The more the merrier

We are going to attempt our new homeschooling schedule starting next Tuesday. We will also have a new addition to the "family." No I am not pregnant! Our good friend Lynni has decided to homeschool this year and she will be joining us in our home and on many of our adventures. Everyone is very excited!

We got together today for a trip to NASA. They have a Mars exhibit that is ending this month and we wanted to check it out before it was gone. Now that school has started for the masses, we can venture out to public places again!

 Designing and launching rockets.

 Searching for signs of water on Mars.

 Surgery in space!

 Attempting to stump a robot. The kids choose which squares will rise up and the robot has to find its way to the other side.

 Hanging out on the red planet.

 I think Mirek has a new crush.

We welcome Lynni to our family and into our home with open arms and we look forward to exploring and learning about the world together. Let the adventures begin!

Mission Control

We woke up this morning to a really nice day and decided to go to the zoo and Japanese gardens. However, when we got there we saw only school buses and zero parking spots. So we quickly decided to head over to NASA. We do have a membership after all.

It was a really good decision. There was a school from LA but that's about it.

This visit we decided to take the hour and a half tram tour.

Here is Mirek at the original Mission Control. We were in the viewing room where the families of astronauts would sit, as well as Presidents and a Queen. The new Mission Control is in the same building.

The red phone was used by a representative from the Department of Defense to update the Pentagon.

 Next we got to see where the astronauts train in the Vehicle Mock-Up Facility. The parts for the entire International Space Station are here.

 This is the Orion capsule which NASA plans to land (with a crew) on the Moon, an asteroid, and Mars.

 A tree is planted for each NASA astronaut and certain prominent NASA employees who have passed away.

 The Saturn Rocket.

 Space food.

Space Center Houston

Here are our pictures from Space Center Houston. We had a lot of fun and I look forward to going back without Mirek. We missed a 90 minute tram tour that takes you around the NASA complex. It would have been pure torture with a one and a half year old....next time. I also didn't have a single dollar with me (we have a membership) so we didn't get to try "space food" or some of the flight simulators. There is a Star Wars one that I think Taven would love. It is $4.