Birthday Outing

Yesterday afternoon, Ethan and I took the girls to the Museum of Science, where we spent our time perusing the lost secrets of Egypt, checking out dinosaur bones, playing on the equipment in the Science in Motion exhibit, and watching a lightning show. 

You might question our wisdom in bringing our thunderstorm-phobic daughter to a live indoor lightning show.  Let's just say it went about as smoothly as our visit to the Zoorassic Park.  Both kids held on to their hysteria well enough to stay with us rather than run off in panic-stricken flight, but both kids also needed to remain wrapped up tightly in their parents' embrace, with ears plugged and sometimes eyes closed so as to avoid the sheer terror of what they saw and heard before them.  In a move somewhat reminiscent of our recent ride into Boston on the purple lousy train, Madeleine chose to hold her hands over her ears throughout the entire show, despite the fact that the VAST majority of the show was an interactive lecture on electrical charge by a museum employee, with a mere few seconds of actual lightning being displayed.  Julia was brave enough to uncover her ears during the lecture, but any time the lightning started up, her body would become rigid and petrified, her hands would clamp over her ears, and she would begin to whimper and wail until the lightning stopped.  For the grand finale, we in the audience got to witness a wild and crazy indoor lightning storm, set to music.  Just when I though Julia might actually lose her cool and need to leave, a strain of synthetic, electronic music saved the day.

JULIA: (hands over ears) WAAAAAAAAH!!  AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!  WAAAAAAAH!  WAA-Mommy?  This song sounds like "CALL ME MAYBE!"

Sure enough, it was some sort of Electric Light Orchestra-esque version of "Call Me Maybe," which I never would have picked up on had Julia not pointed it out.  Despite her sheer terror and the loud, popping and crackling sounds of the lightning strikes, Julia was able to pick out this tune, and that, of all things, is what calmed her down.  I'm so glad to know that when my embrace and whispered assurances don't help at all, Carly Rae Jepsen can pull off the job for me.

As we exited the auditorium at the conclusion of the lightning show, Madeleine turned to me and exclaimed, "Mommy, the lightning show was PERFECT!"  Her admiration did not seem to last all that long, however.  As we all tried the restrooms before leaving the museum, we discussed our overall experience.

ME: Madeleine, did you have a fun time at the Museum of Science?
MADELEINE: Um...YES!
ME: What was your favorite part?
MADELEINE: Swinging on the swings and running on the...running thing. 
(In reference to the Science in Motion exhibit)
ME: What about the lightning show?
MADELEINE: Um...it was BERRY BAD, because...I was COVERING MY EARS.
ME: And what about the dinosaurs?
MADELEINE: Oh, yes!  But...it was just a dinosaur STAMP.

How she managed to perceive an honest-to-goodness triceratops skeleton and a life-sized T-Rex model as a dinosaur stamp eludes me.  At least she wasn't scared to the dinosaurs, though.

After the museum, we went out for my birthday dinner at one of my favorite Boston joints, an Ethiopian restaurant called Addis Red Sea.  Inside the relatively uncrowded restaurant, whose dim lightning, scent of incense, and murmured voices of other diners lends an intimate aspect to the room, it was hard not to feel like our kids were elephants in a china shop.  They were truly on wonderful behavior, given that they're young kids, but the whole experience kept Ethan and I on high alert.  For instance, Madeleine, who was wearing a dress, decided the appropriate thing to do with her dress was repeatedly lift it up and expose her bare belly and underwear to the whole restaurant, despite my telling her not to.  We also had the problem of not remembering our "indoor voices."  And when we did, the things we remembered to say quietly were not always appropriate either.  Like this:

ME: Madeleine, remember, you need to use your indoor whisper voice.
MADELEINE: (whispering loudly) But Mommy, can I pull up my dress and show my underwear?
ME: No, you may not.

To keep the kids entertained while we waited for our food to be served, Ethan decided to start a game of 20 questions.  He should probably have allowed 40 questions, because of this issue:

JULIA: Um...is it alive?
ETHAN: No. 
ME: Your turn to ask a question, Madeleine.
MADELEINE: Um...is it alive?
ETHAN: No.
ME: Okay, your turn Julia.
JULIA: Um...does it have EYES?
ETHAN: No. 
ME: Go, Madeleine.
MADELEINE: Um...does it have EYES?

The game got even better when Madeleine was the one answering the questions.  I whispered the idea of "My Little Pony" in her ear as the item to answer about, then Ethan and Julia began asking questions.

JULIA: Is it alive?
MADELEINE: No, it's a My-
ME: Shhhhhhhh!  Okay, she said no, it's not alive.
ETHAN: Is it big?
MADELEINE: Um, no, it's a My-
ME: Shhhhhhh!  No, it's not big.
JULIA: Is it pretend?
MADELEINE: Um, no, it's a My-
ME: Madeleine, remember your indoor voice.
MADELEINE: (whispering) It's a My Little Pony!

Thankfully, the food arrived before long, and the girls even ate their vegetables without any fuss, which, in my mind, equals a successful dinner any day.  When we arrived home, it was time for birthday cake, which was what the girls had been waiting for all day long.  Madeleine was quick to compliment the chef, although she didn't quite seem to understand that the cake was in celebration of my birthday.  The last birthday cake she ate was Yiayia's, a few weeks back, and I guess that cemented the idea in her brain that all birthday cake is Yiayia's.

MADELEINE: Mommy!  I got to eat some of Yiayia's CAKE!

Yes, you did.  Two weeks ago.

To end the evening, the girls gave me the sweetest possible birthday greetings.

JULIA: Happy birthday, Mama.  You're the BEST MOMMY in the whole world.  MOMMY LOVE-LOVE.  Mommy FOREVER.

MADELEINE: Happy Birthday SO, SO MUCH, Mommy!

I heartily appreciate all of the birthday love I received yesterday, and definitely had a so, so much happy day.