Tellus Science Museum

Donald and I took the girls to Cartersville to visit the Tellus Science Museum this week. He recently visited there for a meeting and was impressed, so we planned a day trip and took Abby and Emily on a scientific adventure. After a stop at Krystal for a huge sackful of hamburgers (of which Emily ate precisely none), we headed on to Tellus. They had a great time digging for fossils, panning for gemstones, and checking out the antique car and space suit collection. They both loved panning for stones best but also really enjoyed the planetarium show. Donald and I are so proud - when the Earth appeared on the planetarium's dome, Emily shouted, "Hey! I know what that is. It's the Earth!" My little Bill Nye! On the way home, we stopped off at a gas station for another antique novelty...drinks in glass bottles. Abby's learning to go green and wants to reuse her Dr. Pepper bottle for drinking water. Hooray for little girls with an environmental conscience! Both of them sacked out in the backseat on the way home after an exhausting day of scientific discovery. If you have a free day, head to Cartersville. Tellus is definitely worth it!

Looking cute

Emily and I got dressed up to head out to lunch with Donald this week. She looked so cute in her new dress (with accessories that she chose herself just for the occasion) that I had to take a picture and post it for all of you. So cute!

Windblown!

Donald's truck was recently the victim of a terrible accident - a cup of milk spilled underneath the seat and was not discovered until the next afternoon. What a stink! Emily has been with us for four years and this is the first time we've managed to do this. We are working on cleaning the smell out of the carpet; however, it's much more comfortable to ride with the windows down so that you don't suffocate from the smell. Emily and Abby love this. They think it's very exciting to cruise down the road with their hair flying in the breeze. Emily has often mentioned that, when she gets old enough, she wants a "purple Ford car with no top on it." Riding around with the windows down is probably only making her wish for a convertible even stronger!

The Fabulous Fox

Donald and I took the girls to The Fabulous Fox Theatre to see Up. It was their first trip to the Fox and we had such a great time watching the expressions on their faces. They loved seeing the Mighty Mo organ and watching the stars twinkle in the sky. The movie was great, too. We stopped by the Varsity for lunch after the show and then headed home for naps. The summer movies at the Fox are an excellent way to see one of the greatest sites in Atlanta at a really great price!

Florida State High Flying Circus

We took our second trip to see the Florida State High Flying Circus perform at Callaway this summer. This year's show was even better than last year's performance. They are an impressve group of students - one of only two student-run performing circuses in the world and the only one where each person is responsible for choreography, stage set-up, costume making, etc. They all do everything to keep the show up and running. Abby and Emily both enjoyed the show...perhaps too much! Emily is very excited about doing different "ticks" (tricks) and showing off her gymnastic skills to anyone who will watch. She is an excellent dangler, as the cashiers at Publix will tell you. She likes to dangle from the aisle dividers when we check out. Donald and I figure that by taking her to the circus each summer, we've probably encouraged her to run away and join the big top when she's a teenager. Oh well, it was a fun summer evening anyway! We even got to squeeze in a walk on the beach before we drove back home.

Cow Appreciation Day

Emily, Abby, and I spent some quality time at Chick-fil-A today while Donald traveled to Carrollton to pay his overdue library fines (darn librarians!). Today happened to be Cow Appreciation Day - if you came dressed as a cow, you received a free meal. At the risk of feeling like one of those people who get advertisements tattooed on their skulls to pay their way through college, I painted the girls each a cow spotted shirt and made them each a set of ears and off we went! After all, we do eat a large amount of CFA chicken and they did give Donald a scholarship at one time. I was surprised by the number of little cows that were running around - big cows, too! I didn't realize that the dress-up deal applied to adults, as well. Of course, our two redheads were undoubtedly the cutest cows in the place. Not that I'm biased, or anything.

Sassy!

One of Emily's (many) nicknames is Sassy. Looking at these pictures, it is not difficult to see why! She snagged my Jackie O sunglasses this morning and I couldn't help but snap some pictures of her. So stylish, even in her PJs!

Two Crafty Ladies

Abby and Emily recently had some "arts and craps" (I love it when they call it this!) time at The White House and did some painting with the help of Auntie Yam. While Donald and Papa John worked on painting the basement floor, the ladies stayed upstairs and had some girl time together. Dot Dot even came by to visit and give me some design tips. Decoupage next time, anyone? I'll definitely provide cocktails!