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We have found a couple places that are great escapes for us as a family when we need to get away from life and crowds for some free fun. I'm going to let the cat out of the bag, so don't all rush there at once and ruin it for us. The first is one that is, sadly, too far away now to visit very regularly, and that is the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton. Every time I'm there, I can't believe it's free! We were there on Monday, and I think we were three of ten people there, minus employees. We almost had our own private showing of the space station IMAX film, but the film ripped while they were trying to set it up. It was a great trip anyway, and a good chance to get out of the house since we've been sick and cooped up for quite a while now.
The second spot is the Cincinnati Mills mall in Fairfield. The main draw for Lew is the Bass Pro Shop. There is a giant fish tank there, and on weekends, they do fishing demos. There are also loads of once, yet no longer living animals like bear, moose, raccoons plus planes and trucks. Lewis jumps on all the quads and ATVs and pretends he's flying through the forest. It's a win win for him! Then we go out in to the ghost town of a mall and he can run like crazy. It's really sad how dead that mall is, but it works out well for us. The kids area was the most crowded I've ever seen it tonight, and there were six kids there. It's a fun diversion when you just need to get out and expend some energy. We were there tonight, and Lew rode a fantastic orange quad that mommy would like to own, saw a mommy and baby long nosed gar. We've been sick and overwhelmed, and my sweet husband has been good enough to keep offering us diversions. As Lew put it, "This was a nice night at the fishy store."
The background to today's funny tale is that I still have a Star Wars pop-up book that was mine when I was a kid. Lately, Lewis has been enthralled with this book and all things Star Wars, though he's never seen the movie. He always says, "I just like Star Wars stuff, but not the movie because it's scary." He got an R2D2 themed Play doh set for christmas and he loves it! It's funny because he chooses to call him R Tay Dee Toh Dee Too. He knows it's R2D2, we've clarified. He likes the flashy name better I guess.
So, yesterday we were walking through Target and I hear my three year old say very matter of factly, "Look, there's Yoda, the Jedi master." Maybe it only amuses me, but I had to laugh. I didn't know he knew Yoda was the master! Learning well you are, my son!
This morning Lew was watching some cartoons in our bed until it was a reasonable hour to set one's feet on the ground and start the day. A blue bird flew on to the screen on the show, and he said:
"Hey, that's a bluebird, like in the song!"
Then he started singing:
"Are you way
Are you listening
Face of afriad
We're happy today
Walking in a winter wonderland"
After a week like this, I need moments like that to laugh with him, it keeps me sane!
If you are interested in helping in Haiti, but don't know where to begin, check out this site Restavek Foundation. This is a reputable ministry that already has people on the ground in Haiti. It's next to impossible to actually go there right now, so they're asking for funding of their current efforts. The man who started this was once a child slave in Haiti himself, and now his organization rescues children out of slavery. Through work, he got hooked up with a couple from Crossroads who has joined with him in his efforts. It's a beautiful story. They are the ones who are on the ground over there and miraculously traveled to a different island before and during the quake! I pray that God amplifies and makes successful the efforts of those trying to help right now and that his love would be palpable to the people of Haiti!
