Dinosaurs Rock!

This was just the most perfect weekend! So perfect, in fact, I'm going to break it into several blog posts. Of course, Dinosaur Day was the highlight, so that is where we will begin...

The theme this year was "Dinosaurs Rock," and they really focused on the fossil aspect of dinosaurs. The NC Fossil Club set up all kinds of displays both showcasing and giving kids the opportunity to touch and learn about all kinds of fossils, from sharks teeth to dinosaur bones to ferns. It was amazing.

We arrived as soon as the museum opened to members in order to avoid the biggest crowds. It also meant we had the dinosaur trail to ourselves:

 Who doesn't love riding a hadrosaur?

 Daddy sort of humored me for a picture:

 Even though we walk this trail at least once a month, it's just a little more exciting on dinosaur day:

 The kids ran from one dinosaur to the next. I've finally stopped jumping when the troodon sneaks up on us:

 The end of the trail boasted the fossil pit complete with fresh dirt and Fossil Club members to help identify. When we got there, it was the four of us and four members in the pit. Talk about a treat! I cannot say enough wonderful things about this group. They are knowledgeable, but they are so kind, too. They treat a cool rock as specially as a real fossil, and they cheerfully identify the same kind of tooth many, many times. They pass along any cool finds they dig up, and they teach without making it a lecture. We were so busy digging, I didn't take a single picture, but I did want to capture our finds.

Some really cool shells:

 Shark and puffer fish teeth:

 Barnacles:

 Fish vertebrae (and shark vertebrae, not pictured):

 Issa's prize find, a whale shoulder:

 Evan's prize find, fossilized alligator poop:

 The rest of the museum was still lots of fun, and I just love these pictures:

I love the reflections. Issa is actually getting pretty good at sailing; Evan still pretty much runs the boats into the wall. And to think, this was just the beginning of the weekend...

Around the World in Five Days

At camp this week, Issa traveled around the world in five days! She has loved every moment, and the lead teacher had a phenomenal gift for awakening curiosity and following where the children lead, spending more time on things that fascinate them. I have also been impressed by the breadth of knowledge she has gained about each continent.

A week in lunch notes...

Monday:

 They did both Americas on Monday. They spent much of the day talking about animal coloring and adaptations across the two continents. They ventured inside to see the wolves of North America exhibit that is visiting, talking about how the coloring of each wolf matches where he lived. They also learned about mimicry as a survival strategy and made that real by tasting jelly bean pairs. Is it coconut or baby wipes? Lime or boogers? You get the idea. They also got to spend a lot of time with Christopher, the barn owl, learning about he copes with the heat. In a moment of irony, they made Mexican hot cocoa.

Tuesday:

Tuesday the kids ventures to Asia, focusing on the spice trade, India, and Chinese contributions to science. They learned about the significance of fans in Asian cultures, and they learned how to use a compass to complete a scavenger hunt. Issa learned that ginger is very strong--even candied.

Wednesday:

Wednesday took the kids to Africa. They went on a grass hunt around the museum to learn about the different grasses in Africa. They also met a hissing cockroach, a giant centipede, and several snakes. Issa loved the snakes! They also dabbled in a bit of Egyptian mythology, and Issa told her own tale of how Granddaddy killed an African crocodile. She (and he) is now a celebrity.

Thursday:

 Europe in a day! They focused on Russia, Greece, and Scotland to show the breadth of culture in the continent. They made nesting dolls, tzatziki, and tapestries. They also created their own highland games, complete with a pool noodle log toss. They played in the misty moors (the mist exhibit) and took the train. It was almost too much fun for one day.

Friday:

 The notes sums it up! They are focusing on the impact of being an island nation on Australia and learning about reefs and Oceania today. They are also meeting some aquatic friends!

Yesterday, Issa made thank yous for her teachers, and this morning she very happily passed them out.

Tomorrow is an annual Bower family holiday: Dinosaur Day at the museum. Have I mentioned we love this place?

Cruel Trick

I really try to keep the blog positive and to not whine here. But, I also want to keep this place honest, and I'm hoping that if I write it, I might remember it next summer...

I am tired. Bone weary, mind numbingly, tired. As I was planning the summer, I planned my course around Issa's camp schedule, aligning major assignments (and the grading that follows) with the weeks she was in camps. Dumbest. Decision. Ever.

I envisioned camp weeks of days with uninterrupted grading time. Quiet weeks of the house to myself when I could curl up and grade for hours on end. I was delusional.

Camp weeks mean an hour round trip, twice a day, to drop off Issa. They mean packing and unpacking backpacks and lunches every day, and although Issa does her backpack on her own, we've already had the lunch discussion. It means a very tired kiddo in the afternoons who needs a little extra cuddling and some time on Google finding out more about what she talked about at camp. That is a great thing, but I'm tired. I don't really care how often owls need to get their feet wet to stay cool and why that helps more than anything else. By the time you add up all the time I spend on camp "stuff" I think I actually lose time this week.

But...I still have to grade, and my laundry is breeding when I'm not looking, and my family still insists that they need to eat every day, and this is the only week when I can schedule meetings and appointments that I don't want to take Issa to. I'm up later every night just trying to survive. The end result: I'm tired.

And now...time to move the laundry and start grading before I run the car to get a new light and get Issa at camp. Bring on the coffee...

How?

How?

How does one little boy get this much sucker on his face? It is a mystery. Then again, most of how he gets this dirty is a mystery.

In related news, Evan is learning to wash himself in the bath. Last night he announced, "Tummy, tail, tush, done!"

I heard Brad say, "What about arms, legs, chest, feet, you know, most of your body?"

"It's not really dirty, Dad. I'm good."

Yeah...no. Daddy intervened, but we are a little perplexed how tummy made the dirty list. I am afraid...very afraid.

On Lunches

I'm still living on the sun, so we've been taking it easy, which means I don't have any great tales to tell. I do have a lunch to pack this week, though. Issa is at camp, which means she needs lunch--a lunch that has become the bane of my existence.

I dread packing Issa's lunch. It's a negotiation, and I always imagine the slightly horrified look on her teachers' faces when she opens that box. I imagine they wonder about this mother who let this lunch appear and question whether I know how to prepare a meal that actually goes together. I really do, but I live with Issa, who is not picky except when it comes to normal things children eat. Other people's children will eat soft bread, and they happily pack sandwiches and roll on. I am not so lucky.

Lunch yesterday: strawberry banana yogurt, hummus, red pepper strips, and pretzels. In my world, that doesn't so much go together. The hummus and peppers--sure. Throw in the yogurt, though, and it gets a little iffy.

Lunch today: strawberry banana yogurt, ham, pretzels, a cucumber, and a clementine. Yes...plain ham in a tupperware. Yes...a whole baby cucumber just thrown in the box. I would happily cut it--like normal people do--but Issa likes to eat them like a banana.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

I am grateful that she makes healthy choices, but just once I would love to slap a sandwich in there and feel a little more normal. A mama can dream.

The Highlights

This was a crazy busy weekend of nothing. So...a list seems appropriate.

1. Issa and I went on a date Friday afternoon! We picked up her lunch box and backpack for the year (which she will not let me photograph until the first day of school) and saw Brave. Awesome movie--a must see for moms and daughters. There were a couple scary parts, but she can't wait to see it again.
2. The neighbor's fish survived the weekend! This should not be news, but we were fish sitting and he is having swim bladder issues. I was nervous.
3. We spent most of Saturday cleaning up the rest of the tree. Thank goodness for good neighbors who not only don't get upset that there is part of a tree in their yard but also help clean it up.
4. After church, we went to the grocery to get necessary supplies for sundaes. When you are still living on the surface of the sun, it's a necessity.
5. Issa and Evan spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the neighbor girls. I love that these kids are growing up together.
6. We also had a meaningful conversation with the neighbor girls about burying the lead. They came running to our door announcing Issa was hurt and I needed to come. I started sprinting imaging broken bones or gushing blood. By the time I hit the driveway, the next mom was yelling, "It's just some scraped knees!" They were some nasty scrapes, but they did not require me sprinting.
7. The neighbor girls ended up staying for dinner at our house. Why not? It confirmed Brad and my decision that two is the perfect number. By the time we sat down, someone's drink was empty or they needed more pizza. I finally just ate in the kitchen.
8. After so much fun, this is what we were left with:

 A different angle:

Have I mentioned Evan is a bit of a storm? Yikes. We got it all cleaned up by bedtime, and now we're ready for a whole new week! Happy Monday everyone!

Just Call Me Shera...or Paula Bunyan

Before I write about yesterday, I feel as though I should explain why I didn't post yesterday. I had nothing to say. We had a lovely Fourth of July that was akin to any normal Saturday--except I made the grown ups watch fireworks on TV. We spent some time in the pool, and we had some friends over for a picnic. The neighborhood parade was cancelled because it's roughly the temperature of the sun here, and the kids were falling asleep on the floor well before any fireworks could be viewed. I opted not to bore you with these details yesterday. (Although, I apparently decided to bore you today. So sorry. I could delete all this, but I'm too far in...and now I'm rambling.) Onward.

Saturday night, we had some pretty impressive storms roll through. Brad and I thought we heard a crash, but a quick survey in the dark didn't reveal anything. The major structures were fine and the fence was still standing. We rolled on. Sunday, Issa announced there was a tree in our backyard. Since she is prone to the dramatic, we rolled on. Tuesday, I realized, for once, Issa was not being dramatic:

 A big chunk of tree had fallen near our little pond and into our neighbor's yard:

 Yesterday, Issa and I decided to tackle our side. (Daddy and the neighbor had already talked about tackling his side this weekend. He caught the biggest pieces--like requires a chainsaw pieces.) Since Brad's knee is still bugging him (he's actually going to an orthopedic clinic today), Issa and I decided to tackle the little stuff on our side. There was a lot of little stuff, though, and I spent a lot of time negotiating broken limbs out of bushes and other trees, pulling and twisting as to not have anything come crashing down on my head. At one point, I was struggling with a branch that was about seven feet long, and Issa said we should wait for Daddy. At this point, it was the principle of the thing. That branch was coming out.

"Mommy, are you trying to prove to me that girls can do anything boys can do?"

"No, well I wasn't. Now I am. Because they can. Really, I just want to get this branch out."

"Well...as long as you aren't being stubborn."

Nice. My daughter has mastered sarcasm. But...we got it out:

 There is still a lot of work to be done across the fence, but we were pretty impressed with ourselves.

And in a different storm front, Evan was on the verge of evil all night last night. Too much excitement from Fourth of July parties coupled with a late night and a nap interrupted by storms left us with a puddle of mess. I sent him upstairs to pull himself together at one point, and he came back downstairs with fireman boots:

We thought they were snow boots, but we were clearly mistaken. We also thought they were a bit ridiculous when you are living on the surface of the sun, but we were clearly mistaken again.

Gotta love these kids.

A Moment

I don't get many quiet moments with this guy:

 Unless he's asleep, he tends to be in motion. Yesterday, though, he decided he was finished swimming before the girls were, so he climbed up on the deck and sat with me. He chatted, but we spent most of the time quietly watching butterflies:

 They float back and forth between our two butterfly bushes. It is so beautiful and so peaceful. It was a great momene. Even Evan realized it was special and tried to take a few pictures:

It might just be my favorite portrait.

If You Take a Mom to the Optometrist

A la If You Give a Mouse a Cookie:

If you take a mom to the optometrist, she will realize she can't see even with her contacts. The tech will ask her to read line 11, and she will not be able to see until line nine. Mom will know it is going to be a long day.

If the optometrist raises her prescription two steps in each eye, he will insist on dilating her pupils to be sure everything is okay.

If the optometrist dilates her pupils, it means her small children will be at the office nearly two hours, which will cause them to be crazy.

If the children are crazy, Mom will be even more stubborn and insist they follow their predetermined agenda and go grocery shopping. Only once she is there will she will realize she cannot see her list.

If she cannot see her list, Mom will hold the list twelve miles from her face, squint, and try to muddle through.

If she tries to muddle through, she will think she is a champion who just finished the impossible.

If she thinks she is a champion, she will survive an afternoon of two small children (plus or minus some neighbor kids at various times) and still make dinner. She will make tacos to be her son's hero.

If she is feeling particularly smug, she will start the meat. Only after the meat is browned will she start assembling toppings.

When she starts assembling tacos, she will realize she forgot to get cheese at the store, and the only cheese she has is sliced cheese. So she will juliane the cheese slices for tacos.

If she has to juliane cheese, she will make a squinty face, which I am sure strains her eyes.

If she strains her eyes, she will have to go back to the optometrist, and she will know it is going to be a long day.

Best. Date. Ever.

Brad and I spent most of the weekend celebrating our anniversary.

Friday night, we both got all dressed up and headed out for a nice dinner. To commemerate our honeymoon in Kennebunkport, we had lobster and enjoyed a very adult dinner. It was lovely.

Yesterday, though, we had the best date ever. A friend took the kids after lunch and kicked us out until after bedtime. We talked about museums or parks, but it's hot and Brad's knee is still bothering him. So...we opted for the other extreme. We started with lunch at the local dive bar--emphasis on dive, but the food is great! We had local pints (just like we did at a microbrewery on our honeymoon), and we shared garlic fries. I had peel and eat shrimp in Old Bay, and Brad had some disaster of a burger that had a fried egg, tatertots, and maple sauce on it. He loved every bite.

We then headed toward the mall, and settled into Barnes and Noble, where we each bought a just for fun book, an iced coffee, snuggled into some cozy chairs, and read silently for almost an hour. It's not that we don't love each other's company, but we both love bookstores and reading...especially reading when there are no interruptions or things that should be done. It was lovely.

We then went and watched Moonrise Kingdom, which is an excellent movie. We crossed the sidewalk for cheesecake and cocktails, and then headed back to the theater to watch Snow White and the Huntsmen, another great film. We had popcorn for dinner, and we were very happy. The last movie we saw together was The Queen, a year and a half ago. Seeing two in one day was almost too much.

It's funny how our ideal date has shifted over the past ten years and two kids, but I wouldn't change a moment.

Ten Years Ago...

Ten years ago today, I started the best adventure of my life:

In honor of ten wonderful years together, I thought I would compile a top ten moments of our marriage:

10. He comes to my rescue when I have a moment like locking my keys in the car, locking my keys in the house, or dropping hot glue on my hand. He only teases me once I announce its funny.

9. He loves me through my melodramatic melt downs. My very favorite, though, was in our second apartment when my closet rod kept falling down. I was in tears because I was so tired of reironing clothes that he built me a whole new closet unit. That thing could have held an elephant, and he never once suggested I just get rid of some clothes.

8. We have tackled more home improvement projects than I can count, but my very favorite was putting in our little decorative pond. It was an anniversary gift, and he didn't say one word when I "helped" with the auger and got thrown across the yard.

7. More road trips than I can count, but especially the very first: our honeymoon. We drove to Maine, and I wouldn't trade that time together in the car for anything.

6. We adopted our first cat...and then a second...and a third adopted us. Brad isn't a huge cat person, but he does it for me. When we couldn't bring the first kitten home right away because she was sick, he left me notes all throughout the apartment because he knew I was heart-broken. I cried, and I still have the notes.

5. We brought home our first puppy, and together we learned how to train said puppy. We learned I was the push over for puppy eyes, but Brad wasn't quite as tough as he pretended. (Case in point, the puppy wasn't allowed on the furniture, but Brad would sleep with the puppy in her bed. It made my heart melt.)

4. Three degrees and major graduations: one masters and two doctorates. That, my love, is quite enough...and enough said.

3. We bought our first house! The second house we looked at...out of three...in one morning. Oh, to be young, and slightly impulsive, and slightly naive, and to be blessed with a house that is still wonderful and has grown with us over the past seven years.

2. The births of two wonderful children who have made every day just a little bit more adventurous.

1. The moment I became Mrs. Brad Bower. It was the moment that started this wonderful journey, and I wouldn't trade a single day there after.

I love you so much, sweetheart. Here's to many, many happy returns of the day.

I Was Missed

I taught last night, and I came home and discovered I was missed...sort of.

Since my laptop was with me, Evan moved in:

 His laptop apparently gets very warm.

Evan took a tumble last night. He wasn't hurt, but he did cry for me. Issa solved the problem:

I guess the paper version did the trick. I wonder if she does laundry?



Observations

Yesterday was one of those days where I don't have a single event to discuss, but I do have a series of observations on the day:

1. The one day I desperately need to do some work would be the day Issa desperately needs to snuggle. Snuggling won out. I am desperately behind. My students will have to wait to get their papers back until Friday.
2. Disney is really stepping it up with their tween movies. I hesitate to admit I actually enjoyed watching it with Issa yesterday morning.
3. Only in North Carolina would playing in the sprinkler when it's "only" 80 degrees require hot cocoa afterwards. I had three little girls that insisted it was so, and I actually made hot cocoa while the air conditioner ran. Good grief.
4. I have roughly 6,794,304,872 loads of laundy to do. Any takers?
5. Evan found a movie at the library that is a fireman talking about trains. His life is complete.
6. I mopped the floor. Evan spilled pesto on it. This is the way of the world.
7. Issa is still walking around with her journal. This could be the death of me...but she is using little letters.

That is all.

I'm off to take the kids to the dentist--Evan's first time. I'm a wreck; they are thrilled. Pray for me.

Our Little Lois Lane

Let me begin by stating my daughter is brilliant. Her comprehension of math concepts blows me away; I wish I had half of her number sense. She is becoming such a fluent reader that it is actually fun to listen to the story--not just fun because she is reading. Even though she will be the youngest in her class, we are confident she will do well in first grade.

But...I'm in education. I'm realistic. There has been one little thing that has been causing me stress: writing. Issa can form a sentence that will blow your socks off. We're talking long, complex sentences with phrases and adjectives. Her spelling is spot-on phonetic, and she's becoming a better "real" speller. It's the handwriting! We're talking a mix of capitals and lower case that may or may not be on the line. She can do very well; she just often doesn't. It wasn't stressed at her old school, and I walk that fine line of pushing her to do what I know she can and not wanting to make her hate writing. It's in these moments that I wish I was not in education; I would probably stress less.

So...I've been encouraging more writing. You want a white board? Awesome! How about some new lined paper? Cool! Sunday, we read The Diary of a Worm, and when we were out running errands yesterday she announced she would like to keep a diary. Fantabulous! We made a deal that I would buy her a journal if she promised to practice using little letters in it. I had no idea what I had just bargained for. Enter our little Lois Lane:

This is how she walked about the house yesterday. Pencil in her hair, journal in hand, writing down everything. I wasn't out of the shower yet this morning before she was asking me for the date and writing in her diary. But...she's using little letters, and this is a good thing.

Bubbles and Ballerinas

Our museum just never disappoints. Saturday was the Bubble Blitz, and the kids and I headed out while Daddy went to a grown-up field day for work. I never knew you could do so much with bubbles!

We bounced bubbles:

 Extra glycerin made them strong enough to really bounce on your hand.

We caught fog bubbles:

 Dry ice made them sink and then pop into a really cool fog.

We danced in bubbles:

 Because really, that's just fun. We also made our own wands, played with bubble wrap, made bubble rockets, and blew more bubbles of more shapes and sizes than you can imagine!

There was the traditional festive face paint:

 And as usual, Evan was not interested.

And lest you think I've finally lost my mind, there was a reason Issa wore her Angelina Ballerina costume:

 PBS visited the museum with an Angelina themed event.

The kids got to see Reada-roo again:

 But the highlight was the dance workshop with the American Dance Festival:

 Miss Leah from the ADF company led one of the most engaging, warm, modern workshops I have even seen:

 Evan loved watching the workshop, too:

They danced like bubbles moving through all kinds of environments: air, water, honey. They had a live bongo drummer to provide the music, and she made the kids feel comfortable dancing just how they were while she danced like she would on stage at ADF. It was beautiful. In fact, we are going to another ADF event this weekend--we can't wait! Have I mentioned we kind of like this museum?

Fun on the Farm

"Moooo:"

 I just dropped Issa off for her last day of camp. Needless to say, she has had a fabulous week! I am continually impressed by our museum, and I have loved listening to her talk about everything she has learn and done this week.

A week in review via lunch box notes (please forgive the horrible pictures; I was being sneaky so Issa wouldn't see them until lunch):

Monday:

 The first day was devoted to learning about farms in general. They learned all of the safety rules for working with the animals in the farmyard, how plants grow, the differences between fruits and vegetables, and how worms help plants. Issa's favorite part was getting to feed the pigs! She decorated a paper bag, hid a carrot in it, and then watched the pig root around until he got the carrot out. I loved listening to her explain that it was important to keep the animals' brains busy, too, and how they use these treat games to help do that.

Tuesday:

 It was goat and sheep day! Issa was most interested in the fact that sheep and goats don't have upper teeth, so they grind rather than chew their food. Who knew! She also "got" to muck the goat and sheep pen and feed them. She has loved caring for the animals! She also got to comb and dye some wool from the sheep there, which was very fun.

Wednesday:

 Chicken day! They also learned about other animals that come from eggs, explored the dinosaur trail to look for dinosaur eggs and characteristics of birds, and met a real silkie chicken! Issa got to clean the falcon's stall, and she loved spreading the new saw dust for him. This is an area the general public doesn't get to see, so she was extra excited. They also made egg crafts, including shell art from broken shells that they had dyed with fruits and vegetables.

Thursday:

 Cows, pigs, and bees were today's featured animals. They learned a lot about dairy farming and how milk becomes other things. She also learned how bees dance to communicate and led the family in a recreation of the dance last night. (It involves lots of figure eights and tail shaking.) The highlight was a bonus train ride, and she also got to muck the duck and pigs' stalls.

Friday:

 Today is the big barn bash! They will be reviewing all that they learned and saying goodbye to their new animal friends. I get to go early for a square dance and to taste the pickles and jam they made on Monday. I can't wait!

Issa has loved this week and is a little sad to see it end. In a moment that made this mama very proud, she asked to make each of her teachers a thank you note:

They are each two sided and feature all of the things she learned about. We spent a lot of time trolling the internet for the perfect pictures and even more time arranging them just so and adding the necessary fanciness. She was so excited to give them to her teachers today, and I am so grateful she had such a great week.

Heart Breaker

That was a dagger to my heart last night.

I started teaching again last night, and it's a great group of teachers and a topic I love, literacy across the content areas. It felt good to be back in the classroom again. That being said, it's an evening class, which means I miss Wednesday evenings around here for a while.

I put mints on pillows, dinner in the crock pot, and jammies on bed corners. We got some extra snuggles in the morning, but they were already in bed by the time I was walking out of class. I didn't get to hear about camp or playing basketball. I didn't get to say goodnight. And then...I saw this on Issa's board when I checked on her. I missed you, too, baby girl.

Four more Wednesdays. I can do this.