And we're back!

It was a long car trip, but I highly recommend bringing along a mental health professional -- it makes ALL the difference! We discovered that portable dvd players are not the debil, as previously believed, but an excellent tool to ensure peaceful long-distance travel.

We also discovered that Cub and Jolie in the same hotel room != a peaceful vacation! They started talking from the moment their eyes opened in the morning, and didn't stop for breath until they passed out hours past their bedtime. They battled corn monsters, morphed into superheroes, became meerkats and dug tunnels everywhere, and on and on.

Thumper was petted and adored by all, which he repaid with baleful glares. He spent most of his time in his MorFar's arms.

We went to EdVenture, which is an amazing children's museum. There's a three-story tall statue of a kid that you can actually go inside -- there's his stomach! Look, that's his heart! BRAAAAAAINS! A real fire engine, a supermarket, a working tv studio (Cub was riveted by his own image, and did a great job delivering the weather), and lots of water play including working canals, sluices, wheels, and dams. I can't list all the fun stuff we did, it's just too much -- Thumper ran loose, gleefully bouncing from me to MorFar to Grandma Linda to Aunt Julie. Everything was there to be climbed, disassembled, activated, or hidden behind.

We also went to the Columbia Zoo, which is where the kids got the idea to be meerkats. There's a feeding station for the giraffe, which could have kept Thumper occupied for the rest of the day. He fed one stately lady about a pound of carrot bits, one at a time, and neither showed any sign of slowing down. The zoo is very well designed -- every time we felt just too hot to go on, there was a huge fan, or a beverage station, or an air conditioned exhibit.

All the cousins had a great time together, and HOPEFULLY (hint hint) Julie and Ellen and Dad will be sending me photos that they took to add to this entry. Ahem.