Indianapolis Children's Museum

Two years ago we went to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis and loved it. Nathan was two at the time and even though he was pretty little it seemed they had enough geared towards his age group that it was more than worth the 2 hour drive.

When I heard they had two new exhibits (Hot Wheels and Legos) and that adults can get in right now for the kids price- I asked Marcus to take off work for a Friday so we can make a day trip out of it. Now don't laugh- but this is was our "summer vacation"- a day trip to the museum. Someday we night make it to Disney or the beach- but for now this will have to do.

Anywho...

We all seemed to enjoy it for different reasons.

Luke had a blast exploring the baby and toddler area while I followed him around saying "no don't put that in your mouth" and "no, we don't eat that" and "Lukey, no no, that's not food". He was so proud of himself when he figured that if he held down this button it would make these balls fly around in the plastic part.

When he wasn't playing he was completely content sitting in the stroller with his feet up sucking his fingers (man, I don't even want to think about how difficult it may be to break that habit someday!)

(sometimes my hair does look like that in the mornings...)

This is the blown glass exhibit. It's pretty nifty. The bench in the middle rotates so you can lay there and look at all the cool pieces of art in the ceiling. They even have some on display that you are supposed to try to find (like a seek and find)

We enjoyed being silly on the rotating bench!

Nathan and Marcus loved looking at all of the hot wheels. I was very interested in the displays that showed how the artist first designs the hot wheel and the steps it takes to bring it to development. The "salt shaker" car was my favorite- it had a cool design.

(and of course the hot wheel made of diamonds caught my eye too...haha)

My favorite part, of course, was the dinosphere. Unlike a lot of museums they actually put a lot of the "real stuff" on display. I could walk around in this part of the museum for hours reading everything. The paleontologist were talking with guests as they worked on making replicas of actual fossils so I got the privilege of picking their brains for a bit. It reminded me of being a kid and happily looking at books about dinosaurs over playing with dolls.

The lego exhibit was jaw dropping...I couldn't believe some of the things people can make out of legos. It made me want to give up my career and go play with legos all day. I can dream right?

On the way home we asked Nathan what his favorite part was.

He said the drink in the cafeteria.

Figures.

:)

33 years

My parents' anniversary is today. 33 years ago they said "I do" and they have.

I'm very blessed to have them as my parents. From my mom's sweet selfless nature to my dad's corky sense of humor- they are wonderful parents and I love them. I am grateful that in a world full of divorce that they pushed through hard times and grew together instead of apart.

We were planning on all having dinner tomorrow to celebrate- but Luke woke up with a fever. And once I saw a few red spots appear on his head, hands, and bottom I realized he has hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Nathan had this twice as a toddler and both cases were mild so I'm hoping Luke's case will be mild too. A few kids at their daycare has had it recently so I have been on high alert for it.

There's nothing you can do for it since it's a virus- but the 103 degree temp has made for a cranky baby today. We've all been lazy today because Luke just wants to be held. It's highly contagious so prayers that no one else will get it!

The Month of Julune

I have some ideas for posts in the coming days/weeks (although few read this- but I mainly write for myself anyways) but for now---here's some randomness.

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I am losing my mind.

Sometimes I can't talk. My brain just forgets how to form words. Ok I'm exaggerating but don't you have those days? Your mouth speeds up and your brain can't catch it.

Yesterday when I was checking a patient out at work (collecting their moola and making a new appointment) I told my patient his next appointment was in Julune.

JULUNE?!

Julune...?

My mild-mannered-never-cracks-a-smile patient burst out laughing and says "Julune?!"- I couldn't help but laugh at myself and shake my head at the month I had created.

I guess June and July fell in love and had a baby girl named Julune.

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My birdies have flown the coop!

And all they've left behind is bird poop and a broken heart!

(kidding about the broken heart part- they did leave behind quite a bit of poop)

Two weeks ago I heard chirping as I was going into the backdoor at work.

I looked around and spotted a bird nest- I tell ya- this momma bird is smart! She picked an ideal place for her nest that required zero work. While other momma birds were frantically flying around collecting twigs I bet this momma bird was sitting around laughing at her own cleverness.

The back door at work is on the second floor and at the top there is this pocket of space under the metal "create" part that you walk on. It's shaded from wind, rain, sun and also would be hard for predators to fit in there.

see?

Down in this metal pocket was (were?was?) a few hungry featherless birdies.

Everyday since I spotted them I've been checking on them. Sometimes I would be aware momma was near because if I got close I would hear a panicked chirp somewhere trying to distract me.

They grew and grew and so did their feathers until yesterday. They were there in the morning and gone by lunch :::tear:::

Could you imagine if our kids grew that fast? That would be horrible! Two weeks and they're gone!

I will miss listening to their chirps while I clean teeth.

Bye bye birdies...

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I was a little late jumping on the Greek yogurt bandwagon but have you guys tried this stuff?

I eat it almost every morning. Now the thought of regular yogurt makes me gag.

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Speaking of food- these are new and delicious!!! It's like a taste of Hawaii on a stick!

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I'm not much of a reality tv fan but my all time favorite reality tv/competition show is back on! So You Think You Can Dance! I so much enjoy watching this show- especially with Marcus.

We've watched it for so long that usually within seconds we can pinpoint which choreographer choreographed the routine. We enjoy seeing previous competitors dance in other things long after the show's over. We're always like "look at the third dancer from the left- it's Courtney!"

This week this guy did a pop n lock hip hop routine to a classical piece. It was simply mesmerizing. I had tears in my eyes. Because of hip hop? Crazy.

I'm not kidding though. The guy's name was Boris. Anyone see it? During the third time I watched it I turned to Marcus and said "I feel like I'm watching something grow. Like a flower"- and he knew exactly how I felt. Yes- corny- but true.

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Polka dot circus afro circus polka dot!

Raaaannnndooommmness

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Luke turns one in August (no.way.) and two days later Marcus will be 30. So we figured we have one big party to celebrate both.

Since August will be here before we know it I figured I better pick a theme and start planning. I've been seeing some amazing thought-out parties online lately (We usually send out a few invites, get pizza and throw up some balloons and streamers- but it seems everyone else out there actually plans and decorates better than I ever did!) and it made me want to do some special things for this party.

Turning one and turning 30 are both pretty big deals!

But I didn't want a generic theme. I wanted something fun.

After a few days of some good ol' ponderin' I finally asked family and friends on facebook. My aunt came up with a PERFECT theme! (thanks aunt Tina)

Starwars!!

Because the party is for Luke and his faaaather.

And Luke Crumbacher sounds like Luke Skywalker.

So yep!!!

Marcus already has a Darth Vader shirt so it was meant to be.

But now---I need Starwars theme ideas.

Anyone??

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How is it that it's almost been a year since he's went from this...

To this...??

(sorry for poor front iphone camera quality)

What If: A Mother's Imagination

(I'm contemplating a few occasional "what if" posts- this being the first. I like to think of what if scenarios- to wonder what life would be like if things were a little different)

This past Friday the boys and I headed to the zoo with my good friend Dana, her two kids and her nephew.

Nathan was beyond excited and all giddy and giggly. It had been about a year and a half since we went due to my being pregnant last summer (preeclampsia and 97 degree weather don't mix)

It was a perfect zoo day. It wasn't very crowded because it was 63 degrees and cloudy so we were able to casually take our time choosing what to see next.

Before lunch we decided to stop at the playground and let the kids get a little energy out.

Dana and I sat there chit chatting while Luke happily laughed on my lap watching the kids play.

In the midst of the occasional mom comments ("Nathan- don't throw mulch" and "Oh ough- he fell- is he ok?" and "stop banging sticks on the metal pole- it's annoying") I kept hearing "arrrrrr" pirate noises with the occasional "aye aye captian."

In their imagination the kids had turned the jungle gym into a pirate ship and were oblivious to the real world. In their minds sticks became swords, the wooden bridge became the plank, and the surrounding mulch became shark infested waters.

It seemed that in the blink of an eye it was easy for them to see things for no longer what they actually were- but for what they could become.

After smiling at their play I turned to Dana and said something along the lines of "When did we lose that? The ability to see things differenty? To get lost in imagination?"

Sometime in the whirlwind of puberty and pimples or even long before that- we loose the ability to truly get lost in the world of make-believe.

When I play with Nathan we pretend the Lego house is a castle and that the hangers are swords- but do those items morph into something my brain dreams up? No. But they still do for Nathan.

And then Dana and I started laughing at the idea of "what if..."

"What if our imagination didn't fade as we grow?"

What if as a mom I suddenly imagined that the grocery aisle was a castle and I began pretending to sword fight my way to the produce section?

What if while folding laundry I dove into the pile of clean baby clothes and rolled around thinking I was in a field of flowers?

What if it was acceptable to be late to work because the whole town broke out into a spontaneous musical number where people who never met before somehow knew the same choreography? (that.would.be.awesome!)

And what if everytime I found myself on a balcony I dreamed I was Juliet being wooed by her Romeo?

Hmmm....

Unfortunately I don't think this would work out too well.

The safety of the world just might be in jeopardy if as adults our imagination allowed us to slip easily between reality and play.

God knew what he was doing when he gave children the most active imagination and not adults.

Although...

This could explain why some people seem crazy....maybe they aren't really crazy...maybe they just didn't lose their imagination?

Perhaps.

My Nephew Nick

I have two nephews.

Cayden is 2 and he's my brother's son.

And Nick is 19. He is my husband's nephew.

I met Nick shortly after Marcus and I started dating in 2002. Nick was just 8- he was a boy! And now he is a man!

I can't believe how much he has changed. He went from a little boy playing karate to a tall thin man about to go off to college. How am I old enough to watch someone "grow up"- that just doesn't seem possible.

I'm proud of him and shocked at how fast time flies. Yesterday we traveled to my husband's hometown and celebrated Nick's graduation and his 19th birthday on the same day.

Gone are the days we used to sit down and play Clue together or have tickle fights. But I look forward to the future God has for him.

We love you Nick. Always remember Jeremiah 29:11- God has good plans for you.

A blog post about why I'm not blogging...wha?

You know when you meet someone for the first time and you learn their name and you're like "ok- I gotta remember that- remember that her name is Sandy. Her hair is the color of sand so that's easy to remember. Sandy sandy sandy. Reeeemember!"

Then you don't see that person for a little while and you forget their name.

Next time you run into them- they remember your name and you pass up the opportunity to ask theirs again because you're busy in your head THINKING "wait a minute- what is her name again? Didn't it have something to do with hair? Maybe is rhymes with 'hair'...is it Claire? Noooo...that's not it"

Maybe you end up running into them a few times after that. Eventually you end up in this situation where you still don't remember their name but it would be awkward to ask because by now you should know and you're past the "what's your name again?" phase of the aquaintance-ship.

Yanno what I mean?

That's how I feel about me and blogging. It's been too long and feels.... awkward. Like there is just too much that's happened and I wouldn't even know where to start.

Hi blog.

I'm Amanda.

What's your name again?

I'm busy. But then again so is everyone who is reading this. I could go on about why I'm busy but do you really want to know that Luke had 4 doctor appts in one day recently? Or that being a working mom and keeping up with everything is challenging? We all know that.

Actually I write several blog posts everyday.

Problem is that I write them in my head while at work or in the car. I get so excited about my mental blog post but by the time I get home and maybe get a chance to type it out- I'm exhausted and would much rather read a good book or sit on the couch with Marcus.

Or if I do sit down to blog and the awesome (haha) idea I had earlier in the day has faded somewhat and forcing myself to try to force it into words is like trying to get a 9 month old to hold still during a diaper change.

I blogged like crazy about ten years ago (not here) and stuck with it for many years. But since becoming a mommy and having much more fun things to share- I just can't get in the rhythm of blogging again.

Most blogs I read are written by stay at home/work from home moms who write in pieces here and there during the day (I'm guessing)- but surely there are working moms that blog. Are you out there? When do you write your blogs?

But I guess the only thing you need to know is- we're good in the Crumbacher household. We're happy and blessed. There are bumps in the road. Good and bad days- just like everyone else.

Meanwhile- I'll try to get back to this thing. I enjoy it- I just gotta make myself do it. We'll see.

And just for fun...

An unconventional date night...

(this post was first started several weeks ago but I just now finished it- just so ya know)

Since we've been super busy I was looking forward to some alone time with my husband last weekend. His job has been very draining and mentally exhausting lately- add in my stress of trying to be a working momma and it's easy to take things out on each other. Marriage is wonderful but takes work- and lately all that work had been shoved to the back burner where it eventually slipped behind the stove and sat to collect dust and splashed spaghetti sauce.

So when my mom said she will watch the boys for a few hours on Saturday last week- I was stoked. A date? Without kids? With my husband? Yes please.

We used to be incredibly spoiled when it comes to date nights. S P O I L E D. My mom used to watch Nathan every Wednesday night and we'd get him back Thursday after work.

It was amazing. One date night a week for a few years? Who in the world does that???!!!! (it came about because I used to work very late on Wednesdays and early on Thursdays so I wouldn't really see Nathan anyways during that time)

On Friday night I went to bed giddy about our plans for the weekend. I was even going to dress up a bit although we always eat dinner at casual places. We were also going to see The Avengers and I was super excited.

But my body had other plans.

I tossed and turned during the first few hours and kept dreaming of food and then feeling nauseated. After drifting in and out of sleep for several hours I ended up getting sick around 3am and it all went downhill from there.

I started to realize that instead of a date with my husband- I was going to be having a date hovering over the porcelain throne losing a few pounds.

I thought- well at least I am getting sick on the weekend. There are upsides to that. One being that I am out of sick time at work and hopefully I would be well by Monday and not have to miss. The other being that Marcus could care for the kids while I was trying to survive this stomach bug.

Of course---that is unless he got sick too.

Which- he did. Shortly after he got up for the day he started the dreaded "bed to bathroom and back again" routine and I quickly realized he was sicker that I was.

In the past our sickness would stagger so there was always one of us able to care for the kids. This was new territory for us- both parents being sick at the same time? It felt cruel and for the survival of the human race I doubt it happens frequently.

How in the world were we going to make it through the day? Our energy was non existent and just the act of standing up took every ounce of strength we had to accomplish it. By the time we did manage to stand we had to immediately lay back down or dizziness would get the best of us.
And the aches? Oh the aches. I felt like my bones were being beaten by a troll with a hammer.

If I had the energy to panic- I would have. But just when I thought about the situation and felt a nervous anxiety come on- I would fall asleep until Luke woke me up crying in his bedroom.

I honestly don't know how we survived that morning. I know God had to be giving us the small amount of strength to keep the kids and ourselves alive.

Nathan, being 4, can pretty much entertain himself. We did have to drag ourselves to the kitchen occasionally to give him food but other than that he didn't need us much (I tell ya- the 3.5 yr span between our kids is genius- it works on so many levels)

Luke on the other hand? Being 9 months he definitely needs more from us. Midday I was literally crawling around to do what needed to be done.

However- I was not the only one crawling. Luke also chose THIS day to become mobile. Of all days! So he ended up spending a lot of time in his crib. He didn't like it much but I knew he was fine- he was fed and changed and I knew he was safe in there.

Sometime during early afternoon I crawled my way over to my phone to send a pretty pathetic phone call to my mom. I said the kids were ok but Luke had spent the entire day in the crib and asked if there was any way she could take them for awhile.

Originally she was going to watch them at my aunt's Kentucky Derby party while we went on our date so she suggested I drive them over to the party. I think I laughed at the idea. I told her I couldn't even manage to walk to the door let alone drive safely. So she said she would come and get them for the afternoon.

After she left I laid on the couch passing in and out of consciousness for a few hours. The only way I had an inkling of the time was which window the sunlight was streaming in. At one point I pulled myself up to go make sure Marcus was still alive in the bedroom. I saw his foot twitch- took that as confirmation that he was indeed alive and then crawled back to the couch.

My mom brought the kids back later that day and put them to bed. I was so thankful and I was praying I felt better by morning so I could care for them.

Around 9pm Marcus emerged from his hibernation in the bedroom and joined me on the couch. We ended up laying there for a long time watching tv, daring to ingest saltine crackers and occasionally communicating through moans and groans that the other person knew meant "ugh- I feel awful!"

As I was sitting there wishing the day had gone differently and sad we had missed our date- I reached over towards Marcus and grabbed his hand. We laid there holding hands in the haze of painful aches and fuzzy brains and I thought "hmph- in a weird way- this is sorta nice." I realized we did end up getting our date although it was way different than we planned. It was strangely intimate that I knew how awful he felt because I was feeling the exact same way. And as we laid there watching something funny on tv, laughing in our minds because there was no energy to put towards a physical laugh, I was able to ponder how blessed I am. To have a mother who still recuses me when she can. To have those sweet boys who love me even when my parenting is somewhat questionable on a day when I'm sick, and to have Marcus. My best friend who I can still have a good time with even when we feel like poop.

(The next day we were weak but felt much better. Many people we knew ended up getting sick including my sweet momma although we are grateful the boys never caught it. And the next weekend we got a more traditional date night)