Grossology!

Bug and I have been enjoying the Grossology exhibit at the local children's museum. I forgot to bring a camera the first time, but I had it with me yesterday. Here she is at the entrance.
Funny game. She did much better this time.

We tried this on our first visit...never again! It was totally disgusting. There are bottles that you squeeze and you try to guess the smell....If you look at the picture on the sign, you can see what your 4 choices are. Eew.

Bug loves this guy. He moves and talks. She told me I had to get a photo at this exact moment...

This wasn't working on our first visit, so Bug was happy to see it had been repaired. She pumped the handle which sent soda up the tube and caused gas to build up in the stomach...resulting in a loud burp. Much laughter followed.

The giant Operation game is cool. Bug just removed a kidney.

Again, much giggling was involved here.

Bug did not allow me to photograph the vomit display.

DNA research

Bug got a DNA kit for Christmas. We tried out the first experiment this week. We extracted DNA from a kiwi. Here is Bug, ready to get started.
First, she had to mash up the kiwi.

Then she added laundry detergent and water.

More mixing.

We put it on ice.

No photos after that, but it was interesting. She was able to see the dna, though she didn't want to touch it herself.

Critters!

Last Thursday I noticed a photo on the front page showing a woman with a 10' long snake....it said she was at the local farm show the day before and would be there Thursday as well. Bug's dad dropped us off before he went to work. The farm show wasn't too exciting, but the animals were fun. We got there as she was setting up, so she and Bug had a nice chat.

Here they are with the red-tailed boa named Stella.

This is Spot. She was a bit shy at first.
Bug didn't want to touch the hedgehog.

This is Rommel, a desert fox.

This is Larry the chinchilla. He was so incredibly soft.

Here we have Fingers. He was fun to watch. He did NOT want to be in his carrier.

Some hats.

Just wanted to share some hats (and mittens) that I've made recently. Here is Bug wearing her new one.

I found this baby hat pattern and made it with a thicker yarn. It's cool and weird and Bug loves it.

Not sure is this is mine or hers....

I tried out this mitten pattern, too. I like them, but they were a bit too small for Bug. They got donated to the mitten tree.

Christmas photos...a little late.

Bug, looking a bit stunned, with her DNA kit. We need to pick up a couple of items, then will be extracting DNA from a kiwi. Stay tuned.
Bug with her dad.

Grandma gave the most popular gift....the Wall-E DVD. We knew she'd be happy...but she was squealing. If only the camcorder had been on....

Cousin E. played some music for us.

Here is Bug with cousin E and cousin S.

We've got a new family member...

Meet Purrl...all that Bug wanted for Christmas was a kitten. Her dad is allergic, but loves them. He was thinking it over and we had decided that IF we got one, it would be after Christmas. Well...last Saturday we stopped at a local pet store where, on some weekends, an animal rescue group brings cats for adoption. Bug likes to play with them. We walked in and there were two fuzzy kittens there, along with all of the cats. One was already claimed, but the little black ball of fluff was not. Bug's dad dug through his pockets and had just enough money for the adoption fee. Bug & I took the check card and got a carrying case and kitty supplies. Purrl is doing well. She's discovering the wild birds outside the window and starting to find them a bit interesting.


She's also claimed MY CHAIR as one of her favorite places to be....

Bug also got some great socks from another friend, along with a book called "Shall I Knit You a Hat?" Yes, we open gifts early if they come in the mail....unless there's a note that says we shouldn't. :P

Another death...

Not long after losing Janet, the cricket, we lost another pet. Our triops (www.triops.com) named Theodore died soon after Janet. They live 30-90 days and he was definitely closing in on 3 months. He was an odd, but interesting, creature.

He's buried next to Janet.

Obama!

About a week and a half ago, Bug started asking questions about all of the election signs/ads she'd been seeing. We answered them the best that we could. She was quite mad that children could not vote. Thankfully, I had noticed a sign at the local library. They were letting kids vote last Saturday. Off we went. Bug was so excited. They had a party after they counted the votes. Obama had about 75% of the kid votes.

This morning, instead of telling her the news, I handed her the paper. In this shot, she's trying to figure out exactly what the headline means.
Here she is after we told her what it meant.

Halloween

Bug had a grand time on Halloween. Earlier in the week she did some trick-or-treating at a local college. On the big night, she went out with her dad when he got home from work. They hooked up with two friends and their parents and got plenty of candy. Here she is in her costume. I knit & felted the hat and candy bag.



This was taken over the weekend. Bug was raking and decided she needed some eye protection. I can't explain the rest of the outfit...

Janet - a cricket

Several weeks ago, while walking into town, Bug found a water bottle in the grass and discovered a cricket inside of it. We found a cap for it, and carried it with us while we ran our errands for the day (this included a stop at the library for cricket books). Bug named the cricket "Chester" (from A Cricket in Times Square) but after getting home and looking through the cricket books, we had to rename HER. This is Janet.



Sadly, Janet died last week. Bug insisted on a burial and used a permanent marker to make a gravestone. Janet is buried behind our garage.
Bug says "She was a very nice cricket and I loved her a lot."

Fun with leaves

While at cousin B's house, B & Bug played in a leaf pile.
I love this photo.

Dead boy.
B's mom....Aunt P., decided to get in on the fun.

How about a nice action shot?

Cousin B's birthday

Bug's cousin, B, just turned 13. We gave him a "scratch and sniff" card that kept him occupied for a while.

Now's he's deciding which friends to try to use it on.
WOooHOOooo!!!! Kleenex!!!
Oh...no kleenex. Just money.

Getting ready to blow out the candles.