DinoMite!

Images from the dinosaur mural (left-the small meat eating Ornitholestes and a group of Diplodocus in the background).

Camptosaurus
Dolichorhynchops (marine reptile) will be chasing a diving bird and a nice mural will be placed behind him with various other sea creatures.

Two halves of the hall as the dinosaurs stand now.














The Dinosaur Hall is nearing completion. Well, the first phase anyway. In less than two weeks the dinosaurs will be open to the public with all new exhibits, retrofitted dinosaur skeletons, fossils, computer graphics, fossils, movies, fossils and commentaries. Did I say there would be a lot of fossils? Here is the last sneak peek before the Hall opens. I also promised to show you the complete Stegosaurus and others. Here is a little bit of everything-Dinosaurs, Mural artwork, other fossils, etc. More images below.

DinoMite 2

Redondosaurus (the big crocodile-like reptile) and Coelophysis (dinosaurs painted in the background).

Large case containing many well preserved nondinosaurian animals.

Juvenile Camarasaurus in position it was found in at the Carnegie Quarry (Dinosaur National Monument).

Dryosaurus (herbivorous dinosaur) being chased by Ceratosaurus (meat eating dinosaur).

Stegosaurus completed

Halloween

I have almost caught up on October!

This was a sad Halloween for Jacob. He officially lost his sidekick and was presented with a full fledged sister. Julia is no longer content to dress in whatever fits with Jacob's theme but this year asserted her will to be a PRINCESS. No amount of cajoling or begging would convince her that a pirate princess was better than a plain old princess. Not only did Julia stymie Jacob in that arena but also managed to bring her baby sister along to the dark side of fruffy girlyness.

A photographic memoir, of Halloweens past. a fond farewell to the "sidekick"

Jacob as Shaggy and Julia as Scooby.

Jacob as Luke Skywalker and Julia as Leia Organa.

Jacob and his Princesses

My, how the months WHIP by.....

Well, it is November. I don't know what happened to October, luckily, I have pictures.

Grandma and Grandpa Shaw came to visit us, Jacob turned eight, Allen went to Austin for a week, my friend Chandra got married and an amazing and heroic friend from church babysat ALL my kids for fifteen, that's 15, hours so I could go. Jessica, you are an angel and a seriously underpaid one, at that.

Here is the month in pictures.

Jacob and his friend James in the press box at PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. We did a tour early in October it was SUPER fun.

Hey, they don't call it a pumpkin FESTIVAL for nothing. Jake and Julie at Triple B Farms. We went with Grandma and Grandpa Shaw and Jacob had his first ever experience in a Spook Alley. It was hilarious. It was an extremely mild spook alley, geared for smaller kids but Jacob shakily told us that was the SCARIEST thing he had ever done in his ENTIRE life. It was rather funny that Jacob went in right behind Allen and Julia and as I was walking through the door he was coming straight back out. I told him to hold my hand and it would be fun. (except when I got disoriented and kept trying to walk through a wall and Jacob finally had to pull me in the right direction) At least Jacob wasn't crying like the two boys that came out right before us!! Julia may never allow Allen to tell her when to look at something again as long as he lives. Otherwise we are unscathed.

Julia is SURE this is the one.

JoraJo and the pygmy goats.
Jake and Grandma Shaw on Jakes Birthday.

Does God answer prayers with the Jehovah Witnesses?

So, today I answered the door without looking out my window first and guess who was there?!?
Bob and Beverly, my friendly neighborhood Jehovah Witnesses.
I happen to really like Bob and Beverly. However, I am not always in the mood to talk religion with them. In fact they have never scored an invitation into the house. (Something the Mormom missionaries would find absolutely demoralizing) Today, they read a scripture from John and left me a couple of magazines. I actually admitted to them that my faith was in a valley. You know, hills, valleys, normal life and faith. Bob proceeded to tell me a story about the Israelites and Syrians. The Israelites were about to be invaded (story of their life) AGAIN, this time by the Syrians. So, instead of praying to God to strengthen them and give them victory, they decided on a little independence. They scooted over to Egypt and asked the Egyptians to bring their formidable army and camp 'round Jerusalem. In the end, Syrians wiped the floor with them and the Israelites are, most likely, captives AGAIN. God tells them that because they didn't ask and trust Him, they are back to square one.
So, am I, like those unbelievably dense Israelites, running to Egypt and missing the whole point?
Could I be losing because I can never hold out long enough to see the victory?
Egyptians or Insanity, the question of the day.