Easter Egg Roll at the White House

The National Easter Egg Roll used to take place at the U.S. Capitol Building, but was moved to the White house in 1878 when Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, Lucy, first opened the South Lawn to local children the Monday after Easter.  (You can read the history of the event here.)

Each successive president has continued this tradition.

Open to children 12 and younger, 30,000 people from all 50 states participated in this year's White House Easter Egg Roll... including the Cropp family.  This was, by far, the coolest thing we did in 2011!

We were slowly preparing for Rich's annual business trip to Arlington, VA (and a side trip to Busch Gardens) - a trip that the kids and I have come along on the last two years.  As I was looking for new things the kids and I could do while Rich was tied up with meetings, I stumbled upon the National Park's web site and information about this year's Easter Egg Roll - as fate would have it, they'd just opened up their lottery application and IF we were to get tickets, we would only need to spend one extra night in the area.  It seemed like an easy decision, so I applied. 

A few weeks later, we learned that we got them.  And on April 25, 2011, after a LONG, LONG wait in a LONG, LONG queue across the street from the White House on a HOT, HOT morning, we were finally able to cross the street and enter the White House grounds... we'd spend the next two hours participating in a number of activities designed to encourage kids to be physically fit. 

The Welcome Sign at the South Lawn gate

Our first stop at the White House - singing and dancing with Gordon, Maria, and their Sesame Street friends. 

Next up, a long line for the traditional egg roll.  While we waited in line, the First Family came out onto the balcony to welcome everyone to the White House and we had a terrific view of that.  I'm not a fan of Obama's presidency, but it is the first time I've ever heard a sitting president speak and I couldn't help but be in awe of the moment.

The Egg Roll itself takes place directly in front of the White House.  We passed within 15 or 20 feet of it on our final approach to the starting line and could even see Sasha and Malia's swing set from our place in line. 

About a dozen or so kids line up at a time on one of several 'fields' and are given a real egg and a wooden spoon for the Egg Roll.  The distance between the start and finish line is probably no more than 30 feet, which, considering the size of the crowd, is good.  

Matt and Cathy waiting to roll the eggs!

Matt rolled his egg pretty easily... in fact, he launched it up in the air several times (rather than simply rolling the egg).   The result: a totally cracked egg by the time he crossed the finish line. 

Cathy had a more difficult time getting the egg to roll but she was able to do it without any assistance.  And she was clearly quite proud and excited to get to the finish!













There were a number of other activities supporting the "Get Up and Move" theme for the day including an obstacle course:

Walking across the balance beam

A future track star going over the hurdles

Waiting to tackle another challenge on the obstacle course...

The background is terrific!

The kids enjoyed a magic show...

Kelly Ripa getting ready to read to the kids.

... and then we sat down for story time.  There were several readers during the time we were at the White House (we could hear President Obama reading one of Cathy's favorite stories, Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom, while we waited to roll the eggs) and I chose Kelly Ripa's session - mainly because her husband Mark Consuelos was scheduled to read with her.  Instead, we got their oldest daughter, Lola.  But, the story she selected, I Wanna Iguana, was a really cute story and the kids enjoyed it.

 There were plenty of activities we missed out on - there's just too much to do in a two hour window.  There were tennis and basketball lessons on the White House courts, cooking demonstrations, Zumba and lots more.

As we left, we got a lovely souvenir of the day - a wooden egg.  Government swag, paid for by our tax dollars.  Needless to say, we sent it off to school with the kids for show and tell.

After a quick lunch not far from the White House, we hopped on the Metro and made our way back home.  I'll certainly apply for tickets again for 2012 (though I am hoping to go to Pittsburgh over Easter weekend for the Phillies and Pirates), and if you've got small kids, you should consider it too.  It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am so glad we were able to experience it. 

Tickets for the 2012 event (to be held on April 9, 2012) will become available through a lottery in February (click here for more details).

Hope to see you there!

A Christmas Gift

One of our holiday traditions is to spend a night with each of the kids so that they can shop for each other and for Rich and me... I take Matt one night while Rich has Cathy and vice versa another night.

This year, instead of buying me something, Matt asked Rich if he could make my present. He's made gifts for Christmas before with his daycare and kindergarten classes. But this was the first time it was his idea. He decided what he wanted to make, he drew a sketch of it, and then he and Rich were off to the basement to make it.

They cut wood, sanded it, drilled it, painted it, and wrapped it.

On Christmas Eve, I opened it. A beautiful heart-shaped ornament to hang on the Christmas tree. It was the best Christmas present - better than anything he could have bought for me.

LaSalle Family Christmas

Holidays have always been something of a challenge in our relationship simply because our families live in opposite corners of the state.  And being the ones in the middle of it all, we've always been the ones left to travel.

Christmas Eve is a big deal in Rich's family - dinner, church, presents.  For my family, it's always been Christmas Day.  Our compromise for many years was to spend Christmas Eve in Erie with Rich's family, eat breakfast early on Christmas morning and then get on the road.  We'd make a quick stop at our apartment to unpack and repack, exchange gifts, then get back in the car so that we could make Christmas dinner at my folk's place (they very graciously started waiting until after dinner to open presents).

When kids entered the picture, that changed.  Now, Christmas morning is always in our home.  And until last year, we alternated between families and holidays.  Thanksgiving with his family and Christmas with mine one year, switching for the next.  

But, I think it's important to spend the holidays with family and to share in family traditions.  Now that the kids are a little older and travel so much better, we're willing to get out on the road twice for Christmas.  

So of course, LaSalle Family Christmas, hosted by my nephew Ricky and his wife Kathy, is one of my favorite memories in 2011.  I have so few opportunities throughout the year to see all my brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews at the same time, but LaSalle Family Christmas gives that to me.  We had only one holdout this year - my niece Darlene (though I totally understand) who spent her night watching the Flyers play in some ridiculously expensive seat her boss gave her as a birthday present. 

Still, there were nearly 30 of us there.  And I wouldn't have traded it for anything!

Broad Street Run

The Broad Street Run was, by far, the coolest road race I've entered.  It's a ten-mile point to point run, beginning at Central High School and ending at the Philadelphia Naval Yard.  After two or three rolling miles, it's a gradual decent to the finish line and it's considered one of the fastest ten-mile courses in the country.

Because this is a HUGE race (roughly 30,000 runners), everyone is asked to seed themselves by their expected finish time and runners are assigned to various corrals accordingly... I think this is a fantastic idea as you have only runners of similar skill around you, virtually eliminating the need to weave in and out past slower runners at the start.   I anticipated a 9:30 pace and was therefore assigned the 1:35:00 to 1:40:00 corral.

I don't cry often, but can clearly remember two instances this year, one in April, the other here on Broad Street.

This is the first race I've ever run alone and as I sat in my corral at the starting line, I looked across the street at the Albert Einstein Medical Center.  I'm not sure why, but as I was sitting there, it struck me that not only was this the place where I was born but it was also the place where my father died last year.  And so I cried.   

Then, I ran. 

The race started, corral by corral, right on time though it took nearly 15 minutes for my corral to get the command to start. As we crossed the start line and had a chance to glance down Broad Street for the first time, the sight was amazing.  Probably ten thousand runners ahead of me as far as I could see.  Spectators all along the race course.  City Hall roughly six miles away, but straight ahead.  It was simply awesome.  The run into Center City, then down toward the sports stadiums, and then finally to the Naval Yard was everything I hoped it would be.  Challenging.  Exciting.  Fun.

I felt really good coming down the final stretch and was pleased with the run... I finished less than three minutes off my goal time (which I thought was pretty good considering the terrible cramp I had in mile seven).

And vowed that I'd be back to run it again next year.

Matt's first roller coaster ride

I love roller coasters.  And amusement parks.

For most of the last six years, when we have gone to an amusement park, we've been left to ride the ridiculous kiddie rides that turn in circles and bore me to tears.  But this was the year I expected things to change.  Matt's tall enough to ride at least some of the coasters in any park we've been to.

So, just where was his first roller coaster ride?  Idlewild and Soak Zone.

I practically forced Matt onto Rollo Coaster - a 1938 coaster built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company.  It's not a big coaster at all... the biggest hill is just over 25 feet. But at the time, it was the biggest hill on the biggest coaster Matt had ever been on.  As I suspected, Matt was laughing so hard and smiling so wide by the time we'd made it to the bottom of that first hill, I was sure I had a new-found roller coaster enthusiast.  We rode three more times that day and started a summer of roller coaster adventures: Lakemont Park, Delgrosso's, Knoebels, Hershey Park.  It was so much fun!!!

I remember that I also tried to talk Cathy onto the ride but she just wouldn't do it.  While I trust something like a roller coaster will go well for Matt even if he thinks he doesn't want to do it, when Cathy says "No", she means it. 

It was such great fun to experience Matt's first roller coaster ride with him, to hear him laugh and beg to do it again.  That's a moment I wouldn't trade for anything.

Discharge

Cathy was first referred to Neurology when she was four months old.  Her seizures began a month later and we were soon making all too frequent trips to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  As she got older, as she continued to develop and thrive, the frequency of our visits lessened.

Our neurologist was the perfect doctor for us - we first met Dr. Clancy when Cathy was about six months old.  While everyone asked questions about Cathy, he's the first doctor that asked me how I was doing and it was clear that he really wanted to know.  I was instantly at ease with him.  When we needed to transfer Cathy's care (we spent two years with the most fantastic fellow, though as she narrowed her area of emphasis, she stopped seeing patients in the general neurology clinic), there was never a question as to who I wanted her to see.

In February, Cathy could run and jump.  She could carry on a conversation, she was 18 months off her anticonvulsant with no sign of relapse.  I shared with Rich on that last drive to Philadelphia that I wanted to discuss the possibility of bringing her in only once a year.  Knowing that Cathy would be starting school in the fall, the last thing I wanted to do was pull her out twice a year for doctor's visits, no matter how much I loved our doctor.

Instead, he brought it up first.  He told us that there was every reason to believe that Cathy's seizures were a part of her past.  He told us he would always be Cathy's neurologist, that we should not hesitate to call if we needed anything, but there was no reason for us to continue to drive so far just to tell him how great our little girl was doing.

He gave us his email address, told us that he'd love to see Cathy socially when we are visiting family in the city (which I will happily do) and then he sent us on our way.

I couldn't have asked for a better visit or a better outcome for my little girl.    

Cathy scores... twice!

The U5 soccer league plays without goalies.  Three on three.  It's like watching a swarm of insects.  They follow the ball wherever it is.  Passing is at a minimum.  Scoring is pretty high.

We offered Cathy the chance to play in fall of 2010 but she did not want to; she was more than content to sit on the sidelines cheering on her big brother.  But come spring she was ready.

She's never been the fastest kid on a team or the most aggressive.  In fact, she's pretty timid about making a move to take the ball away from anyone.  But Cathy was more than happy to be part of a team and that was enough for all of us.

Knowing her personality and playing style, there was nothing more exciting than watching Cathy break away with the ball, run toward the goal and score.  I practically ran out onto the field to celebrate with her... instead she ran straight to me and jumped into my arms.  It was awesome.  I could not have been more excited or more proud than I was in that moment... or so I thought.  Before the game was over, she put the ball into the net a second time.

These two goals are the only ones she's scored in two seasons of soccer and I am convinced that she'll decide one day soon that soccer really isn't for her.  But for a day, Cathy was a super star!  And it was, by far, one of my favorite days of the year.

Presque Isle

If you followed the blog through the summer, you probably remember Even bad days sometimes end well.  Knowing that this is the day that Rich passed out in the latter portion of the Presque Isle Half Marathon, I imagine you are thinking 'How can this be one of her favorite memories of the year'?  And quite honestly, I wouldn't blame you for that.

While the incident itself isn't a highlight, it's an unforgettable moment in time.

There's much about the day I would just as soon forget, but it's Matt's reaction to his father's hospitalization that puts it on the list.  He was concerned about his dad, he wanted to go to the hospital and spend time with him, he wanted to see that his daddy was ok.  

Back then I wrote "Of all the images I have from the weekend, here's the one that I hope will always stick with me: Matt curled up in bed next to Rich, head on his shoulder and watching TV.  Matt is still always affectionate with me, but not often with Rich and there was just something so sweet in that moment."

Even now, I can close my eyes and picture it.  And it's still one of the sweetest moments I can recall.

Happy Holidays!

As part of our effort to go green this year, we're not planning to send Christmas cards if we have an electronic way to wish you a Merry Christmas.

If I followed the directions correctly, I should have embedded the Smilebox we created in lieu of a card. I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Holidays!

This slideshow made with Smilebox

The Tooth Fairy Visits

The list is written... ten events.  Ten stories to tell.  And while the list itself was easy to write; the order in which I post it will be more of a challenge.  It's hard to rank the importance of one moment versus another and until I write the last post, I suspect the planned order will change numerous times.

Since I have to start somewhere, I will start with our first visit from the Tooth Fairy.        

It's funny how something Matt was so excited for was something I'd been dreading.

I volunteer in Matt's classroom.  Each week, I look at these kids who have lost teeth... four, five, six of them.  Kids who have these big, adult teeth in their mouths and it makes me just a little sad.  They look too grown up to be only six or seven.

Matt's bottom tooth wiggled for weeks.  Quite honestly, he grossed me out just a little toward the end, pushing on the tooth with his tongue until it looked like it would fly right out of his mouth (even though it never did).  We talked about funny ways to get that tooth out once and for all...  a friend even sent a video clip of a father helping his son pull a tooth out using a rocket launch.  Matt didn't want to try.

In the end, it came out at school.  On November 15th... my mom's birthday.

Mom and I met for lunch in Hershey that day.  As I was speaking with my husband on the ride home, he asked if I could keep a secret.  When I assured him that I could, he told me that Matt was missing something.  I knew immediately what he meant.

I felt a little sad... Daddy got to see the missing tooth hours before I did.  When I got home, Matt ran right up to me and showed me exactly what had happened.  And of course, I pretended like I didn't know a thing.

Missing a tooth at the bottom!

His excitement is always infectious and that certainly the case when his tooth came out.  It's a big milestone for kids his age and he's among the last of his friends to lose one so I know it was a big deal for him.

He was excited to leave the tooth for the Tooth Fairy though he insisted he should wait up for her or try to catch her when she came by.  He even held the tooth (which was in an envelope from school) in his hands when he fell asleep, thinking he'd feel it when the Tooth Fairy scooped it out of his hand. 

Thank goodness he dropped it once he fell asleep... otherwise, he might have really caught her. 

That's a conversation I'm just not ready for!

Lists

I used to have a thing for lists... I could think of all sorts of reasons to write or read them.  It's been a long time, maybe too long, since I've written a list for anything other than a trip to the grocery store.  But as the year is winding down, as I've looked back over the last twelve months of my life, I am inspired to write one.  Following in the footsteps of 30 things I have to feel grateful for at this time of year (see Gratitude), I'm planning to count down my ten favorite memories from 2011 over the last three weeks of the year.   

I'm looking forward to putting the list together... I hope you'll enjoy reading it!

Holiday Card 2011

 

In Gratitude, I gave a shout out to Shutterfly.  This is the site where I upload the many, many pictures I take of the kids throughout the year.  This is where I create the photo books that I give to my parents for Christmas and the memory books I give to each of the kids for their birthdays each year.

Shutterfly is running a promotion right now - they're offering a $10 credit for linking a project to a blog.  Since I'll soon be putting together our family album for 2011 as well as "Matt, Age 6", a $10 credit is a very good thing.

We're going green this year, so if I have your email address, you won't be seeing this card in your mailbox.  But you can enjoy it here.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Memories Collage Christmas Card

Creating Christmas cards has never been this easy.

View the entire collection of cards.

Gratitude

Each day this month, I've had several friends post one thing (to their Facebook account) that they are thankful for.   When it first started four weeks ago, I thought it was a great idea - remembering each day that there are small blessings in our lives - especially when it is so easy to lose sight of that. 

I even thought that I would like to do it.  Surely I could come up with 30 things.  But somehow the beginning of the month became the middle, then it was Thanksgiving, and now, it's practically December without a single post.   

This hasn't been my best year but we are heading into my favorite time of the year.  Outside of the commercialism of Christmas, I love everything about the season.   But before I go there, I wanted to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for. 

And so, here it goes.

I am thankful for... 


1.  ... my son and daughter, who have enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined before I became a mother.

2.   ... the more than two years that Cathy has been seizure-free without medication (and the more than five years in total).

3.  ... the opportunity to volunteer in the kid's classrooms.

4.  ... my mother, who I appreciate so much more now that I am a mother too.

5.  ... supportive friends.

6.  ... a husband who is more loving and understanding and forgiving than I deserve.

7.  ... finding and sticking with an exercise routine that not only works for me, but that I really enjoy.

8. ... each of the fantastic memories I made with the kids this summer.

9.  ... that my father lived nearly all of his 82 years in good health, that he maintained his independence until the very end.

10. ... the support services available to Cathy as a kindergarten student.

11.  ... the very basic things in life - a roof over my head, clothes to keep me warm, food when I am hungry.  Far too many people go without these things.

12.  ... my step-father's retirement earlier this year - nobody has worked harder or deserved it more.

13.  ... the year I've spent with the kids, which while not always a smooth ride, is one I wouldn't trade for anything.

14.  ... Shutterfly.

15.  ... good medical insurance.  Another thing I know too many people don't have.

16.  ... Consignment sales.  Where else can I find reasonably priced Gymboree clothes for my little girl while unloading all the toys that are no longer played with here at home?

17.  ... one more year where my kids still believe in the magic of Christmas, the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny.

18.  ... corrective lenses.  I'd be lost (and mostly blind) without them!

19.  ... time spent with family.  Both immediate and extended. 

20.  ... good running shoes.  Worth every penny.

21.  ... a little boy who completely gets my sarcasm.

22.  ... kids that still want to cuddle me, hug me, and tell me they love me for no reason.

23.  ... everyone who worked for my parents this year to help them finish their farmhouse in Potter County and for the hope that they'll soon be able to enjoy their retirement there.

24.  ... Facebook, which has helped me find, reconnect, and stay in touch with friends and family.

25.  ... After One Crazy Summer, which gives me an outlet to write, keeps me sane through an unemployment that has lasted much longer than I would have liked, and gives me a great record of how I've spent my time with the kids!

26.  ... hot water.... something you don't really appreciate until your hot water heater is shot and you have only 30 seconds to take a shower.

27.  ... Girl's Nights Out.

28.  ... the kind of friend where 20 years can pass, but yet is still as familiar and comfortable and easy to talk to as you remember.

29.  ... a little girl who finds joy in EVERYTHING that she does and in turn helps me do that too.

30.  ... running races, which keep me motivated to train, and good friends to keep me company while I do it.

So, there you have it.  The first 30 things to come to mind.  One for each day in November. 

The best thing though is this.  If the month had 40 days, I could have kept going!

It's time to move on...

My friend Jessica writes a terrific blog - Is this Chocolate or Poop?  This week, as many have, she wrote about the scandal at Penn State and Joe Paterno's place in all of it.  But, she took a different approach than any other that I'd seen.  Many were outraged, and justifiably so.  And while I have no doubt that Jessica and I share many of the same emotions, she instead considered Paterno's fall from grace and what that might mean for all of us.  

She wrote:

"This, too, is a tragedy, not only for a man who has lived humbly, ethically, and gracefully for most of his many days, but for the rest of us as well.  If JoePa can’t run the gamut of a lifetime untainted by venality, if he can’t get to 409 wins without losing his compass, if he can’t offer the world his good deeds and intentions without marring them with shame, who among us can?

There is no doubt that Joe Paterno is a great man.  He is not Jesus. He is not infallible. But he’s better than most of us—and he’s been that way for a long, long time. That’s why his disgrace is so hard to take.... Maybe Joe made a mistake most of us would like to think we’d never make.  But maybe we should ask these questions as well: Is the human condition such that we all will fail, if we live long enough? Or is this world so complex, so fallen, so corrupted that it makes an unimpeachable life impossible?"

Jessica's post left me thinking...  

Some time ago, a friend and I were discussing sin, more specifically that sin is part of being human. He suggested a book, Blue Like Jazz.  In it, the author (Donald Miller) recounted a conversation he had with another man about the war, genocide, and rape amongst eight tribes in the Congo.  All terrible things.  Things that we would like to think we are not capable of.

Miller (his friend, actually) raises an interesting question though... What makes us think we are so different from these men?  We are all human, them and us.  That's not to say that we are all pedophiles or mass murderers.  But we are all capable of sin, of making the wrong choices; we are all broken and flawed.  He talks about how parents teach their children right from wrong (because choosing right from wrong is not a natural choice) and that is certainly a good start.  But teachable moments come for us as adults too.

Rich and I talked Wednesday night - the night that Joe Paterno was removed from his coaching position at Penn State.  We talked about moral obligations and legal obligations and how we might react in similar circumstances. 

No one will dispute that Coach Paterno fulfilled his legal obligation by notifying Tim Curley and Gary Shultz of the allegations against Jerry Sandusky.  The moral obligation, well that, in some circles, seems less clear.  For as many people who feel the Board of Trustees was justified in their decision to terminate Joe Paterno, an equal number saw it as a miscarriage of justice. 

Paterno himself said "With the benefit of hindsight, I would have done more."  I wholeheartedly believe that he meant those words.  I believe him when he says this is among his life's greatest sorrows; I believe that he is heartbroken.

Yes, Joe Paterno should have done more.  But of all the parties involved, outside of Sandusky himself, I believe there is no person more culpable than Mike McQueary, eyewitness to the 2002 campus event that has become the center of controversy and possible cover-up.   I railed about this fact for the better part of the last week, going so far as to write to both the Board of Trustees and Mark Sherburne (the acting AD) to express my opinion.

I find it unfathomable that someone could walk in on a violent act against a child and do NOTHING about it.  As a mom, my first instinct is to protect... and not just my own children.  I would unquestioningly do it for someone else's child too, even a child I did not know.  God knows if it were my son (or daughter) in trouble, I would be devastated if someone just walked away.

Which brings me back to teachable moments. 

Rich told me that in similar circumstances, he was not sure he would have reacted differently than McQueary.  It's simply not a situation that he had thought about or considered before, though I am sure that he has considered it ad nauseam since.  I've got to believe now, for how big a news story this has been, people have considered how they would respond in a similar situation and that they'll come out on the side of the child every time.  No doubts.  No hesitations.  A lousy way to learn a lesson, but a lesson that I hope every adult has learned - loud and clear.

Over and over, people wrote last week... This is not the Penn State that we love, the Penn State that is part of our being.   

Friday afternoon, Penn State announced that Mike McQueary was placed on administrative leave; his career at Penn State, most likely over.  And I'll be honest... I felt good about that.  I believe that this was an important step for Penn State to take in order to bring respectability back to the university and its football program, that without it, they had not done enough.  

Saturday afternoon, they played a game.  When I watched our players slowly walk (rather than run) onto the field, arm in arm in a show of unity, young men who had nothing to do with the trouble surrounding them, it was touching.  But nothing moved me more than watching both sidelines come together at midfield in a moment of silence and prayer for the victims of this tragedy. Not just players, but EVERYBODY.  I think it was an appropriate moment and it was classy as hell; as I dabbed the blue and white tears from my eyes, I was Penn State (and maybe even Cornhusker) proud once again.

The Penn Stater Magazine wrote a great piece (They Played a Game, but the Score Barely Mattered) that summed the day up nicely; the article talked about gestures, both big and small on the first Saturday in my lifetime where Joe Paterno did not lead the team.  I got a bit teary when I read that the first seat on the first of the team buses, where Coach Paterno had sat for 46 seasons, was left empty on Saturday morning.  Those kids were nothing but supportive of their coach - you could hear it in every interview they gave last week - and despite everything, I think it was a beautiful gesture.   

Only time will tell what all of this will mean to Penn State, but I hope with all my heart that high school students will continue to recognize all that is great about this campus, this school.  That bright faculty will continue to recognize what is great in this community and will continue to come here to teach and research.  That alumni will continue to give generously, to fund scholarships and faculty chairs, to make a difference.  And that around the nation, people will realize that Penn State is so much more than just a football team marred by a terrible scandal.  That they will once again see the Penn State that I love, the Penn State that is part of my being.

I baked a cake for an event at the kids school on Sunday with a Penn State theme (one of three categories for their cake decorating contest).  When I posted the picture to my Facebook account, my brother commented that there was no tear.  That was a conscious choice... my Nittany Lion is moving on.  Looking ahead.  And so am I!

Now for the media folks that have swarmed our town since the story first broke, please pack up your trucks, cameras, and staff and get the @#$%# out of town... you've lost sight of what the story should really be about.  And quite frankly, I've grown tired of you.

The end of innocence

A friend gave me two tickets for the Penn State/Illinois game, the final game of a storied chapter in Penn State's history.  The last game when we still believed that Penn State ran an exemplary football program. When we could look at an Ohio State or a Miami and feel moral superiority.  When we could be proud of a program that preached the things we value: education, integrity, honor.

When former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested, when it became clear that Penn State administrators knew about a horrible incident involving Sandusky and a young boy that took place here on campus, our innocence was lost.

I sat down and started to read the Grand Jury report, but could not bring myself to read past Victim 1.  I still find it hard to believe that Sandusky, a man who seemed dedicated to helping children, could have done such awful things.

Way back in 1977, Sandusky founded The Second Mile.  It started as a group foster home, serving 45 local boys in its first year.  Today, it serves 100,000 boys and girls annually throughout the Commonwealth in various prevention, early-intervention, and community based programs.  I've had friends involved in mentoring programs with The Second Mile, I supported the organization as our employee's choice charity a few years back, and importantly, I really believe in the work this organization does.  I've heard stories about the kids that participate in their programs and I know The Second Mile makes a difference in their lives.  Today, I am afraid for the organization and for the children it serves.  I wonder how it goes on in light of the events surrounding it, as more and more people now come forward against Sandusky.

Penn State is my alma mater, and I love Penn State.  But I am angry. 

I am angry at Sandusky who used a position of trust and leadership to hurt children.

I am angry at the Penn State janitor who witnessed inappropriate activity back in 2000 and said nothing.  NOTHING.  For fear of losing his job. 

I am angry at Mike McQueary, whose name does not come out often enough in all of this.  I understand that Sandusky was a man he knew and I am sure respected up until that moment in Lasch Building, but how, when he realized that Sandusky was sodomizing a young boy, did he not step into that shower and put an end to it.  Right then.  Why was his first call to his father and not the police?  When it became obvious there would be no investigation, that the only 'fallout' from the incident would be to ban Sandusky from bringing children onto campus, how did he not come forward then?  How does he sleep at night?
  
I am angry with Joe Paterno.  This is a man who is revered here in State College.  If you are not a graduate of Penn State or you do not have local ties to this area, perhaps that is hard to understand.  But here is a man who has given more than 60 years of his life to Penn State, who helped to make this school more than just an agricultural school in Central Pennsylvania.   He gives generously of his time, makes substantial financial contributions to the university and throughout the community.  Until a week ago, he had the reputation of running a good program.  Kids were students before they were athletes.  They graduate.  They don't get into trouble... at least no more than other college kids do.  

But I am told he runs a tight ship around here.  He controls that football program and is one of the most powerful men at Penn State.  What he wants, he gets.  And if that is the case, than what he should have wanted was for Sandusky to go to jail following that night in 2002; he should have wanted more than just Sandusky's ban from bringing children onto campus.  He should have washed his hands of Sandusky right on the spot.  No more office in Lasch Building, no more access to team facilities.  No more affiliation with the program.  None.  

And jail.  Did I mention jail?  Because Paterno is a father and a grandfather and he should have been as outraged at the allegations as the rest of us now are.  If there was anyone who could have pushed for action, it was Paterno.  If there was ever a time where Penn State could have recovered from this, it was then.

When you announce that a former coach was discovered in an illegal act with a young child, that authorities were called immediately, that he was immediately removed from campus, from all affiliation with the football program, of course there would be some backlash - how could there not be in the 24/7 media cycle.  But it would be nothing like what is going on now.  It would have blown over quickly.  We would have done the right thing.  Children would have been protected.  Joe's legacy, untarnished.  


Instead, the winningest coach in Division 1 history will be remembered for what he didn't do instead of what he did.  And while I am so angry at him, I am a little sad about this.  I imagine his career will be over soon, I can't see any other way for the Board of Trustees to proceed than to clean house.  Starting at the top... the top of the university with Graham Spanier and the top of the football program with Joe Paterno.  I wish Joe's story had a different ending.  A happy ending. 

While much of the focus of this story has shifted to Paterno, he is not, nor should he be, the full story.  This is a story about looking the other way, of protecting an institution over protecting children for nearly a decade.  

I am angry with Tim Curley (Athletic Director), Gary Schultz (VP of Business and Finance), and Graham Spanier (President).  I am disgusted with these men who should have come forward, who as far as I am concerned had a moral obligation to do so, but instead chose to protect their image.



I read a great quote yesterday from Bob Ford, a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"If Penn State athletic coaches and administrators could look the other way when a 10-year-old is sexually assaulted on campus by a prominent former coach, what wouldn't they do?  What could possibly be beyond their capability to accept in order to protect the "good name" of the program?"

Penn State will never be the same. 

And so now what remains for me, as an alumna of the university, as a resident this community? The Board of Trustees will take action which I believe will result in the termination of both Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno.  A search for a new President... one I hope values emerging technologies as much as Spanier. I have to believe different leadership at Penn State may view Rich's work group differently than our current administration does (and selfishly, only one of us should be unemployed at a time).

For McQueary, for Paterno, for all the others who knew something was amiss but did nothing to stop it, there's a lifetime of guilt for their complicity in this.  There's a hope for absolution that may never come.

And for Sandusky, his day in court, where now more than 20 victims stand ready to face him, will come.  Twenty boys, now men, to let him know that what he did to them was NOT ok.  There will be prison.  And most importantly, there will come a day where he stands before God for the judgment that matters most. 

For the victims, I cannot begin to imagine what comes next for them.  I hope there is solace in knowing that this man they once trusted cannot hurt anyone else.  More than that though, I hope they find peace.

For them, I am heartbroken.

Overnight... all by myself

There are days that I would give anything to be far away... far away from the stress that sometimes comes with raising two young children, the growing frustration of a job search in a region with little professional opportunity, the daily responsibilities of being an adult, of running a household. 

I am not complaining (much) about these things.  All the things in my life, good and bad, are of my own choosing.  But that said, it is sometimes nice, even if only for a few hours, to not be a wife or a mother.  Nobody climbing on my lap, wiping their boogers on my shirt or asking me to sing songs while they sit on the potty.  Nobody wondering if there are clean running clothes in the house or what's for dinner.  An uninterrupted adult conversation, a chance to finish a thought before I forget what it was I was thinking about in the first place.  

With a few phone calls and emails, and a reservation with my friend Barb, I planned a night away.

Within days of 'booking' the trip, Groupon's Deal of the Day for the Philadelphia area (one of four regions that flood my inbox with mostly useless mail) offered a 60-minute Swedish Massage at Bella Sorrel, a day spa just down the street from Barb's house, for only $35.  She and I both made the purchase!  Sadly, when she called to schedule the appointment, the spa did not have two slots together, so I was FORCED to go alone.  It was torture (in case Barb is reading... in reality, it was a nice start to the day and a good way to relax after the long drive).  The big downside - I left feeling slimy and smelling like a stick of peppermint gum.

After a quick shower, Barb and I said good-bye to her husband and kids and took off for adult night! 

The night started at a little restaurant called Los Sarapes (if you are in the Chalfont area, and you like Mexican food, go check it out), where Barb promised they served enormous margaritas.  They didn't, but that is ok...  I still have some not so fond memories of the last time that Barb and I were together back in July.  With our kids safely tucked into bed that night, she and I drank - one of us (that would be me) way too much!

We decided to see a movie after dinner, something that neither one of us has the opportunity to do too often.   There were a few movies out that we were interested in seeing and we settled on the 9:40 showing of Moneyball.  What a great choice.  For those who haven't seen it, the story is about Billy Beane and the 2002 Oakland A's - a team that set a MLB record for consecutive wins (at 20) but lost in the first round of the playoffs.  What makes this team, and this story, so interesting though is how they did it - with statistics and economic analysis and the lowest payroll in baseball. 

My favorite part of the movie came at the end... when Beane was offered $12.5 million to take over as GM of the Boston Red Sox.  He turned it down, choosing to stay in Oakland.  It's rare to see someone in professional sports turn down a big payday (I am thinking of Jayson Werth as I type this) .  I think that's one of the reasons I still love Cliff Lee, who left millions on the table to come back to Philadelphia last year, despite what my brother has pointed out to me (though I already knew) was one of the biggest disappointments in Philadelphia sports history last month.

In between dinner and the movie, there was shopping... and even more of it on the way home when I met a friend who lives in the Hershey area for lunch and some time at the outlets.  In a 24-hour span of time, I think I accomplished roughly 75% of the Christmas shopping I need to do.  If only I could say that about the Shutterfly books I do for our parents each year (where I just finished uploading our pictures for 2011).

So, I returned home rested and poor, to two children who acted as though they hadn't seen me in weeks.  That sure makes for a nice homecoming.  I'm glad I took the trip, even if I missed out on a friend or two I would have liked to have seen.  There's always next time...
 

Crime and Punishment

I volunteered in Matt's classroom last Monday.  The kids and I worked with socks full of change - pennies, nickles, dimes, and quarters.  We talked about what each was worth, we sorted and counted our change, and found other activities that allowed the kids to explore the value of money - for example, I gave them two quarters and asked that they give me the same amount of money using different coins.

When Matt came off the bus Tuesday, he shared that he 'found' four quarters at school... on the playground.  Having just been in the classroom (with a box full of money socks) the day before, I was immediately suspicious of his windfall.  He insisted that he just happened to find these four quarters at recess.  Told me that several times.

And then, an hour or so later, he cracked.  Admitted that they really came out of the socks in his classroom.

For me, this became one of those great teachable moments you both hope for as a parent and you are deathly afraid of.  Clearly the lesson is that we do not take things that don't belong to us and it's something that we've talked about casually many times over the years.  I immediately recognized that I needed the punishment to have meaning, to leave a lasting impression.  But at the same time, I didn't want to make it something that would leave him afraid to come to me and tell me the truth... I recognize there are much bigger battles coming in the years ahead.

While he lost the Wii and he lost time outside with his friends, I thought it was most important for Matt to take the money back to school and to let his teacher know that he took it from the sock.  As soon as I told him this, the tears started.  "I'll get in trouble."  Oh, buddy, you don't know what trouble is...

I find it interesting that he was more worried about the trouble he would get into at school than he was about the trouble he was in at home.  I'm sure that says something about my parenting skills, and not likely in a good way.

Matt cried for a good half hour.  Just sat on my lap, arms around my neck and cried.

While I felt bad that he was clearly scared about what he needed to do, I also thought I'd found the perfect punishment.  It's important that he learn to be accountable for his actions, even at a young age.  I am a bit of a softy though... I offered to drive him to school Wednesday morning and go with him to talk to his teacher.  I didn't want him to be afraid, but more importantly, I wanted him to know that even when he does something wrong, I still love him and he has my support. 

Ms. Clair was great.  She told Matt that she recognized how hard it must have been to come to her and tell her the truth and she was very proud of him.  She also let him know that it's important to tell grown-ups the truth and reinforced the idea that when you tell the truth, even when it's scary, grown-ups can help you.

When the kids got off the bus Wednesday afternoon, I packed them into the car and took them out to Fun Unleashed.  I wanted to let Matt know that I was very proud of him... that with crime comes punishment, but doing the right thing brings reward.

He was afraid.  But, he faced it.  He had a very scary conversation with his teacher not knowing what would come of it.  I hope that in the end, he learned that even the really scary things we face growing up are not as bad as we imagine they will be...

The Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK is in the books!

I have to begin by saying that ultramarathoners are phenomenal athletes... Sunday's Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK 50 mile relay and ultramarathon was such a fantastic experience, but I ached after running just over 10 miles, a fraction of the distance they would cover.  I remember thinking when we DROVE past the 26 mile mark that when the ultra-runners passed this point, essentially completing their first 'marathon' of the day, they (mostly) had another one left to run.  I cannot begin to imagine... 

I passed several ultra-runners during the final leg of our relay and made sure I told every one of them that I thought what they were about to accomplish was amazing.  And it was.  Everyone on the mountain encouraged the other runners around them, but I think they made an extra effort to cheer the nearly 120 men and women running the Ultra (114 finished in the allotted 12 hours).  The winning time (a new course record) was 5:33:46.  Phenomenal. 

Our team waiting for Janine at Transition Zone #1

While I am in awe of them, for me, the day was about running with seven other terrific women, having fun, and crossing the finish line before dark!  Start times were posted on Wednesday morning and our team was initially included in the 10:00am wave, setting off a moment of panic.  I love an outdoor run as much as the next girl, but we realistically thought we would need 8:30:00 to finish the course... meaning that late a start would likely leave me (as our final runner) coming down the mountain in the dark.  Plus, the course is officially shut down at 7:00pm meaning any deviation from our expectations, and we might not finish. When they moved our start time up by half-an-hour, I felt much better.

Coming into Transition Zone #4

I had two legs (of twelve) to run - the first, a 6.2 mile run that is described as "gently rolling, with several long hills".  The longest is just over a mile in distance and includes a roughly 500 foot rise in elevation.  I ran it back in September, when I was just getting my running legs back under me and it kicked my ass.

While it was still a tough leg for me, it went so much better than I expected... The run I thought would take 1:15:00 instead took only 1:04:13.

After my first run of the day was complete, I had a nearly five hour wait before my second run.  But it was such a perfect day... clear and sunny, temperatures in the high 50s, and I enjoyed every minute outside.  Cell coverage was spotty at best throughout the day, but I resisted the occasional urge to call and check on the kids.  In the end, they had a fantastic day.  Both Matt and Cathy got to and from all the activities on their busy schedules, they ate well, listened well, played nicely. 

Penn Roosevelt State Park - gorgeous fall afternoon!

I just love the light coming through the trees...

About to cross the finish line

We stayed nearly perfect on our target pace (10:00) all day thanks to some amazing runs by my teammates; when Allyson handed off to me for the final leg at 5:20pm, just 4.2 mostly downhill miles stood between us and our goal to finish before 6:00pm.
  
With the sun setting and cloud cover moving in, I was glad to be moving again.  All afternoon, we had our eye on a team called Obligated Eight and their final runner was in sight once I had the baton.  It took about two miles, but I finally caught and passed her, eventually crossing the finish line at 5:57pm... with three minutes to spare and with plenty of daylight remaining.   

We finished second in the women's mega category thanks to that pass on leg #12, 19 seconds ahead of Obligated Eight!

Even though I am glad this year's race is behind me, I am also anxious to go back out and do it again next year... I even thought of a good team name while we were still on the mountain... "Done Before Dark".  But now that I have had a few days to think about it, I've got an even better idea... "Drinking By Dark!".

Who's in with me???

A (very busy) day in the life...

I am looking forward to participating in this year's Tussey mOUnTaiNBACK - a 50 mile relay or ultramarathon through Rothrock State Forest.  Sitting here in bed, just a few hours before the event, I am feeling a little overwhelmed by all the planning, packing, and coordinating that has gone into the day, and I am so grateful to the many friends that will look after the kids tomorrow.

My relay team (Better Late Than Never) is scheduled to report at 8:15 tomorrow for a 9:30 start.  With Rich scheduled a half-hour earlier, I've got to drag two sleepy kids out of bed, throw them in the car, and drop them at the end of the block.  They'll come and go throughout the day, as I have somehow made arrangements to get the kids to all their activities on what has to be the busiest Sunday on record for everyone.

So tonight, a big shout out to some terrific friends:

To Craig and Laura - thanks for taking the kids so early in the day, and graciously offering to keep them until whenever we get off the mountain and just rolling with things as we have them shuttled in and out of your house all day.

To Brent and Cathy - thanks for picking my Cathy up and taking her to the last soccer game of the season.  Please cheer loudly for my little girl and remind her not to eat her shirt sleeve.

To Marissa and Paul - thanks for taking Matt to tomorrow's rocket launch.  He's been excited to do this since that first scout meeting and I would have hated to see him miss out.

To Lori - since you will be out on the mountain with me all day, thanks for arranging for your dad to take Matt to CCD with Owen.  Since we absentmindedly skipped it last week, I am glad Matt will not be missing two weeks in a row.  Also, thanks for coordinating our relay team.  I know we're going to have a great day tomorrow!

The bags are packed.  I am in bed before midnight.  I'm as ready as I can be.

Thanks, everyone, for making it possible!

Hersheypark in the Dark

Some time after I started the blog last summer, a friend pointed out that I'd been to a lot of amusement parks.  And while this year was probably not an amusement park record for the Cropp kids, it was a pretty fair assessment of our Summer of Fun.  But for all the parks we visited, we skipped over Hershey Park, choosing to wait until Matt reached the magical 48" height requirement for the park's wooden roller coasters.  Well, sometime between then and now, he made it!

After getting his feet wet on coasters at Idlewild and Soak Zone, Delgrosso's, Lakemont Park, and Knoebels this summer (I told you it was a fair assessment), I was certainly excited to head down to Hershey this past weekend... after many, many years of paying too much money to ride carousels, trains, and other rides not meant for people taller than a yard stick, we're finally turning a corner on the amusement-park experience...  thrill rides!

Not all thrill rides, mind you, but enough to make me Hersheypark Happy!  The wooden coasters, the superdooperLooper (SDL), and Trailblazer were all fair game and I was sure we'd ride them all.  Cathy even promised to go on coasters she was tall enough to ride - the Comet and Trailblazer.  We didn't even make the SDL an option.  

Clearly, this would be a much different trip than my last to Hersheypark in the Dark back in 2006 - the year that Cathy was born.  Rich and I took the kids for opening weekend, just three weeks after Cathy had started taking Trileptal.  I remember riding with her on the carousel, thinking that it was likely not a good idea to bring a little baby with a seizure disorder onto a ride that spins (quickly) in circles.  In the end, the day went well and I think Rich and I started to trust that we could have some semblance of a normal life despite all the things we were afraid of. 

Then...

... and now

Thinking of that first trip five years ago, I can't help but marvel at how much they have grown, how much they have accomplished.  And I can't help but be thankful for every day I get to spend in this normal life... this life where my little girl can do all the things that her big brother can do.  Five years ago, I didn't know this would be possible.  Now I know the possibilities are limitless.       

Now...

... and then

While Matt was initially excited about his new status as a "Hershey Bar", in the end he didn't take full advantage of it.  I expected he would line up for each of the park's wooden coasters, but instead , I got him on only one - the red racing coaster (which beat the green coaster on our ride).  

Even without lots of wooden roller coasters (though I got on two) there were many great things about the day including cousins!!!  Coupled with absolutely fantastic fall weather (no jackets required for most of the day), it was a perfect day. 

 

Matt, Cathy, and their cousins Alex, Cadence, and Tori

The kids really enjoyed spending time with their cousins (Matt and Cadence typically pair up, as do Cathy and Tori.  Sorry Alex, but you are on your own in this crowd) and it makes me miss family... that's always been the hardest part of living here in Central PA.  In the early years of marriage, the distance seemed like a blessing - everyone is close enough that we can get home quickly if we need to, but nobody could just drop in for dinner - but as Matt and Cathy get older, I wish we had family close by.  That's one of the reasons I've started rethinking our approach to the holidays.  And it's one of the reasons that I sometimes consider broadening my job search out of the immediate area.

All stories for another day.  For now, back to our FUN, FUN day...

Aside from a slow entrance into the park (where I have finally learned the importance of pre-purchasing tickets), I couldn't have asked for a better day.  We had two very important Cropp family firsts: this marked our first trip to Hersheypark without a stroller.  Cathy walked like a champ until late in the evening, and quite honestly, even I was a little tired of walking by then.  This is also the first time we've stayed until any park has closed... 10pm. Of course, by the time we walked back to the car, returned to the park to go to the bathroom, put pajamas on and started to drive, it was nearly 11pm.  But the kids handled it great... Hooray!

Toward the end of the night, the kids decided to ride Trailblazer.  A pretty mild steel coaster that I remember from my very first trip to Hersheypark back in the early 80s.  Matt and Cadence rode it over and over and over.   Cathy rode once... she did great, though I am certain she would have enjoyed it more if it were still light outside.  There were places around the track where it was pretty dark and she's not always a fan of that.

I don't have many great pictures from the day, but here are two of my favorites... the first, Cadence, Matt and Cathy on our second train ride - this one at night because the kids were sure it would 'freak' them out in the dark.  It didn't.  But we did notice different decorations in the dark, so it was certainly worthwhile to ride twice.

Cathy's looking a little sleepy here... it's after 9pm.

This second picture, the kids with the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup was taken just before closing.

So, Halloween activities are in full swing now.  Pumpkin carving has begun.  We've got a haunted trail and activities at Shaver's Creek on Saturday, trick-or-treat night at the All-Sports Museum Tuesday, classroom parties at school, and obviously Halloween night all to look forward to.

And then it will be time to start thinking about Christmas (and to think, we're only a month behind the big box stores!).

The Zoo Follows Parent/Teacher Conferences...

Fall parent/teacher conferences were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday (Matt on Monday morning, Cathy on Tuesday) leaving us with two days off from school.  The conferences themselves weren't earth shattering, but I think we walked away from each with some really great information.

Matt, not surprisingly, still talks too much and too loudly.  But he's making great progress with both.  For the first time, he was asked to set goals before the conference and these became the basis for much of our discussion.  These goals centered around reading, writing, and math, each chosen specifically by Matt.  We talked about each goal and what Matt would need to do to achieve them.  If you've read Goodbye, Reading Club, you know that Matt's making fantastic progress in reading; with the gains in reading skills, writing is expected to follow suit (because for some reason, he wants to write about birds).  Already, he's spacing words, using sound spelling for words he doesn't yet know, he's mostly using correct letters (capital vs. lower case) and he's beginning to use punctuation in his writing.  

Math, it turns out, is Matt's area of strength.  His goal: to learn to tell time and to learn multiplication (something I remember really learning in the third grade, as songs set to Christmas tunes such as Frosty the Snowman's '5 ones are 5, 5 twos are 10', etc... if you went to St. Philip Neri with me, you'll probably remember this).  Later this year, a select group of kids will head off for math enrichment - stuff that is above and beyond the current curriculum - and Matt will be joining that group.

At Cathy's conference on Tuesday, we talked about how Cathy has been coming out of her shell.  On the very first day of school, I let her teacher, Mrs. Bruening, know that my little girl was nothing like her brother, that it would be work to get her to share things in class, and that was certainly the case.  She'll never be the kid who comes home with behavior warnings for talking in class, something Matt did more often than I would have liked.  She's a rule follower, through and through.

We were told that all the kids love Cathy, and for that I am so very grateful.  I've worried endlessly how Cathy would do with a new group of friends, especially when you consider that she's often a quiet child.  But socially, she's thriving.  I've had the chance to volunteer in Cathy's classroom and so I know that there are some really nice kids there... it's nice to be able to put a name with a face as Cathy starts to talk more and more about what she does in school each day.

Mrs. Bruening expressed concern over the way Cathy writes her letters, a concern I have shared and so I was glad she addressed it first.  Cathy can write most letters, at least as capitals, but her hand is sometimes shaky and that can make the letters somewhat indecipherable.  Mrs. Bruening asked if she could have the school's occupational therapist evaluate Cathy and I could not be happier about this.

When Cathy aged out of the birth to three Early Intervention program, we lost occupational therapy despite the efforts our therapist and I put into trying to keep it.  In the preschool program, the eligibility requirements are much different and the bottom line was that Cathy was never delayed enough to qualify.  We consistently asked our neurologist for prescriptions for OT services and he gladly wrote them, but living in Central PA, it was impossible to find a pediatric therapist taking private patients.  As part of the school system, Cathy will now have access to those types of services.  I'm already looking forward to the great progress I am sure she'll make with just a little extra attention.

Outside of that, Mrs. Bruening let us know that she'll have the reading specialist keep a close eye on Cathy and we shouldn't be surprised if Cathy finds her way into the kindergarten Reading Club come January (when the kids will be evaluated again with higher standards than in September).  Meantime, we'll work with Cathy on her writing skills and read and read and read with her to help her develop the skills she needs.  As I said the other day, my follow through is great as long as it's clear to me what I need to do to help the kids along.

After Tuesday's conference, with a pretty good weather forecast for mid-October, we piled in the car and traveled to the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium for the day... our third trip to Pittsburgh in the last few months (see Pittsburgh Children's Museum, PNC Park, and A Trip to Pittsburgh for Preseason Football).  

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so check out some of our pictures from the zoo...

Watching the Jaguar...

Love this... had us all looking up!

I could watch the Elephants all day

The Giraffes too

The kids crawling under the sting ray exhibit

Target feeding the sharks... more on this in a minute

Eating lollipops

Polar Bear (our kindergarten mascot)

One of the highlights of the trip, other than perfect temperatures and the spectacular colors of fall, came during our visit to the Aquarium.  We watched an employee feed one of the larger tanks of fish - as he climbed down the ladder, he told the kids that if they watched the ladder and made sure everyone stayed off it while he moved to another location to continue the feed, he'd show them something special.  

Included in our "special" behind the scenes tour of the aquarium, several tanks holding fish not yet ready to go out on display (including a male stingray, currently too small to be out with the older, larger women, that would eventually become part of what they hope will be a successful breeding program).  Next up, a trip upstairs and to the top of the largest tank - this is the one that holds the sharks.  We arrived in the middle of a target feed... in a target feed, an employee uses a yellow disk to attract the sharks.  When their nose touches the disk, they receive their food.  This becomes a very powerful tool in caring for the fish as they can easily track how much each fish eats; they also use this technique to monitor their health... for example, the fish will touch the disk, allowing staff to lift each shark out of the tank and weigh them.  We were told that the sharks are very tolerant of anything the staff wants to do simply because they've been conditioned to expect food at the end.

It was a very cool side trip, and something that we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to do.

We stayed at the zoo until closing time, grabbed dinner on the way out of town and arrived back home by 9:30pm.  It was a long day, but oh, so much fun... it reminded me of what was so great about my summer with the kids and it's so nice to know that just because school is back in session, there are still days to spend together and memories to make and share.