"Night at the Museum" is child's play

UPDATED WITH VIDEOS

Remember that goofy Ben Stiller movie from a couple years ago? It should have been filmed at The Field Museum. We thought the Museum of Science and Industry was big last week. But The Field Museum swallowed Dad and Levynn today.

We started in what is best described as a still-life zoo. Seemingly every animal species known to man was on display, and that was just one part of one side of one of the three floors!

It wore us out. But looking back at it, there was some fun stuff. Check it out.


Bongos! Like the bongos at the Louisville Zoo!


"From time to time I dream that I'm a manatee, undulating underneath the sea."

That's an inside joke.


Levynn couldn't quite grasp the fact that some squirrels can "fly." It is kinda creepy, isn't it?


Here, Levynn is a barnacle. And the poor girl obviously doesn't know what to make of it!



Woolly Mammoths! Run for your lives!


Walk like a primate.


That reads "Primate" behind the glare. You see where this is going, right?





"Don't mess with me. I'm a primate."


"And don't mess with her."

Sue the T-Rex is Levynn's favorite dinosaur, and she better be your favorite dinosaur, too.


"Gimme five, dude."


Aaaaaaaaa! The mythic grizzly bear of the ancient Americas!


"Finally, more dinosaurs," Levynn said.


And that's Sue's cousin.



But Dad thinks this was Levynn's favorite part of the museum, based on how much it captured her attention. Put it this way: You won't see anything like this - which is just a snippet of what we witnessed - at your local aquarium. And to give you a little perspective, that creature is as long as Dad is tall.

CREE-PY!

Editor-in-waiting?

Levynn was wondering about the age of 24 yesterday. She just was. So Mom asked Dad what he imagined Levynn would be doing at 24.

Always hoping she will be a peacemaker, Dad blurted out "the youngest U.S. ambassador to the United Nations."

Well, Levynn has a different plan for herself, as you can see.

“I need to work really, really hard on my letters so I can make a newspaper one day,” she said.

I say hello

He's a music man

But this is not a con.

Derby doodling

Friday was spent preparing for our first Derby Day outside Louisville since Mom and Dad moved there in November 2001. Dad and Levynn undertook their own projects.



Mom, in particular, felt nostalgic for much of the 48 hours around the race and even looked a little misty after she sang along with the playing of "My Old Kentucky Home" in the moments before the horses left the starting gate Saturday evening.

But we all know this for sure: Louisville was good to us.

Museum hopping

As we've noted here before, the Chicago Public Library system offers free passes to the more popular institutions in the city. But the most popular passes are hard to get - at least at our local branch, where they're displayed on the circulation desk for all to see.

Every time Dad goes to the library, which he does at least once a week, he looks for passes to two big ones in particular - the Museum of Science and Industry and The Field Museum - and leaves empty-handed.

But the pass for the Museum of Science and Industry was there on Monday, and Dad brought it home. We didn't waste any time with it, either; we went to the museum today.

We started in the Farm Tech exhibit, where Levynn jumped into the big rigs.




She also tried to milk a fake cow and cuddle with a very real - and just-hatched - chick.



This is the Chicago portion of a huge train set that also included Seattle and several other locations in the United States. See the giant hull looming above the display?


That would be this life-sized 727.


Next to that are these old planes.


And below those is this engine. That's Levynn in front of it.


While the "big people" enjoyed yummy treats in the ice cream parlor, Lincoln enjoyed his reflection.


Levynn showed off her strength with this climb. Mom just spotted her.


Then the two of them danced for the heat sensor.


This is just a cool picture, Dad thought.


Before we left, Levynn wanted to go back to Farm Tech.


We have a lot more photos of a lot more exhibits, but you get the idea. We were at the museum for all but 1 1/2 hours that it was open, and it was well worth the time. We think it beats the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium.

Up next: The Field Museum. After arriving back at home today, Dad had to return several library items that were due and decided to drop off the museum pass since we were done with it. And what did he see? That longed-for pass to the Field Museum!

Another milestone

While Dad and Levynn were walking home from the YMCA on Tuesday, Lincoln awoke from a nap and showed Mom how he can get into a sitting position from his belly. It was so out of the blue that Dad couldn't believe it when Mom told him about it. But here's Lincoln really doing it, right in front of Dad's eyes (and now yours) today:

So bright...

"I need sunglasses," Levynn said after putting on these clothes the other day.

Mom and Dad agreed.

Hip, Hip, Hooray Day

Our house is sold!

Dad received The Call from the realtor a little before 6 p.m. CDT, shortly after she had handed the keys to the new owners of 2835 Yorkshire Boulevard.

Breathing is a little easier tonight.

Tall like his namesake

9 month checkup for Lincoln today. He weighed 21 lbs, 2 oz. and was 29 3/4 inches long. That's 2 lbs gained and an inch in growth since January. No wonder he's wearing 12- and 18-month clothes now! Pediatrician said he looked great, keep giving him real food and start brushing his teeth.