It Was Free! (Almost)

We found out late this afternoon that it was National Free Museum Admission Day.  I don't know if that is the actual name of this day (event?) but there are hundreds of museums across the country that participate in it and it is encouraged by the Smithsonian magazine.  We were able to go to one participating museum with two free admittances.  We paid for one admission.  (Ha, Eliana is still free...but not to fly.  That is too bad!)

Speaking of flying, we chose to go to the Flight Museum that is literally up the street from our house.  It was the closest, and probably the one that was going to be the most interesting for everyone involved (read:  Christian). 

Even Eliana was excited to see all of the airplanes.  She pointed and cried out,"Airplane!" as soon as we pulled in the parking lot.  Christian and Michaela thought it was neat to be so close to one, even though they've been on a lot of planes.  It's different when you're just walking through that tunnel to board.  It's hard to get a sense of their size when you only see the inside. 

They were so fascinated with this plane, and we weren't even in the building yet!  They thought it was cool to be able to see in the backside of the aircraft.

It was so dark, I'm not sure what all they saw; Michaela said,"See that thing that's dangling?!"  And she said it with such excitement that it must have been something amazing.  Or maybe just a securing strap.  I really don't know.

Once inside we started with the space section.  Just think...there are folks who have actually been out of this planet's atmosphere.  That is so crazy. 

We saw all kinds of paraphernalia, as well as the command module for the Apollo 7 mission, which orbited the Earth and helped lead up to the lunar-orbiting mission later. 

They definitely thought this was great, but I'm not sure that they fully understood the significance of such a thing.

Can you imagine being in there for eleven days?   In outer space?  Well, I don't know how outer it was, since it was 140 x 183 miles above the Earth.  So...inner space?  Still, it's a long way from home, a fridge, and a regular toilet.

Is it really necessary to say how impressive the jets were?  I didn't think so.

Missiles fall into the same category.

Fighter jets and weapons of mass destruction might be impressive to some, but really, what I think is impressive is the endless number of faces this child can make...

Truly, I don't know where she gets it from.  Hmmm.

They thought the helicopters were cool-which they were.  This one had a ginormous blade.  (It probably isn't any bigger than other helicopters, but since I'm never running to hop on any helicopters, how do I know?  It was big.  I couldn't even get a picture of it from one end to the other.)

Ooh, so red and shiny!

Now, this cracked me up.  They thought it was so fun to go into this model of the front end of a plane and sit in the seats...

Maybe because it was first class?  It is true, we do not ever get to sit in those seats.  Can you believe it?  In all the times that we have tromped onto an airplane, me with three children and six carry-on bags, no one has ever offered to let me have their seat up in the five-star lounge. 

They did get to peek in the cockpit.  That isn't something you get to see everyday.

We also got to see an SR-71 Simulator.  I do not begin to know what I am talking about when it comes to top secret government spy jets, but I think that Lunchbox might have some connections and could tell you a thing or two about this machine as well as the real deal-Blackbirds some call them.  If you would like to check it out, you can.  I would only confuse you.  I confuse myself.  I didn't even take a picture of the thing, but I did get a photo of the info about it.  Nice work.

Eliana was so good, she hung out in her stroller the whole time taking everything in. 

And for $5.00, we had a great time. 

The Creation and Evolution of Stitchers

Christian's class has already covered several areas of study in these first few weeks of school.  They have an area outside of their room which they have made into a mural; they all worked to design a creation scene.  They have discussed God's handiwork from the very beginning of time, and they have learned about many of the key Bible stories in Genesis.  They read from Scripture every day, as well as sing songs, learn poetry, and write and illustrate journals. 

Now they are moving on to the next big unit, which is dinosaurs.  The first mural has been taken down, except for the background of earth, sea, and sky, and will stand as the background for coming projects.  The students are going to collaborate on a dinosaur scene, with the animals roaming the land amidst the trees from that time.

I'm going to try to keep the Friday stitching related to something that is going on during their current studies.  This time it happens to be easy; I found a relatively simple dinosaur outline, traced it onto a plain piece of paper, and then transferred that onto their fabric squares using dots.  What may not be easy is stitching this particular square.  I think it will be very challenging for them since it is so curvy.  Unfortunately, there were no squared-off dinos.  They were quite snaky, or spiky, or horny.  Oh, you know what I mean! 

This is our friend, the Diplodocus. 

I asked Christian to pick from a couple of different dinos, and he chose this one because it wouldn't eat him. 

Here it is on the fabric...it's hard to see because the pen doesn't show up well in pictures (at least in pictures that I take at 1 a.m. in my dining room with zero natural light, because, hello! it's the middle of the night).

So far I have been very blessed with the help of a great deal of extra mom hands on Friday mornings; there is no way I could do this without them!  They patiently thread needles, undo mistakes, and praise these children's efforts.  The kids have come a long way in just a few short weeks, but there are still a lot of extra loops, knots in thread, and fabric corners sewn into the backs of their squares.  It really is a lot of work helping them get this done, but it is so worth it. 

I wouldn't want to miss this face for anything.

A couple of them finished their cross and fish today, and began the dinosaur.  They were so proud of their completed square; it brings me joy to see them look at what they have accomplished with such satisfaction.  They are turning into quite the seamstresses and seamsters. 

Some of the things they said to me today that I thought were especially sweet or funny:

"I have my stitching in my room, for practice!"  (talking about a small plastic circle I sent home with thread and plastic needle in order to get some extra experience and get more comfortable with the stitch)

"I want to make them [the stitches] big...it's faster."

and related to that one..."If I make them [the stitches] small, I'll never get done!"  (that was actually Christian; I told him he would, indeed, get done)

They are going to be so thrilled with what they have at the end of the year, won't they?!

An Unlikely Snugglee

We had a visitor in our house today.

Meet Mr. Snaily.

Unlike most of his kind, he is soft and warm, very cozy and easy to snuggle.  A strange breed, certainly, but this one I prefer over the slimier garden variety.  There is no residual ooze on my couch, or my daughter.

Mr. Snaily liked kisses.  He just sat on Eliana's lap and let her love on him; and she had an unlimited supply of lovin'.

I cannot tell you how much joy this fluffy, white creature from the depths of Michaela's mind and the perfect softness of this blanket brought to our house today.

I do not know what inspired Mr. Snaily into being, but their imaginations inspire me every day.

The Right Thing Is Hard to Do Sometimes

I'll be busy around here tonight...wish me great productivity.  Something drastic has to happen, or else I think everyone in this house is going to lose their minds. 

I am doing something very difficult this evening.  I am not going to wander around on the internet.  I enjoy it so much and often feel like it helps keep me sane, but for the sake of sanity in the long run there are things that need to be taken care of here at home, and they don't involve me being on the computer.  In fact, my keyboard batteries are dying slowly, and I've put the batteries from a remote in there (I can't find any others!) and one by one each battery is losing its power, as I try the two good ones with one of the old, and rotate them around to see which combo will work.  Desperate times, man. 

I think it's a sign.  A sign to get off my behind and get my fingers off of the keys.

Don't think I won't have my cookies later, though.  Change a little at a time, folks.  Let's not rush things!

Who Built the Ark?

Because I think we need him 'round these here parts.

It's raining AGAIN!  Lots of rain, rolling thunder, and flashes of lightning. 

Our backyard had just stopped looking like the silt-covered, ancient riverbanks of the Nile after its annual flooding...