Bat Week!

I'm exhausted. Having 4 kids is hard stuff you guys. And now that Indy will put anything and I mean ANYTHING in his mouth it makes things a tad difficult. Plus, the little dude can somehow figure a way past all of our baby locks. He's like the damn velociraptor from the Jurassic Park movie. Remember? The remnants of a broken through cage and the blood stains from the goat that lasted 5 seconds. THAT'S INDY. Just yesterday he found a way into the bottom cabinet where Eugene stores his butane canister for when he likes to torch his vegetables by hand (don't get me started) and sure enough I walk into the kitchen and he's sucking on the end of a flammable gas can. Lord help him, or me--or both actually.

But aside from the laundry pile-ups and the homework pow-wows, we've finished another great animal themed week.

We focused on the super sweet and totally cuddly BAT. At least I envisioned them sweet and cuddly every time I had to look at a picture or examine one up close because I swear to you if I stare long enough they make me want to dry heave.

A huge thanks goes out to my friend Kim Pempek who let us borrow these awesome bat cases that included about 20 taxidermy bats. These experience boxes were from The Field Museum's N.W. Harris Learning Collection. This program gives educators and parents a chance to take the Museum's collection to their classroom or home, extending the learning process even more. There's over 400 unique exhibit cases and 70 different Experience boxes that you can take home with you.

These were the exhibit cases that made a subtle addition to our living room decor this week:

But really, these boxes added so much excitement to our bat week and they really are fascinating to examine up close. If you're intrested in learning more or signing up for the N.W. Harris Collection, check it out here. Thanks Kim and family for sharing your goods with us!

I've also purchased a handy clip-on mic for my video camera so I was able to sit down and interview Chance about bats and the result is the cutest little voice-overs ever. Twenty years from now, when Eugene and I are home alone on a Friday night I'm going to watch these movies and bawl my eyes out at his prescious little 4 year old voice.

That boy just drives my batty.