URBNAPE grew up while we were in Indiana. Traded her in for a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5. Vroom vroom.

A rainy rainy morning found us inside oohing and aahing over dinosaur fossils at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Merica was a bit frightened by the sounds coming from the recreation of a fight between T. Rex and Triceratops, but otherwise handled it as a trooper. N.J. (Trenton, her brother) was noncommital about the whole thing, but seemed to enjoy dangling from our chests in his Snuggli. Merica participated in an excavation. "Takes about thirteen months to fully uncover it, then we bury it again," said the lady overseeing the exhibit. Submarines, Egyptian tombs, and cultural clothes that get kids beat up the world over were also in store.

Lastly, Merica does what her mom does so well: talks on the phone.

Our little niece is just about the most charming thing in Indiana. The smiles, the bright, inquisitive eyes, the proliferation of "pease help"s and "oh, thank you"s. She's also incredibly helpful at getting stars in Super Mario 64 DS.