'Tis the Season

Yesterday morning, before appetizers, turkey, every kind of side dish imaginable, dinner with great friends, too many slices of pie and a very satisfying food coma, we took in one of DC's favorite traditions - the holiday exhibit at the National Botanic Garden.  We have never experienced this truly incredible display, but plan to go every year from now on when we are in DC for the holidays.  It was that good!

The artist uses plant materials to replicate major DC landmarks (basically all the buildings on the US Mall, including some Smithsonian museums) and then creates an entire room of buildings in a chosen theme.  This year's them was famous structures around the world.  Besides those represented below, we also saw replicas of Tikal, the Great Pyramid of Giza, Petra, the Sphinx, Stone Statues of Easter Island, and the Lighthouse at Alexandria.  Circling the buildings is a series of trains which makes the exhibit fun for the whole family. 

Click on the pictures below so you can see the building up close, the attention to detail is astonishing.  Each of these replicas took hundreds of hours to complete and when you consider they are constructed exclusively from plant life it is impossible to be anything but impressed.

I think we may have to visit this exhibit 1 or 2 or 7 more times before it closes.  Can't wait, already, to find out what next year's theme will be!

The United States Capitol

The Great Wall in China

The Taj Mahal

The Library of Congress Jefferson Building

The Eiffel Tour

Neuenschwander Castle

The Hagia Sophia

Machu Picchu

Us and the White Heron Castle

My 2 goofy boys and the enormous Christmas tree

Happy Thanksgiving...

...from all of us to all of you.

We love Washington, DC, #5

Kenny took Caleb and Isaac to the United States National Arboretum last weekend.  We keep thinking this beautiful weather can't last and then another gorgeous Saturday surprises us.  We know that once winter finally does arrive, it will likely be with a vengeance and then outdoor outings will be a thing of the past.  For now, though, we are happy to enjoy the beauty of DC in the brilliant 

Autumn sunshine.

The National Arboretum is 466 acres enormous
and features hundreds of species of plants and trees.  It is crisscrossed with walking and driving trials and there is a shuttle tour of the highlights
There was ample space to run and jump -- paradise for the 5 and under set.

 

 The boys especially enjoyed seeing the "tiny, little trees" -- aka, Bonsai trees.  There were Chinese, Japanese and North American varieties to ooh and aah over.

 This tree has been in "training" since 1625!

I didn't go with them, but we are still crossing this off our DC Bucket list and will likely return again in the Spring when everything is blooming.

Thankful for...

 Little opportunities for giving that make a big difference.

A friend directed me to the Tipping Bucket website.  They are a social change organization committed to making the world a better place $1 at a time, literally.
  

If you're looking for creative ways to make your charity budget stretch a bit further this year, here's a way to get maximum bang for your increasingly precious buck.

  

Check it out and change the world. 

Image from here.

Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen

Hair, Hair, Hair, Hair, Hair, Hair, Hair

Image from here

 Last year for Christmas we gave ourselves season tickets to the Kennedy Center's musical series.  We went to our first performance this weekend...Gypsy.  Ha, just kidding, obviously it was Hair.

 

If you know me at all, you know there is nothing I love better than live, musical theatre.  Okay, so not more than the family, but it's definitely up there.

 

Let me say it again, I love musicals.  They are my vice, my favorite extravagance, the best way I can think of to spend spare time and $$$.  And, in between the live performances, I love listening to the music from these shows.  I am doing my best to brainwash my kids into loving them too.  Every chance I get we tune the ipod to Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Schonberg and Boublil, Lloyd Webber and all the others only a crazy addict like myself would recognize by name.

We saw Hair in the Opera House at the Kennedy Center.  The Opera House is massive, cavernous even.  But, the rock music coming from the exceedingly talented band on stage and highly energetic cast (they must burn 2000 calories apiece each performance) more than filled the space.  It took some doing for the cast to loosen up the staid DC audience, but they persevered and eventually prevailed.  The cast were everywhere, jumping on and off the stage, running up and down the aisles, climbing on seats and railings, dancing with the audience and most of all touching everyone's hair.

This was the first time I had seen Hair, but I was not unaware of it's controversial moments.  One of them, though, definitely caught me by surprise.  There I was near the end of the first act blithely focused on the singer in the spotlight and then happened to casually glance at the other performers in the background, and BOOM, no clothes.  Not a stitch.  The lights were dimmed and blue, but even in a soft, azure glow, naked is naked.  My gaze lingered long enough to 1) confirm the lack of clothing and 2) acknowledge that performing live every night in a show as fast-paced as Hair is good for the physique.  Then the stage lights went out, the house lights came up and that was that.

The second act, too, had it's unexpected moments, though nothing as startling as the first.  Overall the singing, dancing and general staging of Hair were excellent.

Next up: South Pacific 

We love Washington, DC, #4

The boys and I recently made a twilight visit to the relatively new United States Air Force Memorial.  The three spires that make up the centerpiece of the memorial are hard to miss from anywhere in the vicinity and after seeing them in the distance for weeks, the boys have been keen to see them up close and in person. 

 The three spires are meant to represent jet streams and the sensation of flight.  Sure, I can see that.

In addition to the spires there are various other statues and plaques to commemorate the history, sacrifice and heroism of the US Air Force.

 

This photo doesn't do it justice, but the memorial is very impressive in person.

It was getting dark, obviously, and I have this beautiful new camera that I know next to nothing about and that combination means you need better art than my paltry skill can provide to appreciate the majesty of this site.  

Here is a much better image.

Image from here

Thankful for...

Field trips and having the freedom to go on one with 

my favorite 4 year-old.  

Caleb's preschool class recently visited the United States Botanic Garden.  I have always enjoyed visiting the Botanic Garden for its serenity and variety.  Located just to the West of the US Capitol, it's collection of flora and fauna is astonishing.  Definitely a must see for any visit to Washington, DC.

Who'd have thought you could find a jungle in the middle of the Mall?

  

Orchids!

Orchids!

And, more orchids!

Beautiful bird of paradise.

Inside and out, the gardens are just stunning.

  

When I was a child, our field trip options were limited to Ice Palace, the Honolulu Zoo, beach parks where swimming was not allowed, or Christmas shopping at Ala Moana.  Don't get me wrong, my childhood in Hawaii was way above average, but seeing this on an average field trip is nothing short of spectacular.

Thankful for...

Today's view from our skylight.

 Team Umizoomi's mighty math powers.  While Milli, Bot, and Geo are busy enthralling Isaac with stories about patterns, shapes, and numbers, I am free to write about democratization and civil society.  

I love these guys!

Image from here

A dance party in the car on the way to preschool courtesy of MJ himself.

Image from here

Craft blogs like this one with great ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving and everything else.

Image from here

Our new favorite author, Rachel Isadora, and her beautifully written and illustrated children's books. 

Image from here

Thankful for...

 Them -- for a million reasons 

and then a million more.

 

It doesn't hurt that they are great traveling companions too.  Here they are on Santorini in the Greek Islands enjoying the red, white, and black sand beach.  Our trip to Greece this Spring was filled with breathtaking backdrops like this one.

 A close-up of the sand, it really was red, white and black.

The Better to Hear You With

Remember earlier this year when Isaac and I took an emergency trip from Caracas to Washington, DC, for him to have tubes put in his ears? It's okay if you don't remember, or weren't reading then, I am conveniently providing the link 'cause I know you're dying to review the backstory to what is coming next.

PART I: Isaac did have the surgery after all and his adenoids out at the same time too. The adenoidectomy (real word, I promise) was unexpected and required an additional level of anesthesia. 3 times in my life I have watched my children go from fully awake into the drug-induced stupor of general anesthesia, it is not great. This third time was especially charming. Isaac was fighting the mask and the nurses made me come in, hold him down, and sing him into submission, let me tell you how super fun that isn't!

After the surgery was over, the ENT came out to report. Our exchange went like this:

He told me he always tells parents exactly what he finds when he performs these procedures so they know they did not needlessly subject their child to anything.

Good, I didn't want to fly all this way for nothing, especially since I'm in the middle of a major international move.

Isaac, he said, was the worst case he had ever seen, EVER -- (and, no, he is not just out of his residency). He said there was so much gunk and goo in his little head he suctioned twice as much as normal (I know, gross) and I should expect more to come out for several days. Oooh, can't wait for that!

Worst case, huh? Guess that means I just lost Mother of the Year!

He went on to say that Isaac was fairly old to be having this procedure done and that it was strange we had not addressed his condition(s) sooner?

Yes, I'm down, go ahead, kick me. I mean, is it my fault he never had a fever, never complained, never was irritable? Those are the clues, was I really supposed to guess that his ears were in a constant state of infectedness?

He concluded by telling me that his previously diminished hearing (salt in the wound) should now be restored. And, in fact, he would probably have some sensitivity to sound because of all the fluid he'd had sloshing around inside (rub the salt in well and douse me some lemon juice for good measure -- thanks).

For the record, I am not exaggerating this exchange, I have witnesses.

In reality, there was no noticeable difference in Isaac after surgery. Luckily too, he didn't seem to harbor any ill will towards me for keeping him in a world of muffled noises. His recovery was quick and mostly painless and except for earplugs when he bathes or swims, it is hard to even remember that episode in our lives. The most significant change is that he has not had a perforated eardrum since, thank goodness. Everything has been so smooth, we could almost put all of these ear issues behind us...ALMOST.

PART II: A few weeks ago Caleb was watching TV and asked me to turn up the volume because he couldn't hear. I was in the next room and could everything, perfectly. You can't hear, I said, are you sure? He looks at me and practically yells, NO, I CAN'T! The next day he got in trouble at school for not listening, the only time he has ever gotten in trouble in school. He wept and wept and wept and... Needless to stay I whisked him off to the pediatrician where he FAILED the hearing test in both ears. Both! I KNOW!

Don't worry fellow Moms, I will never challenge any of you for super Mommy awards now or at any time in the future, this year has seen to that.

The doctor used a little doohickey cleaning thing on Caleb's ears, (again, gross) and then performed the hearing tests again. Right: Pass. Left: Fail.

FAIL!

My poor children have been walking around needlessly deaf. I blame overseas living. I know that's not fair (or true), but my alternative is to blame myself, so, duh!, overseas living it is. My Mom thinks this is why we are in the US right now, so I can get their ears in perfect working order, particularly since there is no reason why either of them should have any hearing issues. That seems like as reasonable a reason as any (i.e. to learn Chinese or to go to Graduate school) so I'm going with it.

Since we FAILED at hearing, Caleb has been back to the doctor twice for ear things, including, our favorite, a perforated eardrum. He is on a bunch of fancy drugs to clean things out permanently and with any luck when we go in for his 5 year-old check-up in January he'll be in fighting form at last.

Hear that, fighting form? Yeah, my kids didn't either! Oh well, what does not kill them, makes them, and certainly me, stronger!

Leapfrogged

Christmas is coming, I know and I'm excited, I love Christmas. But, um, what happened to anticipating, relishing, and, observing
Thanksgiving?

Everywhere I look Christmas has all but obliterated Thanksgiving. The stores are decked with Christmas decorations and sweets, the blogosphere is teeming with advent calendar ideas and Christmas card anxiety, my inbox is overflowing with early Christmas shopping deals, and my to do list is brimming with Christmas related projects that have to be attended to posthaste.

Clearly, Thanksgiving is getting the shaft!

Everyone celebrates Christmas, but Thanksgiving is unique to America (okay, so Canada, Liberia and part of Norway have Thanksgiving too, but you get what I'm saying), it is special, it is all about joy and gratitude and friends and family, it is part of who we are as a people. It is not just a holiday from work and school, or a chance to eat oneself into a coma, or a reason to stay up until 4 in the morning with 1000s of strangers to get a good deal on a flat screen TV at Best Buy.

Maybe the problem is not everyone has a vested interest in Thanksgiving? I mean, I don't remember really participating in Thanksgiving dinner preparation until I was in High School. Somehow (PS, I actually do know how), it just magically appeared on the table and was consumed in 30 minutes flat. That's a lot of effort for a half hour. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a proud member of the "Food is Love" club, so I get laboring over a multi-course meal for hours, even days, only to have it disappear in minutes. But, I wondered recently, is that why we celebrate Thanksgiving, for the food?

Honestly? Probably.

Something has to be done, so this year we're starting some new traditions. We're focusing on the reasons for this holiday and truly celebrating the bounty of our harvest. We're talking a lot more about the people and things that make our lives pretty darn amazing. We're doing thankful crafts and playing gratitude games and trying to remember to give thanks every chance we get. Having small children around means you get a lot of do-overs. So, this year we're having one, a do-over. We're reinventing ourselves as thankful people who are grateful for more than homemade rolls and sausage stuffing (notice, I did not say "instead of," because, let's be honest, we're still grateful for the food).

So far? It's working. We're feeling pretty thankful. I hope these small changes we've made in our Thanksgiving observance will stick. I hope this means we'll be looking forward to future Thanksgivings for more reasons than pie, parades, and hours of football. Mostly, I hope we'll always remember to give thanks for Thanksgiving.

How do you remember to give thanks for Thanksgiving?

Washington, DC, Bucket List

So much to do and so little time. We are already 1/8 of the way through our time in DC and we've barely made a dent in our long list of things not to miss in the Nation's Capital. Notice there is only one eatery mentioned below. I could easily make a list twice this long of can't miss foods, but that would just be overwhelming, not to mention heart attack inducing. My conservative estimate is that we'll get though 75% of this list...we'll see. By the way, if this list is missing your favorite thing to do in DC, please let me know, I'm always on the look out for new ways to enjoy this city I love so much.

National Botanic Gardens

National Arboretum

Washington Nationals Baseball

Orioles v. Red Sox at Camden Yards

Arlington National Cemetery

Mount Vernon

Montpelier

Monticello

Air and Space Museum

National Zoo

American History Museum

Kennedy Center Performance

Shakespeare Theatre Performance

Ford’s Theatre Tour and Performance

Arena Stage Performance

Portrait Gallery

Air and Space – Udvar-Hazy

Carousel on the Mall

Harper’s Ferry

National Cathedral

The Ponies at Assateague Island

Lincoln Memorial

Natural History Museum

Washington Monument

Puppet Show and Carousel at Glen Echo Park

American Indian Museum

Jefferson Memorial

Marine Barracks Parade

Christmas Lights at the DC Temple

US Capitol

White House

Hershey Park

Colonial Williamsburg

National Aquarium

Annapolis

American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery

Gettysburg (and other Civil War battle sites)

Breakfast at Eastern Market

Library of Congress

Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive

National Archives

Newseum

Pumpkin Patch

National Museum of African Art

Fourth of July Fireworks

National Building Museum

Apple picking

Holocaust Museum (though it's probably too mature for our little ones)

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Luray Caverns

US Naval Observatory

Roosevelt Island

War Memorials

Iwo Jima

FDR Memorial

Baltimore Aquarium

Ice Skate at the National Gallery of Art

Bike along the C & O Canal

Great Falls Park

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Caleb and I had a long discussion the other day about his upcoming birthday, ahem, in January. He will be turning 5 and he has been thinking about that moment for months, probably, in fact, since his last birthday. We have been talking about how we will celebrate and how it will be different from his last birthday party, which we celebrated in Caracas.

For example, this time around there will be no face-painting:

We will have to make do with Mommy and Daddy leading the games and pass on hiring party wranglers to run the show:


We will likely not have a bouncy house:

And certainly we won't have two bouncy houses:

We will probably not be renting a party room:


The cotton candy machine will definitely be unavailable when he turns five:

As will the popcorn machine:

And finally, a pinata does not seem likely:

We will, however, have delicious food and yummy birthday cake:

Not one:
But, two very happy birthday boys (Isaac also has a January birthday):
And, presents to open and love, new friends to celebrate with, and memories to last a lifetime:

Okay, so not this many presents, but one or two at least.

Perspective

Yesterday was a long day. It was cold and rainy and frustratingly unproductive. We were late for school, we were whiny and throwing tantrums, we did not want to eat, nap, or get dressed, we were just generally cranky. Some days are like that, gray. And yesterday was such a one dreary and long and just exceedingly gray.

Kenny has this goal, an admirable one I think, of seeing all of Shakespeare's plays performed live. The Folger Shakespeare Library is currently performing the very seldom seen Henry VIII. The rareness of this play and the fact that we found half-price tickets was too much to pass up. I like Shakespeare too, but seeing all 38 plays live is not a goal I feel compelled to achieve. And, I will do just about anything not to have to arrange for a mid-week babysitter. So Kenny went off on his own and I stayed behind to do the bedtime routine solo.

I was determined to end our dreary day on a high note, and things were going well. We'd bathed, read stories, sung songs and turned out the lights. I finished my own dinner in peace and was settling into a television show TIVO was graciously saving for me. And then, the final nail in the coffin. The boys were fighting sleep and winning. I got up to go "gently" encourage they throw in the towel and in my haste, knocked over my water glass right onto my not quite 6-month old MacBook Pro. It is dead, as in doornail.

Shocked and very aware that I couldn't save it, I went down the hall to finish my original errand. Walking into the room I was confronted with two very tired little boys who refused to accept the glaringly obvious remedy for their conditions. And suddenly, this long and now terrible day became too much. And to make matters worse, here they were awake and not even close to letting it end. I couldn't handle the tension anymore and burst into tears. I thought about the pictures we would probably never recover, the weeks of class notes I've recorded this semester that were gone forever, bookmarks for my 25 page research paper I cannot duplicate and I cried. I begged them to go to sleep and let me think, to let me come to terms with this loss, to let me figure out how to break the news to my blissfully absent husband.

But, instead...they started to cry. Pitiful, heart-wrenching sobs.

I was horrified.

How could I have done this to them? I'd scared and upset them over what? A computer and some lost photos? I'm the Mom, I'm supposed to keep this from happening, not cause it. I knelt down on the floor in their room and drew their shaking bodies in close. I wrapped my arms around them and hugged them tight. We cried together for a few minutes, them out of fear and me from shame. In the most soothing voice I could muster I promised them everything was okay. I kissed their damp cheeks and tired heads and tucked them back into their beds. As I drew the covers up to his chin, Isaac looked at me and through a final sob said, "Lie down with me, Mommy." So I did. He nestled in next to me, as close as humanly possible and very soon he was relaxed and sound asleep. And finally that exhausting day ended.

As I lay there feeling, more than hearing him breathe, I thought about the damage I had done. As delicate and vulnerable as my computer is, what of these two tiny hearts? A technician will take apart my MacBook, look for glimmers of life and try to recover something. But, for my children, it is not that simple. Their hearts are soft and growing and the things recorded within are permanent. I am the guardian of those hearts. And last night, I lost sight of that. I will miss those pictures from the important moments in their lives, sure. But, how much more devastated would I be to miss their trust, love and belief that I can make it all better?

The sun is out today and I know everything will be fine, no matter what the verdict on the computer is. I know it will be fine because the Macbook is just a thing, and things are replaceable. I know it will be fine because we have an external hard drive and most of what was on the laptop is saved there. But, mostly, I know it will be fine because as we crossed the street this morning I squeezed two little hands and those hands squeezed mine back.