I have not written much in the last two weeks. Strangely, I typically write at work. I write while my probationary officer is writing. As you would expect, it takes a probationary officer longer to write a report since they are new to report writing. During this time I take a few minutes and punch out my thoughts. Today I am back at the extra job, so you are subjected to more of my ramblings. Jen and I have been home with the kids enjoying Christmas vacation. Wednesday was day number 12. It was the first day that had nothing on our schedule. So, Wednesday morning over breakfast we decided to take the kids to the Children's Museum (CM). During previous vacations, this idea has been brought up and quickly shot down. If our kids are on vacation, so are everyone else's. Couple that with a rainy day where outside activities are not an option, and you have the makings for a busy day at the CM. So, we got ready and were off like a herd of turtles.
The drive in was smooth and there was very little traffic on the freeways. That is until we reached the area around the CM. It seems that every other parent in the surrounding area had the same idea. There were cars, pedestrians, and strollers everywhere and they all streaming toward the big yellow building. If I did not know any better, I would have thought they were giving away free H1N1 vaccines or iPods or steak or crack inside the building. I dropped off Jen and the kids and looked for parking. The new parking structure next to the museum appeared to be full. The traffic leading toward it was in gridlock. So, I went in the opposite direction and found a spot on the street. I met the family inside and A led the way into the maelstrom of little people and soccer moms. The first stop was the Tower of Power. This was not here on our last visit a few years ago. The T of P is an approximately 40 foot tall series of discs that are surrounded by a stainless steel mesh. The discs are arranged so that kids can climb up and down the tower inside the mesh. There are at least three different towers. They start in the basement and go to the top of the museum. There is a stairway in the middle that has landings where the kids can either get into or out of the towers. Parents can follow the little ones up and down using the stairs. Parents are also able to climb with their children. The Towers looked strong, but I did not want to put them to the test. A found a way in and started climbing. He did not really like the T of P. He was worried about losing us. I told him that I was following him on the stairs and that reassured him. A2 was too little for the T of P, so she played on the Dance Mania floor. The floor is made up of small squares that light up and the light moves to the music. A2 was still in crowd shock I think because she just stood there and watched the other kids. A found an obstacle course. Jen gave A2 a boost up to the starting platform, and they were off. A did a good job of looking out for his sister and she had a ball following him around and doing the exact same things that he did. They must have done the course 10 times. From there, I led us through a restricted access door into an exhibit area. A2 wandered around and A found a wall that had two baskets of blocks in front of it. The idea was to fill up the wall with the strange shaped blocks. It looked like Tetris in reverse to me. The blocks were even the same shapes. My Dad would have enjoyed that wall. Then we decided it was time for lunch. We wandered our way through the multitudes to the Kid's Cafe. The line for the Cafe was out the door and halfway down the main hallway of the CM. No thank you. We pressed on and eventually made our way outside to the water exhibits. This was the kids favorite part of the CM. A and I were using pipes to direct water and A2 was pouring water, everywhere. A got a little wet while A2's shirt and pants were soaked. Jen was a trooper. She took a few pictures and watched us play. Inside I am sure she was screaming, "It is cold outside, our kids are getting wet, and my husband is playing right along. I hope no one gets sick." We took a few wet "after" pictures and walked to the car. As we were leaving, the line to get into the CM was halfway down the block. Jen who is always prepared, had an extra outfit for A2 since hers was drenched. We changed her and drove to Chuy's for a great lunch.
The kids had a great time at the CM. It is a difficult environment for those that are worried about sickness and germs, like we are. The CM is interactive and our kids are touching the same things that every other kid has touched. YUCK. We used hand sanitizer frequently. I think that our next trip to the CM will be on a sunny day when everyone else's kids are in school right after the entire place has been sanitized. I have no idea how we will arrange that, but it sounds nice.
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