What a fun day : : Museum of Life and Science

So yesterday, Tim's brother, (Uncle) Bill and his family ((Aunt) Debbie and Christian) invited us to join them at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham for the Pumpkin Express. We had never been to the Museum of Life and Science before and were really excited about taking Emma and Molly.

The pumpkin express was such a fun experience for the kids. Once you get to the museum you board a train that takes you to the pumpkin patch. The kids get to pick out their pumpkin and then the train takes you back to an area that has face painting, materials to decorate your own bag, paint to paint the pumpkins and a sling shot to shoot pumpkins at some targets. The sling shot was probably the most favorite activity of the bunch!

{seriously...don't you just love the family photos, the cousin photos, the out-takes...it melts me into a puddle to see and live moments like this}

After the pumpkin express we were free to explore the museum. Like I said, this was our first time at the museum--and boy oh boy--it is WAY more than just a boring old museum. It is interactive, outdoors, stimulating for the senses and so much more! We actually spent the rest of the afternoon outside and never even made it inside the museum!

This fun machine goes high up into the air. It has magnets in it that pull that twirly thing (so technical, I know) up, up, up to the top where it goes over the edge and twirls down! It is supposed to be like those twirly seeds that fall from the trees around here. Emma and Christian had fun sending them up and then running around to the other side to try to catch them.

um...and would you ever think of a museum having BEARS?! Well, this one does! I didn't take any pictures of the bears...but here are some of Aunt Debbie holding Molly, Emma and Christian (at the bear exhibit) and the cousins sitting on a huge dinosaur!

The museum even has a butterfly house! It was so fun walking in there seeing the fluttery butterfly's flying around. They also had a wall set up with cocoons upon cocoons that were close to hatching or had just hatched. Again--so cool!

We finished up our day at the area that houses the cow, pigs, sheep, goat, bunnies and owl. It was like a mini petting zoo. We got there right at feeding time and was able to help the keeper feed some of the animals.

Yesterday was one of those days that I didn't want to end. I love being able to do things like this with my family. I hope these are memories we can create for our girls that they look back upon when they are older and smile.

Thanks Bill and Debbie for such a wonderful, FUN day!!!

(next time maybe we can actually to IN the museum)