Grandma & Grandpa Wood come to town! January 2012

Grandma and Grandpa Wood came to town, and it was a party!  We love it when our family comes here to visit, because it's always nice not to have to cram a billion things/people/events in when we travel up to Utah.  It was a low key trip and we had so much fun having Grandma and Grandpa all to ourselves!  

Scott had found some great reviews for an art museum in downtown Dallas that looked fun, so we took a day and went into the city.  It was called the MADI Museum.  Here's a little blurb I found on their website:

What is MADI?

In 1946 in Buenos Aires, Carmelo Arden Quin articulated the ideas of the MADI movement in his MADI Manifesto.  Some say the letters MADI stand for Movimiento Artistico De Invencion.  Others say the letters MADI stand for MAterialismo DIalectismo (Dialectical Materialism).  Still others say it is taken from letters in the name CarMelo ArDen Quin.

Whatever the origins of the name, the movement has combined complexity and uniqueness with playfulness and whimsy.  Focusing on geometric shapes that spill out of the traditional frame, and articulated and mobile structures, MADI artists refuse to make the object representative, but rather focus on the object and the colors themselves.  One does not have to look for meaning behind the art, but rather enjoy each piece for itself.

I added emphasis on the last sentence.

Because I did a BFA in Painting/Drawing in college and researched different art movements and different artistic styles---after a while, I kind of got---what's the word? jaded? cynical?  Yes, I know that many works of art have special meaning, but I think often times art historians and critics look for a deeper meaning that wasn't intended.  Sometimes artists create just to create.  Does this make any sense?  Anyway, I appreciated the fact that these pieces were just meant to enjoy each piece for itself and they told us not to look for a hidden meaning. 

It was a small little museum, but fun to go to.  The kids especially enjoyed the outside sculptures.  And, apparently, I enjoyed taking a billion photos of everything.

these pieces were cool, b/c they were interactive.  you could flip the smaller squares different directions and change what the piece looked like.  CLEVER!

  I'm a sucker for hanging installation pieces.

the kids loved having open floor space, even if it made their dear mother nervous.

the kids loved the mirrored glass outside.  so did I.

obviously.

we were joking that Tillie had three sisters... you know, like she was a part of a quadruplet set or something.  it was funny.  

we all wanted in on the fun...

Next up, we grabbed lunch at the always delicious Breadwinners Cafe. 

Everyone loves it when I pull out the camera.  hA!

Tillie's favorite part of life is when people read to her.  It's her happy place, I think.  Of course she was thrilled when Grandma volunteered to read several books to her.  And, actually, this book Something is Not Quite Right, Tillie actually "read" to Grandma.  She loves that book.

::: For part of our Christmas gift to Aaron's parents, we invited them to come racing with us.  No, we have never done something like this before, but it sounded like fun. And, hello, it was a ball.  We got all suited up in our racing gear and sped around the track.  Aaron and his parents were so funny comparing their racing stats at the end of it... me? I just liked the feel of the wind on my helmet.  :)  Enjoy these delightful pics from that momentous event.

yes, new profile pics on facebook.  definitely.

good times.  good times.

It was a quick trip, but a lovely one and we were so happy they came to see us!  I always forget to take more pictures, so we made sure to snap a few before we headed to the airport.  I think they turned out pretty great.

Thanks for coming, Scott and K'!  We loved having you!