Christmas

Due to the snow, we celebrated our family Christmas in Lincoln on Christmas Eve before Brechbill Christmas. It was definitely fun to have an extended stay with family. Here are a few of those moments.


Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Claymation Creation

Here is Noah's video from the Claymation class he had at school. If you think addition, multiplication and division you will recognize everything. Noah chose this elective because he wanted to do something with clay. He said his favorite part was taking the pictures but there wasn't anything he didn't like doing. He is full of ideas for more movies that he'd like to make at home NOW and someday be able to do this. Maybe this is just the beginning and one day he'll get paid to do this.

A New Music Find

My mom has had my Christmas CD's so I have been begrudgingly listening to the radio in the car hoping to hear a few. Imagine my surprise when I became captivated by "Your Hands." It's not even a Christmas song! JJ Heller is the artist who sings it and I loved it so much that I actually wrote her name down while driving to look her up later. I just finished downloading her CD Painted Red and discovered she also has a 5 song Christmas album. You can download this for free at NoiseTrade.com using the widget below or purchase it on iTunes.

Do you hear what I hear?

Save money. Live better. Drawer.

As in the drawer with all the Halloween candy. Apparently, there has been a Walmart ad during one of their shows because Noah is fond of saying, "Save money. Live better. Walmart." It morphed into the drawer phrase tonight.

Noah's new favorite word: literally.

Me: Meet me here when you're done in the bathroom.

Noah: See ya, wouldn't want to be you.

Me: Nice (probably with eye roll)

Noah: No. Literally I wouldn't want to be you because then I'd be a girl.

Me (in my head): I don't want be you either!

Noah: I could eat it up (referring to some large amount of something I no longer remember even though he only said it a few hours ago).

Noah: Literally, I could eat it up. I'm starving.

The sarcastic police has become literal, literally.

Lastly, I'm happy to report another techy thing Noah showed me: Tuxpi. A site with 37 effects and tools for your photos. He was thrilled to show me how to use it (easy to pull photos from iPhoto or Photo Booth) and create this poster. Just one of many.

Clay Animation

Noah has been taking a claymation elective at school and he LOVES it! He couldn't wait to start making movies at home. He did these two one night last week while I was making dinner. All I did was attach the camera to the tripod. Pretty impressive for third grade.

Maybe we can clear the table for future movies.

We bought clay at Michael's today. Noah and Joshua are going to work together to do a volcano. I'd like to find a better program to put the pictures in than iMovie...too slow. Coming soon: Exploding Volcano.

It's Raining Cheeseburgers

The boys and I saw Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs today in 3D and I now think everything should be made in 3D. It was so cool! I believe the last 3D movie I saw in the theater was Jaws 3 which would now barely qualify as 3D. It's odd to think that the boys don't even know about the earlier 3D versions just like they don't know what an album is. Anyway, the movie itself was entertaining and funny. It's always nice when a little humor is thrown in for the parents like comparing the weather to an amuse-bouche. I laughed aloud many times and the kids really enjoyed it too. Of course, we were already fans of the book so it was fun to see how that story was expanded and used for the movie. If you're going to see this movie it is definitely worth the extra bucks to see the 3D version.

p.s. For those curious...the boys barely made it into Mary Poppins before they were completely distracted by a game they made up involving the monopoly board and dice. I think the movie lost them with the suffragist song. It's not looking good for The Sound of Music.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

After a discussion earlier last week about long words, the boys have become fascinated with saying supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

This is interesting to me because:

a. They refused to watch Mary Poppins when I bought it after it came out on DVD

and

2. They have never been interested in the music - even if it was Harry Connick, Jr.'s version

I played them the song on YouTube and they went right to work learning how to say it. I believe Noah said it took him about 20 minutes to remember how to say it. Now Joshua has it down too and he is repeatedly singing parts of it over and over. He puts a different tune and emphasis on some of the words and uses a little different phrasing...

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, if you say it loud enough you'll be quite atrocious (he sings it out: aaaa-troooooooo-cious)"

I think that might be more accurate than the original lyrics. Actually, listening to him sing this in the shower was the cutest thing I've heard today.

They can't wait to watch the movie after school tomorrow. Finally! Next up, Sound of Music!

Things I've Heard

It has been a real adjustment going back to work full time and I am finding that if I have a few moments of free time I just want to sit in a vegetative state staring at the TV or play mindless games on Facebook. Now, over a month in, I am slightly less exhausted. I have high hopes of cooking meals that don't involve hotdogs this week and blogging more often. To begin, I offer you snippets of conversations from the past few weeks.

Noah started identifying sarcasm. I'm noticing that I use it frequently since he is continually saying, "Let me guess, you're being sarcastic?" I now have started ending things by saying, "And yes, I'm being sarcastic." He's usually right on with his sarcasm claim except for the few times he confuses it with my ambivilant responses.

Joshua asked if the plate and cup I was using were bought together. I said, "Yes, they're a cup and saucer." He replied, "Does that mean there's an alien in the cup?"

Noah: What's the strongest non-human thing?

Me: God.

Noah: Besides God?

Me: I don't know.

Noah: Gravity. Gravity is the power of a black hole and black holes can trap the speed of light.

- Noah makes my head hurt.

Noah and Ian at the store...

N: Listen, I can fart with my hands.

I: I can fart under my arm.

N: I can fart with my arm too.

I: I can fart with my legs.

N: You can?! I've never done that!

- The talent runs deep in our family.

Noah's Christmas List to Date:

• skateboard
• smartboard
• plane ticket to Wipeout
• violin - He refers to this as the unexpected thing on his list. Apparently, plane tickets to try out for reality shows are to be expected. If this list sticks he is going to find Santa extremely disappointing this year.

When Noah told me he would like to have a little sister I said that we weren't planning on having any more kids. This led to uncomfortable territory when he said he didn't get how you planned it. Yikes. I'm not ready for that conversation yet.

Finally, the latest was not a conversation but the reaction I got from Noah when saying goodbye at Kids Club this week - he shrugged me off! It was probably a good thing I was running behind, as usual, so I couldn't break down sobbing on the floor and really embarrass him.

- In case you're thinking I'm not paying enough attention to Joshua by his lack of coverage here, I must defend myself by telling you that Noah NEVER stops talking. It is only because his loud, piercing voice sears into my brain that I am able to remember any of what he says. Joshua is funny in a less "in your face" sort of way.

Mancala Challenge

While the boys were playing mancala we heard this funny from Joshua, "Not on my watch. (short pause) Do I even have a watch?" While Noah kept saying, "It's all about making your move in this game."

I was surprised to discover that their mancala game was much improved. Apparently, I was not all about my moves because Noah and Joshua both beat me and then Joshua went on to beat Noah. I think Noah was stunned to be beaten by his younger brother. Was it wrong that I was jumping up and down and doing cartwheels on the inside?

Sandwich Loaf Anyone?

I have been organizing the non-fiction shelves in my library. This was just supposed to be a quick rearrangement of the books so they were more evenly spaced and I could get shelf labels on, but outdated material is impossible to ignore. Several interesting books have been discovered but this was my favorite today.

I actually laughed aloud when I saw the cover. I didn't realize it could get better until viewing the step by step instructions for creating this snack.

Layer 1: butter and baked mushroom caps

Layer 2: butter (both sides of bread), ham strips and pistachios

Layer 3: butter (both sides of bread) and asparagus

Layer 4: Butter bread

To complete: Coat outside of loaf with butter. YUM!

With football season fast approaching you will have the perfect excuse to try out this fabulous new recipe.

Can you believe the copyright is only 1980?

First Day of School For Some

With a beaming smile, Joshua was off for the first day of 1st Grade. I was gone before anyone got up so it was up to Rich to get him to school on time and take the "first day of school" photo (although I did pack the lunch, had him set clothes out the night before and had his backpack ready by the stairs). I adore Joshua's new toothless grin.

Unfortunately, Noah did not make it to school due to his severe poison ivy or poison oak. His face is swollen with rash and the bumpy blisters on his hands are still very painful. He was extremely disappointed to miss the first day at his new school. He was upset to miss the engineering class he's been waiting for and that they were serving his favorite lunch (hot dogs & tri taters with s'mores). I tried to comfort him and reminded him that he would go to engineering the next time and that they'd serve that lunch again. His tearful response, "But not on the same day."

I also had my first day of school but no photo or hot dog for me. Still a good day.

Happy Birthday Noah!!!

The little boy that was bursting to start life and came seven weeks early, is eight today. He hasn't slowed down since. We celebrate you Noah. Happy Birthday!

Where's the Tooth Fairy?

Joshua lost his third tooth yesterday and he was just as excited as with the first. Cousins were notified and the tooth was promptly placed in a tooth pillow that I used when I was a kid (He recently found this in my trunk and claimed it for himself along with a "Be Happy" needlepoint pillow I made in 3rd grade.).

Unfortunately, the tooth fairy was tired last night and was once again late to arrive. Joshua made this discovery when he awoke at 6:07 this morning and checked for his dollar. He had left a note requesting $100 so I think he was surprised to find his tooth and no money at all. The tooth fairy got busy and was able to make the exchange unseen while Joshua was in the bathroom. She's so quick!

With two loose top teeth and Noah trying to wiggle another one out, the tooth fairy needs to get it together.

Cousin Time

The latest photos of time spent with cousins...these are the moments of summer I love!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Reading: It's a Good Thing

From the kitchen this morning I heard the sweetest conversation between Noah and Joshua that negates all of the brother bickering I've been hearing of late. 

Together they were looking at a library book about space. First, I heard excitement over finding a picture of the star Betelgeuse - they had just heard detailed information about this star from a  Louis Giglio video we watched on YouTube last week. 

Next I heard this:

Noah: It's in a constellation. Do you know what a constellation is?

Joshua: No.

Noah: You know how we looked at the Big Dipper? That's a constellation.

Joshua replied with an understanding "oh."

They continued to pour over the pictures and text. They compared planets to each other and discussed dwarf planets. I think we've finally pushed through to the good place of no TV week. Okay, very limited TV week.

Summer Treat

Inspired by a friend on Facebook that was attempting to make "decent iced coffee" I wanted to give frozen frappuccino a try - again. I found the following recipe and did approximations in my Magic Bullet. It was delicious! I used half and half the first time and skim milk in the second one. The half and half was definitely creamier and more like Starbucks but it was still pretty good with skim milk. Take a moment to treat yourself with this refreshing beverage.

Frozen Frappuccino

• 1/2 cup of milk 
• 2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup of strong coffee, freshly brewed but cooled
• 1 cup of ice
• whipped cream (optional)
• chocolate shaving or chocolate syrup for garnishing (optional)

Put the milk, chocolate syrup sugar, coffee and crushed ice in a blender and mix until smooth. Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and garnish with the chocolate syrup or shavings as you prefer. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

What Can We Do Now?

The newness of summer has worn away to the continuous refrain of "I'm bored" when the boys have more than 26 seconds of unoccupied time. Yet, when I make suggestions they are quickly snubbed and dubbed "the worst." Noah informed me that he would like to do something he has never done before. Lets see, 48 days until school starts. Third grade will be new.

Today was unusual in that none of the kids in the circle were available to play. The boys are so tired of each other that they apparently can't invent anything to do unless other kids are involved. Today was the ultimate in boredom though (It had to be because all I saw them do was build marble mazes, read, toss beanbags, kick stuffed animals up in the air and catch them, play video games, wrestle, play monopoly, watch tv, draw and play with Chino.) until the doorbell rang during dinner. It was music to their ears. They rushed to the door as Noah yelled, "Finally, the new neighbors are out!" After assuring their friends they would be out in a minute, they were back at the table to finish eating. I sat prepared to perform the Heimlich as my sharks shoveled in the rest of their curry shrimp - no chewing necessary when friends are waiting. So much for enjoying dinner as a family. It was probably boring anyway.  

What are we going to do tomorrow night Brain? Same thing we do every night Pinky...

The Bowlers

The boys have had a blast bowling their brains out in Elkhorn with the Kids Bowl Free program this summer. No turkeys yet but is that really possible unless you're Wii bowling? 

We have bowled with cousins or just the brothers. It is so enjoyable to do something with the boys and not have any complaints or fighting (Dare I say relaxing?). They love doing it and I truly love seeing them have so much fun. Today they upped the bowling challenge by playing the first game without the gutter rails. Joshua will be ready to join that bowling league before summer's end.

**Joshua came out of his room dressed like this and said these were his bowling clothes. I'm not sure what inspired this bowling look, but it cracked me up. 

Something New

Trying this new (to me) site for creating videos. Go to www.animoto.com to give it a try yourself. Thanks for sharing Jen!

The Future's So Bright...

Noah came in from outside and announced that he has three life goals. I waited anxiously to hear what amazing ways my 7 1/2 year old planned to contribute to society and this is what I got: 

Noah's Life Goals

1. Wipeout

2. Ninja Warrior

3. American Gladiator

He plans to compete on all of these shows. He then said that his "kid goal" was to complete an over 5,000 piece lego set. We couldn't be prouder.

Joshua, on the other hand, is making plans for when Rich and I are gone. He thinks that we have to die for his dream of having a convertible and a corn snake to come true. Every time we see a convertible he asks when we're going to get one. I finally just said never, in hopes of ending the discussion. Instead, this led to the "if you're dead" theory.  

He is right about the corn snake though, I would have to be dead to live with one. 

KidZui

For the past month my kids have been trying out a web browser for kids called KidZui. This is a free, downloadable web browser found at www.kidzui.com that only allows kids to access parent and teacher reviewed websites, games, videos and more. A unique log-in is set up for each child and parents receive weekly e-mails of what sites their kids are looking at the most. 

This has been perfect for my soon to be third grader who always wants to Google something. Now he can use KidZui to his hearts content like yesterday when he found endless amounts of information about black holes. He reported to me about his findings while I worked on something else. He loves being able to search independently and I like knowing he's not going to access unrelated or inappropriate sites. So much better than constantly reading over his shoulder.

Another KidZui plus is that it takes over the whole screen. This means that when your six year old uses your computer there isn't  the "accidental" opening of things or lost icons from the dock. There are extra benefits available with a KidZui membership, but there is plenty available without it. I would definitely recommend this for elementary age kids and younger.

What Would I Do Without My Older Brother?

I just heard this exchange...

Joshua: You crack me out.
Noah: It's up. You crack me up.

Silence

What's funny about this to me (besides the obvious) is that they were playing a video game and neither one was laughing. Maybe Joshua meant you crack me in because he was laughing so hard on the inside? It was nice that for once Noah corrected Joshua without being rude. Score one for video games - they distract you to the point of politeness.

Snarfing

Thanks to the book Snarf Attack, Underfoodle and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All by Mary Amato my boys have been trying to snarf. What is snarfing you may ask? That would be trying to make your opponent (brother) laugh while drinking his milk. In fact, you want him to laugh so hard that milk actually comes out his nose. Thankfully, they've taken some liberties with the definition and just want to make milk come out their nose. This is better because instead of snarfing at the dinner table (which I prohibited) they took mouthfuls of milk out onto the deck and tried to make it come out their nose. Noah found it more difficult than Joshua and was not able to get the milk out. Joshua however, was proud of himself for being able to snarf once. It looks like we might have a new talent for the talent show next year.

The Lincoln Girls

Last night Charity and I spent a little time in Lincoln for Maya's preschool graduation. Almost as exciting was that we went without our children. My boys were not happy about being left behind until I reminded them that we were going to be spending the weekend in Lincoln. With guilt averted, I was able to leave the house alone. 

Here are a few pictures of the Lincoln girls. Unfortunately I was not able to capture Owen's blur of activity. Maya, the soon to be kindergartner, was giggly and adorable. 

Here she chats it up with Ava after the ceremony.

While here she attempts to find the proper graduation pose.

Happy Birthday Ava! - She celebrated her 6th birthday Tuesday. We are ready to rock out at your party on Saturday.

Stella - Cautiously watching for the next Owen attack.

I am thrilled that summer is almost here and that means more time with Lincoln cousins!

The Helicopter Seed

Noah came home from school this week with a helicopter seed and every intention of growing a "helicopter tree" in our yard. Before I knew it he was showing me where he had planted it in the middle of the grass in the backyard surrounded by four bricks. I told him we didn't want a tree growing in the middle of the backyard and that he needed to put the bricks back.

While I was making dinner I heard things like "uh-oh" and "oh no." Noah came into the kitchen and told me not to get mad but a little dirt got in his bedroom. When I asked why he mumbled something about it falling out of his shirt but since I was trying to get dinner on the table before going to 6:00 soccer practice I didn't think much about it. 

When we returned home this is what I discovered:

A trail of dirt and dirt balls leading to Noah's room.

Dirt over a mess of things on the floor.

Dirt all over his table and DS. (That would be his rock collection on the table - mostly from the school playground.)

More dirt on the floor - I particularly enjoyed the shoe outline.

Finally, the helicopter seed planted in the dirt that made it into the container, drowning in water, sitting on a pile of books, with a nightlight to help it grow. 

When I saw all of this I told Noah that there was too much water, that a nightlight wouldn't help a plant grow and that he couldn't keep it teetering on a pile of books. His response: "I never said I was an expert at gardening." 

Add gardening to our list of summer projects.

Jackets: Friend or Foe?

Our outdoor "weather station" currently reads 47.4º. Anything under 60º and I make the boys wear a jacket. I'm just mean that way. Apparently once you start wearing shorts your little boy brain tells you that jackets are never necessary again. Of course, this means there was moaning when I said " you need jackets" even though Noah was sitting under a blanket too cold to brush his teeth just moments earlier. 

The jacket conversation continued in the car when Noah informed me that he wears his jacket to school but then doesn't put it on again the rest of the day. This is where I made the mistake of trying to reason with him by telling him he wouldn't need it by the end of the day, but it would be cool this morning and he would want it. His reply, "I'm already BLAZING hot!" Too cold to brush teeth to blazing hot in less than five minutes. My in head response - whatever Noah. Yes, I'm mature like that.

Still not prepared for these around the clock conversations once summer hits. Last nights dinner conversation: If the world was made of chocolate... 

Hula Hips

Friday marked the first Crawford debut in a talent show. Noah performed a hula hoop routine with his Daddy assistant (Joshua was originally going to assist but that never worked - it usually ended in fighting which I don't think qualifies as talent.). 

Not everything went as planned but Noah kept on going and finished strong. We were proud of him for doing it and I think he was pretty proud of himself. He definitely enjoyed the crowd appreciation. I see more shows in our future.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

The other night we were out on our deck discussing the unwise choice of a ground squirrel to make its hole next to our backyard. With two cats living at our house and two frequent cat visitors, the ground squirrel doesn't stand a chance. The neighbor's cat, Jasper, was at that moment sitting behind the hole waiting for something to dart out. 

Suddenly a shadow in the grass started moving and fluttered up. Jasper quickly knocked it back down. At first glance we thought it was a wounded bird, until the same thing happened again and we realized those weren't bird wings but bat wings. After a few more rounds of this the bat ended up laying in the middle of our backyard. Jasper wasn't interested in the bat unless it was moving, which it wasn't. After several minutes of no movement Rich went to get rid of the bat while Joshua and I watched from the deck. 

To verify that it was dead Rich tossed a stick. Nothing. He tossed a rock. Nothing. He went over and poked it with a stick at which point the bat flew up and directly at my head! I swear it looked just like the bats at the beginning of Scooby-Doo with it's little scrunched up face coming straight at me.

(When I replay the event in my head I hear those screeching bats.) 

I turned around and stumbled over Joshua as I tried to push him inside and get the screen door closed before we were attacked or had a bat in the house - I know I did a very girly scream the whole way in. I'm sure the bat didn't even get close to us before it flew up into our tree and was gone.  

Muskrat. Bat. What will our next wildlife encounter be?

*It's good to know that I will save my son in times of danger instead of pulling a Costanza.

We Saw Him!

From soccer moms to stalker moms...

Charity and I decided to ignore all of our "mom" duties this afternoon for the chance to see George Clooney and it paid off! We made our way down to the Old Market and scored awesome parking for our 11th & Howard destination. Seeing a crowd gathered we joined in and wondered, "Would we see him?" After standing a mere 28 minutes in the rain, George appeared across the street. With a bouquet of flowers he went to work while we all asked each other, "Do you think he'll come any closer?" In under five minutes the scene was complete. The crowd cheered as George walked into the street to greet fans but he was quickly surrounded. 

And then he was gone. Bye George. Thanks for brightening up our Wednesday afternoon.

George walks across the street to greet people. Why didn't you come to our corner George?

In between takes.

Hi George!

Adding to the excitement - seeing this little guy in our neighborhood on the way home. After a little researching, I've concluded that it's a muskrat.

George Clooney and a muskrat. Did anyone have a better Wednesday than this?

National Poetry Month

Poetry is like a substance, the words stick together as though they were magnetized to each other.

David Gascoyne, Stand, Spring 1992

It's not too late to celebrate National Poetry month. Dig out your poetry books and let the words flow. I keep a basket of ever changing books for the boys to go to when they're looking for something to read. Easter and spring books are out and poetry is in! Classics by Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky never get old and themed poetry about dinosaurs, insects, etc. are always fun. In honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day here is a selection from The Earth Is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems About Our Planet, edited by Barbara Brenner.

Two Ancient Pine-Trees

Two ancient pine-trees...

A pair of gnarled

And sturdy hands

With ten green fingers

Ryoto

Now, if I could only find Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices....

Another Egg Hunt

Yesterday, Joshua's decorated Easter eggs were left on the kitchen table and not discovered in the necessary four hour time limit to still be edible. He was disappointed, but I did keep them to have out last night as decoration. This morning he decided to hide/decorate the house with them. I informed him that we would need to throw them away tonight before they started smelling but sure, hide away. As I looked around the house after they went to school I was only able to find seven eggs. That would be seven out of nine??? He started with 12 but I know we have eaten a few. That still leaves one or two eggs unaccounted for. Hopefully, he will remember where he put them and we won't be playing "find the egg" by smell.

Never the Right Answer

Why does every comment or choice lead to more questions? Why is it that what they want usually involves more work for me?

Me: You can wear short sleeves today.

Kids: Can we wear shorts?

Kids: What can we have for dessert?

Me: There are fudge bars or ice cream bars.

Kids: Can I have a spoonful of frosting?

Me: Why don't you play out back or ride your bikes.

Kids: Can I finger paint?

Kids: I'm thirsty. Can I have pop?

Me: You can have water or juice.

Kids: Can I make chocolate milk?

Just once I would like to hear, "Thanks Mommy" or "Great!" I know I'm living in a dream world but I don't know why they ask me questions when they don't want to know or use any of my answers. Frustrating! By the way, Noah just came out and asked if he could wear shorts again. Ugh!

***All the "can" questions reminded me of the movie Avalon. During a school lesson on the proper us of may and can the kid asks his teacher if he can go to the bathroom to which she replies, " You can, but you may not."  

It's The Little Things

I have thoroughly enjoyed using this pink gel pen I found in our living room. The bright Springy color bounces off my planner pages amongst the black and blue ink making my grocery and to-do lists a little more exciting. Sometimes it really is the little things that give the most pleasure. As it turns out, the pen is Joshua's. He saw me using it and asked why I was using his star student pen. Hmmmm, does this make me a star mom?

Swimsuit Season Already?

The boys and I escaped for a few days with Aunt Charity, Ian and Spencer to play at Great Wolf Lodge. 

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Noah did ask if Kansas City was the same way as Lincoln. He thought we could pick up Ava and Maya on the way down. That was the last pleasant thought before everything turned to potty humor.

The Ants Go Marching

We have become ant obsessed. Okay, maybe I'm the only one obsessed, but we have definitely all been fascinated as we've watched Harvester ants create their tunnels. It is amazing how much they have accomplished in less than 48 hours. What an awesome birthday present Nana and Grandpa! The habitat has been lit up in Joshua's room at night but moves to the living room during the day so we can watch their progress.

April 8th, 4:48 p.m.

Joshua pokes starter holes in gel and ants are added.
April 8th, 7:58 p.m.

Starter tunnels are being widened.
April 9th, 3:19 a.m.

Yes, I woke up in the middle of the night and had to check on the ants. Look at all they've accomplished in seven hours!
April 9th, 8:07 a.m.

Guesses are made on where the tunnels will connect.
April 9th, 12:14 p.m.

We were wrong. They turned before connecting. Those crazy ants.
April 9th, 1:35 p.m.

Apparently they heard us and decided that joining the tunnels would be a good idea.
April 10th, 9:53 a.m.

From the front...
....and the back.
Harvester ants are famous for being the first ants to travel into space in 2003. This habitat is similar to the one used on that space mission.