The American Museum of Natural History

We took Joshua and Holley into the city to the American Museum of Natural History today. A friend gave us free passes, and it was a good weekend to do it! We did not get to the upper 2 levels, which included the planetarium and the dinosaur sections, so that was sad, but we went through the three lower levels and were exhausted by the end of our day. Joshua loved it just as much as he loved the museums in Cleveland and Columbus. I think he is an information hog, he soaks it up and then it comes pouring out of him at the funniest moments, just when you thought he wasn't learning anything.
I have a friend whose little boy at the age of three was telling me all about a butterfly chrysalis, and I didn't even know that was the technical term for a cocoon, he thought I was crazy. Joshua saw the Indian arrowheads and old stone tools and told me those were "Old hammer." It took me a moment and a slew of words out of him before I figured out that he meant that before people had hammers and tools, they used stones! He just about had me in stitches.
When looking at the history of man and civilization displays, we passed one diarama that had an African tribe and while they left off the genitalia, they did do some nice butt-work on the naked people. Joshua noticed immediately and informed us that there were "BUTT! BUTT! Mommy, look! BUTT!" Shaun found this hilarious and showed him a National Geographic type woman with boobs hanging out, hoping for Joshua to take it and run, he just looked and nodded and went off to look at the ancient music stuff.
Joshua also knows all of his letters, but not in order. That's Okay with us, but the fun part is that he thought they had ABCs at every display. "ABC?" he wanted me or Shaun to read him the signs explaining the display. So cute!
This is Joshua showing me some stuff, and telling me all the details about what he was looking at.




This is the "fun box" filled with "funny people." I think it was filled with voodoo dolls or something, they all looked like people and were in the religion display of India. But Joshua thought it was hilarious.


Holley got squirmy, and wouldn't you if you were in a stroller or a snugli all day? So she checked out some displays too. She was particularly fond of the dustball that fell inside this display of stuff.




Here is Joshua trying to read the word Rhinoceros and Holley looking at me for confirmation that the rhino was really behind glass...and stuffed.


I made Shaun stand underneath this Jellyfish to show the massive size of it. The stringy leg thingies went on for about 20 feet or so.


Joshua and Shaun in front of a massive slice out of a sequoia tree. Joshua keeps looking at this picture and telling me that it's a "dead tree."


We got to go see the butterfly conservatory too. They have over 500 butterflies just flying around in here and they land on you, and you can look at them and watch them feed. It's kinda neat, and I've been meaning to do something like this with Joshua for a while. A gentleman holding an orange slice had one eating the orange slice off his hand and showed Joshua. He was super excited on the outside, and when we left it he was very sad to leave, but inside he was very serious and just observing it.But it was cool to get that close.






And Joshua weighs .042 of a pound on Halley's Comet!



It was an exhausting day, with freakin' construction on the train lines that turned a 45 min/1 hr subway trip into 2 hours in and 2 hours back, plus they cut some lines because of the construction so it was elbow to elbow inside the trains. Joshua seemed very irritated with the choo choo train and came home happy enough to play with the toy trains instead, ha ha ha.