Afternoon thunderstorm… Love it!

Abby and Ellie standing with Steve Hawley’s flight suite. The very last one of its kind.

Sitting in the kitchen, or a mock up of the kitchen, in the next craft intended for use by NASA.

Touching a real moon rock! Pretty cool if you ask me.

Fishing time! Who will catch one first?

Sisterly Eagle love… hmmm, that sounds awkward, but that’s ok.

Sisters in Eagle masks… AKA personal petri dishes.

The girls had a great time at the museum and really loved the NASA exhibit. They had the chance to see parts of the old shuttles and what the capsules looked like, They also had the chance to see a real flight suite and also touched a moon rock! We even had the chance to walk around in a mock up of the living area of the newest project by NASA. Afterward we headed up to the Yellowstone Adventure area to play for a bit. This is really what the girls came for and the NASA exhibit was a big bonus. As always they had a blast laying around and it was like pulling teeth to get them to go home.

When we left, the thunderstorm that was rolling had decided to get a bit bigger and the wind was blowing like crazy. We stopped for a yummy treat of frozen yogurt on the way back and when we left we had to book it home. Several surrounding areas were reporting major wind gusts and tornado warnings. The wind blew, we had some rain and thunder and continue to have some as we speak but nothing worse then that. It was yet another awesome day and we were so happy to spend it with Auntie Jillian!

Doing a little bit of fishing…

I caught one! Grandpa Jerry and Grandpa Pat would be proud!

Taking a break from cooking and other fun things.

I’m an Eagle!

I am Abby the Eagle!

After the play area we headed out to see some of the new exhibits. The first was all about building and engineering. At the front of the exhibit was a low table covered in wood building pieces. Museum patrons were invited to add on to the structures already created by others or start one of their own. Abby, Ellie, Daddy and Auntie Jillian did just that and had a blast doing so. Shaun’s structure looked pretty cool by the time he was finished with it.

A Family that builds together… well… has fun together!

After construction was completed we moved on to the next exhibit. This one showcased Montana artists and their furniture and woodworking. What beautiful and amazing pieces of work. I found myself saying that if I had a big beautiful cabin in Montana somewhere, I would want everything on display. From dining room tables and clocks to drafting tables and wet bars that looked like a train caboose, I wanted them all. I also wished that I had a skill like that that I was good at, but that’s another story.

Beautiful wood carved clock. Love the wolf on it!

Beautiful carved table top with the Teton range. Love this one!

Abby and Daddy watching a video about birds and their connections to dinosaurs.

Sunset at Museum of the Rockies

After our walk through the dinosaurs it was time to go. We really didn’t want to leave, but it was getting late and the museum was closing. As always we had a blast and the girls learned a lot. All Abby could talk about the rest of the day were the building blocks and of course, the dinosaurs. You know you have had a good day when all your kiddos can talk about are the things they did!

Its the last day of 2011! Can you believe it?! Where did the year go? Instead of dwelling on how quickly the year passed we decided to take the girls and head on over with my parents and sister to the Museum of the Rockies. The girls and I visited the museum back in May when we were in town for Jillian’s graduation and they had a great exhibit on frogs. This time there were two exhibits, both of which were very interesting.

The first was a photo gallery of music legends taken from the works of many famous photographers and photo journalists. All of the adults found it to be very interesting but the girls didn’t share our sentiments. The second was called “Mayan Gold” and it displayed artifacts found in a Mayan burial site in Panama. For those who are thinking it, no nothing was mentioned regarding the “Mayan Prophecy or Doomsday theories” as it was completely irrelevant to the site. Instead it was able to give the public some insight on how the Mayan culture viewed death, burial and the afterlife. Their ability to work with gold, other precious metals and gemstones was impressive. Once again the adults really seemed to enjoy it but the girls, BORED TO DEATH!

After trying to enjoy the first two exhibits as best we could, we headed to some spots that the girls would enjoy. The girls had the chance to play and build with some Lincoln Logs as well as see Abby’s favorite spot, the Dinosaurs!

Before we knew it the museum was closing and it was time for us to head back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We still had a whole night a head of us and the New Year to ring in. Now it was time for the girls to take a nap and Shaun and I to rest. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV, talking with family and eating our traditional Chinese food.

Its getting close to midnight and the girls are still going! Shaun and I are ready for bed but I think the girls are on their second or third wind. I hope they can make it to midnight and then pass out as soon as we get into the car!

Today the weather finally changed and for the first time since being in Bozeman… I saw the sun! I knew this was a sign to get out of the house, so we did! Jillian, Grandpa, Abby, Ellie and I headed to the Museum of the Rockies for a day of adventure and exploration. Abby loves dinosaurs so I thought this would be a great place for her to go. As a bonus, they also had a frog exhibit! On our way in, we stopped for a quick picture with “Big Mike”, the resident T-Rex. Abby was in a bit of a bad mood at this point, but I think we got a good picture regardless.

Abby loved the frog exhibit and hasn’t stopped talking about it all day. I dont think I have seen so many frogs in one place! There were definitely a few that I didn’t love the look of, but at least they are behind glass. Most looked like what you would expect from a bull frog or a poison dart frog, but a few had me baffled. Several looked like big blobs while another looked a bit like a monkey!

After we pryed Abby away from the frog exhibit we wondered through an area dedicated to the history of Bozeman and Montana. Abby loved the old fashion fire trucks and of course the faux store front that replicated a gas station/home one might have seen in Montana in the 1920’s. After that we made our way over to Abby’s favorite spot, the Dinosaurs! Even though it was mostly fossils, she still loved them. I think Abby honestly thought she was in an episode of Dino Dan. I think her dinosaur face says it all.

As the adults tired of dinosaurs, we once again pulled Abby and Ellie away and headed to another exhibit that was recommended by Jillian. She had been to the Explore Yellowstone exhibit on a field trip with one of her classes for student teaching and had told me it was pretty neat. Well, Jillian was right! The exhibit was basically a place for kids to play and learn about the outdoors as well as the ecosystem of Yellowstone. Abby had the chance to dress up like a fire fighter, do some fishing, make a few geysers erupt, bounce around in an eagles nest and keep watch in a fire lookout.

I thought nothing would be more fun than dinosaurs and frogs, but I think Explore Yellowstone had them all beat. Abby did not want to leave but luckily she was hungry enough to be pulled away with the idea of lunch. She hasnt stopped talking about her trip to the “seum” and I have a feeling she will continue to talk about it months from now. I cant wait to take her back when Shaun is with us.