a new world of discovery

Uh...what's up with this ball thing?

Thank you very much, Daddy!

Yes, it's my piano Daddy, but you can play with me....

Mommy thought I was too small for this - what does she know?

Uh, Mommy? This water is cold. And I'm wearing PURPLE.

How do I get from down here.....to up there?

Ladies, get off the road....just got my license.

Daddy, give me your face!

Hmmm....what am I missing over there?

There Daddy is! I found him!

I can't think of anything better to do on a cold (read -4 temps) January day than to play at the Children's Museum with my favorite boys! Neither Micah nor Dan had ever been there. They played together while I took pictures, trying to capture Micah's looks of wonderment (is that a word?) and awe. He "ran" from activity to activity, toy to toy, exhibit to exhibit, with that little herman muenster walk we've come to know and love. His daddy trailed behind, protecting him from all the big kids that kept running past and their breezes threatened to knock him over.

He started in the Wiggle Room, where there are soft foam blocks and toys that are appropriate for children birth to age 3. Then he ventured on over to the fire truck climbing structure thingie (that's what the sign said, I swear...) and thought he was big enough to climb the net up to the top. About halfway up, as I was admiring his monkey skills, he remembered that in real life, he was both scared and not ready for this level of excitement. Then his glance happened upon....drum roll please....the water table!


Now, for those of you who know Micah like we do, you'll smile at the thought of him at a water table. This is the child who tries to flood our bathroom on a daily basis. He lets out SQUEALS of excitement when he hears the bath water running, no matter who is getting in. He loves brushing his teeth (because it involves water). So I, stupid mom, thought he would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the water table! First, I insisted that he wear the little purple raincoat to keep him dry. No, there were no other colors that would remotely fit him. "Yes, Dan, I really think he should wear the raincoat! I know it's purple. He'll be okay. He won't think he's a girl." But then Micah discovered that the sleeves of the raincoat were wet...probably because some smart mommy insisted that their child wear it too....and he didn't appreciate having the raincoat on anymore. But that's why we have dry outfits in the diaper bag. So I took the raincoat off him and led him over to the table. Next problem? The water was too cold. Really? We're that picky at 15 months?

Moving on....

The ball room? Wasn't so much his thing. His nomadic tendencies were evident as he just toddled from one spot to the next. When the siren went off indicating that the big bucket over head was going to dump a bunch of colored balls on his head (soft balls - tell me that doesn't sound fun!) I ran him over to stand with the big kids. Hoping to catch his excitement, I had the camera ready. Best poker face I've seen all day. Sigh....

The grocery store didn't impress him. The larger-than-life animals scared him. The elevator? Now THAT was the highlight of his day. Oh yeah, and he loved the big light up piano on the wall. But he didn't love sharing it....seeing as he shoved some little (read bigger than him) girl aside who tried to play while he was. So glad our daycare money is paying off and he is learning to share! :)

And there you have it - our first trip to the museum! A frigid January day offered a chance for us to discover the world on his level - and to think like he does. What fun! The blessings continue...