friday photos, atkins for babies, and cool science news

I've got several unrelated things on my mind today, so they're all getting lumped into one hodgepodge post. We'll be away for the weekend -- attending a family reunion tomorrow -- so I've got to get all my blogging in today before I leave.

First, the photos. We went to the new, improved Strong Museum yesterday and it was fabulous. As you'll see, the boys had a lot of fun there (well, James did anyway; Evan spent a lot of time wanting to be carried, since it was nearing naptime):

Brave Sir James

Sherlock James searching for clues

James the frightening dragon

James playing a giant electronic harp

Evan on a giant chessboard

Speaking of Evan, we are having issues lately. Who knew a thirteen-month-old had so much potential to drive his parents crazy? We're getting a lot of temper tantrums lately; now that he knows how to say "no", he uses it -- or should I say, screams it -- at almost every opportunity. Also, he has apparently decided to go on the Atkins diet without consulting us, because he has mostly stopped eating carbs. He'd be quite happy on a diet of meat and fruit, with some peas (far and away his favorite vegetable) thrown in. The only carbs he eats willingly are croutons and potatoes, sometimes a bagel. Oh, the kid would probably live on potatoes if I let him, but that's not exactly practical. So we are struggling a bit.

And now for something completely different. Yesterday I came across this article about one of the coolest archaeological finds I've ever read about: Fanged kangaroos? Tree-climbing crocodiles? Marsupial lions? A "demon duck of doom"?! I always knew Australia was cool, but this goes beyond my wildest imaginings, vaulting Austrlia from cool to totally bad-ass and amazing.