Day 5 and 6.

So Monday was a great rest day. We slept in a bit and went to the school around 11:00 to see what MaMa was doing at work. She was getting ready to leave and come home to eat lunch with us. We ate lunch and then went to Vandalia to visit with MaMa and PaPa Brown while Mom went to the dentist. Maddie showed MaMa Brown everything in her sparkly purple bag, and of course got a few things to add to her collection. That night Maddie was telling us about the bracelets that MaMa and Mr. Brown gave her. "Mr. Brown," that cracks me up!

 Connor was riding the four wheeler and Maddie was "hiding" behind the tree and throwing bark at him as he drove by. They were having SO much fun!

 

 Look at these ornery faces!

Tuesday, today, Mom took us to the Science Center. I hadn't been there in years, and I was really excited. Connor I just knew was going to love it, and they had mummies! Mummies are always awesome.

 Here are Connor and Madeleine posing on the camel in the Lost Egypt exhibit. Maddie was a bit out of sorts, but after we got some food she was in a much better mood.
I couldn't take any pictures of the actual artifacts, but they had two mummies that we walked by. Mummies always fascinate me. The stories behind them are always so interesting, and sometimes they are simply about a poor girl with a mysterious background. I think these are the most fascinating because I have this whole story running in my head. What was her family like, did she even get to talk to her family, was she happy, treated kindly, etc. So interesting!
I think the coolest thing I saw was the Rosetta Stone replica. I don't know about you all, but I didn't know that the Rosetta Stone language program actually has a legitimate reason for the name! Anyway, who knew!

 Here is Madeleine trying to move a pyramid stone. She actually moved it most of the way and pooped out at the very end. I helped her with the last little part. :)

 

Tom and Connor were trying to put together some hieroglyphic phrases. It was kind of weird, and I didn't get a good look at it, but basically you matched up the pictures (that had the words underneath) and then had to read the phrase in the right order. For example right to left and top to bottom. I don't know for sure, but they were really concentrating.

 After the Egypt exhibit and lunch we promised Maddie we would go see the dinosaurs. She was so excited and couldn't wait to get there. I really am surprised that she isn't scared of the big dinosaur models.  This one moved and growled and everything. Pretty cool.  Connor still thinks dinosaurs are awesome too, so who can go wrong with the dinosaur exhibit?

 Maddie went for a dig in the special dig site and found a fossil!

It was really a cool space. There were little holes dug out for the kids to either dig with shovels or "sweep" off a fossil stuck in the ground.

 

 

 Connor liked the big life-like dinosaurs. This one had fought with the big T-Rex below, and obviously lost. They moved like real animals!

After the dinosaurs, Maddie wanted to Build-a-Bear. Yes, you read that right. There is a Build-a-Bear in the Science Center. It is supposed to go with the dinosaurs and you can Build-a-Dino, but Maddie built a Twilight Sparkle My Little Pony. :) She loves her stuffed animals.  While Maddie, Mom, and I did that, Tom and Connor went to the Omnimax to watch a jet movie. That was good.

After the Build-a-Bear, we went to the Discovery......Zone (?) I can't remember the name of it. Anyway, it was a great room with really fun stuff! I want to say that it was for little kids, but it was really for everyone. Connor would have had fun in there too.

Madeleine was doing the stomp catapult thing. She was shooting a ball in the air and on her second try she smacked herself in the eye with the ball. That was it for that, she gets embarrassed so easily!

 So we moved to the magnet table, and she made a really cool pair of sunglasses. I made a ball, and MaMa made a house. But Maddie's sunglasses were the best. :)

 

Tom and Connor got out of the movie and we met them on the skywalk.  Connor really liked this area with the "structures."  Here he is using the digger to dig out little beads. I have to say, I was enjoying watching him do this too.

 This is Connor and Maddie looking through the window onto the cars driving under the skywalk. Connor thought this was really cool, and Maddie was just checking out what all the hype was about. Notice the hand on the hip?  Such attitude.

It was a really fun day, and I am so glad we went! 

Thanks Mom!











Tonight we went over to Pam and Gary's house to chat with Shelli about her trip to Norway. So cool to get to hear about Norway from her perspective. The pictures were awesome. Such a beautiful country.  I can't wait until I get to go!