I took the kids to the Festival of Trees on Saturday (I love how haggard the kids look here! Me? Fresh as a daisy, I tell you...... but alas, looks are deceiving-- believe me I felt a lot more like Scout seems to be feeling after hauling those girls around for 4 hours). We didn't mean to stay that long, but a snowstorm stuck us there while Rob was caught in traffic. Sue was originally going to join us, but due to some stomach ailments her dog displayed in her living room the day before, she was unable to join us.
Scout was being so funny loving this giant nutcracker and told me to take a picture and for some reason, lost all playfulness when I pointed the camera at her and I was left with this melancholy scene.
We filled most of our time there in the kid's corner which was Festival of trees for "cheap crafts". Thank you thank you for all you did for me that day, one can only look at so many Christmas trees, and crafts are Scout's favorite thing ever.
I laughed at this tree so much and thought I should buy it for Sue since she couldn't join us (it was still for sale for a measly 3,500) If you can't tell, it is a Star Wars Nerd's dreamland consisting of four trees decorated with Star Wars figures "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (*nerd noise*) all in their original packaging" and a little scene in the center with more figures taken out of their protective cocoons. All constantly pitched by a nerdess trying to convince the crowd what a deal this tree was and how it's market value will skyrocket someday. Anyway, I had to take a picture of it for Sue since I didn't have such cash with me (dang) and it was her perfect tree until I came upon this one about 15 minutes later...............................
If you can't tell, it's a Lord Of the Rings Christmas with so many toys in their original packaging, I had no way to fit them all in my lens. Sorry Sue, this one was sold already (double dang). Some nerd is going to blow his little mind this Christmas.Even Scout looks kind of impressed.
As you can see, you REALLY missed out-- and you thought it would be more fun to stay at home and scrub dog poo. Sue was sad about not joining us and had Tuesday off, so we decided to go to Thanksgiving Point's Dinosaur Museum (or Museum of Ancient Life, I should say)
Sue and Tiny E killing time while Scout buries dinosaurs in water and sand.
They had a little display where you can build your own dinosaur, I told Scout to go stand by our handy work and she one upped us by posing as the T- Rex's baby.
Still a dinosaur baby, but I believe this was after we built the stegosaurus.
This was probably the item that made the biggest creep out impression on me (ok there were plenty of those moments) but LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS TURTLE!!!!!!!!!! It was found pretty much in tact too AND somewhere around where was it Kansas or something Sue? Blew my mind.C R A Z Y.
Let us take a moment and look at a cute baby because next was the creepiest thing by far for Sue......................(and this will come as no shock to anyone that knows her at all).......
This beauty is just the head of an ancient shark-- for whatever reason they decided to recreate only it's head. Could it be because this shark was over 70 feet long? (Sue quickly did the math and estimated it to be about 3 Jaws long.) I tried to get Scout to stand in front of it so we could get a perspective for the picture, but she wouldn't get anywhere near it and Sue had to even carry her through that room (but who was going to carry Sue?)Unsurprising perhaps, Sue and I decided several time throughout our museum experience two things.
1. I'm glad those are extinct
and
2. Those were in Montana? That's close! *panicked look in eye*
(for some of these creatures, hearing they were found in South America elicited the same response).
For those of you that played Scattergories with us Thanksgiving weekend, when Rob called, he asked if we were wary of the brontosaurus bones. We were babe-- (and truth be told, Scout was actually afraid of them)
Perhaps we should have awarded Rob both points?
12 comments:
how funny! that turtle IS creepy. and the way they have it all set up like it's about to snap your head off or something. yeesh. also, i like your hair cut! and scout's curls! and tiny e's cuteness abounds, of course!
Love the nerd trees! I want to go to that sometime. Last year the Ashtons (Marcus' mission president and also the Ashton's who own Thanksgiving Point) bought/donated a tree that was made of blown glass (Dave Chihuly=amazing!) for like a few million dollars. Crazy. That shark also creeps me out and it's hard for me to walk through that room as well. They originally were going to have that display motion sensored so when someone walked in it would lunge at them. Guess they thought it would give people heart attacks, wise choice I think I would have wet my pants or something.
Holy crap Haley! If that shark did that, kids would be SCREAMING their heads off. That was a wise choice, it would seriously create some major pandemonium. There are some amazing things at the festival- this year there was a GIANT gingerbread castle someone living in some nursing home made. I heard how many hours he spent on it but I forgot, but I suppose you have a lot of hours to do stuff when you live in a nursing home. I would have liked to have seen the blown glass one last year and I'm glad the Ashton's paid so much for it, it is for a GREAT cause (the festival is done for the benefit of Primary Children's Hospital). In many instances, people make a tree to donate for a certain child in the hospital (some living, but some have died) and they do the tree in their name and have a picture on an easel of the child and every flippin' one of those I saw made my throat burn or made tears spring to my eyes. That's what I get for going there when I am still nursing and full of a few lingering mommy hormones.
Yeah, it's a neat fund raising event. The Ashton's are neat people, definitely an example of people who are billionaires but you wouldn't know it if you saw them and they use their money to help a lot of people. It's so sad to see kids that are sick, I hate it. I would tear up too.
Cool displays. How wonderful Primary Children's! I would tear up too. Many families of kids that have passed away come every year to our hospital and donate toys in their children's names. It is hard especially at the holidays not celebrating with their children. THe shark and turtle were awesome. I don't blame Scout for being wary. El's is so sweet. I love those snuggly carriers where they hang:)
I had heard about the Star Wars tree. The guys on the Geek Show Podcast that I listen too were geeking about it. They didn't mention the Lord of the Rings one! To see that tree alone would have been worth the admission price. To have the money to buy it would be so awesome! Not only to have the tree, but to have the money go to Primary Childrens Hospital too! Last time I was looking for a job, I got a call from PCH for some office position, and I turned down the interview. I just don't have what it takes to work somewhere like that. I would come home in tears every day. Jeanine, I don't know how you do it, and I'm so glad there are people like you who can.
The day at the museum was so fun! And to think I almost didn't make it! It was a freaking blizzard at my house. I actually did a 180 in 4 wheel drive just getting out of my neighborhood! It took me almost an hour just to get to Bangerter, which is only about 4 miles from my house. I finally called Em and told her I was just going to turn around and go home, and she said they had hardly any snow! So I drove on, by the time I hit about 9800 south, the storm was gone! It took me about 2 hours to get to Em's, but I made it. And it was so worth it!
Scout was so freaking cute! Most of the rooms in the museum scared her, but she would be brave and stay for a few minutes, then she would insist we leave that room.
That turtle is unbelievably huge. The picture does not do it justice. And yes, it was found in Kansas. I think that was the first time I looked at Em and said "that's not that far away!". And I don't even know what to say about that shark. It freaked me out so much. I hesitated even going in that room cause it freaked me out so much. And there are other huge sharks hanging from the ceiling in that room! I can guarantee you I would have died of fright on the spot if that thing moved in any way like Haley mentioned they had originally planned. Seriously, I would have died of fright. I would have died with the look on my face like the girl in the closet from the Ring movie. That big shark was found off the shores of South Caroline which means I will never, ever, ever, get in the Atlantic Ocean now. I know that shark is extinct, but just knowing that at some point that shark swam those waters, even if it was 65 million years ago, is enough to never touch that water. That is just how my mind works.
And sorry this is so long, but Elinor is just the cutest thing ever. She was so cute and good that day and I actually got to hear her laugh for the first time!
One more thing. Scout was a baby Triceratops in that picture. I told her at the beginning that was my favorite dinosaur, and so she was a baby one that day. Scout was so cute that whole time, ever time we saw anything Triceratops, she would say "Sue, that's your favorite one!".
Cute posting! The pictures are wonderful and the comments very funny. I can't believe the shark spooked you guys. I am looking very much forward to swiming with the sharks and stingrays the first week of March at Grand Cayman Island. Yum! BTW in the pic of Scout and the nutcracker, Scout sure looks like she needs to pee. Do the bathrooms have shark and turtle hangings?
Great post. Love the nerd trees. That museum is great. I remember Haley having a very hard time turning her back to that shark for a picture. I'll have to find it and post it sometime. I also remember Booker schooling some kid on fossils. Looks like fun!
I could never work in a children's hospital either. I would have to run home on my lunch breaks to hug Scout and Elinor. If there is a sick kid on Grey's Anatomy (or a dead one on 6 Feet Under), I have to go into Scout's room and lie next to her on her bed and hug her and cry for a while as she just sleeps. And that's fiction (I tell myself that over and over, but I don't know how much it helps). Ditto Jeanine on Sue sentiments.
Also, Scout is very attune to other people's favorite things. Rob's favorite color is red and mine is black and she will always make us pictures featuring our favorite color or point out something that is our favorite color and ask if we like it and many other such examples. I hope that says something about her character that she will possess her whole life, cause I think it's a good one.
And Jeanine I love that carrier too! I see people in crowded places like that with those giant strollers trying to maneuver them through the crowds and I am very happy having that thing and glad my baby is content in it. It is also a lot handier when we take Lola for walks. I have free hands instead of both hands on a stroller.
No way did Rob deserve a double for brontosaurus bones! (What was the category, anyway? Seemed to me something than neither bones nor brontosaurus really fit well, yet he wanted those dang points badly!If I recall correctly, he said for fighting him on it I lost whatever "Bro points" I'd previously gained. Too much fun!)
My wv (fitting for Rob): cryly
The category was "things you are afraid of". Rob will do ANYTHING to get double points in that game, that boy must be watched and filtered closely.
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