Day in Salt Lake

School starts next week.  I can't believe it.  I had great plans to go to Salt Lake several times this summer, and we just haven't made it.  The days have gotten away from me and I realized that if it was going to happen before next week, it had to be today.  So we went.  Brandt has been begging me to take them to the Discovery Museum, which I was happy to do, but I wanted to try someplace new, too.  So we did two museums with lunch in between.

The Discovery Museum was engaging as always.  Brandt was super excited to go fly the helicopter on the roof of the museum, and he spent quite a bit of time there.  He rallied several other boys about his age to play with him, instructing them to help him rescue and transport the injured victim, as he flew the helicopter to the hospital.  There was a whole scenario; they leapt from the helicopter and back in again, with Brandt orchestrating the whole thing.  It was delightful to watch.

Blythe sent me notes across the pulley system, the funniest of which was two flags that came at the same time that said, "Help!" and "Come over here!"  How could I possibly refuse such a plea?  She did some news reporting and built a magnetic block tower with me.

Brandt and Blythe both liked playing in the grocery store.  They put away a lot of food other children had gotten out in an amazingly quick and efficient way.  I wish they worked so well at home.  They also both enjoyed a sensory room geared towards those with autism, but which was really fun for our "normal" children, too.

Blythe is telling us about the destruction of a building.

After playing at the Discovery Museum, we drove over to Temple Square to have lunch at the Lion House.  I've never taken the children to the Lion House, and they don't remember ever being on Temple Square.  We have been to Temple Square, but in their defense, it has only been in winter, at Christmas time, to see the lights.  It was pandemonium and I don't know that they really loved it.  We should take time to go visit, wander around, see all there is to see.  As it was, though we didn't go in any of the visitor's centers, we walked across the grounds from the Conference Center side to the Lion House, and the children, especially Blythe, were very impressed with how beautiful everything was.  She said, "When I get older, I want to live here."  

"Where?" I asked.  

"Here," she said, "where all these flowers are."

I told her she couldn't live on Temple Square, but she could get an apartment across the street at City Creek and spend her days on Temple Square if she wanted.  She thought that a splendid idea.  It really was lovely and I should have taken a picture of the kids on the grounds.  But I didn't.  And I didn't take a picture of lunch which the kids found quite tasty.  

Our next stop was the Leonardo Museum, an artsy sort of hands-on museum focused on science related things.  They have exhibits and installations and hands-on labs and studios.  It's fun and geared, I thought, to a slightly older crowd than the Discovery Museum.  There is a great exhibit on flight, complete with a large WWII transport plane, flight simulators, and a film about early attempts to fly with very funny winged contraptions.  Brandt especially loved this section of the museum and spent a long time there before moving on briefly to other parts and returning quickly to spend more time there.  There was an area all about our five senses, a place where you could build things out of magnets, blocks, and Legos, and other interesting things to do.  I think the kids really liked it.  I was fascinated by several parts of the museum, too.  We will have to go back.

In the WWII plane.

Flight simulators

I was terrible at this.

Brandt back in the plane.

Lots of flying for him today!

An interactive sculpture that is supposed to respond to movement around it.

Unfortunately, the sensors weren't working, so it didn't move.

I am upside down.

I am sitting in a barber's chair having a virtual haircut. 

Someone is talking to me while they clip away at my hair.

 

Blythe is building a tube creation that she can send marbles down.

 

I built this red Lego construction while the children played with other things.

Before we well and truly headed for home, we stopped to see cousin Michelle who has just purchased a house.  She and Brandon have returned from Philadelphia where they have been living for the past year, and made the big plunge, buying a cute house off 1700 S and just west of State Street.  It was built in 1941-ish but has been all redone inside, with an updated kitchen and bathrooms.  Unfortunately, their stuff hasn't arrived from Philly yet, so they have currently decorated in Early Empty, but I can tell it will be marvelous space when Michelle finishes decorating.  It was so nice to visit with her, and she laughed and laughed with the kids about Saffy, her cat.  We sat on a swing in their backyard and talked.  It will be nice to have her closer again.

We got stuck in rush hour traffic on the way home, so it took a while, but I was glad that we were able to spend the day doing fun and interesting things before school starts again.