Aerospace Museum & Playground Pics

Stephen, Chuck, and I went to the National Air & Space Museum (Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center) yesterday. It's about a ten minute drive from our apartment, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get out with the guys. Admission is free, but parking costs $12 (ouch). Still, it was worth it to see all the stuff they had on display.

Stephen Poses in Front of a Pod RacerOkay, so it's not really a "pod racer," but it was the first thing that came to Stephen's mind when he saw it. It does look a little bit like a pod from Quadinaro's racer from Episode I. Unfortunately, he's a little washed-out in this picture, but I thought it was funny.

Stephen & his CameraStephen enjoys taking pictures with our digital camera so much, that we bought him his own. It's a Fisher-Price camera with a built-in LCD screen. The picture quality is grainy at best (see below), but it's pretty sturdy and he loves to take pictures all day long.

Maddie, Through Stephen's EyesAs an example of Stephen's camera's capabilities, here's a picture he took of Madeline. It doesn't handle movement well, so both the person taking the picture and the target of the picture need to be relatively still. As a result, most of Stephen's pictures end up as unrecognizable blurs.

Chuck & Stephen Posing by a Black WidowChuck and is wife Karen are expecting a son next month (September). Stephen's two and a half years old, but I'm sure it gives Chuck some idea what he's got to look forward to. A little hands-on never hurt anyone.

Stephen Enjoys McNuggets and BBQ SauceWhen Stephen gets fussy, it's a sure sign that he's either tired or hungry. We decided to go to the McDonald's in the museum, and he consumed fries, McNuggets, and Diet Coke (his favorite). He was still a little bit edgy after lunch, but the food took the edge off.

Space Shuttle EnterpriseIt's pretty neat that they've got the Enterprise at the museum. I told Stephen it was a space ship, but he wasn't real impressed.

The New Playground
Our balcony overlooks one of our apartment complex's "tot lots." When we moved in, the equipment was serviceable, but run-down. Last week, they tore out the old stuff and installed a bunch of brand new equipment: slides, teeter totter, swings. Stephen has been wanting to go play on this stuff ever since they started installing it, but it's been way too hot. I took him out this afternoon and let him take the new stuff for a spin.

"I'm on top of the world!!"It was hot and humid out, but not nearly as bad as it has been. There was a nice breeze that would kick up every so often. Stephen doesn't seem to mind the heat, even though he turns red and sweats just like his parents do.

Stephen Tries a New SlideStephen loves slides. He's loved them since as far back as I can remember, when we used to take him to the little playground at our complex in Vista, and (especially) when we'd go to Stage Coach Park in Encinitas.

Stephen Swings!Stephen wanted to go on the swings, so I loaded him up and pushed him a few times. The novelty wore off pretty quickly, and he wanted to get down so he could go dig in the dirt a little bit. My gosh, does he need a haircut.

Maddie Is Working Up to CrawlingI don't want to leave Maddie out. She's doing real well. No more teeth yet, but she is working on developing some mobility. At the moment, she rolls around and scoots along like an inch worm, but I can tell she wants to go faster. Who wouldn't?

That's all for now. More in a while!