Dinosaur Museum

Of course with Emma in town, we had to take advantage of $2 Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point (along with half of Utah County). The wait wasn't actually too bad, and the museum was worth it!

Waiting in line:

Connor is serious about his fossils, Devin is the ever-watchful older brother.

Look out!!!

$2 Tuesday

We visited Thanksgiving Point again for $2 Tuesday (the last of the summer). I've been considering a family membership, but we don't have the funds for it right now, so we go when they have a special. :) This time we went with our friends Kimberli, Landon, and Everton. They'd never been to the dinosaur musuem before, but Aspen was happy to "show them the ropes."

Almost looks like an engagement photo, huh? These two are so cute together. If you ask Aspen who loves her, Landon is always at the top of the list.

Aspen and Landon are 1 month apart (Landon is almost exactly 1 month older than Aspen). Connor and Everton are also 1 month apart (Connor is almost exactly 1 month older than Everton). They bonded from their strollers:

Aspen still loves to dress up like a dinosaur:

Shaylee, Devin, and Connor had fun:

The wave pool is always a favorite with the kids, but it was crowded:


Digging for dinosaurs is the highlight before we leave:

Bean Life Science Museum

For one of our last educational field trips this summer I took the kids to the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum at BYU. What a blast! First, it's free, which is always a plus. Second, we showed up just in time for a live reptile show--they got to see & touch a live tortoise, Monitor lizard (like Joanna from the Rescuers Down Under) and a ball python. Aspen was enthralled! There were too many kids to get a great picture of them touching these animals, but they loved it. We're hoping to make another trip down as a family--maybe for family night. They even have cool scavenger hunts the kids can do while going through the museum.

Museum of Ancient Life

So for those of you who read my ranting post about a week ago, here is my solution . . . Devin and I agreed on a "positive reinforcement" system for completing his homework (accurately). This does not mean he has to do it without help; on the contrary, I want him to ask for help. So, if he does his homework all week, asks for help when he needs it, etc., then we go on a field trip on Friday and get an ice cream cone on the way home.

He made up all his homework this week and so we headed to the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. Shaylee was at Girls' Camp, so it was just Devin, Aspen, and I. They had a ball!

I carried Connor on my back and we had a stroller for Aspen (but there were so many hands on, interactive things for them to do, then she walked most of the time). It was a good workout for me!

Aren't we cute? Devin is becoming quite the photographer!

Check out these dinos . . .

This was hanging from the ceiling . . .

This dinosaur was so tall that even backed up I couldn't get it's head in with the kids.

Dressed up as dinosaurs.

Dinosaur puppets.

The erosion pit (sand, water, plastic dinosaurs, plastic trees, what could be better?).

Even Connor got in on the act.


The shark almost got them!

We finished up at the dig quarry where they got to "dig" for dinosaur bones in the sand using little brushes like paleontologists.

All in all, it was a fantastic morning (especially because I had free passes that, I kid you not, I got about 6 years ago). Anyway, we did stop for ice cream on the way to pick up Shaylee from Girls' Camp. Here's to our next adventure!