Campus life with boys

I'm posting some pictures here of a day the boys were at Rice with me for part of the day this Fall. The school has been implementing some half days so they've come to work with me a couple of times. This can be very fun, but you have to know what you are in for. In the first place, they will find things to disagree about this. The first is taking the shuttle but from the parking lot to my office. Connor loves this. Jamie does not, I think partially because Connor does. So like everything one must compromise and so we take the shuttle going to the office and not coming back. As a result coming back from the office can last almost indefinitely as there are almost endless things for boys to get into.

Here is a little photo essay on our journey, which took seriously like 45 minutes.

The first stop is the big fountain outside the Baker Institute. Water is, of course, IRRESISTIBLE. I was struck by the similarity of their need to go into the fountain to that of dogs which I see there frequently. There was splashing, running in fear and great laughter. Dogs I think though have the sense not to want to go into the actual fountains, which are quite powerful. Boys have to be told they can't. I think those fountains would have actually borne Connor aloft, which, I confess I would find interesting to see.

 Next, we move onto the Turrell skyspace. Somehow I don't have a picture of this. It's a building with 4 sloping grass slides that can be run up and down and an interior space with a balcony that goes all the way around a sort of open courtyard. This needs to dealt with extensively, first of all because for children of Houston any kind of hill is FASCINATING. So up and down they went. Note that because they are wet from the fountain, grass will now cling to their clothes and skin and dirt will become mud. Win! Then because there are spaces to hide where one can play army and shoot at your brother. If you are the younger one, eventually it will become too intense and you will cry and we will leave.

From here we pass through the Shepherd School of Music. This is a large, open building which is pleasing because one can run in many different directions, seemingly at once, and then collapse unpredictably on the floor to look at the high ceilings. It also has a large staircase. Our boys are fascinated by stairs because we don't have any at home. Here they are very pleased with themselves looking down on me from the balcony.

Next, outside the Shepherd School we find a ledge to be jumped off of in full-on freestylin' boy mode. Experience the boyness. 

Having repeated this activity multiple times we are prepared to head for the parking lot. Now, the dampness from the fountain has become annoying and we complain to Daddy about being wet. Clearly my fault. We must, however, not hurry through the parking lot because there are many license plates from different states to be noted. Often Jamie will notice an exotic one, say Oregon and call it out. 15 seconds later, Connor who is trailing behind, and who has already marveled at Jamie's find, will see the same plate and call out "Ooohh!!! Look!! I found Oregon!!" This prompts Jamie's older brother voice to say wearily, "Connooo', I already found that one." Connor claims it's a different one and bad feelings ensue. 

And then we are back at the car and ready to move on.