minnesota visit

last weekend was a long weekend, and we spent it in the best possible way: with friend-cousins, sister-and-brother-friends, parents. with a mummy in a museum, with a movie about space, with playing in the snow and on the ice. (which, it turns out, minnesota still has snow! white soft snow! not just lingering brown smooshy icy yuck). there was a lot of good going on there.

david and i snuck out to the west side of minneapolis to ski ski ski,

while the kids went with their cousins and aunt and uncle to skate (and to be goofballs). 

 

 after that, we all cozied up back at my sisters house with a warm fire, a warm dog, and some mittens to dry out on the hearth.

the next day, we went to my former mecca. my childhood favorite place. the best place in the world. the science museum of minnesota.
(of course, it's in a new location in a new building, but so many things are the same and made the move!)
look at these cutie cousins checking out a big T Rex.

these cousins were busy busy buys, weaving on a native american loom
 
 
drawing with gears


 swinging around on the gyroscope platform,


gaining some fossil knowledge


and manipulating waves.


james kinda lost his mind with fear when he learned there was a mummy in the building, which is too bad because the mummy is like a dear old friend of mine and i was hoping to introduce them. but he managed, and i got to visit my dead old friend, and moved on to lots of other things.
all the cousins gave a little newscast


then the whole crew hit up the omnitheater for a sweet movie about earth as viewed from space.

we hunted around a bit outside the museum, but we even managed to find the old iron iguana (scales made from railroad spikes) statue outside the museum. this guy used to be at the front door, and i so wish i had a picture of my sisters and i in our sneakers and white socks and shorts and t shirts draped all over him in the 80s. i know there's a picture out there. mom. mom. right, mom?
here's me and julia, in 2017, kinda draped all over him, but being in our mid-thirties, a little more reserved and apt to follow the no-climbing-on-the-iguana rules....
 

after the museum, the kids hit the pool at mormor and morfar's hotel pool

and winter birthdays were celebrated .