Walking With Angels

 

"There's nothing quite so sweet as tiny little baby feet." - Unknown

 

   Our Wee Lass is now walking and things have gotten quite interesting once again in our home. Furniture corners seem like death traps, my back aches from being used as a walker, and we're all on constant monitoring duty. The Wife and I have been reminded how little we get done when our little butter-bean is awake these days. It really takes all of our time when she's up. Now that she's walking, she's more into things than ever before. We find that she'll go from the bathroom, to the garbage can, to the stairs, to the crockery cabinet,.....all in rounds that keeps us on our toes. (....sigh....)

 

   We get so excited for each new phase our little ones reach. I truly believe that most of us do not wish away any of the precious time. There were enough friends and family in our lives before we had children, telling us the folly of being to eager for the next step in our children's lives. That being said to us more than once, we were more prepared to enjoy each phase. Having said that, I'll admit that we were throwing bags full of pennies into the wishing well with our 'Lil Man. That kid was into EVERYTHING, and we're still pulling our hair out with him. It takes a lot of patience, with some more than others, to slow down the pace and really absorb what is happening in life. Case in point, the videos we watch with our oldest. As she watches herself in amazement, The Wife and I can't believe our eyes when we see that same girl as a baby, then toddler, and so on. We ask ourselves if we appreciated the moments as much as we could, and then use those discussions to guide us day by day.

 

   Now don't let me get all sappy on 'ya. Just today, we were out front working on projects, and our Wee Lass was getting antsy in the Pack-n-Play. I slapped her little shoes on and took her for a walk, because I'm a great dad. Yeah,.....not so much. I was back up the driveway and placed her right back in her prison within minutes. In no time at all, she had gone after rabbit poo, chewed gum, a dead beetle, and a sand based trail with her little hands.

 

   I realize that while I AM walking with angels, I'm bound to "step in it" every once in a while. Keep both in mind, and expectations will remain high, but not too lofty that it comes crashing down on you. Enjoy the moments as best you can. I'm still just in the beginning, and I can already see it flying by. We all need to try to slow it down once in a while, as in not time, they'll be off to run into the street or something that'll give you another heart attack.

 

J. 



San Francisco Exploratorium Review

 

"We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams," - Arthur O'Shaughnessy

 

   I remember elementary school field trips to the San Francisco Exploratorium. The building was next to the Palace of Fine Arts, but has moved to Pier 17, which is just as cool of a location. This is a great place to visit at any age. My children eat it up, as they can touch just about anything. Given the rules of the house, my 'Lil Man was so beside himself with glee, that the night before our visit he stated, "I can't wait to go to the place tomorrow, 'cuz I get to touch EVERYTHING!" It was clear that it was going to be a heck of a time. I mean, I can remember running hard and fast all day as a kid there. I came home burned out from a day of learning, trying things out, spinning on the centrifugal chair and trying not to throw up etc. I'd say about 40% of the exhibits were original. I asked a volunteer kid who was manning the suspension doodle pad how old he was. He told me he was 17, which meant the exhibit was there for me to see before this kid was born. Ouch! We be old!

 

   One of the exhibits was rather large for how little was in it. It was a large dark room with a large flat screen right in the middle. A ghosted image was visible with a small sign that instructed you to put your hand on the upper right of the screen. I did and the figure SLOWLY put her hand up to mine. Then she SLOWLY wiped the "mist" from where her eyes were, and put both hands down before staring at me. It was all prerecorded, but creeped me out. I had my 'Lil Man with me and I hear a soft voice say, "Daddy, I'm scared." We both jetted out of there. Seems there's better use of the space, but then, they have a ton of space to expand into, so I guess you can place odd modern art installations wherever you want. The rest of the stuff was hands on and a ton of fun. It messed with their senses, expanded their imaginations, and taught them a little bit about a LOT of stuff.

 

   In the end, it was a great time. There were a lot of people there, but I didn't really mind as there was a lot to do. As we had a baby in tow, we got there with 2 hours to closing and it was JUST enough time. We could have used another hour, but only because we'd been there over the years and knew what was worth our time for our families ages. A newbie might need most of the day to see it all. We ended in the sound room, where there were all types of xylophones to bang on. We missed it years back with our 'Lil Miss was a bit younger, and I'm glad we ended on that. It was just the Cheek Clan, making their own sweet obnoxious music. We all had a great time and each had our personal favorite exhibit. If you're in the area and are looking for some additional places to visit, this might be a great one for your family.

 

   Parking right across the street is $45 for the day, which is atrocious. We went another block away and it was $25 through 8pm. It's about a 20 minute walk to Pier 39, where there's a bunch of restaurants, shops, a carousel, and the famed sea lions resting on the docks.

   I love San Francisco. Born and raised, returned and appreciated. I'm glad we got to go, and happy we now have the memories.

 

J.