There is something that is 4 MILLION YEARS OLD in my kitchen.

I have two things to say about this post title:

1. I am NOT exaggerating.

2. And no, I did not find said item in my refrigerator.

Any guesses?

You are spot on! We have a 4 million year old proboscidian tooth in our kitchen! Of course, right?!
Uncle Gary brought this massive molar to show to the kids today. He found it on one of his trips to Mexico, and brought it to the Field Museum to find out what it was and how old it is. For those of you who don't know, the proboscidean family includes modern-day elephants, mammoths, mastadons, and their ancestors.
The kids were fascinated! We all agreed that we have never touched anything THAT old.

Caroline, who was just visited by the tooth fairy because she just lost her first tooth, wondered what would happen if she put THIS tooth under her pillow. Henry said that she might have a hard time sleeping with a huge, hard FOSSIL there, and Seth said that it might be a little hard for the tooth fairy to carry. :) They theorized that they might get a little more from the tooth fairy than their usual two dollars.

They all agreed that this particular proboscidean needed to brush better and see his dentist more often. They thought that he might have had a cavity.

Of course, we now have a research assignment tonight. All three of the kids want to share the tooth with their classes, and we need to know what we're talking about. :) The traveling tooth exhibit tentatively takes place tomorrow. (That was a pretty good alliteration, if I do say so myself!)