May is one of my favorite months around Hampton Roads. The weather is finally consistently warm (usually) and the roses begin to bloom at Norfolk Botanical Garden. The sight of     acres of fragrant blossom in every color and variety all in flower at once in one place is amazing, awe-inspiring and overwhelming in the best way. Some other things to look forward to:

May the Fourth on May the 4th! The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is performing the music from the classic movie at Chrysler Hall that evening. Tickets available here. The next day, head over to Norfolk Collegiate Upper School for a giant lightsaber fight for Revenge of the Fifth.

The new and improved Waterside District in Norfolk is having its Grand Opening at the beginning of May! Saturday and Sunday May 5 and 6, head down to Waterside for a Family Fun Day with face painters, aerialists, street performers, and more. The Atlantic Coast Kite Festival is also held at the Oceanfront this weekend, and is sure to dazzle even the tiniest kids.

The Hampton Roads Mini-Maker Faire is also being held at the Hampton Coliseum on Sunday, May 6. From their website: "Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors." Sounds amazing! 

Happy Jamestown Day! Celebrate the 410th Anniversary of America's first permanent English colony on May 14.

Get ready for FREE admission to some area museums on May 18, International Museum Day. The  Virginia Beach History Museums are throwing open their doors to the public those days with free admission. Norfolk Greek Fest also starts May 18.

On May 20, check out the World Arts Celebration at City Center at Oyster Point in Newport News and explore food, music, crafts and culture from around the world.

Play Me, I'm Yours, a public art project inviting people to play pianos placed around the city, is happening May 23. Get your ivory ticklers ready!

Brave the crowds and sample something sweet at the Pungo Strawberry Festival on May 27 and 28.

Join the Chrysler Museum for a Day of Glass celebration on May 31 and take in some spectacular live glass-making demonstrations.

And last but certainly not least, a ton of Memorial Day events are happening around town incuding the annual Portsmouth Parade, ceremonies at York Hall and Newport News' Victory Arch, and a concert by the TRADOC band.

NOTE: Dates and times are subject to change, so please remember to check and confirm the details for an event in advance to be sure. MCK is not to be held responsible for missed events and bummed out kids! 

What else is going on around town in May? Drop your link and info in the comments!

Anouk got a rock collection for her birthday and has been really interested in geology lately. I thought over spring break that maybe we would drive to Luray Caverns to check it out but after looking at a map decided it was too far. Much more reasonable for a day trip was the Lucky Lake Gem and Mineral Mine in McKenney, VA, just over two hours west of Norfolk. At Lucky Lake, you can see the same sorts of rocks and minerals you might find at Luray...just on a smaller scale.

Lucky Lake features flume mining, which means that you shovel buckets of dirt into small trays and shake and swish it around in the water to reveal the treasures hidden there. We examined each rock closely, kept the ones we thought might be special and dumped the rest (the staff at Lucky Lake goes through your cast-off pile to make sure you're not throwing away anything remarkable). After you've finished sifting through the bucket, they sit down with you and tell you about all of the minerals and rocks you've found, show you what they look like when they're cut and polished, and share the supposed mystical properties of each crystal (Anouk has been sleeping ever since our visit with her uncut amethyst, which is supposed to take away bad dreams).

We found aquamarine, rubies, beautiful blue sodalite, garnets and a lot of quartz. We also purchased the option where our bucket came with an already cut stone in it, so that was exciting to find our mystic topaz glimmering there. Another slightly more expensive option was to get any stone from your bucket cut and mailed to you.

Besides panning there is a picnic area and fenced yard where the kids can run and play. We brought our lunch, which ended up being good because there isn't much else around the McKenney area at all. We debated stopping in Emporia on the way home but ended up driving back, which made for a lot of driving in one day and some cranky kids. Our advice would be to find a place to camp overnight or to make a detour to McKinney on a trip to Richmond, just to prevent this from happening to you.

But overall, it was worth it, even the cranky kids. One of our coolest road trips to date!

You might not think an artist who focused a lot of his work on showgirls and courtesans would be the most kid-friendly, but the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit going on at the Chrysler Museum now is one of the most enjoyable we've been to for a long time. Toulouse-Lautrec's world wasn't only dance halls, it was also a wonderful place where bears walked through the city on leashes, women dressed like wedding cakes with their skirts billowing around them and everything was just a little brighter and richer than it seems now.

Anouk really enjoys the kids books set in Belle Epoque Paris (Madeline series, Diva and Flea, the Family Under the Bridge) so a lot of these sights and scenes were familiar to her. But there were some unfamiliar things, too, including a wonderful exhibit of Japanese woodcut prints that were both beautiful on their own and interesting in the way they influenced Lautrec's work. A stop by the little art station let the kids put everything together in making art of their own. Another highlight was the repetitive whirling video of a can-can dancer twirling and whirling in a fascinating loop.

Right now the Lautrec exhibit is going on just next door to the amazing Infinite Possibility exhibit (more on that later!), so a visit to the Chrysler is definitely encouraged. The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec is on exhibit until June 17, 2017.

The blossoms were a day or two past peak when we went, with little green leaves popping up but I almost like them better this way because every time the wind blew, it rained tons of petals. Gus and his friend I. had a great time stamping and dancing around in the showers. (Gus got to use one of his fave new words: WOOOOOOW.) And the ground was blanketed in pink.

Now that the cherry blossoms have come and gone I feel like I can finally officially say it. HAPPY SPRING! Feel free to check out some of our favorite bloomiest springtime places to go and things to do around HRVA (before summer comes and scorches everything away).

Right after Gus was born Molly told me about a wonderful music class that meets at the Fred Heutte Center and I feel like I have been waiting for him to be old enough for it since then. Now at 18 months Gussie likes all things musical (AKA noisy) and loves to dance. So we were off to Little Rockstars, finally.
Little Rockstars is run by Miss Holly, of Mountaintide fame. For the first half of the class she plays the guitar and everybody sings. Some of the songs are old favorites, some are rewordings of old favorites and some are her very own creations! They are all very interactive and require the listeners to help moo, stomp, clap, etc. Then comes the dancing, and after that, a giant bin of instruments to root through and experiment with.

The Heutte Center is a wonderful place for the class, its cozy and friendly but still has plenty of light and space for babies to run. Plus with all the flowers blooming around its the perfect place to play after the class is over, too.

The video below is not only Gus's favorite of Miss Holly's songs but shows a little big of how fun the classes can be. The Little Rockstars classes are $8 per session, $5 for each additional sibling. Or else you can purchase a special pass, 8 classes for $40.

This is a quick Easter craft that you can do with stuff you probably already have around the house!

You will need:

-embroidery thread, thin elastic, or dental floss
-scissors
-a tapestry needle (the kind with the big eye)
-peeps, jelly beans, any other seasonal candy your heart desires

Directions: Using the needle, thread (carefully) the candy on the floss/thread/elastic in whatever pattern you wish. Tie (carefully) around your neck. EAT!



Anouk needed a little help with the needle but mostly was able to complete this craft herself. Gus helped by sampling the jellybeans and throwing all the black ones onto the floor where the dog also refused to eat them. I DON'T GET IT EITHER.

Little Bunny Foo Foo bout to get his.

One of the signs of spring in the Coastal Virginia area is the annual Gloucester Daffodil Festival. Anouk loves daffodils (her birthday flowers) and begged to go, and so we made the hour and a half or so drive from Norfolk this past weekend. Worth it! Besides enough flowers to make a horticulturalist (or Anouk) happy, the daffodil festival features a parade, vendors, food, crafts, music, and enough more to keep a couple of kids occupied for four or five hours, give or take a minor meltdown or two.
All three of our kids loved the dog show (so many furry friends to pet!). They also enjoyed peeking into the Gloucester Court House and History Museum, and running around the grass outside. Anouk had a blast working with the Fairfield Foundation as they did archaeological work uncovering the site of a 19th century store. Gus was pretty happy with the giant bag of kettle corn we bought.



 It would have been nice if the kids area had featured more activities that didn't involve waiting in the longest-ever lines, but we are already looking forward to coming back for the Daffodil Festival next year and spending more time in Gloucester in general. It's one of the cutest little towns in the area and there were so many local businesses we didn't get to stop by on this visit. I probably could have spent four or five hours in the used bookstore alone.

The daffodil has a long history in Gloucester County, which I didn't know until the festival, and for centuries was one of the area's biggest sources of income. Super interesting (if you're into that sort of thing, which I am). Read all about it here.

During a recent trip to the nation's capital, we stopped by Dumbarton Oaks, a spot that is right in the middle of it all but often overlooked. When we lived in the district we walked by this walled mansion several times but never really noticed it was there!

In the 1920s - 40s, Dumbarton Oaks was a family home (which is hard to imagine) but today is a museum known for its art collection and beautiful gardens, and research library. The museum was closed when we went but there was so much to do in the grounds that we didn't really notice.

The house features a total Great Gatbsy glamor. Did people really used to live this way? The gardens, the jewel in the crown, are a showcase of architecture and gardening and landscape design and what happens when they are put together in a thoughtful way. It feels a little bit like an enchanted castle from a Disney movie come to life.  At every turn fun spots to poke around: a delicious smelling orangerie, tiered gardens, a shimmering art deco swimming pool, and paved mosaics to trace with toes. In the sound garden, each of the chairs played a different sound, so just sitting with your friends made a symphony!





For those of you who are babywearers, the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks were designed by Beatrix Farrand, whose art was immortalized in the Pavo Textiles Farrand series of woven wraps. It's one of my favorite pieces of textile art and favorite carriers, so it was a fun aspect of the trip for me!

The museum will open on April 25 but the gardens are closing on July 17 and won't open back up until Spring 2018, so if you happen to be in DC, or are thinking of going, now is the time to plan a trip!

P.S.: Eat at the nearby Simply Banh Mi in Georgetown when you go! It's kid-friendly and delicious and the staff is completely wonderful. <3