Prehistoric Zoo

July 5, 2010

Last summer a Dinosaur exhibit set up shop at our Zoo. Of course, we loaded up the Mini's and took them out for a peek. Before heading down to the exhibit, Hayden had to stop at the water globe to locate North America....

Then we moseyed down to the dinosaurs where Bailey checked out a T-rex skull and a baby T-Rex. Apparantly all it takes to make "Bailey Long Legs" look short is hanging out with dinosaur replicas!
As we strolled along, a guide appeared and let the kids touch a dinosaur claw.

Along the way we happend on a fossil dig and the kids decided to have a go at excavating dinosaur bones.

The kids oohed and ahhed over the baby dinosaur nest. Perhaps when they say all babies are cute this reaction is proof!
Hayden was pleased to make the acquaintance of an Ankylosaurus. This creature is a favorite of his pal Alex which made it extra interesting to our little guy.

It must be said that the most fabulous find for H was the meteorite. He is captivated by this theory regarding the end of the dinosaurs. Go figure, it is where dinosaurs and outer space collide - literally the joining his two major passions at the time.

It was an interesting stroll back in time for our crew. After dodging the gift shop we were ready to head for the hills and check out our dinosaur books in the cool comfort of Casa Marx!

Our Junior Jockeys

July 3, 2010

Somehow we managed to live in Derby City for over two years and not make it out to Churchill Downs. Madness! So last July we finally got our act together and hustled over to the track. Both kids were superexcited but Bailey was truly over the moon since by this time her love of horses was in full swing.
Fortunately for us, Michael had been to Churchill Downs several times to entertain clients so he was able to step in as our guide for race day and steered us right to a great place to watch race preparations.

In no time at all we were off to find a spot to watch the races begin. Hayden seemed so serious as he gazed out at the track!

Bailey talked Michael into helping her watch from up close. She was such a happy little gal!

After cheering our way through a few races, we wandered over to the Junior Jockey club to let the kiddos play. It was a great way to get a break from the heat and still be surrounded by all things equestrian. The Junior Jockey Club is basically a play and craft area for little ones. During certain times of the year they have activities for the kids and Churchill Charlie comes by for a photo op.

When we got there Miss Bailey made a beeline for the wooden barn and horse toys. We had to police that scene a bit when other kids came through since Bailey was trying to hoard the fillies. There was no tearing her away from these delightful playthings but Hayden was quite happy to scoot back to the craft area. It didn't hurt that the craft for this weekend was all about rockets for the Fourth of July. This made our little spaceman super happy.

When Churchill Charlie showed up it was time to let the good times roll! What a dream come true for a little horse lover -- playing horses with a horse? It doesn't get much better than that!

From my perch I was able to see that Churchill Charlie prefers sneakers over the traditional horse shoes. What a hoot!

After some horseplay with Bailey, Charlie had a little sit down with our boys. Of course, he didn't make his own rocket since crafting is a wee bit tricky for hooved creatures...

Love this shot of Miss B in her jockey hat. Too cute! It was our last good shot before all H-E-Double Hockey Sticks broke loose. The deal was that everyone had to keep their bottoms clean and dry and take potty breaks in order to stay and play. Once Sir Charlie headed on down the track the kiddos were given a heads up for potty breaks. Miss Thing decided to dig in her heels and refused to visit the facilities. After a reminder about the rules of the day and a chance to make a better choice, Bailey decided to test the limits rather than cooperate. Grrrr. So I checked in with Michael and cooked up an exit strategy. Hooray for having two parents on this outing! Hayden had taken his break and therefore earned additional playtime so Michael stayed with Hayden and I hauled B off to wait in the car.

It should not shock anyone that Bailey did not take kindly to being removed from her horsey heaven. But I must say that of all the fits this chick has thrown, this particular meltdown was at the top of the list. It was hot and she was tired but she dug deep and put on her best performance yet. The thrashing about was epic, I had to walk and hold her slippery shreiking form while trying desparately to figure out how to exit the track (Remember - my first trip was today?). She literally rotated around my arms like the hands on some out of control clock while I booked it out of the facility. And here my friends is the big lesson of the day.... You can make a crazy scene with a child while tearing out of a place and NO ONE will say boo. I could have been some psycho abducting Bailey and not one person stopped us. The only reaction we got was from some sauced up fellow nursing a beer who looked at Bailey and then said to me with a smirk, "Looks like someone's horse didn't win today." Haha!

Eventually we made our way to the car. The sight of the Marxmobile only served to renew Bailey's desire to fight. Tricky times ensued as I worked on containing my banshee while also keeping the car open to avoid roasting us while we waited for the boys. Honestly, she had lost alot of fluids at this point with all the perspiring and boohooing, one had to wonder how hydrated my gal could be! Despite the horrific exit I was oddly pleased with the way things went in that H got to stay and could make the connection between cooperating and having more fun while B got a (clearly necessary) chance to see that she must cooperate in order to have good times. That being said, I will certainly admit that I was ecstatic to see my boys walking through the parking lot and elated to crank up the AC as we headed home. I couldn't resist capturing the moment as we drove away. Yes, she was still going strong with the fit, it was incomprehensible that we were taking her away from the horse racing. Michael thought it wasn't so nice of me to take this photo but I assured him I had earned the right to preserve this scene!

In the end, our trip to the track was alot like childbirth, some fairly painful moments but totally worth it for the good times that surrounded the not so lovely times!

Painting the Town

July 1, 2010

We enjoyed an evening out as a family last summer when we visited a paint your own pottery store and made birthday presents for the kids Grandfather's. Although the birthdays in question are months apart, it made perfect sense logistically to paint for everyone in one visit. Each kiddo had one piece to work on and then they could switch to add personal touches. They really enjoyed themselves and were eerily quiet as they painted away!

Michael and I were less than shocked when Bailey chose to use a horse stencil and Hayden rustled up space stencils. These two are pretty consistent when it comes to sticking with a passion.

Poor Michael tried his best to help out and keep his work clothes safe. He was a real tropper. Whoopsie - next time we meet up with Daddy after work we'll have to bring him some playclothes!

Shark Attack!

June 30, 2010

The local library had scads of summer events last year. We dropped in on the aquarium presentation to see what on earth and aquarium could take on the road! There were lots of specimens that the speaker passed around for the kids to examine. Here the Mini's were checking out shark eggs. The preceding Fall, H went through a big shark phase and it was interesting to see what he recalled from that particular boyhood passion.

Next up was a shark fin!There were also several types of shark jaws handed about for examination. For some unknown reason this gave Bailey the urge to get her groove on...

And last but not least, we had the chance to ogle a stingray. Not a bad haul for a bunch of landlocked people!

A Dino-mite Adventure!

June 26, 2010

Last June, we loaded up the Marxmobile and headed out to Dinosaur World with my folks and Katelyn. Located about ninety minutes from our abode, Dinosaur World is more than true to it's name. Both of the kiddos have gone through phases where they adored all things prehistoric so they were quite amped up to get their visit started. Hayden posed at the entrance which is flanked by enormous dino-legs as Bailey made friends with a rather substantial Brontosaurus.

Poor little Bailey was so excited to get started she was incabable of standing still for a photo. Almost immediately she caught sight of a playground fit for a junior paleontologist and off they went.

Then it was off to check out the dinosaurs. We followed a path around the property that was lined with groups of dinorsaurs. The kids were so wired they practically raced through; the excitement of what might be around the bend was too much to bear. Initially, Hayden was opposed to taking any pictures with the dinosaurs. No way buddy! There are three cameras on this daytrip, good luck with that quirky choice. Eventually he acquiesced and announced that he was willing to pose with dinosaurs that he recognized. Thank goodness this rock star was without representation and his negotiations proved pointless!

Over the past few years, it is safe to say that we have read many a book about dinosaurs. No matter how much you read about the size of sauropods, it is pretty stunning to see life sized replicas tower above you. That's the place to go if you are looking to feel little again!

It was such a delight to have KT around last summer. My little ones are much younger than their cousins on my side of the family and at times Katelyn is as much a bonus aunt as a cousin to them. Either way what is truly lovely is that they adore her and her siblings and just love to have time with their Michigan counterparts. This pic of them walking along the path is one of my favorites. And that tree lined path was a real life saver for us - things were all kinds of hot during our visit and the shade was quite a blessing to the adults!

One of the Mini's favorite movies last summer was Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. As a result, their encounter with the herd of Wooly Mammoths was the cause of sheer bliss. They gleefully ran all over and Bailey couldn't stop hugging the baby's trunk while cooing at this faux furry friend.

The path leads out to a ginormous dinosaur and billboard visible from the highway. This large carnivore was accessible from all angles and the little ones were over the moon at the chance to climb about the tail and claws. It also gave us the opportunity for a few groups shots.

We took an insane number of photos with the kids exploring the dinosaur path. Here's a sampling of the fun:

Bailey was truly enamored with the triassic trash receptacles scattered about the park. It made me want to slather her with purell every two seconds but she just couldn't help herself.

KT has a thing for souveneir pennies so she just had to be sure that the Mini's had pennies from our grand adventure. As a bonus, it was great heavy muscle work for Sir Hayden which would have really pleased his OT at the time!
We had plans to participate in a fossil dig towards the end of our visit. These occured at set times and as a Mom to two tuckered out kiddos I was quite pleased to see this oversized puzzle to amuse them as we waited for our dig time to arrive. Sometimes it's the "not so little things" that make a difference!

Such happy little diggers, who wouldn't love an enourmous sandbox loaded with goodies?
On of our last stops on the way out was this fabulous creation into which the kids were able to wiggle. Such fierceness! I am a kiddo, hear me roar!!!

After a whirlwind obligatory trip through the gift shop, we were ready to go. On both parts of the drive, Miss Bailey was feeling the need to be close with her peeps and just had to hold hands in order for all to be right in her "yittle" world. Poor Pa had to navigate the drive and lose feeling in his fingers to keep peace and the land. We also had to pull on over on Miss B since at other times she just had to hold Ma's hand. Ma was out of reach but Katelyn was not so she snuck her hand in onj Ma's behalf and Bailey fell for the switcheroo.

Hayden and Bailey were very willing to veg out in their seats once they had new loveys courtesy of the Grandparents. Hayden named his Manny in honor of the Ice Age movies which is what they watched that night!

We got home in time to wrap up the day with a picnic on the carpet. Poor H had to make nice with an ice pack to get some relief from a bug bite but at least he had Manny by his side for support! It was a very full but very enjoyable daytrip for all concerned!