Marbles

When we lived in Seattle, I decided that I would take one day a week and take Evan out for an adventure, something we had never done before.  It was great, we went to markets, museums, all sorts of exciting places.  Since we've been here, we've had a lot of fun, but I haven't really kept up that tradition.   Last week I decided to change that.  So, last Friday, Evan and I headed out to Raleigh to go to a museum that we had always wanted to go to but never made it, Marbles Museum.

It was definitely an adventure, and we had a blast!  Marbles is several stories of toddler heaven!  We started off in an enclosed area with all sorts of things to explore: cars, trains, play kitchens, play post offices, and so much more.  Evan had to run around and drive every car, finding every steering wheel in the place.  Then, he moved on, making friends in the kitchen while he described his cooking methods. 

From there we headed to the water area.  He put on an apron, a little long, but still necessary, and played in some fountains and splashy pools.  All of the toddlers and their respective parents were a little damp when leaving that area.  We also checked out the underwater simulation, the submarine, and the pirate ship.  It's always interesting to see how the bigger kids react to little kids.  Some just shove them out of the way, and there were plenty of those kids there.  Then, there are the older children that take the time to really help out the little ones.  While we were in the submarine one boy came up and took the time to coach Evan and teach him how to push all of the buttons.  I hope I raise boys like that.

Next we headed upstairs.  The exhibit was on money, so I didn't know how much Evan would like it, but it turned out to be one of his favorite rooms.  There was plenty that was too old for him, but they had ball pits, bikes to ride on, big coins to jump on, and more things to drive.  The contraptions that shot balls out of them were definitely the biggest hit.  Evan had a blast playing with them with some of his friends that decided to head to the museum with us. 

The last room we tried to avoid the older children playing with real world tools and headed over to the drawing station where we colored a dog and pasted some buttons and cloth scraps on him, not as interesting as shooting balls, but it held our attention for a little while.  Then, it was time to head out.  This did not make Evan happy.  He cried all the way to the car then woofed down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the way home.  So ended our first North Carolina adventure.  We can't wait to see what this week has in store for us!

(Evan really enjoyed splashing in the water!)

(Notice how the little apron was folded up at the bottom-a little big.)

(He can't wait until he can reach the pedals!)

(My little bus driver)

(Why didn't I ever think of this method of winning Skee-ball?)