Challenge 21 - Day 4

Today was Backwards Day for Camden. He was psyched to wear his clothes backwards and look silly and to pay a quarter for the privilege to do it. Here he is mugging for me in Benjy's spinning chair. Too bad he forgot his hat today. Still, he loved wearing one sandal and one sneaker, his shirts and pants on packwards, and a silly smile all day long. This is Camden, pure Camden. Silly and sometimes downright backwards. :)

Today was Benjamin's last day of occupational therapy for sensory integration disorder. Thank God for Rhonna who gave me a slew of recommendations for setbacks that are bound to occur. If he doesn't want to do anything except sit around and stare, then give him the "sensory diet" of swinging, bouncing, jumping, and spinning. If he doesn't want to take a bath, then give him more massages to the hands and feet. If he doesn't want to eat, well, then tough. Keep on trying, bribing, ANYTHING to get him to eat. Hhhhhh, such is the life of an SI child.

One more day left at KinderCare. Today was crazy, absolutely crazy. I won't go into detail, but I did feel a bit sad for them to be leaving them in the midst of a sudden teacher shortage. (Though not one I or anybody could have predicted 2 weeks ago.) I did offer to stick around if needed. We'll see. I just want those kids to be loved, cared for, and taught something. I want them to love their time there. And I want the teachers to feel happy, to feel appreciated and supported. Like I said, we'll see.

OK, I'm outta here. ER is good tonight, a new one, and it's interesting. Until tomorrow, when Day 5 of the 21 Day Challenge returns.

Challenge Day 3

I'm three days into the 21 day challenge to adopt a new habit. My layout today is all about the frantic rush to buy thank you gifts for Benjy's speech teachers. This morning I had to drop him off at the center for speech and then find a flower shop that was open before 10. Even Hallmark wasn't open till then! With a good bit of luck, I found the sweetest flower shop that reminded me of the Friendly Floral in Norton. I picked up a gorgeous little pot of African violets and purchased them for Ms. Katie. Benjy was so happy to deliver them, and she loved them. It makes me feel so good to do something special for somebody who has been such an important part of Benjamin's young life for nearly a year now.


I would have done a digi of these awesome pix of Camden and Benjy talking about Star Wars characters in the van yesterday, but it was yesterday's memory, not today's! Beside's, it's really Curt's memory. He took them on an errand yesterday, and caught these moments of the two discussing the people on Benjy's Star Wars pamphlet that came with some toy we own somewhere in this house. Benjy would hold the paper and Camden would point to the characters and tell him who they were. Nevermind how Curt managed to drive and take pix at the same time. I don't wanna know.

The 21 Day Challenge

OK, so yesterday I didn't quite have the jist of this 21 day challenge of Rhonna's. Today, a lightbulb went off. Well, Rhonna actually turned the light on for me when she explained the details behind this. For the next three weeks I am to either adopt a new habit or eradicate one. Apparently it takes 21 days to do each. I chose to adopt the habit of doing a journal entry and putting them in an art journal. I'm gonna do it digitally since it's quicker and I'm just not in the mood to do the entire scrap thing once I come home. LOVE my digi experiences lately anyway, so why mess with a good thing?! I'm doing them in an 8.5x8.5 square so I can print them up and put them in this darling 9x9 album I was given for Christmas. I'm so excited to have another art journal to help me remember the daily happenings of my life. If I'm really good at this, I can keep it up for LONGER than 21 days - imagine that!

In other news:
Three more days at KinderCare left. Today had me feeling a bit sad at leaving my new friends there. I've really loved the chat time I have with Jeannie (spelling???) on the van runs to Hutchy and Seton Hill. And let's not forget Miss Irwin! She's a scream! I've also laughed my head off at Chris and the funny things he blirts out. And then there's Linda - so sweet and fun just down to earth. There are many more, and I'll miss them all as much. I do need to keep in touch. You can't keep friends if you don't keep up with them.

The director of Armbrust Christian Academy called to say she received my resume and that she would call me when she returned from her out of town trip to set up an interview. Wooohoooo - my friend from church, Sandy, is so happy there. Perhaps this is a sign from God. He sure knows I need one this time around! :) Honestly, private school teaching, while the pay is crummy, may be a wonderful break from the rigors of No Child Left Behind. I'm praying on it.

We have Food for Faith tomorrow at church. We'll finish the movie we started last time - The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Excellent so far! I'm really loving the dinner and a movie thing. Love how Hollywood can make you think about God and how he works in our lives. It's taken my faith and totally made me look for it in my everyday life. That has to be a good thing, right?!

Benjy didn't throw a single crazy tantrum today - what a first in a couple of days! And after yesterday's debacle at dinner time, where he refused to come to the table and then screamed bloody murder when I put his plate in the dishwasher, he actually came to eat with us tonight. Granted, he only ate ketchup with a spoon, but he at least sat with us and giggled with Camden. So pleasant, you'd never know he was such a monster last night. Strange how these little creatures work.

I played Go Fish with Camden tonight using his sight word cards. What a cool idea - it was something he'd apparently done in school, for he completely taught me how to play. Fun, and amazing how many words that little kid knows. I plan to make it a PRIORITY to do word games or let him read his books to me most every single day. I should have been doing this all along. I'd like to blame it on stress from work, but there's really no excuse for not doing what every mom and teacher knows is right. Bummer on me.

OK, outta here. Night night. I'll post tomorrow's challenge here, same place and probably the same time, close to 11 p.m. for me!

Habit

Rhonna Farrer started round three of her 21 day challenges to learn a new habit. Each day she'll give us a word to think on...
"This word will be yours to devour:
ponder,
experiment,
gather quotes,
share ideas,
share epiphanies,
create art journals...."
And from there we go, off to start a new habit, one that takes 21 days of playing with to start. So, here goes.
This is my first entry in my new digital art journal. Today's word, appropriately enough - HABIT.

I used Rhonna's Caberet kit from the Autumn Leaves Designing With Digital book (which came with an awesome CD filled with digi goodies) to make this entire layout. What freedom - no pix to think about. Just my thinking about a single word, and what that means in my life right now. Habit. What I enjoy about the habits I have. (Never-you-mind the habits I don't like... :) As I eat two-thirds of a Hershey bar I cannot seem to put down. ) What habits I'd like to discover in my 21-day odyssey. Thanks, Rhonna, for a real challenge that will do far more than fill my scrapbooks.

Four days and counting...

...till my last day at KinderCare. I feel like once this week is over, I'll be able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. I am looking forward to spending the summer with my boys and working in a classroom again with other teachers who love their students and their profession. I need a new home for my work - one that supports me and my need for growth, one that is professional, respectful of ALL employees, and practices what it preaches. That's all I'll say for now....

Got so much done at home today before and after work. Finished reorganizing my scrap space, hung a small shelf and put some goodies on it, played choo-choo with Benjy even when I knew I had so much left to do, sorted the boys clean laundry - a monumental task!, took Camden to school and played our new favorite song on the way (Bad Day by Daniel Powter), cleaned Camden's room, vacuumed, cleaned the kitchen, and even took a walk towing Benjy in the wagon. Whew, I feel pleasantly tired now. At least I didn't have a Bad Day!

The Gratitude Game

A few of the little things I'm thankful for today:
~ My Virginia Tech socks that mom put in my Christmas stocking. (Yes, Mom, I know it's YOU that makes the stockings! :) )
~ Microwave ovens that make Smores as delicious as if they were cooked outdoors over a campfire
~ A best friend - for listening, giggling, connecting. (Love ya, Jodie!)
~ Silly sayings that make me laugh whenever I hear them - "size matters", "OH YEAH, BABY!" as said in a way that only Camden can yell!, "Caca did it!" when Benjy really did!
~ A haircut
~ Sleeping in, only to have Benjy climb in bed with us, then Camden. And then sleeping in some more.
~ Black coffee, ready to brew when I hit the button in the morning
~ The digi layout I did last night of me and Curt
~ My glider rocker in my room, where Benjy and I rock when he and I need some quiet time and hugs
~ Seabase - yes, Seabase. That rockin' wild place for kids to play, run, jump, climb, and scream to their heart's content. Seabase is a parent's dream come true. They clean up the mess, too.
~ Books. So many choices. So many in my own home. Words. Stories. Lifetimes. Love books.
~ Jesus. This Easter week, I cannot forget what He did for me, for us. Thank you, Jesus.

I took Sunday's Easter picture of Camden, Benjy and me and digi scrapped it. Love look of this scrapbook kit - the colors are so happy and springy.

Nice day today - actually gorgeous. I managed to get a slight sunburn on the back of my neck while watching the KinderCare kids play outside today from 1-2:30. It doesn't hurt, but it's the first sun mark of the year. Gotta start slathering on that sunscreen!!!

Benjy woke up happy today - hurray!!! Don't know what caused the change, but I'll take it. He climbed in bed with me this morning and we played peek-a-boo, rubbed each other's backs, and grinned at each other. He's the cutest thing. Just LOVE that kid!

Camden started back to school today - so happy to run across the road to the bus this morning. So sweet. So almost grown up. So Camden. LOVE this child, too. My first, my baby. :)

Easter blessings

Yesterday was beautiful - a perfect Easter Sunday. Well, unless you're talking about Benjy's morning. Camden was up and ready to hunt for his Easter basket at 6:30 a.m. Benjamin was mad as a hornet and wanted nothing of it. He just wanted to curl up and close his eyes and sleep. So we let him. As we followed the trail of eggs the Easter bunny left leading to our basement, we could hear Benjy crying - yelling. He was miserable. Why we don't know, but he was very unhappy. We continued on our search for the baskets, and Camden was so excited to find them in the clubhouse. He immediately tore into his, examining his new chocolate bunny, a Madagascar Leap Pad book, a mini Lego kit, and a few more goodies. Curt decided to check out Benjy's cries while Camden and I played with the Legos. By the time Curt returned with Benjy, he was still crying, and not even his Easter basket filled with things he loves would cheer him up. He finally settled down after about 20 minutes. Strange. We have no idea what's wrong, just that he's incredibly irratible, not himself at times. Thankfully, the rest of the day was much smoother.

Both boys were absolute angels at church, where we had no church school due to the holiday. They sat, read, colored, and kneeled like perfect little Episcopals. :) After church we decided to have a picnic, so we found a wonderful playground where Benjy slept for 30 minutes in the van, Camden made a rock angels (think snow angels!), and the boys begged to be pushed higher and higher on the swings. Nearby was a field full of brown cows mooing. A perfect afternoon.

This morning it began again. Benjy vomited a couple of times. I got him a doctor's appointment where we learned he has a slight bit of fluid behind one ear, but that was it. I decided to nix the antibiotic and just wait and see what happens. Could this be growing pains??? Mom suggested that. I hope that's all it is.

OK, that's it. You're wondering what my blessings are???
* Camden made a beautiful Lego church the other night and told us he prayed for God and Jesus to come visit it. So sweet.
* Then tonight he yelled and kicked with the best of them in karate class. That's a great outlet for him, and the respect and discipline he's learning is the icing on the cake.
* Benjamin loves to snuggle, still. He will sit and giggle, kiss, do "cheers" with his juice, and hug forever. Love that feeling!
* Curt supports my decision to leave KinderCare. I feel somewhat liberated now that I've made my decision and submitted my letter of resignation. Ahhhh. Not on with the rest of my life.

gettin' digi with it

I've been busy these past few nights dabbling with digi scrapping again. It's so addicting when you sit right down to do it. I never have to leave the couch, except to let Emma out when she howls at me. Or to get Benjy a cup of water. Or to help Camden squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube. So, here I sit, on the couch with my iBook on my lap, cruising for free scrapbook digital kits - and they're out there by the dozens! Beautiful kits with gorgeous like-real papers, stamps, accents, ribbon. Wow!!!!! Who ever said you can't get anything for free. :)

Just Peachy

Camden and me. Me and Camden. Such a classic mother-son relationship. I love him. He loves me. Sometimes I'm mad as fire at him. And I know he can't stand me. "You're mean!" he'll murmer. And I may very well be mean. But I always love him. "I love you more than that!" That's what we say to each other at bedtime, and any other time of the day, for that matter. "I love you more than that!"

I do love my oldest son. Dearly. More than is humanly possible. And yet, I'm human. And so I get angry sometimes. Like when he goes and hits his brother on the back with a foam bat when I've said a thousand times - "no hitting!" Or when he sticks his tongue out at me when I tell him to go brush his teeth for the 10th time in the busy and hectic mornings before the bus comes. Yes, I may get angry and put him in a time-out on the steps for six minutes. But I do still love him.

Such is life with a strong-willed 6 year old boy who is so much like me that it's not the least bit funny. Camden and I are both stubborn, independent, all-too-innocent, and silly. We both want to win. We both want to be the funniest, the smartest. We both want to win. Camden, I love you more than that!

I don't know about you, but I often have a really hard time getting moving on Sunday mornings. I know we need to be in church, and yet I relish the time I have sitting on the couch with my cup of java and the Sunday paper, listening to CBS Sunday Morning if we're lucky, or cartoons if we're not. :) Nevertheless, we've been making it out the door around 10 a.m. on most Sundays, heading a mile or so down the road to our church, Christ Episcopal. And when we walk in those double doors of medieval styled church, we're home. Right at home.

This morning, Palm Sunday, we heard the Passion of Jesus Christ. Wow, I've know this story all my life, but this morning it really came to life for me. I sat in my pew, near the back where we always sit, listening, participating, living it in my mind's eye. Jesus died for ME, for my family, for all of us - the lovely and the cruel. He did it for all of us. He asked God to get him out of it, but in the end he surrendered to God's will. So perfect. So sinless. So obedient. Wow. What can you say to that? I nearly cried, it hit me that hard.


If Tiger Woods couldn't win the Masters in Augusta today, then at least my second favorite did. Phil Mickelson won his second green jacket. Too bad I not only missed Tiger's play, but also Phil's. After church we ate Italian (well, all of us except for Benjamin who just put salt, pepper, and cheese on his pizza then gave it to his daddy). Then we drove around, exploring the windy, hilly roads in our county. As we drove through other neighborhoods, we realized we were living in the one that was just right for us. By the time we were back in Greensburg, Benjy was sound asleep. A quick stop at Home Depot for hardwood flooring (yeah! for the dining room!!!!!!!!) and then we headed home. I nearly napped, but laziness just didn't seem right when Curt was mowing the back yard and the boys were out back playing. So I headed to Gabe's where I found a cute patterned skirt, polo shirt in the perfect shade or orange to match, plastic ducky placemats, and the cutest surfer boy comforter for Camden's bottom bunk bed. Even came with a matching sham, not that 6 year olds care. :)

OK, so the point is, while all this was going on, I totally missed the Masters. Bummer. First time in 6 years I've missed it. Oh well, I've got a new outfit to show for it. And it's not a green jacket.

The Big 38

Curt's birthday is today. 38 is he. In the spirit of keeping with our current modus operandi, I got him a Pampered Chef grill pan. He's the cook, you see. I'm the organizer. I hate to cook. Actually, I wouldn't mind cooking if you could go to the grocery and buy kits with all your ingredients premeasured, precut, prechopped, preeverything. Then I wouldn't mind dumping it all into a pan or pot and shoving it into a 350 degree oven. I'd keep my kits shelved neatly in the pantry (or the freezer if that's what it took). My shelves would be so tidy and neat. And we'd have healthy meals every night. If my family wanted to heat lasagna for dinner, then I'd grab the lasagna kit and, presto, serve it! That's my idea of cooking. All those recipe pages in my favorite magazines are a waste of trees. I breeze right on past them in search of pretty pictures or cool ads.

Pretty picture of the day: Camden and Benjamin helping Curt blow out his candles on his Giant Eagle birthday cake.

Cool ad of the day: the Sure Fit slipcover catalog that arrived today. I don't want any slipcovers, but the living rooms on its pages were inspiring.

Tragedy of the day: Barn fire down the highway. I heard at least 15 ambulances/fire engines/rescue trucks blaring down the road outside of our neighborhood this morning. About the same time I heard three big explosive booms. I looked out the back window and saw billowing plumes of black smoke rising nearby. Neighbors drifted outside to check it out, but we couldn't see anything. Camden rushed to put on his firefighter hat and jacket, and grabbed a pretend hose from the garage. He took off out the back door to save the day, staying out until the smoke began to settle and we called him indoors where it was easier to breathe. Later today when we all headed out, Camden reminded us to turn left on the highway so we could see what had burned. That's when we discovered the still-smoldering barn at the horse farm a half-mile away. An excavator was already hard at work moving debris. So sad. Camden was crushed to hear that the horses could have been hurt. We pray nobody or no animals were injured. We'll find out tomorrow when the Tribune arrives.

Metamorphosis

I've known about caterpillars turning to butterflies since I was in grade school. And yet, the absolute miracle of this metamorphosis came to life for me this very spring. Our caterpillars turned chrysales turned butterflies were released today. It was beautiful - a sunny and warm day in the 60s. We took our butterfly house out to the back yard and opened it up. The boys peered into it and waited patiently for the butterflies to fly away.

"Fy fy fy fy!" Benjy whispered. "Go little butterflies," muttered Camden. They waited, gently put their fingers into the house, and hoped that the butterflies would tell them goodbye before flying away. Amazing, absolutely amazing. Thanks, Jodie. :)

On other notes...

* I watched this fun special on PBS this week - a tribute to Steve Martin. Hilarious. I've gotta get 'The Jerk' and watch it soon. So funny! Dave Barry and Larry David were on the tribute. Funny, too. I've got to start using this blog to write like them. LOVE that humor. When I grow up I want to be like them. :)
* Dave Matthews Band - new tunes on iTunes! Actually, old tunes that I LOVE but that are scratched up on my CDs. Yup, I bought em so now I've got wonderful copies of Crash Into Me, Jimi Thing, and more any time I want.
* Benjy's making such wonderful progress with his speech. Some new words - "my house", "Caca's house", "I sorry", "my mommy", NO MINE!", "bad mommy". I'm not particularly fond of the last one, but it's an expression he has when he's mad at me, and, heck, I'm glad he's expressing himself!
* Curt's birthday is tomorrow. He'll be 38. Wow. I'm to the point now that when I look back on pictures from when we first married, I wonder who those two love birds were! He looks so young in those pictures, and yet he doesn't look old now. Strange how time works.
* Blessings for today: Camden robot-walked to the bus stop today like C3PO, Curt came home and we got to play outside with our neighbors before going out to Red Robin for dinner, the sun shined and it was actually warm and beautiful, we have the windows open now letting the fresh spring air in, Benjy hugs and kisses me all the time, Ellie and Emma were both happy to be outdoors for a change, Dad spent his first week in retirement, Mom sounds relaxed and content on the phone. Life is good.

Ode to Daddy

We're now home for Dad's retirement weekend. Last night there was a special dinner in his honor in Coeburn. We celebrated, appropriately enough, at the Celebrate restaurant on Front Street - great rolls, gotta love them!

Dad was honored for his 30 years as the town manager of this small town. I'm so proud of him. I can't tell you how happy I was sitting there listening to people say such kind and wonderful things about my dad. I remember when he got that job. I remember how every May he studied the budget for HOURS. I remember how he hated snow because he knew his men had to go out in their snow plows to clear the streets. Often he'd go out to help them. He believed in rolling up his sleeves, getting dirty, and getting the work done. Yes, I'm proud of him.

Here's to you, Dad. Love you!

Ouch

Having a hard time moving today. My karate muscles are sore! I felt great this morning, just a teensy bit tight. By this afternoon, my entire core body was aching with every move. Ouch. Was it worth it? You bet! The whole karate experience is just so darn empowering, motivating, plain fun! It's truly awesome to watch yourself in the giant mirrors kicking and punching, bowing and jumping. Wow. Ouch :)

Curt took Camden to karate tonight where he was in top form, it sounds like. Because of his "black belt attitude" he got to lead the class at the end. He's really loving this, as you can imagine.

Food for Faith at church tonight - another major WOW moment. We had the best soup - homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. The boys' all-time favorite meal. And instead of the movies that we used to see, Bill, our youth minister, is interviewing folks about their faith stories. This week he talked to this magnificent man who cuts trees. He met this man shortly after he moved here last summer. Immediately they bonded through their faith and love of Jesus. Amazing is all I can say of this man's testimony! Wow. Wow. Wow. Motivates me to live a more spiritual life, to live it both inside and out. To make Jesus my priority. Everything else will just fall into place if I believe, truly have faith, and put the Lord first.

Thanks be to God.

karate

I had my first karate class today. Wow, what an empowering experience. Yes, I felt a little weird shouting out, but the kicks, punches, jumps - even the push-ups, felt so darn great! My body was actually DOING the forms and one-steps. I was not quite fluid, but I was DOING it! Wow. What an awesome experience. It was a bit of a workout, too. Gotta love combining my exercise with something so uplifting.

the return of Sunday Haiku

Today was perfect
church, walking, playing, my boys...
start the week off right.

PS - check out the free ficus bush we snagged today when we were driving home from church. It was tossed out in the alley behind Christ Episcopal, apparently a reject from a nearby office. I double dog dared Curt to snatch it. (Hey, garbage is for ANYBODY), and he did! We're pruning it and preparing to put it on the back porch this spring. What a great gift today!

HAIRCUT

Fumbling for something interesting to say.
Here's an acrostic of my day:

H - Haircut this morning, trading the weight line for choppy layers
A - Awake at 5 a.m., found myself in the guest room. Have no recollection of going there, but Curt tells me I kicked him for snoring last night and stormed out. Must have been in a pretty good sleep to have done that without even recalling it. Hope I sleep as well tonight!
I - Intent on spring...so I headed to TJ Maxx where I found some linen pants striped in springy colors and a pair of yellow cropped jeans - only 10 bucks a pop!

R - Raking this afternoon - all the dead leaves, vines, stems, etc. from the wildflower garden out front. Ah, decluttering in the yard. Feels so good. Found this beauty during our "excavation".
C - Catching up with best friend Jodie. So good to talk to her, always. She makes me laugh, makes me happy. Love ya, girlfriend!
U - Umbrella - it rained on our beautiful day. But it was more like a spring rain than a cold wintery one. It was OK. We had finished the yard work, and the boys were ready for a bath judging from the sounds of their arguements. Nothing like a warm bath to make everybody friends again. :)

T - Together - Benjy and Camden, best of friends much of the time, playing Star Wars, digging in the dirt, rolling around on the floor, chasing each other and screaming at the tops of their little lungs. At least they love each other....

TGIF

I just don't know why I can't get it together with this blog anymore. I used to be so excited to record our daily travails. Now I just feel too beat to care. In a small attempt to catch up, here's some snippets from our week.

Our caterpillars from Jodie are growing! It shouldn't be long before they cacoon themselves in their chrysales and we can remove them from the jar and house them in their butterfly house!

Camden got his new white belt with the black stripe at karate tonight to show that he's joined the Tiny Tigers black belt program. One day he'll be there!

Curt and I also joined the local ATA karate club. Soooo excited to learn this new skill, indeed a discipline. It's out of my box, as Curt said. But, hey, I never thought I'd be a lifeguard either till I actually went and did it. I don't know if I'll ever be breaking boards, but I'm starting, and I'm excited for the journey.

Benjy's feeling well - at last! He's been so pleasant, so kissy, so adorable, so FUN! He's been talking a lot, too. The other night Camden and I were trying hard to listen to Sponge Bob and Benjy would not be quiet. I actually found myself saying - "OK, Benjy, OK. Now be quiet!!!!!!" I shouldn't be surprised. You get what you ask for, I suppose.

I bought a new camera with my Christmas money, a 7 megapixal camera. I'm in love with its crispness, its new-fangledness, its amazing ability to focus when even my eyes don't! I got a batch of pix back from Kodak the other day and they were beautiful. It's all in the camera. Well, and in the cute kids. :)

I went to Gabriel Brothers yesterday - Mom, you would absolutely FLIP for this place! They get tons of clothing, shoes, household stuff from outlets, stores, and sellers - some of it's crap, but some of it's good stuff that never sold for whatever reason. I got a pair of Lands End blue jeans for $6.99 - in petites, nonetheless! I also got some tee shirts for the boys - Virginia Tech and UVa for Benjamin, and Lands End beachy looking Ts for Camden. Curt got nothing - sniff sniff - 'cause I ran out of time to search through his department. (You don't just run in and out...this store take some time for browsing.) I also got some awesome Dept. 56 Just Ducky stuff - a shower curtain, ceramic duck feet for the boys' toothbrushes, and even a duck lamp. Too cute and cheap, too! All in all, it was a good day to drop a few bucks for a bunch of cute stuff. I felt happy. :)

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hope your day's been good, Dad. You said you had a relaxing birthday when I spoke with you tonight. Ours wasn't exactly relaxing, but it was a fun day full of adventure for your grandboys. (Benjamin, by the way, is saying "Nana and Dad-daddy" when he talks about you two now!)

We finally made it to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh today. Soooo fun! We checked out the dinosaur exhibit, which is actually under construction now, so what we saw is only a piece of what will be installed in a few months. We also toured the Pennsylvania barns exhibit, the ancient architecture exhibit, and the ancient Egyptian exhibit in the Carnegie Museum of Art which is under the same roof as the Natural History place.

To see these places through the eyes of my boys is amazing, to say the least. When we saw the model of the Green Parthenon, we told the boys that the Greeks believed the Gods lived there. "You mean God lived there once!" Camden exclaimed. How do you answer that in a millisecond?! When we saw the mummy of an Egyptian child, Camden wondered, "How come the child died?" When we found the dinosaur excavation area, where kids are given goggles, brushes, and a chisel to dig for a casting of a real dino skeleton, Camden shouted, "SWEEEEET!" He and Benjy took off, strapped on their goggles and began digging away. They were there for a good 15 minutes, which is a lifetime in this place where every turn offers a new feast for your eyes.

I'm so glad we finally made it back here, where we last visited in May. We had come for a weekend then to scope out the area, knowing that Curt's job was about to move us from Ohio to here. We fell in love with the museum and downtown Pittsburgh immediately and vowed to make it back to the city at least once a month after the move. And we've made good on that vow. Granted, we've not done the museum thing each month (ahem, we've done Ikea two or three times!) But we do love driving into the city, seeing the Monongalhela and Alleghany rivers meet to form the Ohio River and all the fun places along the water fronts. Sometimes I even wish we lived IN the city, on one of those cool loft apartments above the department stores and such. But, once we get back home to the outer suburbs, I'm happy with my new little town. Out of the limelight. Out of the hubbub. Out of the way. Yes, we are in the best place of all. Close enough. Far enough away. Home.