Stanley Goes to Space (sort of)!

If I ever am not flat again, my dream is to become an astronaut. I asked mom to send me there but she said no. I don’t really know why; she didn’t give me an explanation. She did, however, tell me I could look online to find a virtual tour of space and she even made me a space helmet to go along with the tour! Mom is great! J  She said this is the closest I will ever get to space and for me to count myself as one of the lucky ones. 

                During the 25 minute tour the former commander of the station Sunita Williams floats around the orbital laboratory station explaining what each room is for and how astronauts spend their day while in orbit. Williams is a former commander of the station and this video was shot the day before she left the orbiting outpost. A few places inside the space station I was able to visit were the Japanese laboratories, US laboratories, and European modules where science and medical experiments are done; Node 2 which is a sleeping quarters for some of the astronauts on board; and an exercise room which included room for a treadmill, weight lift machine, and bike! Check it out for yourself!

                I’ve also found an app by Dream Walk called ISS. It allows you to interact with the International Space Station in 3D as it orbits the planet Earth. It also allows you to learn more about the structure and modules within the ISS. There are videos, picture galleries, astronaut’s views from space, and much more! Enjoy!

The app and more information can be found on the Nasa website.

If you would like to take the virtual field trip of the ISS, please click here.

Picnic

                My big brother has a lot of friends from daycare that he never gets to see anymore so today mom let us go to his old church for a picnic! It was so much fun. There were games for us to play, a playground that had all kinds of toys, and really yummy food for us to eat. I was introduced to all of my brother’s friends and even got to sit with them during lunch (no parents)! I really missed my red hat though that I lost in the race car a few nights ago; the sun was really bright and my eyes could have used the shade.

                We had to leave right after we ate because we had a birthday party to go to as well. It was for one of my sister’s friends so there were a lot of babies at the party; but they had cupcakes and that makes everything better.   There was one older kid there who had a guitar and he let me play on it for only a minute; but it was worth it! The picnic and the birthday, both, were fun but I think the picnic was my favorite thing today!

Stanley and the Race Car

                Check it out! I got to ride in Nana & Papa’s race car with big brother! It was so cool!! Mom let us spend-the-night with Nana & Papa Friday night and I watched as Nana rolled the top down on the convertible after eating pizza with everyone at Pizza Hut! It was so awesome!! Big brother calls it a race car but Nana didn’t go very fast in it. Even though she didn’t “race” in it, it was still fast enough to blow my hat off my head. You know my favorite red hat? Yea, I was pretty bummed about it but mom said she would try to make me another one before she ships me off to see some family in other states on the 31^st of this month!

               

                I made a video of us taking off in the race car. It was kind of dark so I hope you can see me and big brother waving! I was so excited about this adventure I told mom she just had to video it! After we got to Nana & Papa’s house we watched a movie, ate a snack and went to bed. We got to sleep in the huge bed upstairs; it is way bigger than brothers at home. I had so much fun! Nana & Papa are so cool and I love their race car. I hope I get to ride in it again soon.

Flat Stanley and the Balloon Skewer

                Today I got to tag along with mom to her UAB science class. She had to bring in a discrepant event to share with the class. I call it magic, but mom insists it is only science. She decided to do Balloon Skewers; which is basically where she stabs a bamboo skewer through a balloon without popping it. Ok, so her directions don’t actually include the word “stab” but that is what she is doing. She let me hold onto the skewer until it was time for her use it. I was her little assistant and had SO much fun!

                At home, big brother wanted to try and do the magic tr- I mean science project. Mom let him but the first two balloons he popped. Finally, he got it on his third attempt and I’ve never seen him so excited! He carried the skewer-pierced balloon around for as long as he could but eventually the air let out of it. I asked mom if I could try but she said since the skewer was taller than me – it probably wasn’t a very smart choice.

Ophthalmology & Associates – Off to See the Doctor!

                My big brother and sister had an eye appointment today. I got to tag along! Mom even let me get glasses. I picked red ones out because red is my favorite color. My mom said she never shows up early to these appointments because it is useless trying to keep all three of us children still in the lobby while we wait to be called to the exam room, but today we were about 15 minutes early and they were running behind. We sat in the waiting room for about an hour before the doctor called our name. My sister was acting crazy, getting in all sorts of trouble and big brother couldn’t keep his bottom still in the chair. Mom was yelling at all of us and everyone in the lobby was staring. Then we heard our name … finally!

                The exam room was SO cool! It had all these huge contraptions they put on your eye, cool flashlights, and a huge black chair to sit in while the doctor looks in your eyes. Parker (my brother) went first. He was laughing and telling jokes to the doctor the whole time. My sister didn’t like the chair so much, she is only two and mom had to hold her while the doctor was putting the eye drops in her eyes and looking in them with the light. I was riding the phoropter

machine the whole time so I could see what was going on.  Mom told me to get down but I didn’t listen, much like my siblings had not done earlier in the waiting room. Overall, minus the irritableness that came with sitting for so long in the waiting room, mom said we all did great and took us for a Sonic slush afterwards!

Stanley's Trip to Publix

My first official trip since birth!

                Mom took me to Publix grocery store today. I immediately noticed the car “buggy” and begged to ride in it. All the other children were riding in one and it looked like so much fun. At first, she said those buggies were reserved for real children but I continued to beg. I think I got a little too excited when mom finally said yes; I yelled with so much enthusiasm I think I frightened her and made her trip and lose a shoe as we were walking in the doors!

                It was my idea to take my picture. See me there in my new red baseball hat mom bought for me? I love this hat, but mom made me promise not to wear it every day. She said it needs to be washed every once and a while. Mom was in a huge hurry because she had to pick up my older brother and sister from school in a half an hour. As we were pulling into checkout isle #3 to pay, I reminded her she forgot the pop-tarts big brother had asked for earlier that morning at the breakfast table. So we ran back to the cereal aisle to grab some. At the end of the cereal aisle is where the seafood deli is, I begged mom to let me see the lobster’s tank one more time, but she said no. Maybe next time.