This weekend

So, we went to OMSI for Memorial Day. Really, it was about the cheapest option we had. And we were a little worried about taking the kiddos there ... but it went so very well.

There have been some changes that I wasn't aware of. OMSI now has a "Science Playground" for ages 0-6 ... Bruise and Bucket had a great time in there. They each painted with puff-paint (made from paint, glue, and shaving cream -- With all the mashing of the brush they did, their paintings aren't very 3-D, but they are cute. I should frame them. ^_^), enjoyed the water-tables (even though Bucket's sleeve got SOAKED and she did NOT appreciate that one IOTA.), crawled through the little forest tunnels like wee woodland creatures, watched the baby-eye-view tank of goldfish ... There's lots to do. They even have a nursing room, family bathrooms, and an area just for kiddos 0-24 months. (I didn't check out the nursing room. But when we have any babies with us, I'm totally going to. ^_^)

There was a dinosaur exhibit ... of the dinosaurs that were found in China. Bruise and Bucket liked the skeletons fine ... Bucket didn't really care for the animatronic ones, though. She clung to Michael like a little spider monkey for a bit there.

Bruise LOVED being in a place where he could touch buttons, buttons, and more buttons. He was happy as a pig in the mud. ... Although, he did not believe me at all that he or Bucket were ever as small as any of the embryos on display.

(Okay, total aside. Bucket just brought Bruise his toothbrush. I had called out, "Bruise! Bucket's bring you your toothbrush!" He turns around and seeing Bucket arriving with his toothbrush. "Bucket! Gank-koo!!" I mean, how sweet is he?)

They also had some good fun in the Turbine room. Bruise made a beeline to sit in the little space shuttle. Bucket was very impressed by the bottle rockets. Bruise loved the room ... with the balls ... and lots of air tunnels ... hard to explain and I'm FAR too lazy to look it up. Especially since I SHOULD be 1) on the way to storytime (which we're skipping because Bruise FREAKED THE CHICKEN OUT and I am NOT dealing with a freakout like that for up to two hours until the playdate that I'm very much looking forward to ... and 2) making up our little picnic lunch for aforementioned playdate.
Bruise also very mch enjoyed knocking down the arch that Michael and I were TRYING to build. We got really close, then he pushed on my side of blocks (don't worry too much, they're large and VERY soft. I know, because they came raining down on my HEAD.), which I then TRIPPED over. So I spoke to him very sternly and demanded a kiss.

After we were through there, it was definitely time to go. (Michael and I had stayed up LATE watching Veronica Mars episodes and had woken up a little early to get up to OMSI when it opened. We were just about dead on our feet.) We loaded the kids into the van (We had to take off Bucket's shirt and jacket since she was SO UPSET at having a soaking wet sleeve ... brought upon only by herself, of course, but still...). We stopped by McDonald's for food. Bruise and Bucket had both fallen asleep. But as soon as we had ordered, Bruise started waking up.

Bruise: *mumbles a little to himself as he stares at us from his carseat*
Michael: Hey Bruise!
Me: Bruise, you want some fries?
Bruise: *completely perks up* FRY?? YEAH!!

Bucket woke up less than ten minutes later. She ate her fries and most of her burger. Bruise ate his fries. And they liked their "juice" (Sprite. Hey, it was a special occasion, okay? They're usually deprived little children because I usually only give them water. Or sometimes milk.)

When we got home, we set them up with a movie (they had asked, okay? And we had a couple of DVDs left to get through before today. I have to turn them in to the library.), which they happily watched, as we finished season two of Veronica Mars and then watched August Rush. (August Rush? It's decent. I'm glad we checked it out of the library. But it was cute. A little too contrived to be based in reality. But it was okay.)

There was an encore episode of So You Think You Can Dance, which we planned to watch without knowing it was an encore performance.
Because, after my plea the other day? I searched for a couple hours for it online ... and finally tried my trusty YouTube ... Ah, how I love YouTube. I could write Shakespearian sonnets in iambic pentameter to YouTube. Ah, YouTube, thou art fair and comely. Thou pleases me time and again. Thou art my mana, my ambrosia ...

So Michael and I have now seen the premiere twice. It was nice to see it on a bigger screen and less pixelated ... well, except for the one guy who danced in his skivvies ... and flashed Mia, Mary, and Nigel.

Next episode is Wednesday. I'm ready for it. SO ready for it.

Also, I forgot to mention that we had a ward carnival/cook-off. The cook-off was for chili (I did one) and pies (Michael made one). The carnival was really a bunch of little races and things. Bucket would have taken first in the sprints for the Nursery-aged kiddos ... except she looked behind her to see Michael, tripped, and started crying. Bruise stopped to see if she was okay ... Michael picked her up, told Bruise to keep running. Bruise took third place.

Bruise was in the tug-of-war ... but he didn't really participate in that one so much. He really wanted to keep running around the grounds at the new church building (We were at the pavilion at the back of it.) Michael had also signed Bucket up for the hula-hoop ... um ... spin-off? She doesn't know how to hula-hoop, so I knelt with her and tried to help.
Bucket: Mommy dood it.
Me: No, baby, you need to do it. Can you hop through it? Do you want to spin it around your waist? C'mon, Bucket, can you shake your booty??

Well, Bucket didn't place there, either. But her old Nursery leader came up to me later and said, "Bucket may not have hula-hooped the best, but she definitely hula-hooped the cutest."
(Maybe because Bruise ran over to "help." ha ha.

So, for the cook-off, there were lots of titles given. I won a ladle for(not sure of the exact title, I was trying to keep Bruise from running off. AGAIN.) best texture.
(I had made a chili with chocolate in it. It was thick and had corn and chopped carrots in it. It's pretty tasty. Intriguing, but not too sweet. I like it.

Michael won the title of "Thou Shalt Not Kill ... But for a slice of this pie, I'd do it" for his creation -- A graham cracker and Nilla wafer-crumb crust, a layer of semi-sweet chocolate, a layer of banana slices, banana cream pudding, topped with homemade whipped cream. We were only able to get a slice ... and that puppy was GOOD.
We heard later that it almost won for best overall. (That title was snatched by a mint-oreo ice cream pie.) But he is the proud owner of a new cake server.

Well, to close, since I've been so bad about posting pictures, I'll put up one of the hula-hooping contest. Why this one? Well, because it has BOTH kidlets. AND me. And it doesn't feature my slouching-caused muffin-top/fat rolls.

Here you go!