I'll Take You To A Revue at the End of Them

Somehow, the spring and summer of 2006 seems monumental enough to require a recap of some of the details, particularly since I did experience a bit of a blogging slump (or several).

I've been thinking a lot about my blog as mostly a document of our busy nothings, and while at times I can't come up with a creative way to tell about our day-to-day and often feel that life isn't worth blogging anymore (especially since the death of my camera!), if nothing else comes out of my Code Yellow life, I'd like my boys to have something to look back on and build their memories on, especially since these years, while they are pre-school age, are the days they likely won't remember many details.

So, this post is about throwing out some of the facts of our summer, just to get them out there, and hopefully be able to go forward from here, feeling like I didn't really leave huge chunks out.

Days without Dad at home: 100

Airplane rides: 4

Long car rides (under 2 hours, but long nonetheless): at least 10

Longer car rides (over 8 hours): 2

Bedtime stories read: At least 332

Episodes of Dora watched: maybe 8 (multiplied by 50, divided by the number of times it was Thomas instead)

Scenes of carnage viewed in real-life by my impressionable 3-year-old: 2 (a small plane crashed into a semi-truck down the street from grandma's, and a pile-up on the beltway)

Meals at home: ummm, maybe 60?

Meals brought in to us out of the goodness of other people's hearts: 5

Hours of total freedom (besides "sleep") experienced by Mom: 28

The books I read: (And I must say that every single one is not a book I would have normally picked up...So that's something, isn't it?)

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, by Lauren Willig
(This and the sequel, The Masque of the Black Tulip, were sent to me by my SIL, who knows I love the Scarlet Pimpernel. It's been so long since I picked up a novel and read for myself, for fun...I was out of practice "suspending my disbelief" and I was slow to get into the style of writing, but it was entertainment and helped me pass some of the insomniac hours, and actually ended up being a pretty good story. Plus, got me reading again!)

Return of the Prodigal, by Henri J.M. Nouwen
(Wonderful book based on scripture and the beautiful painting by Rembrandt. Required some deep thought that I wasn't up to at the time, but overall, the book was meaningful and I would recommend it.)

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, by Marina Lewycka
(I picked this one up just because I love Ukraine and because the first paragraph cracked me up...A little racey but funny and alternately poignant.)

Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic and Sister, by Sophie Kinsella
(True beach reads. Hilarious, kinda grown-up Amelia Bedelia with familiar problems with materialism and money. Funny British humor. I was bummed that I accidentally bought what I thought was book two, but it was really book four, but it's actually quite easy to fill in the blanks. Light read, good for a chuckle.)

The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
(I just had to see what the broohaha was all about. Personally, I found it a fascinating work of fiction, a page-turner of fabulous writing and famous art. However, I tried to start Angels and Demons right after because everyone said that it was even better than DaVinci, but I couldn't get into it - too much of the same flavor, I think.)

The Places We Went:

• The National Zoo (June 3, and once more in July)
• Glen Echo (June 19)
• Colorado (end of June, beginning of July)
• Leesburg Outlet Mall (yes, this is a major outing - you know how a simple trip to Target goes...we did Leesburg a couple times in July)
• Holden Beach (first two weeks of August)
• Green Springs Garden Park (just me and Cal - August 19)
• National Building Museum (August 23)
• IKEA (July 22, August 30, September 21)
• Walkersville Railroad (August 26)
• Reston Zoo (August 31)
• National Museum of Natural History and the ORKIN Insect Zoo (September 7)
• National Aquarium (read: National Overpriced Fish Tanks - Cal loved it, but since when does something Smithsonian charge such an admission?! - September 7)
• Kenilworth Aquatic Park (September 11)
• B&O Railroad Museum (and the very cool Power Plant B&N in Baltimore's Inner Harbor - September 16)
• The National Mall (with Helen, visiting from Estonia - September 18)
• The National Cathedral (with Helen - September 19)
• Torpedo Factory Art Center (September 20)
• Chuck E. Cheese's (new nearby! - September 20)
• Baltimore Aquarium (Now THAT is an aquarium! And 1/3 regular price on Fridays after 5! - September 22)
• Cunningham Falls (September 23)
• Gettysburg National Battlefield Park (September 23)

I have pictures to post and a little bit more to tell about a few of these places at some point, so forgive the repeat material when I get myself organized and ambitious enough - there are some funny things about taking little kids around the Metro DC area, believe me. If several people hadn't already written about doing DC with kids, I would. And it would be a hoot.

And that is a brief narration of the days of our summer. Overall, it's been a good one!

Tomorrow, the workaday week begins again and we'll start snuggling into fall.

Next weekend David and I are getting away - just the two of us. Whatever will we do, completing sentences - whole thoughts, even? It's the first time we've ever left the boys overnight...I'm a little nervous, but I'm thinking it's a good thing to do, in order to prevent marital atrophy or a slow and agonizing death by parenting.

Maybe I'll come back Monday a whole new woman. Stay tuned...my blog posts can only go up from here, I'm pretty sure.