Last Week of Summer

I can't believe school starts in 4 days.  Summers in the US are way too long in some ways but when you've reached the end, it feels like it only lasted a few days.  We tried to stuff some more fun into our last few days finishing up our bucket list items.

Greenfield Village one more time. I love that Bella got excited to come when I mentioned it.  Lately everything has been me, Christian, and Peter.  But Greenfield Village holds a special place in all of our hearts.  The older ones even got into the fun at the playground.

We've been coming for 16 years and this was the first time I actually saw them load a train on the roundtable and turn it.  Very interesting.  Peter loved everything about it except the engine and steam sounds.  A bit loud for his little ears.

Christian had so many questions but the guys working there never made themselves available to answer any.  A bit sad.  Thank goodness for google.

Sky Zone trampoline park with friends.  We met 4 other families there and since a lot of schools have already started, we 5 families had the place nearly to ourselves!  We kept commenting how it felt like a private party.  It was so much fun for way longer than our allotted time because it wasn't ever crowded enough to necessitate our departure!

Impression 5 science museum and Michigan State University in Lansing.  Peter's favorite place in the museum was the room for kids 4 and under.  Besides the amazing climbing and sliding structure and toys, he spent almost an hour at the water table.  Far better than the table at the science museum in Ann Arbor.  I finally had to drag him away because I felt so bad that Christian had been alone in the other parts of the museum the whole time.

Christian's favorite room was the nuclear power room.  His favorite of that room was the isotope display - multicolored balls whizzing around this maze and you have to flip levers and switches to isolate "isotopes."  The whole room was full of really great hands-on ways of teaching nuclear concepts.

Of course, the giant bubble room never disappoints.

After the museum we went to the campus of Michigan State University.  None of us had ever visited it and it was the day of a football game so it was the perfect day to show Christian how fun a university campus can be.  Marching band, tailgate parties everywhere, crazy antics at the frat houses, thousands of fans in green and white, etc. etc.  It was a lot of fun.  Of course, I didn't take a single picture. :(

Touch-A-Truck Day.  Christian refused to join us on this one.  He'd had enough last year and felt he was too old.  I agree with him. Peter, on the other hand, had a blast.  

I had to get a picture of him in the Rubicon again to compare to the picture I took last year.

Last year on the same day:

All we have left of our summer is the Labor Day picnic.  I'm excited for new adventures and my little boy's first day of preschool!