Charlotte Nature Museum

I took the kids to the Charlotte Nature Museum on Sunday since I had a Groupon for BOGO admission that I bought several months ago and what better day to use a coupon, but the day it expires?  I bought them anticipating a nice family outing sometime after Clara was born, and boy has the time gotten away from me!  Unfortunately Michael was sick on Sunday and couldn't come, but thankfully Auntie Melissa joined us.  I tend to think that I can manage with all three kids by myself if I really need to, but truly, it would have been SO difficult.  If you even just consider that all of them needed to go potty at different times (including diaper changes for Clara), and sometimes simultaneously and they all need assistance to one degree or another, I was so glad that I could just take one at a time and leave the other playing and/or let Melissa take someone, especially if I was nursing or whatever. 
The boys absolutely loved it.  The museum is geared toward 3-7 year olds, so they were just the perfect ages and were running all around from one exhibit to another, exclaiming at all the different animals and bugs (most of them alive) and checking out all the hands on exhibits.  They didn't really pause long enough to "learn" anything, nor did I have time to even read the names of the species being observed, but I loved watching them.   Their favorite part of the museum was the exhibit on burrowing animals that has a few tunnels and domed windows to give the kids the perspective of the animals (such as groundhogs, skunks, foxes, moles, etc.)

In this clip the boys see a small owl perched on a branch which instantly reminds them of "Owl Jolson" - an old Merrie Melodies cartoon which Michael recently introduced them to.

In this clip you can see a few of Simon's "WOW!" exclamations.  He did this all through the museum, but I never caught the initial WOWs which where about 50 decibels louder!