22. Read 10 books on the Pulitzer list

One of my goals for the bucket list is to read 10 books off the Pulitzer List. I scoured the list and found ten that looked interesting to me. I've actually read three of the books and one of those did not actually win the Pulitzer that year for it's category, but was a finalist. Since I enjoyed the story last time I decided to go ahead and reread. I'm going to go ahead and post the list here but then post a synopsis or plot summary of the books in separate posts. I will edit those posts to let you know how I felt about the book once I've finished them. So...here are my list of books to read for the year and why I chose that book...drum roll please...

In no particular order:

1. A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley 1992 Fiction
2. The Stone Diaries Carol Shields 1995 Fiction
3. The Hours Michael Cunningham 1999 Fiction
4. The Road Cormac McCarthy 2007 Fiction
5. To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee* 1961 Fiction
6. The Diary of Anne Frank Albert Hackett* 1956 Drama
7. Into Thin Air John Krakauer* ** 1998 General NonFiction
8. Breathing Lessons Anne Tyler 1989 Fiction
9. The Color Purple Alice Walker 1983 Fiction
10. Beloved Toni Morrison 1988 Fiction

* I've read before

** A finalist but not winner

Wetting Ring

Jack: (pointing to my finger) Momma, what's that?

Me: My wedding ring.

Jack: Does it keep you from getting wet?

Me: (smiling) No, it tells everyone how much I love Daddy.

Jack: I love Daddy too.

4. See a play at the Indianapolis Reparatory Theatre

Check another one off the bucket list. Jason and I caught "The Diary of Anne Frank" at IRT as a late Valentine's Day date. Despite the heavy subject it was an excellent performance. I enjoyed it so much that I decided I'm going to reread the novel as part of my 10 Pulitzer books I'm going to read this year.

18. Walk the Canal downtown

Since tutoring is over and Jason does not need to watch the kids, he gets his half day Fridays at work back. Today we decided to take advantage of the sunshine and warmer temps and walk the canal downtown, number eighteen on the bucket list. The canal runs 8 miles through downtown and into White River State Park. It's a great place to run, roller blade, bike or walk. In the summer you can rent paddle boats and fountains run over embankments. It passes by the Eiteljorg Museum, The Indiana State Museum, The NCCAA Hall of Champions, and has access to The Indianapolis Zoo.

Graham Vader

A little history of Central Canal

Outside The Indiana State Museum

we waited for the steam whistles to chime on the

clock then realized they were turned off

Beautiful downtown Indianapolis...looking east from

The Indiana State Museum

Looking west toward the zoo

Graham getting in a little shadow play

My boys outside The NCAA Hall of Champions

Jack and I trying to make a heart

I lied

So...I lied. I lied when I said:

I'd never sleep with a baby in my bed

I couldn't have a baby with hair

I would never have a thumb sucker

My kid wouldn't (soon) be three and still taking a pacifier

Happy Valentine's Day

I quit my teaching job for this...

Happy Valentine's Day.

Laundry Counting

I have a weird obsession with numbers. I like to count things and compare relationships between numbers. For instance...my birthday is April 8th. I like the fact that 8 is double 4. Jack's birthday is May 6th. I like that his birthday is in sequence...5, 6. I find myself doing this all the time. Today while folding a load of laundry this is what I counted:

8 sets of pajamas per boy

4 pairs of socks per boy

19 pairs of underwear for Jack.

I'll let you figure out the math on this one...

When Daddy stays home

you never know what you'll come home to find. At my house it would be a naked boy in a tent with his sucker and a sleeping bag full of trains.

Dora and Diego

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis opened a new exhibit to members today...Dora and Deigo! Stacy was out of school so we decided to take the boys there for a little preschool fun.

For a members only day there were still quite a few people there. Guess Dora and Diego are pretty popular. I will admit that we've only seen one or two episodes here, but that didn't stop Jack and Graham from having a good time.

Jack (among many others) enjoying the "acorn" tree

A little light wall climbing

Dr. Ravenscroft

Graham had a good time too

Especially with his big brother

Such a big boy!

67. Ride the people mover Downtown

Jason has cabin fever...bad. He really wanted to get out of the house today, so we decided to take the boys downtown and ride the people mover. Jason has taken Jack to ride it before, but I've never been on it. It's nothing big. Just a small two car monorail that runs between three hospitals downtown. But it was something for us to do together as a family and free.

People mover approaching the station

A momma and her boys

Now we can cross number sixty seven off my Indiana "bucket list".