Exploration Station and Wierdly Designed park benches

August 21, 2007 Tuesday

Kai got excited about the doggie statue and ran to pet it.

My sister booted us out the house so she could get herself organized and to be alone with Hope. So we took off on a 40-min. drive to Bourbonnais, IL to see tne Exploration Station...a children's museum.

Adira grimaces as Kai had just slammed his tool on her finger playing the drum.

(That's a whole set of piano strings hanging there on the wall. )

Cohen tosses in a few bread loaves.

Adira reaches over and steals all the money.

So that's the reason why the sink was backed-up. (haha)

Arts and crafts. Kai is great at marking up his shirt.

Kai screams a mock-5 in a F-16 airplane, while pressing his nose up against the glass pane.

Kai walks down the turret steps of an indoor castle. The boys hang around the water station.

I could see the boys were beginning to look tired. By the time we hit the highway to home, both boys had wiped out, which was great- as Kai took to pinching Cohen, or beating him with his sippy cup. Cohen on the other hand made my heart jump a few times by excitedly screaming "CAR!" and "Truck!"- not good when you are driving.

Nana came over to watch Hope while Cheri and I piled into the car with the boys again after being home for just a couple hours. We took off to Tinley Park to take pictures of these remarkable benches, and the old toys they represented from an era past (I'd be lucky if the younger generation knew what I was talking about!)

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Attraction: Benches on the Avenue.

Hand-crafted benches by community artists depicting the theme "Toyland".

Front side.

Back side.

Hey! She took my hat!

The birdhouse is just about as old as this historic home so it seems?

Video: Cheri performs a simple operation.

Your jaw would drop too if you just ripped your groin muscle doing this move ! haha.

A new habit Cohen picked up from Kai (my sister is just so thrilled!)

Kai opens the door to find the Pirate (Johnny Depp).

The boys try to make a call for pizza.

How stupid is that to place a bench in the way of incoming traffic!? There must be some sorta safety regulation here.

The boys have a little picnic before we head home.

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I was already beat from yesterday's "Things To Do". Cheri got me to decorate Hope's bedroom and made me screw in shelves. Today I have the responsibility of cooking for the family my dish of Shrimp Alfredo when we return.

~

Adira has her first day of school tomorrow, and she was so excited she couldn't go to sleep- so I had her go out with me for a brisk walk through the neighborhood. But even that was boring- so we looked through people's windows (only those with their curtains open, just to see what they have or what they do). In one case, I got Adira to dance on a dare, in front of a man who was washing dishes. She had fun- and said we may have to do that tomorrow if she can't sleep well again...I know, I am such a cool tia (although I did get berated by Cheri and mom)...

Hope update: Poor baby was soaked this morning! Not only was her onesie wet, but so was the blanket that covered her and the bouncy she slept in while in her crib. Because of the antibiotics-she is draining a lot of fluid, however, her extremities are back to normal size and the scalp area in front of her cranial scar is sunken noticeably where it is lacking cranium to cover it (there's a 2-inch gap). When I touched it, there was no bone present but a very soft mass...geez I hope this isn't her brain I'm poking!