We traveled through the human body!

Well, we are all winding down after another long day. Ethan has climbed out of the Pack-n-Play twice, and is still not sleeping. Mary Claire has been moved to the couch to keep her and Clay from giggling and playing footsie (spelling looks weird!). Hopefully I'll get to bed earlier tonight!

Ches made the trip back to Cracker Barrel to pick up the backpack while I took a shower this morning. He took Ethan with him which helped me! Clay and Mary Claire goofed off, got dressed, and generally had a ball. I had them make the bed and brush their teeth, but I can't say they really did either well. Anyway, we went to the Adventure Science Center-their children's museum. I'll say that upon walking in, I was sorely disappointed, seeing all the same things we see at every children's museum, only smaller. The balls, angles, mirrors, crawly things..but upon closer examination, I give it an 8! There were more floors of things that you couldn't see at the entrance. You had to crawl through this thing in the middle-about 5 stories in all-of body parts-heart (crawl thru the ventricles, etc.) we climbed up the spine to get there, then around in the femur, thru a tube to feel different skin/textures, then up to the next level with sounds-climb in a guitar to strum it, play a pipe (wind) organ-you hook up a vacuum-type hose (only it blows) to the pipes and they play, a lifesize-piano, then up to the next level-more crawling, to planetarium stuff-and we were so high!! We were looking out over the city from a pyramid of glass windows up at the top of the museum. In other floors, we played in their version of water-the blood/circulatory system with floating red & white blood cells, oxygen, etc. and you could stop the flow with a wall called smoking, and one called cholesterol. One big paddle wheel that sped it up was called exercise-it was so cute and original! : ) We went to the excretory system (bathrooms!) and traveled through the digestive system that ended in a slide under which there was a huge rug of a whoopie cushion with all the names for gas!! It was hilarious! Ches and the kids also played a game of shoot the pathogens (can't remember the real name), with laser guns-they shot cavities, germs, cuts on toes, etc. It reminded me of the Toy Story Pizza Planet shoot-em game at Disney. THen we went downstairs to let Clay climb the walls-about 3 stories up-to work on the outside of a space shuttle. He did well, but since he was at the weight minimum-60 lbs-he was having trouble getting higher. There is a counter balance weight on the back of his rope, so he had trouble. He really didn't know it though, and loved it! I'll post a few pictures down below. I've had to cut down on the number of pictures I load, because they take so long!

Then we dropped Ches off at the Opry Convention Center again, came back and took naps. We made chocolate cookies, did fraction work together since that's what they are missing at school!, then picked Ches back up. We went back to the mall-third time?-and shopped a little-I got some kids' clothes at Carters (my coupon was expiring today! 25% off my whole sale-those are rare!), and got the kids shoes at Nike. Ches has spoiled the kids-multiple balls at Nike-again, and more toys. He did keep them occupied while I was shopping, so it worked out okay-I can't complain too much!

He did tell me he went back to the movies today! He said his presentation was boring-and it was stuff he already knew, smarty-pants)-so he went back to the mall and saw Monsters vs. Aliens (again, only in its' entirity) in IMAX 3D. He said a show was JUST starting when he got over there, so he said he had to see how it ended (although I told him yesterday!). So, he learned alot about safety-a little about a broken highway...

Then we walked in, ordered pizza, paid, and asked them to deliver it. We were tired. We came home (hotel), gave everyone a bath, then ate. They pigged out on all our food that has to be eaten by tomorrow anyway, and are now in bed. Maybe (big, fat Maybe) they are finally asleep. I haven't heard sounds. Until just now. Mary Claire just came in-she doesn't like their water. She wants her Propel-it's upstairs, just two creaky stairs away. Not.

Okay, must check her blood again, and give them a sleeping potion. Got any good recipes?