Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Every morning at 6:45
Every morning K stands in the crib at exactly 6:45 and yells for someone to get her out- waking everyone up in the process. So it was time to move her to a big girl bed (the theory being that she can get a book or play in the playroom until a slightly more civilized hour) Here's the big girl in her new bed.
Now at 6:45 she is standing next to my bed yelling for someone to get up
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Griswold's have Nothing On Us
We have returned from our jaunt around the eastern Midwest. (I know most people just call it the Midwest but seriously- have they ever looked at a map)
So we started out driving and our first stop was in the middle of Indiana at a little wolf "research" place called Wolf Park. I believe they have wolves there but I couldn't really tell you for sure since D decided about 2.5 minutes into the tour that she was too hot to walk and she wanted to sit down. Since we were with other people who were not legally or morally obligated to listen to her whine the whole tour I took her back to sit and wait for the tour to end
Then it was off to a little zoo. I don't know how B finds these places. Oh- I should add that it is about a million degrees in the shade, except there is NO shade anywhere at this zoo. The kids were far more interested in the fountains than the animals.
D did find the petting zoo though and why do I think that horse ownership, I mean horse riding lessons are in my future....
Day one ended with a half hour on the phone (and then an additional half hour of driving) to find an urgent care since A was clearly sick by the time we got to the hotel. Turns out he has a double ear infection (and probably strep throat but the doctor didn't test for it since he was already going to have antibiotics for his ears) Oh and did I mention that D is on antibiotics for swimmers ear and an ear infection and X is on antibiotics for walking pneumonia (our cooler in the car looks like a Walgreens)
Day Two- Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. We totally did not have enough time here- the kids had a blast.
Making sand angels
Walking down 150 feet from the top of the dune to the lake
Nice photo of the four kids together- Attempt #1
Enjoying the lake
Not enjoying the lake, or the sand, or really anything and making sure everyone knew it by screaming the entire time B carried her back to the car
Final stop for the day- the Jelly Belly distribution center. How can you go wrong with Jelly Bellys?
The kids were able to sample such flavors as Pencil Shavings (A), Dog Food (X) and Toothpaste (D) Both A and X gave their flavors a big thumbs down (although they both said they tasted like what they were supposed to be which begs the question how they know what pencil shavings and dog food taste like) and D said hers wasn't bad but she kept offering to let me "smell her breath"
They were thrilled to each come home with a bag of (normal) flavored jellybeans and strawberry, kiwi and pear jelly beans count as fruit right??
Next stop- Milwaukee County Zoo- which despite the fact it continues to be really really hot- turned out to be really fun
K took her first camel ride which began with both girls wanted to do it, getting up to the camel and refusing to get on, going on anyway and getting off ready to do it again
The Betty Brinley Childrens Museum in Milwaukee.
A worked on his architectural skills
D and K worked on the car.
Taking plates off
Putting plates on
So it occurs to me as I watch my daughter putting on new plates, that she's not running a repair shop......
She's running a chop shop
The Milwaukee Hilton has a little indoors waterpark which was just the right size for the kids so we spent a few hours there.
James Tellen Woodland Sculpture Garden (somewhere in Wisconsin)
I am not exactly sure what to say about this stop because I am not sure there are words to adequately describe it. Now I am as liberal as the next guy about what constitutes art but this... this is the hell that spawned garden gnomes and concrete geese (apologies to my readers who have garden gnomes and/or concrete geese)
An example....
Oh and it was the most mosquito infested place I have ever been- simply opening the car doors to get the kids in and out let in about 50 of the things (and it wasn't even lunchtime yet- so not prime mosquito feeding time) We spent the next day looking like lunatics swatting at the darn things as we drove down the road and poor D has that Chinese sensitivity to their bites and ended up with about 10 big swollen bites (and A didn't fair much better)
Off to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Again no offense to my readers who enjoy Maritime Museums but they are not places for small children (or at least my small children) First off they are usually reading based so if you can't read, you are really just looking at a display. At most of the museums (including this one) all the interesting things have big signs on them that say "Please DO NOT TOUCH". Somehow the addition of that sign makes the exhibit absolutely irresistible to children (who can't read that the sign says do not touch) thus incurring the judgmental looks of the museum docents. In addition, they are often disturbingly quiet- which means that every sound my (admittedly loud) children make is amplified and echo-y which just gives them more motivation to continue to make noise. Finally, with the exception of a few families with older (and therefore literate, calmer and quieter) kids, most of the people there are adults who (based on the evil looks I received) would prefer that the kids walk the plank.
B and some of the kids did go on the submarine tour which D reported "was cool" and B reported that D was not the loudest kid on the tour- for once it was someone else's kid. I wouldn't know since I was sitting with K listening to her throw a tantrum for no reason beyond I wanted her to go play
On the submarine tour
In the children's play area- this museum actually had a great water play area for the kids so you see I wasn't really torturing K by making her go play
Next stop the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay. Home of "Big Boy", the largest steam engine ever in service
Nice photo of the four kids together- Attempt #2
At the Bay Beach Amusement park
Less amusing was their obsession with this shoot the enemy ride- even the girls wanted in on the act and neither was willing to let the boys be their "gunners" They were very clear "Me shoot" and I am not totally sure how they know this but they both make very good machine gun noises too
On the way to Chicago we stopped at the EAA Aircraft Museum (see the section on Maritime museums- aircraft museums are similar- only with planes instead of boats) I am sure this museum is lovely too, but I spent most of the time sitting outside with K since she just wanted to scream the whole time we were there. Did I mention I was able to get 4 books read on this vacation???
In Chicago now at the Legoland Discovery Center which might have been really fun but the 10 busloads of day care and camps that arrived with us made it a little "crowded" and unlike the real Legoland (which we LOVED) this one was way too small for the number of people they were letting in. It was so bad that B almost didn't buy anything in the gift shop as a protest (which tells you how bad it was)
D seems less than enthused about the whole Lego extravaganza
Nice photo of the four kids together- Attempt #3
Nice photo of the four kids together- Attempt #4
On Navy Pier at the Chicago Children's Museum- we only had time to see about half of it (we were not staying downtown and apparently EVERY hour is rush hour in Chicago so we spent a little more time in traffic than we would have preferred) This is one of the best Children's Museums we have seen though
The (I assume sponsored by Kraft) Macaroni sculpture just across from Navy Pier
Nice photo of the four kids together- Attempt #5
At Millennium Park- the Crown Fountain was a hit with the boys- they loved when the faces spit water at them
The Cloud Gate sculpture was a blast to photograph and the kids seemed to enjoy playing with it too
Nice photo of the four kids together- Attempt #6
Nice photo of the four kids together- Attempt #7
Nice photo of the four kids together- Attempt #8
I didn't mention the World's Smallest Bridge Museum which we drove around in circles for 15 minutes to find due to significant road construction in the area only to get there and find out it was closed or the Paper Discovery Center. You can give it a big name but you just can't really make paper that exciting. And going to a paper museum emphasizing conservation/recycling yet sponsored by one of the largest paper makers makes you feel a little dirty.
Don't you wish you were there??
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