Did Dinosaurs Poop?

On Saturday, February 9, we went to the North Museum as a family. I had reserved the family pass in the summer, and then it was our "turn" the week of Christmas. We didn't get to go, so I put our name back on the waiting list and received an email the day before that it was ready for pick-up. Thankfully Shawn is easygoing and agreed to make it a fun family day after the gym!

The timing was GREAT because the museum just opened a new exhibit called "Did Dinosaurs Poop?" The boys love dinosaurs, and being boys, they giggled at the word "poop."

The first room we checked out was the live animals room. The attendant said he could take almost any animal out of its cage for the boys to touch, if we wanted. But, there were also lots of other folks in the room and Shawn shook his head no. There were cockroaches, snakes, frogs, turtles, lizards, a super hairy tarantula and all sorts of small  animals in this room. Ryan is checking out the turtles in the picture above and below.

The other boys were fascinated by this room and would tell me when they spotted the creature in its cage (some of them were hiding).

They had some various exhibits on stars and the solar system in general, and we did not pay the extra fee to see the planetarium presentation this time.

The next area we went into was the "hands on" room for little discoverers. Joshua was excited to see some dinosaurs already out. They also have tons of bins with different items to check out (my favorite being the animal feet that you have to guess belong to which animals). Others have rocks and minerals, etc. One had building blocks that the boys enjoyed putting together.

I thought this bee hive was also intriguing. Shawn told the boys if they ever see anything like that outside, they should stay away from it. Ryan enjoyed the birds on the wall, the puzzles for his age group, and the little wall of pieces that you can turn together (forgetting what it's called now). 

Caleb especially LOVED the microscope where he could adjust the focus and brightness and try to find things on these tiny cards that then were magnified and big! He could have sat there all day. Eventually he also colored some pictures and Joshua also took a turn at the microscope. 

And while I don't have as many pictures as I usually do at events like this, I was busy with my hands interacting with the boys and the stuff they were exploring. FUN!

The best part by far, though, was the actual dinosaur exhibit.

There were lots of signs and information about how dinosaurs ate and what anthropologists can tell from their fossils and even their feces. The kids could have cared less at the 'boring' info. They were just happy to PLAY! They all loved the dino slide (which you can't tell from the picture that the sides are the shape of a dinosaur).

Ryan sat down to examine the dinosaur poop to learn what the dinosaurs ate. When he went to eat the "excrement," I drew the line. But, there were also other dinosaurs to play with, which he highly enjoyed. There were books on dinosaurs (some just 'fun' ones too that we've read from the library before) and there dinosaur puzzles. There was also a station to build-a-dino with various parts of legs, heads, bodies and tails that were foam but reminded me of legos in a sense because of looking at the suggestions and then putting the pieces together to make the creature.


The coolest part in my opinion, though, was the fossil dig.

They had little scientist coats the boys could have worn (but opted not to, sigh) and goggles for fun. With tiny little brushes, we 'dug' through this box of what I'm guessing was rubber tire bits (almost like what I've seen at some playgrounds) to find various fossils. There was a paper there to say what fossils were in the box, and we found the head, an arm bone, a piece of a tale, etc. The boys LOVED this area! So did the other kids - it was a happening spot!

After we found them all, we covered them back up with our same brushes to make sure the next kids could have fun finding them. There were other exhibits about bones and dinosaur discoveries, but the boys were about done by then.

We went downstairs (a complete waste of time, in my humble opinion) and saw several different speces of birds (BO-RING!) and then went upstairs where there's a whole lot of nothing.

We felt that we definitely got our money's worth, though, since the pass was free and all it cost us was the gas to get there. :) :) :)

When we left, I suggested that we take the kids to Burger King with a playground. If I'm remembering correctly, we had a coupon and I just thought the kids would enjoy playing. I wasn't ready for our fun family date to be over yet. Shawn reminded me how far away Ephrata was, and I agreed to drive. It was further than I remembered (can't believe we used to live up that way!) but the boys had a GREAT time!

Of course I had to get the crowns - what's a trip to BK without them?

We got the boys chicken nuggets. They've changed their nuggets since the last time we were there, and they are AWFUL! Even the kids wouldn't eat them - GROSS!!!

Shawn was impressed, however, with their new soda machine. It was an experience I didn't get to see because I stayed behind with the kids while he got our order.

The playground was packed (what was I expecting on a Saturday?) but the kids had a great time!

Ryan wanted to play with his older brothers, so I said okay to him going up. Then I read the sign that all children must be between the ages of 4 and 10 for safety reasons. AHHH!!!! I was appalled that I didn't notice it sooner. Joshua was a HUGE help in coaxing Ryan back down to us.

 We left after Ryan came back down, but the kids had had plenty of play time by then. We had started the day at Universal, then went to the North Museum and then BK for play time and lunch. We swung by our old house just for fun and then headed home. It was mid-afternoon until we arrived, but it had been a great family day! If I'm remembering correctly, that night we did a family movie night and watched "Wreck It Ralph" which the boys highly enjoyed. I love spending time together! We are blessed to have three wonderful little boys to enjoy and raise. :) They are an awesome gift from God!

This Little Piggy Cried Wee, Wee, Wee!

Yesterday we visited our friends the Sangrey's. They moved into a new house right next door to their old one with a huge yard that is great for their 'farming' desires. They always have a huge garden and enjoy fresh eggs from their chickens. But, to that fun they've now added a dog and two little piggies that will be going to the slaughter soon. I knew the boys would love to see them and their friends. Elizabeth is Joshua's age, but she's in full-day kindergarten. Luke is Caleb's age (pictured between the boys above) and Hudson is just a couple months younger than Ryan. As soon as Ry-guy saw his buddy, he said "Hi, HUDSON!" I loved that he recognized him from church and Bible study.

Tara waited to take the slops out for their lunch until we got there, which was great. We saw them fight over their food and run in their muck. I was surprised that Ryan cried and cried while we were in their barn. I don't know if he was scared or offended by the smell, but he was NOT happy!

He LOVED it once we went outside, though, to see the chickens. I didn't realize how mean they are to each other - they peck at one another and some were even missing feathers!

Even though it was windy and cold, the boys enjoyed being outside. They have a nice swing set that the kids played on and a great little play shed out back. Eventually we went inside for a tour of their new house. The boys loved playing with Luke and Hudson! And I always enjoy seeing Tara. We didn't stay too long before I told them it was time to go so Ryan could nap. Joshua said he wanted to play with Luke again sometime and how much he enjoyed their house. It's a fun little "farm" with neat friends!

The New Playground!

This past weekend it was BEAUTIFUL! For the weather man calling for 5-8 inches of snow (or more!) the Wednesday before - to the point that all schools closed and we only had drizzlish rain - the weekend was extremely nice for this time of year. It was in the 50s and while still chilly, it was sunny and nice enough to go outside. On Saturday morning, I told the boys that we would go check out the new playground at the school behind our house. The old playground equipment was broken, according to my niece, and there had been nothing there but a lame pickle ball thing for a long time. Now there's a new play set, but it's pretty lame compared to the old set it was replacing (but obviously WAY better than nothing).

The boys loved this thing that they can spin in above. I was afraid it would make them motion sick to keep spinning. Caleb didn't want to be in it while Joshua spun it, but he loved spinning his older brother!

Speaking of spinning, Joshua wondered how this thing worked, so Daddy tried to show him, as Joshua walked away. The Bean asked Daddy to help him try, but he wasn't quite tall enough to make it work. :)

There's also this little thing that is like a teeter totter - what do you call it?

The boys struggled to climb the plastic "rock" wall - it was slippery! Shawn climbed up first and I stayed behind Joshua to show him where to put his feet and hands to get himself up.

He was SO proud when he conquered it and made it to the top with Daddy!

I got a picture of his smile afterward!

The boys did enjoy the double slide. I was glad there was at least two. But, on the old playground set, there was six slides - three on the back right, one that was a circular one, and now I'm forgetting if it was one or two on the back left. Either way, there was a lot more to do on that play set.

And where big brothers go, little brother follows. You can see Ryan behind the older two in the picture below.

Shawn seemed surprised that Ryan was coming down! He is getting SO big and he is so brave!

Joshua played the drums!

He's also amazing at climbing and using his arms on monkey bars to get himself across with no difficulty at all. He is SO strong!

There's also a small balance beam that the boys can do.

But, it's a small enough area that the kids asked to go to the other side. Now, imagine it with hundreds of children at recess. It really isn't big enough for its purpose, in my opinion.

We walked over to the older play set. Ryan climbed right up!

Caleb tried to do the monkey bars, but needed a little help. At the end he did it once by himself, and he was tuckered out!

Joshua on the other hand sails across these with ease!

I loved this picture of Caleb! He was SO happy to be outside in the sun! Caleb even played in the driveway with me later after we came home because it was just too nice to be inside. :)

And this was my favorite one of Joshua, who was also excited to be outside!

Joshua continued to impress us with his monkey bar skills.

Ryan found another slide that he went down by himself!

Caleb was all smiles! I love this picture of him as well. :)

Here he is when he conquered the monkey bars himself!

I caught this one just as he had climbed up this little pole!

And Joshua agreed to one last picture before we left!

Pretty soon other families started coming to the playground, so we opted to go back home for Ryan's nap time. I love watching him and Daddy walk together. They are "in step." It was a fun weekend!

The following day was supposed to be even nicer, but it turned out to be windy so it didn't feel as warm. I still got to go for a run outside. It will soon be spring, right?

Sing, Sing, Sing and Make Music with the Heavens!

Here's a picture from the boys recently singing in the choir at church. The 'tall' girl in the middle with the blonde hair is Elizabeth, one of my good friend's daughters. A picture sent to her also had Joshua and Caleb in the background in their shirts, too. :) They enjoy choir, but Joshua wishes he could sing the bigger kid parts. Next year he will move up!