Out of Dodge

Last weekend we took a little family hiatus just to get 'out of Dodge'. Every now and again we just feel the need to leave home for a little bit and do something different. So away we went to a nearby bigger city where my Beloved spent some time at the University doing research for work and the kids and I headed to the Children's Museum and the Zoo. (Did I mention the Zoo is free and fairly impressive?)

It was nice to get out and not think about school and just enjoy ourselves. We went to the Museum first and spent just shy of 2 hours there. There were all sorts of neat activities for the kids to touch and explore. All 3 of the kids liked playing on the wooden xylophone. I mean what kid doesn't love something that is designed to make noise?

Another thing in the museum that caught their attention was the Dream Machine. It was a neat car set up with sails as if they could go off anywhere their little hearts desired. The main attraction for the kids there was the fishing. They had a magnet as the 'hook' and you could reel 'em in.

They took turns fishing. I do have to say it was Kiersten who won the 'catch of the day!'

There wasn't a whole lot for Katie to do, as you can imagine. However she did find things that grabbed her interest. One such thing was this tank that had two small turtles swimming around in it. She just loved holding on to the tank and watching.

And while the girls were over that way Kiersten was in the belly of the whale (really a fish, but I couldn't help myself. Kiersten loves that song on the Veggie Rocks CD). Katie was interested but was not one to be lured in by any sneaky lookin' fish!

So after our few hours at the Museum it was time for lunch and the zoo. The kids and I headed to the zoo and had a picnic lunch. I couldn't believe how busy it was for a Friday early afternoon. Then I remembered that these kids were on the tail end of Spring Break!

The zoo has changed a little since we lived in this town. So there were some new things there that pleasantly surprised the kids - like this indoor carousel.

The zoo was a nice way to end the day. We'll have to go back again this summer as there were several animals that were not out - probably 1/3 of them. Nevertheless we saw plenty and had a nice time.