Crumpled Home

In July of 2010, we went for a massive adventure to the USA. Four weeks and several thousand photos later, we returned with an incredible number of experiences under our belt. Our first stop was in Cody, Wyoming, where we spent a week with our incredibly gracious hosts. We cannot thank them enough for the sheer number of amazing things we got to see and do while we were there (not to mention letting our unruly mob stay with them in their beautiful house). It is really an amazing part of the country and we only got more jealous with each day we got to stay with them.

Here are the first few days of our adventure… Airports, travelling, and then adventures near our temporary home in Wyoming!

RJ enjoys the view at Denver airport. We're almost there!

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We’re away to a far off land, so things will be quiet around here for a while. We’ll still check in from time to time as we go, just don’t expect our regular posting schedule.

Last week, RJ and LR went off to try out trampolining. Their coach is an Olympic medalist and they are using full-sized Olympic equipment — these are some BIG trampolines. While LR’s schedule is pretty heavily booked up these days, it looks like RJ is going to stick with it after we get back from our trip.

RJ catches some serious air time as he works on his tuck jump.

(while eating breakfast)

RJ: Scarlet’s feet are clicking… Click click click.

Dad: Is that a problem?

RJ: Yes. It reminds me of giant spiders walking around the house… Giant spiders that eat people.

Dad: Maybe we could train one. We could have it as a pet!

RJ: No. That’s not a good idea.

Dad: Why not?

RJ: Because Grammy doesn’t mind little spiders, but she would be scared of a giant spider and she would freak out.

Dad: Fair enough. Can’t say I’d blame her.

LR: Mom, I can’t sleep on planes.

Mom: Sure you can. We’ll bring you a nice pillow. You’ll be fine. You fit in the seat perfectly.

LR: No. I just can’t sleep on planes. Can I stay awake the whole way to America?

Mom: It’s a very long way. It’s going to take us a full day and night to get there. I don’t think staying awake is a good idea.

LR: Well, I’m going to need a really good pillow and to lay flat then.

(Working on a project on Snow Leopards in the Himalayas)

Mom: The Himalayas are really craggy and sharp looking because they’re young mountains.

LR: How old are they?

Mom: Well, they happened when India crashed into Asia. That started happening about 50 million years ago and it’s still happening. The mountains are still growing.

LR: 50 million years? So was that in the 1960′s?

(while eating dinner)

RJ: I don’t like the vegetables, but I will eat ALL my rice.

LR: Rice is a vegetable, RJ!

RJ: No it’s not. It’s a grain. It’s a seed!

(while eating dinner)

LR: (singing) We all live in a yellow submarine!

RJ: I know that song! I love that song!

LR and RJ: (joyously singing together) We all live in a yellow submarine!

RJ: (after the cacaphony quiets down) When I was a little kid (in Malaysia), we used to sing that song all the time… But it was a bit different. It was about a blue submarine.

After looking at an underwater video of the disaster going on in the gulf, Mum asked the kids how they would go about stopping the oil gushing from the sea floor.

RJ’s suggestion:

RJ: The oil looks like a black smoker. And you can’t make those stop. They come from under the earth. So you have to make the earth stop pushing out the oil. And I don’t think you can do that. I know… You can go back in time and make the dinosaurs not die!

LR’s suggestion:

LR: You need to find a bacteria that eats oil. And make sure that it will turn into plankton when all the oil is gone so that it doesn’t hurt the ocean.

Good thinking guys!

A big couple of weekends… Mum took LR and her best friend to go and see the stage performance of Mamma Mia, RJ and Dad spent the day building projects and eating sushi, RJ catches a birthday party with his friend C., and Dad took RJ and LR off to the aquarium!

LR and I. are SUPER excited to be seeing the live performance of Mamma Mia!

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