Museum Visit on Sunday

Here is video of Chris and John reading a book. We are still so charmed by the high little voice John uses when he says "no" and "yes."



After early Mass on Sunday, we decided to ride the downtown trolley yet again. With no other plans, it seemed like a great way to spend a mere $2.60 to do something John loves. We drove to the station and decided to have lunch at Pike's Old Fashioned Soda Shop, which is a renowned ice cream parlor. Only after eating lunch off their very limited menu did I ask for the ice cream menu (my entire purpose for choosing that restaurant) and learn that they don't serve ice cream on Sundays. What is this, some kind of sick blue law?!

Then the trolley never arrived, which we figured out was because a big football game was starting momentarily. When there is a huge sporting event downtown, the slow trolley is replaced so more regular light rail trains can run. So, we just took a light rail train downtown, which John through was thrilling as well. Our plans were merely to walk around downtown, then go home, but we found the Discovery Place, a museum with a Pompeii exhibit we've been wanting to see. We stepped inside just to gather information, but decided spontaneously to stay for a visit. One contributing factor is that in a mere 2-1/2 months, John will go from being free to costing $17 for admission! No thank you!

We ended up having to view the Pompeii exhibit in turns because John was having none of that boring grown-up stuff. I hoped the exhibit would alleviate my desire to see Pompeii in person, but it made me want to see it even more! The plaster bodies were so touching, I stood there and cried.

Afterward, we discovered a gigantic room full of scientific exhibits for kids to explore. It's amazing how much fun kids have with a box full of balsa wood sticks.


John contemplating one of his creations (the little stack of four sticks):

Then we found a smaller room only for kids six years and younger. Now, I don't have a phobia of germs, but it's September (almost cold and flu season) already and it was dawning on me that this room was full of thousands of kids per day, almost all of whom are in daycare centers and public schools, sharing their virulent illnesses. I thought it would cut down on the spread of germs so much if a room such as this simply had a rule that all children upon entering and upon exiting had to put Purell on their hands. So easy and efficacious! Anyway, I cringed and put Purell on John's hands several times, and now we will just pray that I don't spend a week (or more) with a miserable, sick toddler on my hands. Anyway, John absolutely adored the water machine with all the fun bath toys.


I couldn't take many photos because I had to be vigilant about preventing John from putting communal toys in his mouth or running away and getting lost in the crowd.