Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis...

I sat down to download some pictures for a new post and then became distracted (not a surprise) and Sydney decided to go ahead and post the pictures for me.  So, for those of you who saw the last post (just a few pictures and no explanations) now you know why.

Last week was our Spring Break (not very Springy, but a nice break anyway) so we decided to go to St. Louis and see what we would find there.  We really enjoyed getting away and being together as a family for a few days.  Our first find was The Magic House, a HUGE children's museum with lots of fun activities for the kids.  It was pretty crowded, but fun anyway.  The kids enjoyed signing the Declaration of Independence, solving a mystery, climbing a tree, playing with bubbles, shooting off air rockets, playing with magnets and a bunch of other fun things.  How is it that the kids do all the playing, and yet Steve and I were the ones exhausted when we left?  

I must say that Children's Museums are not quiet places.  These seats make music when you sit on them.  With all four kids on them, there was quite a symphony!  The nice thing is, no one gets mad at you if your kids are making too much noise.  
I think Steve enjoyed many of the exhibits just as much as the kids did.  They really have some fun things for them to do.  
Spencer learning Morse Code...
Sydney aspiring to be a telephone operator...
Sydney having a hair moment...
Kelli having an even bigger hair moment...
They had one of those Electrostatic Generators there.  I was the only one brave enough to try it.  I would have loved to see Sydney like this.  My hair is a little too heavy to get the best effect.

This tree went from the bottom floor up two stories.  You could get out on each level, so you could either take the stairs, or climb the tree.  The kids preferred the tree.

The next day we explored the St. Louis Science Center.  Very cool!!  We took the kids to an Omnimax movie.  Sam was very concerned with how dangerous the theater was.  I wasn't sure how Sydney would do during that, but she actually really enjoyed it.  The Science Center also had great hands-on fun for the kids.  

The highlight of the trip (or at least of the Science Center) for Spencer was the Lego Mindstorms experience.  For those of you not familiar with Lego Mindstorms, they are robots that you build with Legos and then program their movements with a computer. (I am sure there is much more to it than that, but you get the idea.)  Spencer has been drooling over these things for at least a year now, so it was fun to give him an opportunity to get his hands on one and see what they are all about.  They only let eight people in at a time, and you had to be over seven, so Steve took Spencer and Tyler there while Sam, Sydney and I went and played elsewhere.  They were divided into teams and got to build their robot and then program it with certain movements.  Their objective was to clear their "anthill" before the other teams.  Steve and the boys came in second, and had a great time!  Here they are with their robot...

More St. Louis to come....