What would you guys do if I wasn't here to explain everything?
One of our first stops was this teeter-totter. It contains little balls that roll back and forth hitting metal posts and producing different musical notes, all overlooking the Arkansas River (say it with me now: ArKANsas. Because that's how we do it in Kansas).
By the bye, how do you refer to that little contraption: a teeter-totter or a see-saw? Just curious. We always said teeter-totter. Because see-saw is wrong.
One of the many rites of passage for a third child involves being left out of everything. Which is why Cade had to ride the teeter-totter with me.
I was wearing a skirt and tried to be a lady and ride the thing side-saddle, but it turns out it's crazy-hard to ride a teeter-totter side-saddle while taking a picture of your two year old and trying to maintain a steady up-and-down so that he doesn't slip off. So I threw propriety to the wind and straddled the dang thing. I heard a decided lack of outraged gasps.
I'm pretty sure our kids' favorite part of the whole place was the castle area. Caedmon was a blur most of the time. No, really:
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| Click to embiggen The Blur. (Hey, look who just got his superhero name!) |
This photo makes me laugh. Caedmon was so serious about mimicking the knight's stance exactly.
He reminds of those preschooler-ballerinas who are so busy watching their own feet they forget to look out at the audience. Except I'm pretty sure Derek's happy our son's trying to be a knight and not a ballerina. I know because I've asked if our boys could take dance lessons. The answer was pretty definite.
Atticus and Adelaide flying the Vikings plane. Don't tell me that purple and gold was an accident.
Charlotte was decidedly underwhelmed by the plane. I'm pretty sure her dad's a Chiefs fan.
Another favorite was the Tornado Simulator:
Kelli and Charlotte inside:
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| If you embiggen this one you can see Steph and Vada on the left and me taking the picture in the reflection on the door. |
Kelli was having fun. Char was not so sure. Looks like sisters do have similar parenting styles.
Adelaide holding Cade, who was clearly terrified.
I had to drag her away from that thing.
Charlotte and Vada loved the river-silt interactive display. I know this because they kept trying to dive in.
Atticus and Adelaide loved excavating a fake ancient turtle fossil. I had to drag Adelaide away from this, too.
I didn't take any pictures of it, but this area also contained a small cave you could tour that had displays of nocturnal animals native to Kansas. They were all neat, but the only one that really stuck with me was the tarantula, in the form of the nightmares I've had since returning home to tarantula-free Iowa. All I really remember from last night's is the tarantula hiding in the VCR and Adelaide and me screaming.
We don't have a VCR. Or, please God, a tarantula.
Good times. At Exploration Place, I mean. Not the nightmares.
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| We made the mistake of taking this photo right before we left rather than as soon as we arrived, which is why all of the children are CRAZY. |
