We found our parking and ventured together, arriving at the museum shortly after it open and when it was still fairly quiet. I decided to take advantage of the small crowd, and led Vinnie straight to the Thomas exhibit, his top priority, to really enjoy before it got too busy. The first 30 minutes, we enjoyed the exhibit with a handful of other people, allowing Vinnie to touch and play with every display, feature, and train. What fun! I think he would have stayed in there ALL day had I let him, but for our entrance fee, I wanted to make sure we saw all the the museum had to offer. We traveled to the rooftop to play in sand and blow bubbles, tried our hand at fishing in the wildlife area, and much more before getting on the "elligator" to head down to 2nd floor. There Vinnie enjoyed the machinery exhibit, trying his hand at cranes and pulleys before the water area caught his eye and stole his attention for a good chunk of time. More bubbles, boat races, tubes and tunnels with water and balls...I sat back and watched him play and bounce from one station to the next. Once again, I encouraged him to the next area, the one I remember being a favorite stop when I was a kid. Vinnie navigated his way through a little town, from the bus, to a restaurant, to the post office, and doctor, playing here and there and exploring all it had to offer. SO MUCH FUN! He really is the perfect age to enjoy these things. He is just beginning to learn to make believe and I found this so encouraging of that. He moved from one thing to the next as we made our way through the museum, wide-eyed and ready for what adventure and play was around each corner. Before we left, we stopped in the gift shop to select a Thomas the Train puzzle, both as a keep sake of our special day, and to add to our collection of our favorite activity these days. To wrap up our very special day of adventure in downtown St. Paul, we enjoyed lunch at Mickey's diner just down the street. A Minnesota landmark, and an old train car, it was a must! We dined on cheeseburgers and fries and found it difficult to eat when spinning on the diner stools provided much more fun.
As I write, Vinnie is enjoying a well earned nap...and I am considering a little shut-eye myself. What a day!
