North Carolina - Day 1

I love going to visit Erika and Richie.  We have so much fun with them and I am always so sad to leave - I think that I have cried every time I have left there and Jay spends the whole time we are checking our bags in reassuring me that we can go again soon.  It seems like the visits are too far apart though.   The anticipation of this visit was huge though because Ryan understood we were going on the airplane and he talked about it for weeks (as did I)! (should have learned my lesson from Disney and waited to tell them we were going until the day before).  I think Erika and Richie loved it though because Ryan would want to call them everyday to ask if they had some toy/superhero/train and then tell them all of his plans of the games he would play with them when we arrived. I once heard him say to Erika 'You need to make a ecision immediately.   When we play superheroes, are you going to be a good guy or a bad guy".   The night before the trip, he packed his own suitcase, chock full of all kinds of toys and off we went to the airport.  After a smooth check in, we had time to check out some planes and have some coffee.  

I love flying Jetblue - the tvs in the seats are terrific for the boys and each one can watch whatever they want.  The kids were pretty good on the flight - they had breakfast and watched tv and we even touched down in Raleigh a few minutes early.  This was Dylan's last flight as a lap ticket (you don't have to buy plane tickets until kids are 2) and he definitely is ready for his own seat.   More than once, he told me to get up - lol.  (the mark on my head is ridiculous - I burnt it with a curling iron.   oh well, at least I matched Dylan and his bruises).

Erika and Richie picked us up at the airport and we headed over to the Mellow Mushroom for some pizza before heading over to Marbles Museum, one of the best places I have ever been to for kids.  Basically, it was two floors of different interactive rooms and every room we went in, Ryan said he didn't want to leave.   My favorite was the water area - the kids put on smocks to keep from getting wet, but they were pretty much soaked by the time we left.  There was a little pool of water that had rubber ducks and fish in it and the kids would just put there whole arm in to get stuff out - it was like they didn't even realize they were getting wet. This exhibit was for kids to learn what would sink and float, but all they cared about was splashing each other.  I think i also liked it because of the lighthouses - after last summer's experience at the Cape Hatteras lighthouse (I still despise you Emily Johnson), I would say this is the closest we will get to an NC lighthouse again.

Next up was the lab - Dylan had no interest but Ryan was happy to become a scientist and do some experiments.

The lab was short lived though (probably spent the least amount of time here) because Ryan saw the pirate ship and since "Richie loves pirates, we should go over there". After putting on their pirate costumes, the kids steered the ship, walked the plank, and kept a look out to see if any enemies were approaching. 

They did spot a garden outside so we headed outside. I could have stayed in the garden all afternoon - it was a beautiful day and it was just so nice to sit outside and chill.  

While Jay and I caught up with Erika and Richie, the boys played in the sand with the trucks and bulldozers. As usual, both boys played with one eye on what they were doing and the other looking around making sure nobody had something better.  Initially, they were concerned only with each other and then much to my delight, they began to work together doing "estruction".   I think Ryan recruited Dylan to help though more as his henchman. Within minutes, they somehow had commandeered all of the dumpers and trucks and one of the shovels, which Ryan was using.   Dylan walked up to another kid, about 4 years older to him, and grabbed the other shovel right out of his hand.   The kid followed, Dylan to try and get the shovel back and I heard Ryan say "That's my brother and he had that shovel first.  You need to find something else to dig with, that is his".  Oy!  Dylan had to give the shovel back of course and I told Ryan that it is not nice to tell a lie and that the other boy had it first and Ryan said "no he didn't, when we first came here Dylan had it before the boy was even here"  Guess according to Ryan's rules, once you touch something, you had it first FOREVER.

Ryan's favorite room by far was the Moneypalooza room, specifically the piggy bank.

Through a variety of tubes, suction hoses and pipes, balls are funneled into the top of the piggy bank.  When the bank if full, the bottom would open up and dumped the balls out.  Ryan thought it was hysterical and he, Dylan, Richie and Jay were more than happy to assist in filling the bank by whatever means necessary

Another favorite of the kids was the Power2Play area - an exhibit focused on sports, nutrition, exercise and teamwork.  Ryan really only wanted to play hockey, but he is seriously lacking skills and looked more like he was participating in curling. 

Dylan, on the other hand, wanted to try EVERYTHING else in the room.  He danced on the mini dance floor and even did a forward roll as part of his routine (pretty sure he got that move from Ryan), practiced jumping on the trampoline and acted like a monkey in the jungle.

I think that all of his exercise made him hungry though because it wasn't long before he headed over the kitchen to make himself a snack!

There were a bunch of other "exhibits" at the museum that we went to - the art station where Dylan made a sand art picture, the GO zone where they made simpe race cars and raced them down a hill, played in a fire truck and dressed as a fireman, and last but not least, coupled up some trains on a huge train table. I am sure I am missing some things that we did and I know that we did not even see some of the exhibits. I wish that the museum was in New York because the kids had a great time and would love to go back.  There definitely was not enough time in the day to do everything and next time we are in Raleigh, it will for sure be on our list of "Must Do" things.