And Now For Something Completely Different

As some of you may have noticed, I haven't posted anything new in a little while. We've been snuggling into our routine pretty well here and, at the risk of this blog becoming "Lindsey's New LiveJournal," I wanted to wait until I had something more noteworthy to write about.

The time has come!

This past Saturday, or, as Simon likes to say, "Lasterday" for any day previous, the three of us boarded the monorail for the first time and rode it over to the Museum of Cosmonautics!

Apologies for the back lit photos

"Shoot me!"

I tried several times to get this vertical panorama right and my phone was just flipping out and couldn't handle it. It has nothing to do with any sort of human error whatsoever. Anyway, you get the idea. Flipping huge statue under a flipping huge rocket spire.

 

It was a really neat place to see. There were models of all kinds of rockets and satellites. Simon was pretty excited and didn't want to stop to smile for any pictures.

Love and Rocket

Just a boy in front of a space capsule. Nothing to see here.

This is an accurate representation of my bedroom ceiling goals.

Simon was so eager to see everything that I didn't get to read much of anything about much of anything, but sometimes you don't need long to figure out what's up with a display.

Space Dogs!

Belka and Strelka were the first dogs to spend a day in space and return to earth alive. Strelka went on to have puppies, once of which was given to President Kennedy (Much Fluff. Very President. Wow.)

I think these brave pups freaked Simon out a little bit. Taxidermy isn't for everyone, but I'm glad his introduction to it was something historical like this instead of something like... well, you know. Creepier.


For me, one of the coolest exhibits was the meteorite display. 

So cool! Where have you been, you rocks?

This was our third attempt at a picture. He really thought they were neat. Not neat? Mom. Mom and her damn picture-taking.

The Museum of Cosmonautics is in an area that I think is best described as a park complex. On the other side of the monorail line is a huge public park which Ian describes as "The Epcot of Moscow." VDNKh, or Vystavka dostizhenii narodnogo khoziaistva (Exhibition of the achievements of the national economy) has a small aquarium, botanical gardens, fountains, statues, and a whole bunch of other stuff we didn't get to look at because Simon got a big ol' case of the tireds. We walked back past the brass jazz band quartet, past the Peruvian pan pipe duo, and back to the monorail.

Big Ol' Archway of, "Hooray! Grains!"

He was chanting, "Monorail! Monorail!" again like a well raised child.

 

 

It was a very happy Saturday. If the weather stays nice I might treat myself to a walk around "Epcot" one of these mornings while Simon is at school.

One of the other reasons I haven't typed at y'all in a while is because my hands have been full of knitting and crochet projects! I knit a soap sock to keep our slivers of bar soap in! I crocheted a wee pumpkin! I crocheted a pet net for Simon's stuffed animals! That item didn't work out in his room the way I thought it would so I'm frogging it and using the yarn for another, larger Jack O'Lantern pumpkin! I KNIT A PAIR OF SOCKS IN A WEEK!

When I wasn't knitting, Simon employed me as his illustrator for any and all terrifying monsters he could think of.

This one reminds me of that episode of Futurama when Bender becomes human.

Boba Fett helmet, Chewie body, Dory fins and tail, tentacles, cereal, and sunscreen.

Sometimes they need bones and gears and butterfly feet. And more sunscreen.

Firefighter Raptor with pterodactyl wings, turkey feathers, an extra bike helmet, and a big bowl of rice (the food that dinosaurs like).

If the Demogorgon had a pumpkin head, butterfly wings, and tiger stripes. Also take note of the Melissa and Doug Magic Water Painting book. True story: we have three of those and Simon only wants to play with them with Ian, who never, ever has to negotiate how to draw an anatomically correct monster.

A head based on Roy the Octopus, Bender's body and legs, rose bush arms, and a wee belly button.

My favorite: Simon drew this one himself. The best part is the briefcase and top hat stickers. This monster is running somewhere important.

I honestly don't know what we're going to do with all these drawings, short or long term. He likes hanging them up, but this apartment isn't that big. We've even got this bat portrait in our bathroom!

Not to mention the ginormous paintings he brings home from school!
Speaking of which, I finally got him to stand still in front of his school building long enough for a photo:

RAINBOW FENCE!

That's all for the time being.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to start knitting more socks.

Socks, socks, socks, socks, socks, socks! COME ON!