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the fat tuesday dinosaur roadtrip
On Tuesday (while some were drinking beer and begging for beads in New Orleans), I took my girls to The Museum of Natural History. Because sometimes I just wake up and want to be surrounded by…
a. a gazillion foreign tourists and a billion local kids on school break.
b. dead animals
c. big ass old dinosaur bones
d. obviously all of the above
On the way to the museum, Dylan asked me, “Why did dinosaurs become extinct?” And I was stumped. 30 something years on this earth and I had no idea. I need to seriously learn more stuff.
We met my friend Sam and her son Paolo at the museum. At first we couldn’t find each other on the 4th floor and thank goodness for cell phones so we could have a high tech conversation like this…
“I’m in the dinosaur room. Where are you?”
“I’m in the dinosaur room. I don’t see you. Where are you?”
“In the dinosaur room. The one with the fossils and the dinosaur heads”
“I see fossils and dinosaur heads but I don’t see you.”
“You know. I’m just spit balling here but maybe we’re in different dinosaur rooms.”
Yes, we did track each other down. Somewhere between fossils and dinosaur heads.
The kids all had fun. Dylan mentioned that her favorite part was the cookie in the cafeteria. That totally seems worth the price of admission and parking.
And it turns out that scientists don’t really know why dinosaurs became extinct. Could have been an asteroid hitting the earth that caused extreme climate change. Could have been severe volcanic activity causing ash to block the sun, killing off the dinosaurs. Could have been an ice age or disease. They don’t really know.
Hey, I didn’t know either. I think that means I’m as smart as a scientist.
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I think I once heard on NPR that they died because they ate rancid hotdogs. But maybe I didn’t hear it right.
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Dinosaurs are no longer around because God decided to invent Adam and Eve instead. The dinosaurs got on his nerves. Sorry, on His nerves.
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thank goodness they eventually grow out of that whole “interested in their surroundings” stage and just want to sit in front of the tv and txt each other. those museum days were exhausting.
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You are totally as smart as a scientist with better fashion sense too.
LOVE that last pic.
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Ah, memories. My Dad used to drag us there on Sundays. Like every Sunday we visited him. I LOVE when kids ask those questions. Correction, when kids ask someone else all those deep questions.
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I agree with Becky – you’re TOTALLY as smart as a scientist! Plus, you’ve got a rockin husband (I mean that in the nicest, NON-FLIRTING way), two girls who are ADORABLE and getting ready for two more…you know, you’re really not gonna have time to be as smart as a scientist
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Love deb Williams’ comment. Hallelujah
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For a second there I thought you were going to refer to us old folks as dinosaurs. We too hit the dinos on Monday..my attempt to answer a boatload of recent questions.
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I sorta fear the days Katherine starts asking more in depth questions beyond “where is my elmo water cup” ….PS cute pic!
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The picture is adorable.
My big girls just went to the Natural History Museum in DC and loved seeing the dinosaur bones.
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Very cute picture!!
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“The ice age.”
“What’s the ice age, Mommy?”
Ummm..
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We went to the Museum of Natural History on Monday – it was a total zoo – although we’ve been explaining to Leah (2 years old) that it is a museum and not a zoo – the big difference being that the animals are not alive.
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HAHa!! Is it dino month in the school’s? Just wondering bc our preschool just did a dinosaur talk with the kids and I was asked the same question! I told our kids I didn’t know either but I thought maybe it was a meteor lol! Is that the same thing as an asteroid??? DUH!!! Glad to know I am as smart as a scientist too!! Now I just need a cool white coat with a name badge!
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duh. they ran outta food.
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I told Almost Six “Because the Earth Got Too Hot”
Wait.
Really?
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But the bigger question is did you leave the museum with all of your coats?
We are going to see the big dinosaur bones tomorrow.
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wonderful…xo momala and the picture is a beauty.
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That picture is precious.
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Yea, I always thought it was that tar pit thing, until my kids came home and told me about the asteroid. And then I found out that Pluto’s not really a planet either. So I’m questioning my science education. Wouldn’t you?
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It is very comforting to know that I, too, know as a little as some scientists.
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I LOVE museums. Seriously, love them. (Except the boring-as-ass Swiss Land’s Museum in Zurich. Snore.)
But really, how many dinosaur skeletons and fossilized bones can you see before they all just blend together and look pretty much the same?
After our second trip to a museum to see dinosaurs with the girls I started feeling like Rachel did when she was dating Ross. And pretty damn thankful Sascha isn’t a paleontologist.
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Start telling the girls NOW that when they grow up, they can volunteer to do a ‘Dig’ with scientists who unearth these bones all over. See if you can interest them in vacationing in the Utah desert instead of where ‘Girls Go Wild’ in Mexico on their Spring breaks.
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Ha… or as smart as a fifth grader?!
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I have to admit that I usually feel the same way about the cookie.
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