Museum Of Play

Mondays are Nate’s day off so we usually try to plan to be together as a family.  Mondays are by far one of my favorite days of the week.  I love having my hubby around.  I love spending time together as a family.  I love seeing Nate give extra lovin’ to Livi.  I love having a bit of a breather from momma-ness because Nate is an extra set of hands and eyes I usually don’t have when he’s working.  So, we decided on Sunday night that we would go to the Museum of Play the following day.  For the non-Rochestarians, the Museum of Play is basically an interactive museum filled with explorative goodness for the little ones.  It’s quite a lifesaver on rainy/cold days that Rochester is so commonly known for.  I actually have a Museum of Play membership high on my priority list for Christmas this year (coughcough grandparentgift coughcough).  Hmm…I must be coming down with a cough or something?  Anyway, we spent a big chunk of the late morning and early afternoon there.  The penny pincher in me made a lunch for all of us so we could make the most of our time and money.  So the first “exhibit” we stumbled upon was good old Sesame Street.  I’ll admit it…I got more excited for the Sesame Street “house steps” than Livi did.  I saw it as a great photo op to start off our museum adventures…she saw it as a torturous, boring beginning.  If she could talk more, I could just see her saying, “Moooooooom!  Don’t make me do this.  Don’t you know Elmo’s World is right around the corner?!”  We moved on quickly.  I loved seeing Livi’s eyes light up as she explored the world around her.  It was extra fun watching Livi play and laugh with her daddy.  There’s something about the times where Nate and Livi are interacting one-on-one that is so very dear to my heart.  Sometimes, I like to just sit back and watch Livi be showered with love from the one man who currently (and I’m sure temporarily…ugh I don’t even like to think of the day she brings a boy home!) holds the key to her heart.  One time (this is a major side note and has nothing to do with the museum but I want to end with this story because it’s a fave), we had finished dinner and while we were all still sitting at the table, Livi was checking out Nate’s face.  She was studying every part of it, and when Nate would say “Where’s my __________?,” she would stick her cute, little pointer finger out and proudly show him she knew exactly what he was talking about.  She found a special interest in his stubbly chin.  She reached her hand out and was ever so gently feeling his facial features.  At this moment, I proceeded to tear up and as soon as Nate broke his gaze with his daughter’s to look across the table at me I swear I thought he thought I was mental.  It was just such a special scene for me to sit back and observe.  I told Nate, through my watery eyes, that I would take a mental picture of this moment and keep it in my mind forever.  Olivia’s not going to be this small, this explorative, this excited about new things for long.  I have GOT to remember to take one day at a time, and love my little nugget with all that I can.