children's museum

That's what we did today.

Here they are loading packages onto a conveyor belt, then they run upstairs and do other things. It's like a factory with a shipping department.

This was the room with a shadow puppet light show, though the picture is crap.

Gears, b.g. working them.  His mom doesn't work Fridays and was willing to take this adventure. I didn't  realize before that she has a membership and that even saved us money.  Wow.

Oh yes, p.j. contemplating gears and how delightful they are to chew on.

In one part of the museum they have a town, and when we were here a couple years ago the kids played here for hours, delivering mail, running the restaurant and grocery store. They were pretty absorbed today too.

Oh, so sweet, planting fake flowers.

Here's the sound stage, b.g. on guitar.  Trouble is the only song he likes is The Wheels On the Bus.  And other kids would change the song. Whenever it was Wheels on the Bus, he'd go running back again. Y.M.C.A? No interest to him. The other songs, no. Just that one.

This is how cool the set is, apartments above, furnished.

This is the town's art museum with the shoe art.  I don't know what I'd do with artistic shoes in real life, but it was a fun display.

She liked the museum, people-watched, crawled all over.

This is in the story book room. She's painting.

This was the Snowy Day exhibit, but Lydia is a little too tall for the snow angel thing.

She was mesmerized by this drum

Oh yeah, turtle girl.  These pictures are in the world forest nature type room.

She was a fairly civilized turtle.  A bit later there were two brothers and the one in the shell did a lot of screaming and the other brother socked him in the head. The grandma admonished him for hitting.  No, he's acting on all our behalf in regard to that racket.

Julia waving from inside the ant hill

Weaving nylon straps, and arguing the whole while.

And then as we were about to head home, they announced the rat program! Upstairs! Touch a real, live rat!

Sigh.

They ran upstairs and Alicia took a very tired little boy home about then. Heidi and I stood in the nature room wondering what could possibly take so long about a rat.   Finally I hauled my cookies all the way up the stairs and the guy was there with the rat, and he had a British accent and was telling the kids,

"Listen and see if you can hear your own breathing."

Oh, for crissakes.   I noticed Tim sitting on the floor, sweaty hair, fingers against his temples, eyes closed, no doubt listening for that breathing.

I went downstairs again and told Heidi it'd be a while.

But eventually we made it home, and it was a great day.  Heidi and Joe went out for dinner and left the little girl here.

We de-cluttered Lydia and Julia's room with a garbage bag, and it's a huge improvement.

Jay's here now, informing me that he has shut off the upstairs toilet. All the brass parts are kaput and he has to replace the entire guts tomorrow.

The excitement around here continues!   On and on it does!

Happy Friday.  love always, Val