Tuesday Unwrapped:Children's Museum Memories

This is my first time to participate in Tuesday's Unwrapped at Chatting at the Sky, encouraging you to celebrate the moment. Today I'm celebrating the Children's Museum in our lives.

Miss A and Emily Elizabeth at the Children's Museum

It looks like after almost 13 years of going to the Children's Museum, we are beginning to "age out" of the place. No longer do I see our family spending cold winter afternoons hanging out making crafts with Popsicle sticks and yogurt containers, painting our faces with unknown designs or running through the grocery store and farm.

Miss M and Miss A in the Craft Area

Don't get me wrong. I love our hometown Children's Museum, but I think we are getting a little to old to expect it to entertain "everyone" much longer. I don't think my wallet will have the colorful plastic membership card in it next year at this time. With our youngest child about to enter kindergarten and a tween and teenager in our midst, it's time to move on.

Playing the Drums at the Clifford Exhibit today

Sure Miss A and I will probably go a few more times this summer/fall before our membership runs out, but we'll be taking friends along instead of siblings. Miss A loved the new Clifford Exhibit and was thrilled to bring home a craft of wallpaper samples. The other kids; well not so much. They were great sports and, as promised, I will not be showing any pictures of Mr. C at the Museum, but it's time to say goodbye to this as a family outing.

Before we pack away all the memories, however, here are just a few of CM moments in time.

• Mr. C was just about 18 months old when he and I went for our first visit to the Museum with a friend and his mom. We arrived about opening time ready for adventure. I remember how he skirted back and forth between the corn rows at Farmland and the cash register at the Grocery Store. He was thrilled to push the cart and load it up with everything from plastic bread to cereal boxes. After a few hours, we left for lunch out a cute Diner with a 50's theme and then home for a nap. He was worn out.
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• Just a few years later, when Miss M joined the family, we would go to the Museum on "non-preschool" days to burn off energy in the winter months and get over our stir craziness. Miss M loved the Museum, too. She played with different things than her brother as the kitchen and the balls were among her favorites. Soon she was painting her face all by herself and trying on costumes in the stage area.
  

We soon figured out that a Museum for kids about 1 hour away was even better than our hometown variety. It had a real hot air balloon, a water table extraordinaire and a fun rocket ship and airplane area. Perfect for our budding scientist and his little sister.

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We joined that Museum and, for years, would make regular trips for a day of fun, including naps on the car ride home from sheer exhaustion. Our membership to the museum also gained us access to other Children's Science/Museums around the country and we took full advantage. We made visits to Children's Museums on vacations all over the country; Palm Spring CA, Minneapolis MN, Houston TX, Oklahoma City OK, Wichita KS, Chicago IL, Indianapolis IN, and Kansas City KS, among others. We loved them all.

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When Miss A came around, we were still Museum regulars as we now had two sisters that enjoyed an outing with Mr. C in school all day. Lunch dates with friends often included a morning at the Museum. There were also Birthday parties we'd attend of little preschool and kindergarten friends.

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Miss M had her first New Year's Eve Date at the Children's Museum with her Daddy. Including a ball drop at 8:00 pm sharp and dancing to a DJ with balloons all over the dance floor. For months, M talked about this magical night with her dad.

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In the last few years, Mom and Miss A have enjoyed many a morning at the Museum with new friends. It's been the perfect place to go for an outing with friends our age or younger. Miss A has had the opportunity to be the big kid with her friend Mr. B (who is a few years younger than her) at the Museum and loved every minute.
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But in my heart, I know these "Children Museum Years" are fading away. It's another phase of parenting that is changing. Today, I'm trying to remember the blessings those days at the Museum have been and the memories we've made as a family playing together. Great moments in time. Great laughs. A great way to connect with our kids at their level and a great way to pass on the love of trying new things, experimenting with toys, crafts and balls. We've enjoyed watching them just being a kid.
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Treasuring these moments and looking forward to the "next" thing are what parenting is all about. I wouldn't trade these CM years for anything, and yet I know that whatever is on the horizon will be just a memorable and another part of our family story.

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