A Dino-riffic Day

**Special note--Somehow, this entry did not post and I noticed it as I was posting my Christmas entry.  This event was in mid-November, not in December.  Just for the record**

Riley is a dinosaur fan.  I mean a BIG dinosaur fan.  The Jurassic Park series tops his favorites list and the boy could play with dinosaurs just as long as he could play Legos.  So when he asked to do something dinosaur related for his birthday, I was not surprised.  I researched our area and found a suitable location--a science museum ripe with fossils.  So for Riley's birthday, I set out with Riley and Connor to discover some dinosaurs.

Our first stop was lunch, because you must be well fed in order to explore.  Buffalo's Cafe was the chosen restaurant and not only did we have a great meal, they surprised Riley with a boisterous song and a cookie sundae.  He was so tickled.

After lunch we drove out to the museum.  We had all of our senses jam packed with fun information as we learned about dinosaurs, meteors, the evolution of automobile design, NASA science, magnetics, sound, color, thermography, weather, minerals and rocks, and fossils in general.  We arrived just as all of the school groups were leaving and we practically had the place to ourselves.  The boys were on top of the world as they read, studied, touched, and explored the halls of new information.  I believe Connor was most wowed by the rocks and minerals.  Riley was most wowed by the dinosaurs, though both were surprised that some of the animals they saw in movies were in fossil structure right before their eyes. l do believe that they gained a new appreciation for the creatures in Ice Age.  :-)

What we spent the most time on though, was the gem mining and the fossil dig.  In both areas, we were basically the only people present.  The boys were given tools and rules and then set loose to see what they could find.  And the best part was, they could not just take their time, but they could keep their findings.  It was pretty awesome.  :-)

I think they could have spent the entire day in those two exhibits alone, but I did eventually prod them to move on so that we could see more of the museum before they closed.  The entire afternoon was spent soaking up science, and we left pretty close to closing time.  I took chatty happy boys home that evening who were more than jazzed to story tell and share with their siblings.

Cake and gifts had a fun twist this year.  When Grandma found out what we were doing to celebrate, she remembered a cake she made for Jozsef's third birthday--a volcanic mountain dino haven.  She told me she still had some of the things we decorated with and she sent them to us so that Riley could enjoy them to.  So on Riley's eighth birthday, we were surrounded by dinosaurs that adorned the walls, table, and cake for Jozsef's third birthday.  It was pretty special and Riley loved it.  Jozsef was tickled too.

There was so much to soak in and so many wonderful learning moments in this birthday.  I'm pretty sure it's a day to remember for a while.  :-)  Making good memories, that's the best of all.  I'm so happy that we have Riley with us to make memories with. Praise the Lord!

We love you Riley!  Happy Birthday dear boy! Welcome to eight.  :-)