the wife is back home, the kids are in bed, and, believe it or not, i'm well-rested. thanks to support of family and friends, my Daddy Home Alone weekend went swimmingly, and everyone in the family seems to be pretty darn happy.
I had one of those amazing moments with my kids this weekend. Took K, Z and our friends M&A to the Natural History Museum on Saturday. Now, I've been in L.A. since 1992, but I've almost never heard anyone even mention the place, and I always imagined it to be the poor stepchild of the wonderful NHM in New York, where my dad used to take me as a kid.
We arrived at this gigantic building, which was surprisingly empty, and first wandered into the 'spider tent', located outside the building and featuring dozens of scary-as-hell (but apparently harmless) spiders. that was cool, but then we went into the building, and we stumbled into a hall full of huge animal dioramas, featuring cougars and elephants and bison and gorillas - all super-lifelike and right there, waiting for the kids. K & A went nuts...they ran from window to window, screaming "Oh my god - it's a giraffe!" to each other, and generally freaking out at how cool it was to be nose-to-nose with a huge mammal (albeit a stuffed faux version of one). M & I followed them around, answering questions, offering (sometimes incorrect) trivia about the animals (who knew that a porcupine doesn't actually shoot it's quills??), and just watching them in the awe of learning. it was awesome.
even little Z, a mere 2 years old, loved the huge buildings and the big dinosaurs.
i suppose the most rewarding part of taking a kid out on a trip is hearing them recount it with such excitement and passion...hopefully this is a memory etched in the brain for a long time to come.
I had one of those amazing moments with my kids this weekend. Took K, Z and our friends M&A to the Natural History Museum on Saturday. Now, I've been in L.A. since 1992, but I've almost never heard anyone even mention the place, and I always imagined it to be the poor stepchild of the wonderful NHM in New York, where my dad used to take me as a kid.
We arrived at this gigantic building, which was surprisingly empty, and first wandered into the 'spider tent', located outside the building and featuring dozens of scary-as-hell (but apparently harmless) spiders. that was cool, but then we went into the building, and we stumbled into a hall full of huge animal dioramas, featuring cougars and elephants and bison and gorillas - all super-lifelike and right there, waiting for the kids. K & A went nuts...they ran from window to window, screaming "Oh my god - it's a giraffe!" to each other, and generally freaking out at how cool it was to be nose-to-nose with a huge mammal (albeit a stuffed faux version of one). M & I followed them around, answering questions, offering (sometimes incorrect) trivia about the animals (who knew that a porcupine doesn't actually shoot it's quills??), and just watching them in the awe of learning. it was awesome.
even little Z, a mere 2 years old, loved the huge buildings and the big dinosaurs.
i suppose the most rewarding part of taking a kid out on a trip is hearing them recount it with such excitement and passion...hopefully this is a memory etched in the brain for a long time to come.
Replies
Doug,
so happy your weekend was so \'happy\' for you
bet wife had a great time too.
win.win. for all
judy
Jordan and Parker LOVE the Natural History Musuem. We were there for the butterfly exhibit... haven\'t been the spiders yet... something I would have to do alone... Matt HATES spiders. Wimp.
ur life sounds beautiful, i envy u. i miss my life with my children and husband. we used 2 do things like that. embrace every moment and cherrish them
You should get out more Doug! We also have a Zoo here in Los Angeles. You should check it out sometime. They have real animals. Just kidding. Your weekend sounds amazing and I love reading all your journal entries! They\'re funny, real and poignant. PS You\'re so lucky that your wife will leave you with the kids. I have a lot of friends that can\'t go away because their husbands can\'t handle the kids by himself. Consider yourself lucky!
This is a wonderful memory that you all will enjoy thinking back on! Enjoy every single second with them, they will be teenagers and grown before you know it! What a wonderful day, thank you for sharing it with us!
That sounds like a cool weekend! I do love the NHM in New York...It boggles the mind! Your lucky to live close to something that is so cool! Lollie