The Friday that they were here, we went to the Treehouse Museum in downtown Ogden. I'd never been before, and Connor and I had a lot of fun. We loved it so much in fact that I'm thinking about getting a membership. There is so much to do there that I don't think Connor would ever get bored.
One of our favorite areas was the farm section. There is a cow (not real) that you can milk and horses and a bull that you can ride. Connor loved sitting on the smaller of the two horses. He was so cute in the saddle, and it was just his size too. He didn't want to get off and cried when I picked him up. He would have stayed there all day if I had let him, but I knew there was a lot of other things he'd like as well so we moved on.
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| Kiley and Kate |
The next room was an old-fashioned schoolroom and we all had a lot of fun in there. The kids looked so cute sitting on the benches and they loved drawing on the mini chalkboards with chalk.
I let Connor hold a piece of chalk and the first thing he tried to do was put it in his mouth. I took it back from him, and he watched intently as I showed him how to use it to draw on the chalkboard. I then gave the piece of chalk back to him. He immediately started scribbling back and forth on the chalkboard with it. It was the cutest thing. This is the first time he's drawn on anything so I had to get a picture.
We walked around and found a little Japanese "house." Inside was a small boat with a fishing net and a kitchen table with some food. I put Connor in the boat, and at first he wasn't sure what to do. I showed him the net and he had fun touching it and pulling on it.
When he seemed bored of the boat, I pulled him out and set him by the table where Uncle Scott and Sadie were enjoying a meal of plastic rice, dumplings, and sushi. Connor happily joined in the fun, tasting the toy food. They had a basket nearby to collect toys that the kids put in their mouths so that they could wash them. I thought that was great, but hoped that other parents were as conscientious about gathering up the "tasted" toys as we were.
We found a Mongolian yurt in the next section and went inside. All of the doorways into these "houses" are kid sized, and the little ones loved it. We had fun exploring the yurt's interior and Sadie and Connor liked climbing on and off the beds.
We all really enjoyed the room with a Little Red Riding Hood theme. Connor walked immediately over to the small bench flanked by bear statues. He got so excited reached into the nearest bear's open mouth to feel its pointy teeth. I think he really like the bear because it was just his size.
In that same room there was a puppet theater. Scott walked around to the back and found some puppets. He put on a puppet show for the kids and Sadie joined him. Connor and Kate had a grand time standing right up by the opening and reaching for the puppets. I can't get enough of these two babies together. So adorable!
When Scott moved a puppet to touch Connor's nose, he would smile but turn around and come for me. I think it scared him just a bit. Once Connor touched me, he'd turn right around and go back for more. I guess he just needed a little reassurance that I was there with him. Kate just leaned in farther, trying to grab the little stuffed creatures.
We walked around through the next sections, stopping briefly at each one. There was a Peter Rabbit themed room in which Sadie had fun cooking in the play kitchen. Connor and Kate loved the abacus in the Chinese house.
While Sadie and Scott climbed up the jungle gym steps of the giant tree in the center of the museum, I followed Connor as he made a beeline for the nearby fish tank. He absolutely loved it. He stood there, entranced as he watched the various fish swim around inside. I loved watching him watch the fish. He started talking in his very serious tone of voice--the one he uses when he has something important that he's trying to tell me. He babbled on and on about the fish without taking his eyes off the tank. We stopped back by the fish tank again before leaving, and Connor was just as enthralled with it as the first time. We're going to have to take him to the aquarium at some point.
We walked up the spiraling stairs inside the giant tree to the second floor. There was a room set up like a 50's diner and it was so adorable. Sadie and I headed behind the counter to take Kiley and Scott's orders. I would have loved having a kid-sized dinner to play in when I was little. Connor wasn't interested in the toy food, but just wanted to push the chair around.
Connor loved the fire engine that we found nearby the diner. I held him on my lap and he had such fun turning the wheel back and forth.
Connor didn't want to stop driving, so I scooted over to let him stand up on the seat to "drive." Scott found a fireman's hat in the back of the truck and put it on Connor's head. Don't let his serious expression fool you, he was having so much fun.
As we wandered around the second floor, I just let Connor walk while I followed him from exhibit to exhibit. He really liked this llama carving on the wall. He reached up and grabbed its neck, feeling the grooves in the wood and "petting" it. He thought the butterfly was pretty great too.
There was a mock oval office, and we took some time to let the kids explore the desk. Connor liked the eagle crest in the carpet.
We sat that babies on the desk and Connor crawled over and kept trying to give Kate kisses. He was successful a couple of times and managed to plant a few big, wet, open-mouthed kisses on her forehead. I'm not so sure that Kate enjoyed his affection. Haha!
Near the oval office, we found a room filled with dolls dressed like the first ladies. In the center of the space sat an adult-sized rocking chair and a child-sized rocking chair. I put Connor in the smaller chair and he immediately began moving back and forth trying to rock the chair. It was so cute. He loved this little chair and didn't want to get out of it.
Back down on the first floor we let the kids play with the train tables for a bit. Connor was fascinated by the little wooden trains, tracks, and switches.
The museum was a lot of fun, but the babies were getting tired and hungry so we left. I wish Brian could have come with us, but he was working.
That night, we had fun hanging out at our place and played games with the kids.
Saturday, while Kiley and Scott went shopping, Brian, Connor, and I did some grocery shopping. We bought a turkey and some other items that we still needed to get for Thanksgiving.
We met back at our place, and Scott took a nap with Kate. Brian took a nap as well. Poor guy had worked late the night before to wrap things up for the week, and he still had a bit of the cold that the three of us have been trying to get over. He needed to rest. Kiley and I had some time to just sit and talk while we watched Connor and Sadie. It was much needed sister time. While we were talking, Connor sat on the couch next to Kiley. Every minute or so, he would stand up and give her a hug. It was so cute. I guess she's on his favorites list. He only gives hugs and cuddles to those he loves the most. We took a walk to let Sadie and Connor get some of their energy out. They had fun running and walking around outside and playing in the leaves.
Connor absolutely loved having cousins around. He had so much fun chasing and being chased by Sadie. Every time he saw her, he would get so excited and walk right over to her, all the while shrieking and flapping his arms up and down. He tried to copy her in whatever she was doing. Friday night, when Kiley and Sadie had gone into our guest room to go to sleep, he followed them in there. They had turned the lights off, but hadn't shut the door all the way. Kiley told me that they heard his heavy breathing and then he started slapping the bed and squealing. He startled them, and it made them laugh, which only made Connor more excited and his squeals louder. It was hilarious.
Connor loved Kate, and would try to give her hugs and kisses every time he could. It was so adorable. We went out to dinner to Lost Texan BBQ on Saturday night. The babies were so cute sitting in their high chairs next to one another. Connor kept reaching his arm out to Kate. She would look at him for a minute, then slowly reached out to him and they'd hold hands. So stinking cute!
Kiley and Scott had originally planned to leave Saturday afternoon, but decided to stay one more night and leave Sunday morning instead. I'm so glad they extended their visit. I enjoyed having them here and I think Connor did too. He was sad when they left. I'm so happy they came to visit us. I never feel like I see my family enough--especially my sisters--so this time with Kiley, Scott, and the girls was a treat.
Oh! Cousin time! Too cute!
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