Evie, "Does George really have to go?"  Me to Evie, "Honey, we've talked about this.  Yes.  George was a wonderful Christmas tree. We're grateful for his service and hope he {and his surprise nest of little spiders} enjoyed the novelty...

I'm not gonna lie, I'm actively trying to turn Evie and Jack into scientists.  (Nate doesn't need to be guided, he's clearly a natural engineer.  I may not consider myself to be a real engineer, but I have enough experience...

If you head to Istanbul, here's a piece of free advice: If you don't observe Ramadan AND you only have 6-7 hours to explore, it's probably best not to show up on the last day of the holy month.  Eid...