Oh New York

I did not even know this was a possibility.

Or really even a need.

But seriously, now that I share a neighborhood with 2 skunks and a family of possums (and who knows how many rats) I'm convinced that it's an awesome idea

The best little museum exhibit

There's this little museum in town called the Hudson River Museum.  It's a fun place to visit and most Saturdays they have a family craft project you can do.  The museum is also part of a museum conference that includes all of the museums in Salt Lake so when we go to Salt Lake we can visit all of the museums for free (all for $60 a year--totally worth it).

A couple of weeks ago the museum opened a new exhibit and for some reason I just didn't get there to see it until this Wednesday.  We took Nathan back on Saturday because it was was just that cool.  Federico Uribe is this amazing artist and the instillation is so worth it.  It closes on August 11 and if you're close, go see it.

Those are keyboard keys.

The two older girls live across the street and they come over every day.  My new plan is to take them places because when we get home I can just send them home (if I don't they linger here all day asking me to do craft projects with them and Claire cries when I make them go home--there's a longer post about this somewhere because dealing with them has been a pretty big parenting challenge.  This new plan is making things a lot better)

Claire spent most of our time there using her magic spelling wand.

Those are bullet casings.

And those are phone cords from when phones used to actually have cords

I want a window-box like this

Pine tree made of book spines and those fish in the background are made of paintbrush handles

This was a beehive and the bees were made of the metal eraser holder part of pencils and press-on nails.

And afterward Claire worked on a card for her cousin Janey-poo.  She read me the card today and told me it said, "Janey, we should play and have a sleepover and then we can go to your house."

A little too realistic

Every 10 days or so we have a day here that's sunny and above 45.  In order to maintain sanity I've decided that anytime one of those days comes around we have to go to the zoo.  It's 10 minutes to the zoo from my driveway (this, of course, does not include the 45 minutes it takes to gather up snacks, bags and winter gear, follow proper protocol with door opening {Claire opens the door and I hold it while she then opens the screen.  If you do not follow this protocol your exit time has just doubled because you are then carrying 2 kids down to the car and one of them is weeping and wailing} and herd two kids into their car seats).  

The Bronx Zoo is amazing.  It's huge and scattered with building from the early 1900s which were the zoo's first exhibits.  And there is the grouchiest, loudest sea lion.  I feel sorry for the other sea lions that have to live with him but it's funny if you don't have to live with him. 

Watching the seals

I will say that the life-like wide open exhibits at the zoo are maybe just a little too life-like for me.  The zoo is pretty heavily wooded and sometimes it feels...well...a little spooky. 

Take this for example.

Walking along a lovely wooded path

the path turns and you head up a little hill

And right at the top of the hill there are two grizzly bears. 

Now those grizzlies were in their enclosure and everyone was safe.  It's just when their enclosure looks so much like the surrounding area it's easy to remember the natural order of things and know that technology may have put you at the top of the food chain but alone in the woods you are way closer to the bottom.

Maybe it's time to invest in some mace just for my own peace of mind.

After the Storm

Today is the first day we have internet back and it feels nice to be connected to the world again.  It's been a little surreal.  A friend who lives in Manhattan said that it feels a little like a tale of two storms.  There are people who live less than 15 miles from where I do whose lives have been ripped apart.  My world has been nothing more than inconvenienced--no internet, the hubbs having to camp out on the floor of Starbucks so he could get the train schedule.  I spent the afternoon looking at pictures of the storm and it's heart breaking.

And I guess....with that...here is what I viewed of the storm.  There isn't any flooding or heart break--just wind and rain and extra days with the hubbs at home and no internet.

Sidewalk chalking with dad on cardboard boxes while looking out the storm door

Before the storm we stocked up on play-doh thanks to a gift card from the hubbs work mates in San Diego

Claire picked out Noah's outfit on Tuesday.  This picture sums up perfectly how each  of them felt about the situation

On our way to the park post storm

Noah on Halloween

Claire in her peacock costume

Trying to take a Halloween picture for posterity.  Claire had to pause to have a little candy snack

After trick or treating I caught her hiding in my room sharing her candy with our friend Syd

Excellent News

We did not get Craigslist-scammed.