Children's Museum With My Three

On Saturday Doug had a board meeting for an organization (don't even get me started on why on earth they would plan an all-day Saturday meeting in the middle of December, perhaps they don't realize it's Christmastime!).  My original plan was to attend the Family Christmas Party at North Way Oakland.  Although I was bummed that Doug wasn't going to be able to attend with us, I was very excited we had such a fun plan for a morning when he couldn't be with us.  Well, with a lackluster snowstorm and icy roads, the party was cancelled.  I knew I could not keep the boys cooped up here all morning, so we geared up and headed to the Children's Museum.  Such a good decision!  We had a great morning there.  I think it was the first time I was able to take all 3 there together and they loved it.  Koen and Tavin were buddies the whole time and Penn had a ball trying to keep up in every exhibit we visited.  Here's a pictorial review of the highlights.

The boys had tons of energy and I was so thankful for all the ways for them to run it off at the museum.  One example is Tav on this resistance treadmill (perhaps I should get one for the playroom?).

Koen loves the parachute contraption.  Here he is sending some down to Tavin to catch.

Penn kept very busy with the matchbox car ramps.  

Koen loves this spider web ropes course.  I only wish it was a bigger obstacle, he scampers up it in about 10 seconds.

The boys took a break to construct a few Neighborhood Trolleys.

The boys waited so patiently for their turn in the Smarte car.  Penn was in awe!

At 11am they open the "TapeScape" exhibit.  I had so much fun in this exhibit when I was here about a month ago just with Penn and I was so excited to share it with Koen and Tav.  I knew they would love it and I was right.  I couldn't catch much on film of K & T in the big tunnel as they were moving every second.  But in this one picture below you can see Tav's feet going in one tunnel and Koen peeking out another. =)

Penn loved the tot tunnel.  He just kept going back and forth and peeking at me.  Oh my darling Penn!!!

After things got a little hectic in TapeScape, we headed to the nursery area to let Penn play in a more age appropriate area.  The big boys stayed busy and Koen made this sand picture of his handprints on his own initiative.  He wanted me to take a picture for Doug.

On our way to lunch, the big boys loved this sand circle that creates quite a visual effect.  Penn was mesmerized.  

After lunch I let the boys play at TapeScape again for another 30 minutes or so.  Penn was getting tired and then the big boys started to get a little good guy vs. bad guy with a few other kids their age running around, so I decided we should head home for naps.  All in all, it went very well and I was just so excited to let them run and play and be boys and not be as confined as they are at home.  Thanks Children's Museum!!