a capital idea

The boys and I are back home after an action-packed weekend in Indianapolis. We headed down Friday afternoon with my mom, my sister Loni, Craig (Loni's fiance), and Lilly (Craig's daughter). Dinner, pool time, and hanging out in our suite were pretty much the order of the night, because Saturday the fun started. We spent the day at the Indianapolis Children's Museum, and before we even got in the building, we saw (many of) the wonders of the world in miniature.

Our main purpose in going was to see the museum's really exhibit on Chinese terra cotta warriors. This is the only place in the United States they will be exhibited this year -- lucky us! They did a great job putting the exhibit together with plenty of things of interest for all ages. There were the actual warriors and artifacts in glass cases, but there were also full-size 3-D puzzles to give the kids an idea of the condition some of the figures were found in and how archaeologists pieced them back together. There was an area where you could use a mold to make your own miniature warrior or sculpt a face for one (my mom particularly enjoyed that part), and an area where kids could put on outfits, grab a weapon, and pose with the warriors.

 

After we finished exploring the warriors, we checked out the rest of the museum. Well, everyone else checked out the museum, while I sat with Henry, who had a complete meltdown and spent 20 minutes sitting on a bench (the most out-of-the-way bench I could find, which isn't saying much) screaming himself hoarse. I don't even remember what the fit was about, just that it was awful. But eventually, he got over it, just in time to join everyone to ride the carousel and play for a loooooong time at the water exhibit.

On Sunday, we visited Conner Prairie. This is the part of the trip I was most looking forward to. I had been there twice before (for a field trip in fourth grade, which is the year kids study Indiana history, and again my senior year of high school) and had great memories of making candles and churning butter and talking to the people in the village. Loni went in fourth grade too, but the rest of our party was on their maiden voyage, which was pretty exciting. If you've never been there, Conner Prairie is a living history museum (I guess now they call it an "interactive history park"), filled with costumed interpreters who play the roles of pioneers from the 1800s (so any mention of technology or modern events is met with a blank stare).

We started with the 1863 Civil War Journey, which is new since my last visit (Imagine that -- they built something new in the 20 years since last time I was there!) and is really amazing. The setup is that a town was invaded by Confederates, and you are visiting the day after the invasion. There are smoldering ruins near the train depot, and the proprietor of the general store is trying to put his merchandise back on the shelves so he can reopen. There's a temporary army headquarters where you can sign up to help fight defend the state. There are all kinds of special effects. It's a really neat mix of new technology and old-fashioned acting. I can't recommend it enough. Neither can these two soldiers, who were solemnly prepared to fight the good fight.

After that, we headed to the 1836 village (which is how I remembered it), where a man played the piano for us (a song by that newcomer Chopin) first thing. We visited the blacksmith's shop (which Max really didn't want to leave), dropped in on a lady cooking some biscuits in the embers of her fireplace, checked out the schoolhouse, and loaded boxes from the general store onto a waiting wagon. The boys engaged in an exciting game of "battle doors and shuttlecocks" with a brother-and-sister duo, which was downright hilarious. We were also lucky that it was kind of a dreary, overcast day, so the place wasn't crowded, which meant that we got extra attention from the people working there. After the boys finished playing their game, one of the guides tipped me off that I could take them to the inn and ask for work so they could earn a little money. So off we went, and the boys swept the inn floor and were rewarded with a half-penny each. They had the option of spending their half-pennies at the general store (to buy nails, or recipe cards, or marbles) but they each chose to keep theirs as a souvenir of a most excellent adventure.

stingrays and dinos, oh my

On a quick morning trip to Chicago, we managed to hit two places of interest. First, we stopped by the aquarium (making EXCELLENT use of this year's membership!) to check out the Stingray Touch exhibit, which is outdoors and thus only open in the summer. It's basically a big, shallow pool under a tent, and the stingrays swim around, and you can reach in and pat them on the back as they swim by. Or, in Liam's case, you can pat them on the back for extended periods of time because they come over to you and just hover there (seriously, it was amazing -- he was like some kind of stingray whisperer or something). They feel about how you would imagine, sort of slimy and squishy and slightly bumpy. It was relatively uncrowded (we hit the Sunday morning sweet spot), and watching the stingrays go round and round was peaceful, almost mesmerizing. The boys were definitely in love, so much so that they were completely out of joint with us when we made them leave after a full 45 minutes of petting stingrays (they even got to watch them eat, which sparked a swimming frenzy that was kind of exciting).

After we finally managed to pry the boys away from the stingrays, they reluctantly accompanied us next door to the Field Museum. And where the aquarium was uncrowded, the Field was basically a ghost town. It was cool inside, and there was plenty of room to roam, and as soon as we saw Sue the dinosaur in the main gallery, the boys quickly got into the swing of things. They were impressed by the hall of rocks and gems (check them out on the space rock!) and with a history of the world exhibit that walked them through our planet's (many) mass extinctions, but the real stars, of course, were the dinosaurs. Max in particular was deeply interested and asking lots of questions, and he and Mike took off for a while for some in-depth exploration, while I supervised Liam and Henry exploring at a more frantic pace. We were there for quite a long time (for us), not leaving until our growling stomachs forced us out the door and in search of some food on the way home. The boys are excited to go back sometime soon -- and since we got in for free on a reciprocal membership, I think it's safe to say it will happen sooner rather than later!

the triumphant return of door frog. now with 100% more door frog

I was in a bit of a dark mood coming home tonight. Rotten day at work, less-than-ideal weather (it's a little disconcerting how not being able to see the stars at night brings me down), knowing that I need to mow the grass tomorrow, political strife at both home and abroad...what a drag, man.

And then everything changed.

Because Door Frog was back. And he brought a friend.

I highly doubt that either of these amphibian daredevils are the original Door Frog, but that doesn't matter. It also doesn't matter that they are on the siding, not the door. They obviously got the idea to stalk the deck light from Door Frog, that sticky-footed innovator of bug-devouring excellence. As far as I'm concerned, they're all Door Frogs. The more, the merrier.

I've gone to great lengths to ensure that our yard is an optimal habitat for wildlife (Charlie terrorizing the squirrels aside). Sure, we've got a long way to go as far as landscaping is concerned, but I make an effort to plant hummingbird, non-humming bird, bee, and butterfly-friendly plants (the Eastern swallowtails like to set their caterpillars loose in our parsley, and I am glad to sacrifice some for the cause). No chemical fertilizers, insecticides, or herbicides. Ideal habitat for neighborhood amphibians, I would think, and it certainly seems that way.

So salutations, Door Frogs. You have been missed, and your return is cause for celebration. Welcome home.

prom time again

Klaudia's prom is tonight, so we stopped over to take some pictures. We've only got one more year to do this before she graduates! Time flies.

live and learn

Evidently Henry isn't ready to visit the dog park yet. Charlie was great though! We took him for a walk first so he was too worn out to be his normal loud self. Where he would usually be racing along the fence, barking and growling and jumping, tonight he was like, "Oh, you're a dog too? That's great. I guess." And then he let Henry spray him with water, and then he laid down like a pig in slop. I bet it felt good, but I had terrible visions of Mike seeing a muddy people mover and flipping out. Luckily, we had a blanket in the van, so I cleared out the way back and spread out the blanket, basically making a crate behind the third row of seats. Let's hope it holds him long enough for Max to finish soccer practice so we can make a quick Dilly Bar run (they serve doggie ice cream bowls too!) then get this dirty dog home. 

potato creek

Max's game this week was in Lakeville, so afterward we decided to explore Potato Creek State Park, which we've never been to (well, I have, but I grew up here!) despite living only 20 minutes away. It was a little chilly, but sunny, and the park wasn't crowded at all, which is just how we like it. That kind of weather must bring out interesting people, though, because when we made our way to the beach to do some recon for possible summer outings, we happened upon a woman with a laundry basket. A laundry basket full of ducklings and chicks. She greeted us as we approached: "Hey, would your boys like a duckling?" 

Friends, I might spend 95 percent of my time holed up in my house like a hermit, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who thinks that is a strange way to greet someone. The boys didn't think there was anything unusual going on, though, and she seemed otherwise like an ordinary woman enjoying a sunny but slightly windy day by the beach (you know, playing with her ducklings), so we went with it. The boys sat right down and made themselves comfortable, cuddling the ducklings and begging us to let them take some home. It turns out that the woman went to the farm supply store intending to buy only a couple of chicks, and the store ended up offering her a deal on the whole basket of them that was just too good to pass up. And I have to admit, having a quirky origin story to tell ("Oh, Ducky? We found a woman on the beach at Potato Creek, playing with a basket of ducklings, and she gave us one on a random Saturday and it was true love, the end.") was more than a little appealing -- it sure beats "We searched the classified ads, then drove to a farm where they had the kind of puppies we wanted, so we paid the farmer and brought one home." But in the end, common sense won out, and we told the boys that if they want a duckling, they have to talk to their Aunt Bethany about some kind of boarding arrangement.

After our beach encounter, we decided to take a hike. There are several hiking trails, but we chose a fairly easy one that wound around the wetlands. And off we tromped. The scenery was lovely, and the bugs weren't out yet. Eventually, we happened upon an observation deck that looked out over a beaver lodge, which we thought was really neat. And then right after that, Max wasn't looking where he was going and got a nasty scratch from a branch that was hanging in the trail. Luckily, we were close to the end of the loop by that time, so we decided to head home rather than do any more exploring. 

But the best news is that once we got home, we decided to rent a cabin here for a weekend in the early fall! 

My grandparents did that at least one summer when I was a kid, and we all piled in (okay, it was actually two cabins, I think, because no way would we all fit in one!) for a week. I remember walking to the general store to get slushies, going swimming at the beach, and reading a Stephen King book that was much too scary (though I did enjoy relaying all the terrifying details to my younger cousins). When we go, we're planning to take advantage of the various bike trails and maybe do some swimming if it's still warm enough. I hope the boys like it as much as I did!

happy easter!

This year, while everyone was at church, we celebrated Easter by heading to the aquarium for a few hours of exploration. This time, we caught pretty much everything we missed the last trip, including the 4-D movie, and went back to check out some of our favorite areas. I think the highlight for the boys this time was getting to touch the sturgeons. They stayed there for a loooooong time, and kept begging to touch them just once more. Liam was a little too enthusiastic, and dipped his whole arm up to the shoulder in the tank -- too bad he forgot to pull up his sleeve first! I have a feeling that if we lived closer, we would be at the aquarium every weekend at the very least. But since we've got other stuff to do, it's probably for the best that we're a couple of hours away.

After a morning with the fishes, we headed out to the burbs for to hunt eggs, visit, and have a holiday meal with Barb and Kevin. The boys wore themselves out running around, climbing trees, talking with cousins, and playing their new recorders. And then the trip came to an end pretty much the same way all our trips do, with one too many fights and/or a meltdown. But at least we got a great picture of the boys and Lucy and Richie with their grandparents first!

spectators

We finally made it to one of Klaudia's track meets for this season! She had two events, the pole vault and the 100-meter relay. The pole vault is in the first set of events for the meet, which is lucky for us because apparently meets last hours and hours. She did a great job, and it was so much fun to watch -- she is so strong and determined.

Naturally, though, I had a little too much fun watching Klaudia and forgot to keep my eyes on the devil child, who was busy thieving someone's shot put so he could "compete." He is so proud of himself, and I guess he should be because those things are HEAVY.

Also, between events the boys entertained themselves by dragging large branches out into the woods. I guess there are trails back there (for the cross-country runners), but I didn't tell them for fear that they would take off and get lost.

By the time Klaudia finished her second event, the boys were starving and so tired of being here and so bored, so we offered our congratulations and beat a hasty retreat. Great job, Klaudia! We are proud of you!