Last week, I took a whirlwind trip to Jackson, Mississippi, rising at 4:00 and getting to BWI before the sunrise.

I dutifully followed the instructions on what to eat before getting on the plane, though it was a real struggle. The cinnamon roll might have been ok by itself, but when combined with the gigantic cookie, it set me back a bit.

Nevertheless, I had a great trip. Jackson was extremely welcoming.

I got home around 2:00 the next morning to find this waiting for me.

On Thursday, we went swinging.

And smiling.

With punctuated bursts of coy.

When I went to pick up Alden from school on Friday afternoon, August came along.

And spent a few minutes seeing how the other half lives.

Friday night, we went to Evergrain for pizza. I’m not sure why (or how) Kato ate his with such rage.

But moments later, he and Alden were dancing wildly by the espresso machine, so I didn’t have to worry for long.

On Saturday morning, Alden was promoted in Tang Soo Do, earning the rank of Jaguar and moving from a white belt with a yellow stripe to a yellow belt with a white stripe.

You might think the distinction too subtle to matter.

But you would be wrong.

Saturday afternoon, we headed to the Robot Festival in Baltimore.

August made a new friend.

Kato (literally) made a new friend.

We got to see 3-D printers in action.

And a robot that could write.

A friendly robot that rolled around making conversation.

And we discovered where Elmo has been all these years.

In spite of all the technical wizardry, the kids’ favorite thing by far was the make-your-own-rocket booth.

Three simple steps.

Plenty of tape.

And an ample dose of determination.

Yielded several fine rockets.

Kato was done rather quickly. He was more interested in flying his rocket than decorating it. Alden was more focused on making sure she had a beautiful object to send into space. While she drew flowers, princesses, and other astral ornamentation, I helped Kato load his rocket onto the firing tube.

He signalled his readiness.

And contemplated the firing switch.

By the time Kato was emotionally ready to launch his creation, Alden had finished hers as well.

One press of a button…

And two kid-made rockets took to the heavens.

Kato’s nearly hit a man with a hot dog, and Alden’s landed on the roof of the museum where Robot Fest was being held.

Undaunted, she set out to make another.

Kato fired his again and again and again. Before long, the nose cone was mangled and two of the fins were gone, but Kato was undeterred. His motto seemed to be, what goes up must have virtue, no matter how poorly it flies.

In the meantime, August was scoping out a robot tank. Or so he thought. Really, it was the other way around.

When the rockets were done, we had snacks. Snacks and skepticism. Have you ever seen three more jaded kids? Perhaps they should start a band. Or a youth movement.

From Robot Fest, we headed to Ellicott City, where our friends Christian and Emily (and Iris and Milo and Emmett) just bought a new house.

For whatever reason, August was in rare form.

On one hand, I wish he could talk, because I’d really like to hear what was on his mind.

On the other hand, perhaps I don’t.

He was, after all, with his two best friends.

Emmett.

And Milo.

If you didn’t happen to notice, they are identical twins. I was grateful for Milo’s alternative hairdo.

When Christian and I were roommates sophomore year of college, we certainly never expected to populate the earth. And yet, it seems, that’s just what we have done.

Today (Sunday), we headed out for more bicycle adventures. It was exciting. We were excited. Or so I believed. As it turned out, one of us was simply asleep.

We found ourselves once again in the gorgeous enclosure of Lover’s Lane.

And we headed back into Libby’s Nature Trail to see if conditions were any less wet.

They were slightly less wet, and we forged ahead to previously unexplored territory. We found a “tree house” (deer blind), and decided that it was the perfect place for a picnic. Alden and I went up first.

And then I helped Kato make the climb.

Kato was officially excited (and awake) at this point.

It was the perfect spot for a picnic.

There was a certain amount of envy from the toddler set.

Alden decided that August would probably have to be eleven before he could join them in the treehouse. To which I replied that she’d probably have to be 41 before she got to drive the family car.

I don’t think she got the joke.