Fun at the Museums

Well, after Mom left, we weren't quite sure what to do next. We had some lazy days, a day at the park (that was kind of a bust), fix-it days and we spent a couple days at some museums. We went to the Museum of Flight and then to the Olympia Hands-On Museum. I had coupons for both of these which was great because neither of them is cheap.

The Museum of Flight was first. Dad and I had been there before but Aaron had never been and the kid LOVES planes! So we had to take him. We went with the intention of him showing us around and doing whatever he wanted to do when he wanted to do it. We even brought our lunch (well, we bought a big sub-sandwich from Safeway). It was a great day! Going into the day like we did (no plan, etc.) was the way to do it. Plus, getting there at opening was very smart because no one was there!

Gosh, seeing these jets/planes in the air, they never look this big!

They had a couple you could sit it, it was pretty cool!

Then they had a kid area that he could climb all over and push buttons, etc.  And they were real planes/helicopters!

He was moving the parts (I don't know what they're called!).

This thing made a lot of noise, which of course he loved!

Lots of buttons

I don't know why he puts his fingers in the openings all the time.  He'll learn.

This was some sort of computer thing where you make the plane go up and down.

About to get on an old Air Force One.

It's one that Kennedy used.  Pretty cool, even for back then.  Can't even imagine what they look like now!

Aaron looking at TONS of WWII model planes, etc.  This guy researched all the planes and such that were used during WWII and make scale models of all of them.  There were hundreds of them!  This is ONE case (and only the bottom half).  There were about 20 of these cases.

Of course they had a space section.

A couple days later we went to the Hands-On museum.  Aaron was trying to flip the "stop" sign out and this kid was trying to hold it in place.

And of course they had Thomas.  You know, we could have turned right when we came in the front door, went down the right side of the museum first and then went to the left side.  If we'd done that, Thomas would have been the LAST thing Aaron saw.  Of course we went down the left and this was the third thing Aaron saw.  We literally had to rip him from his hands...

Aaron climbed a tree house and then wouldn't come back down the ladder.  I had to climb in the "tree" with Delaney on my front to get him.  It was embarrassing.

Then they had a dump truck with plastic rocks and shovels.  The kid who's arm you see started hitting Aaron in the head with the shovel.  I think he did it on accident at first (Aaron was in the back of the "truck" and the kid was where Aaron is in this pic) because Aaron was "in the way", then he did it again real soft to see if anyone would say anything, and then he did it AGAIN pretty hard that time.  I thought I was going to get into it with the dad who was playing with other toys and not paying attention.  Punk!

Remember these?  Usually they're pins on a table, but these were plastic on a wall.  It was pretty funny, Dad was on one side pushing them toward Aaron and Aaron was pushing them toward Dad.  I think Aaron was confused at first because they kept coming back at him... :)

They also had a water table that you could move around these walls to redirect the water and send floaty things down.  It was fun!

Then, after a while, it was time for Grandpa to leave.

We had a TON of fun!!!!