Cute Kid Pix May 2026

More photos that didn't make their own post...

To celebrate Star Wars Day, May the Fourth, we made Wookie Cookies, which are basically Rice Krispy treats with Cocoa Krispies subbed in, along with a chocolate icing stripe and white jimmies to make Chewbacca's bandolier. We had a few challenges. First, the recipe says to make a sheet of cookie and then use a gingerbread-man cookie cutter to cut out the Wookie shapes. We have a plastic cookie cutter that's a bit shallow, so making the cuts was very hard. Then, I couldn't find white jimmies by themselves at the store, so I had to buy a rainbow sprinkles pack and take out all the long white sprinkles I could from the mix. The recipe calls for melting chocolate chips in a plastic bag and piping the bandoliers but I saw a squeezable icing packet at the store and bought that to save some work.

All the effort was worth the result, though I probably won't go through all that effort again.

Plate of Wookie cookies

A lone Wookie

We bid on a silent auction item for a Gabriel Network fundraiser and won a basket from Mission BBQ, which included a bottle of Cheerwine. It's not actually wine, it's a cherry-flavored cola that was tasty. We also used the steak-and-beef seasoning for hamburgers and liked it a lot. 

Spoils of donation

My daughter received some awards for her robotics work at school. The Howard County executive hosted a big congratulations event at a local outdoor concert venue. They had free food for attendees but only our daughter braved the lines to get some nachos.

Her robotics team

Another group photo

We were shocked to see her little brother's school get an award, but only because the mascot on the jumbotron was wrong! His school has a bulldog mascot, not a knight! They mixed up Patapsco Middle School with Patuxent Valley Middle School. I'm sure they'll blame AI.

Maybe there's a dog inside the armor?

For Mother's Day, we made basket tacos for dinner (Mom did not want to fight crowds at a restaurant). It was a fun project but a lot more work (two hours of effort) than the results justified. We enjoyed the tacos but, like the Wookie cookies, we probably won't make this recipe again.

Prepping tortillas

Prepping fillings

Making guacamole

Getting the finished product out of the slow cooker

Tasty but costly

My wife and I did a quick road trip thanks to a spontaneous holiday granted by her work. We went found a string of geocaches. We targeted caches that are part of a 250th Anniversary of of the United States geo-tour. I 

A tricky hide!

Rural Heritage Museum buildings

The coin and me

Celebratory lunch at RAK Brewing

Over Memorial Day weekend we took the kids out west to see Fort Frederick (which will get its own post). On the way we stopped at South Mountain Creamery to have an ice cream snack and visit the cows.

Dirt Road ice cream!

Getting licked

My youngest had his Spring Concert which was fun.

Ready to play

We tried out a local mini-golf course that was a little bit frustrating. The holes are generic and themeless, with a lot of weird hills and slopes that make shots difficult. Others enjoyed it more than I did.

Getting ready

Uphill battle

Decorative stones along the course

Cute Kid Pix April 2021

More pictures that didn't make their own post...

One of our neighbors organized a multi-yard Easter egg hunt on Holy Saturday. All three of our children joined the hunt. We also put out eggs for the other kids to find in our yard. The weather was perfect and a fun time was had by all.

Searching with mom

A very generous neighbor

Another very generous neighbor

One neighbor even dressed up as the Easter Bunny and came out to see the kids. My two older ones were too cool to have their picture taken with the Easter Bunny; my six-year old was too afraid.

Mom getting him close to the bunny

Daughter makes an offer to keep the bunny away

I found a local geocache on the way to the library. Welcome to Bowling Brook has some nice camouflage both for the cache and for the cacher making the discovery.

Somewhere in there

We got our first dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine but had to drive over an hour to a CVS is Easton, Maryland. Right next door is Hot Off the Coals BBQ, a local barbecue place where we had lunch. I ordered the pit beef sandwich with sweet potato casserole side. It was great. Don't be put off by their slogan: "You don't need teeth to eat our beef!"

Yummy place

Lots of good stuff here

We did a tiny bit of the Blossoms of Hope Scavenger Hunt in Howard County, Maryland. Our local library had one of the spots.

Tree-trapped

Maybe it's not a trap! Sorry, Admiral Ackbar.

We saw another sign over by Savage Mill but did not see the secret item.

We should have used the QR code

We enjoyed walking along the Little Patuxent River by the Mill. Some of us even crossed the river!

Exploring the shoreline

Across the river

Who put that tree there?

We donated to Gabriel Network's virtual gala and they sent us a nice wine glass! Gabriel Network works through churches in Maryland and Washington, D.C., to provide long-term support to pregnant women in need. The support is material, emotional, and spiritual. It's a great local charity.

Cool swag!

I sold a bunch of our board games that we aren't playing anymore at Board Game Co., taking the store credit option (they give you more value for store credit than for cash). I order a pile of "new to us" games to try out.

Our haul!

We are developing a collection of food-based games. This picture doesn't even have them all, but the shelf is only so tall.

Truffle Shuffle is missing--I left out dessert! We have Sushi Go! Party too.