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A few months ago the newly rebuilt California Academy of Sciences opened up in Golden Gate Park. I've been dying to take the kids but I also have a low tolerance for all the crowds a new museum brings. So finally this week I took the kids along with Nana and Papa. I loved the Academy of Sciences and Steinhart Aquarium when I was a kid, so it was fun to see that they kept so many of the original displays. We were all pleased to see our favorites return (mine was African Hall, Nana's was the alligators, and Papa's was the pendulum). If you haven't been, it's a must see. We plan on returning as much as we can in the next year (with our newly purchased family membership).
Patrick finally got to see a complete dinosaur fossil (skeleton?). He's been asking to see one. Here he is in front of the T-Rex, which it turns out has freakishly tiny hands.
Nana and Molly at the touch pool in the aquarium. Molly really, really liked it and probably would have happily climbed right in with the starfish. BYO Purell.
The alligator exhibit had some silly mist being pumped in so they were hard to see. This is the albino alligator. And they kept the art deco seahorse railing from the original building. Very cool!
More Academy pics on Flickr! Plus pics of our Christmas tree, check it out!
And in house news, out bathroom remodel is 95% done. Whoo hoo! We're still missing the quarter round trim tiles for the shower. Never mind that they were ordered the first week in October and we were told they would be in in a week. Don't order tile from Walker-Zanger unless you have nothing but time. The tile won't be here until mid January, so Jo will finish once that comes in. He's still got a few tiny things to do like adding cabinet hardware but we're mostly done. I need to figure out where to put the towel rack, and ideas? Common sense would be putting it under the window right outside the shower, but I hate the thought of covering up that pretty glass tile. I was thinking of maybe putting a train rack style bar over le toilette, like you often see in hotels. What to do?
Patrick came home yesterday with a little book he made at preschool this week. On each page he wrote something he was thankful for and drew a little picture. Here's what Patrick is thankful for:
- Mommy
- Daddy
- Our house
- A sinking ship
- A ship with a man on it
- Meteors
- Me (as in himself)
- Molly
- Me again
Oh. My. Goodness. It made me laugh so hard. Sinking ships and meteors? Where does he come up with this stuff? How do preschool teachers keep straight faces when they write in these books? This is definitely one that goes in the SAVE box.
In other news, I decided a few months ago that I wanted to learn how to sew again. I used to know my way around a sewing machine and patterns but somehow I forgot all of it. So a few weeks ago I bought a pattern, and some fabric and asked my mom for help in figuring it all out. She was happy to help me, and today, I made Miss Molly this little Christmas dress...
Whoo hoo for me!
Today when I was driving Patrick home from school out of nowhere he asked me "Mama, why is Sarah Palin hot?". Exsqueeze me? "Patrick, where did you hear about Sarah Palin?" I asked. And like he loves to answer me, he said "Mama, I know everything". Further probing did not produce any details about where he heard this so I let it drop for a while. I brought it up again this afternoon and he told me Sarah Palin was "Sean McCain's helper" and that they were running for president. Now we watched every debate at home but I am pretty sure Patrick was not paying any attention to these. A few months ago he started getting excited every time he saw Barack Obama on the TV, but I really don't think he knew there was a campaign going on, he was just excited because he was convinced that Barack Obama was from Morocco. So anyways, I questioned him about it again tonight and he told me he had heard about Sarah Palin from Andrea and Matt. As in my cousin Andrea and her new husband, who we had dinner with last weekend. I know we talked politics but I am confident "Sarah Palin is hot" and "Sean McCain" were never mentioned. I tried hard to contain the laughs. A quick phone conversation with Andrea confirmed that she and Matt hadn't whispered sweet nothings about Sarah Palin into Patrick's ear. So where on earth did he pick this up? I am guessing it had to have been at school today. Why are 4 year olds discussing politics with each other? I imagine he will learn all sorts of interesting things next year in kindergarten. Oh boy.
It was a long day, so this is going to be a short post. Patrick loved every minute of it, he declared today "the best day ever". Molly caught on to trick or treating very quickly and enjoyed it. We got fewer trick or treaters this year, and have lots of leftover candy as a result. The bubble fogger machine I hunted down online was a hit. Both kids stayed up too late. Daylight savings ends this weekend. Mama is so, so tired and convinced the kids will not take the opportunity to "sleep in an hour". Gah.
Happy Halloween!
Look at the two little hams I had in my kitchen this afternoon. The aprons were a gift last year from Danielle, aren't they adorable?
I can't believe October is almost over! Halloween is just around the corner and we've been busy getting ready. On Saturday we took the lids to the pumpkin patch (not the first trip, but this time we actually bought pumpkins). I felt bad dressing them in long-sleeved shirts just so I could take pictures. It was about 80 degrees!
Today Patrick and I met a friend at Great America for their "Nick or Treat" Halloween party. I think Patrick has been spoiled by Disney characters, he was not so impressed with Blue and Sponge Bob, even though they were handing out candy. Patrick didn't wear his costume because it is long and black (hmm, any guesses as to what he is going as?), but he and Jo Ann still had fun.
And on the home front, our bathroom remodel has turned out to be a lot more involved than initially planned (isn't that always the case?). It turned out our we had a leaking toilet, which attracted termites in the floor joists. So the joists had to be removed and replaced. And then there was a bunch more with plumbing vents and non-standard walls. In any case, we're gaining a few inches in the room and putting in a much needed medicine cabinet. I took a few pictures but the room is so small it is hard to take photos that show anything!
We have another busy week, and on Friday Patrick's preschool will have their annual Halloween Sing. I cannot wait, it is too adorable to see them all in costumes.
I've been a delinquent blogger again. Somehow my kids seem to be kicking my ass on a daily basis. I was talking to a friend recently about how 18-24 months seemed like such a difficult time with Patrick. I had forgotten about it until Molly got there. It amazes how similar she is to Patrick at that age. Every trip in the car is a struggle because she arches her back until I pin her down (screaming and crying) together into her car seat. In Molly's eyes, strollers are for wimps, she repeats the arched back and screams when I try to put her in it. She prefers to walk everywhere which turns every walk into a long and wandering one. Patrick seems to be going through a growth spurt, he is eating everything in sight and sleeping really well, sometimes until 9am (if only Molly would too!). He's still loving school and making new friends. Current obsessions include Batman, Legos and Disneyworld. He's at a really fun age now, he's just fun to hang out with.
On the house front, we've started our much antipated bathroom remodel. We let Patrick loose in the bathroom with some Sharpies the day before it was torn out. His only intruction was to leave the window alone. He thought it was the most hilarious thin in the world, and promised us that he knows he can never do that again. Like most little boys, Patrick is a fan of anything contruction related. He loves watching our contractor at work, and says he wants to "be a builder with Jo when I grow up". Earlier this week they shared a snack together on the front porch. Patrick was in heaven.
When the bathroom was torn out there was a lot of water damage, which we were expecting. What we weren't expecting were the subterranean termites that had eaten their way through some of the joists. So the project became a little more complicated. And since all that wood had to come out we decided to move the wall back a little bit, which necessitated replumbing everything. You know how it goes. Can't wait until it is done!
And in the "New Of The Wierd" category, I have ths to report. Molly has been taking amazing long naps while all of the contruction is going on. This is the child who usually wakes up from her nap if the doorbell or phone rings. But somehow she manages to sleep through power saws and sledgehammers. Right outside her room. Go figure.
My two babies, couldn't you just eat them up?
We're back from Disneyworld! Patrick had an absolute and complete blast, he soaked up every single little detail and loved it all. It makes me want to take them back when Molly is 4 because it seems like such a perfect age for the Disney experience. Plus, at 40+ inches Patrick could most most everything. Patrick's favorites included Thunder Mountain Railroad, the monorail, the Kilimanjaro Safaris, Star Tours, and meeting the princesses (hubba hubba, he has stars in his eyes). Molly's favorites included running around after Patrick, the model trains at Epcot, the monorail, and frozen strawberry fruit bars. It was a wonderful time to go, the lines were pretty much non-existent everywhere we went. We missed the hurricanes, but did get a taste of Florida's rain which was really quite spectacular (I am thankful it doesn't rain like that here!). We all had fun but it was go, go, go all week and when we got home on Saturday night we were exhausted.
Here are a few of my favorite pics. I took about 500 pictures, and uploaded about 100 to flickr (including pictures from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party), so please look over there too!
It's back to the grind here for all of us. Patrick is now in school Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings, and until the end of fall he'll be taking science classes on Thursday mornings. I think I am going to sign my fearless Molly up for gymnastics while Patrick is in school. My plan to get her down to one nap a day seems to be working, which is better for preschool pick-ups but unfortunate for me because I used to nap with her in the mornings sometime while Patrick was at school.
And on the house front, our hall bathroom is getting completely torn out in about 2 weeks. If you have never seen it it is quite possibly the smallest full bathroom ever known to man. It's the last big house project we have left, I'm really excited to finally get it done. Tom and I are going to pick out tile tomorrow, whoo hoo!
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