OM: Taking the trio out and about

M emulates a wooley mammoth. This picture makes me smile.

Daddy has been working very, very, very hard the past few months. I've been on my own everyday and night until the wee hours save for Friday nights, Saturday nights and Sundays. I don't mind it that much, although I really miss spending the time with Leo and sharing the kid's with him. I always find that I am such an unbelievably better mother when he's home. I delight in sharing the kids with him. It's so fun to share in the little things that they do that make us laugh or that we just "get." They are growing and changing everyday, sometimes it seems like every hour and who in the world would I want to share it with more then their daddy?

The weekends are the hardest because it feels like everyone else is with their families, complete and I'm just hanging all alone with my three little munchkins. Don't get me wrong, there is no where in the world I would rather be, but I would rather us be all together. Since Marissa is at school so much these days, she loves to get out and about on the weekends, I really can't blame her. She is a social little girl anyways and loves to stay busy. She really wanted to go to a local park we call "Pirate Ship Park" that I had taken the boys to during the week. She also gets jealous when the boys get to have mini-adventures with me during the week (can't really blame her.) Honestly, I was tired, I felt like staying home or at least walking to our local park... Cue, we all load up and drive to Pirate Ship Park. The whole gigantic parking lot is of course shut down due to a UCLA football game at The Rosebowl. The kid's are disappointed and are now begging to go to The Museum of Natural History which is downtown. I'm a sucker and I say yes. The boys both fall asleep on the way. Get off the freeway and yeah, there is a USC football game and all roads to the museum are fully closed. Metro only entrance. Traffic is a mess, I'm freaking out. Call daddy at the office and he advises me to go to La Brea Tar pits. Alright, the boys are sleeping, it's not the worst idea. Still stuck in street traffic and of course T and O wake up grouchy. Drive to La Brea Tar pits and The Paige Museum, get hit by a guy on a bicycle (what the what?) Make it there, parking lot is full, find parking at LACMA. Try to maintain a civilized dining experience for our fellow diners at the LACMA café, try to make sure everyone eats, then try to make sure everyone pees without anyone peeking into a stranger's stall and no one runs away while I go to the bathroom myself. Dear God, we've only just begun. Make it outside. The Calder sculptures are extremely calming. Teddy yells "elephant!" for the first time when we see the faux Mastodon in the tar pits. Proceed to navigate/herd them through the museum. Pick Teddy up by his shirttails numerous times as he tries to crawl under the rope to the live action short nosed bear exhibit (most tots are backing away in fear.) Thank God for the short film on the excavation of the tar pits and funding issues in the dark air conditioned theater where I quickly nurse Teddy and the kids are still for five minutes. Wrangle them all while trying to look at the pictures the museum took of us at the entrance (didn't buy them, but now wish I had shelled out the $30 for overpriced pictures that actually included mamma for once.) Tried to save three precious heads from getting whacked on the head by the penny handle turning machine that they always insist on using (after getting change from the gift shop (more wrangling.) Actually had a lot of fun in the museum and checking out the tar pits and learned a lot, we will see how long it stays in my brain.

After we went outside it turned out there was a tar pit music fest. The kids went nuts running down the hill that is built into the museum, or rather the museum is built into the hill? Felt stressed when Marissa went up and over the hill onto the roof of the museum where I could not see her At All. Waited patiently for her to reappear as Teddy was for once relaxed in the stroller. Watched the kids hula hoop to the crazy punk music. Watched the kids climb an awesome tree climbing tree. Felt sufficiently exhausted told them it was time to go. Kids wanted to look at one more tar pit and of course leaned against the railing and got tar all over them. Yup, does not come off easily. Learned that in the film, and was indeed true. Went home. Love my three nuggets. Fell asleep at 8:30.