. This weekend we biked to/around the National Arboretum to enjoy the spring blossoms (Azelias, Dogwoods, and a thousand other spring delights).

Tennyson practiced his photography skills...

...and would still be staring at the turtles, ducks, and fish had we not pulled him away.

We asked for a backyard pool, but ended up with this back yard-pool.  Oh well, Tennyson thought he was living the American dream by coming home from a good workout to cool off in his puddle.

Hunting and playing

Tennyson participated in the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the National Arboretum. Remember when Easter Eggs were filled with candy? Yeah, well not so much any more. Oh well - Mr. T likes balloons and bubbles, and seemed plenty happy to run around and contribute to the chaos.

Tennyson has abandoned his bedroom in favor of living in the back yard.  (We've now got a guest room, if anyone wants to visit.)  Whether digging up our flowers or practicing his shot, Tennyson defines perpetual motion from sunrise to sunset.

Ahhh, the sweet smell of spring

Nursery Rhyming

Tenny's favorite bedtime storybook right now is a collection of nursery rhymes. Here are some of his favorites: