Museum

Joel, Emma and I spent the morning at the Van Andel Museum and I think they opened just for us. We were the only people there for the first 1/2 hour and then a few people finally dribbled in. It was nice to have the run of the place and to chat with the eager-to-talk-to-you security guards who gave us extra tips and pointers while we perused all three floors.

Being it is Christmas Break, kids are free, adults 1/2 off and carousel rides are free. That's the ticket for a Hondorp outing :)

Emma was clearly worn out by the time we arrived home, but so was mom and dad - from answering 1 meeelion, non-stop questions. Honestly, it was a blast to see Emma exploding with so much wonderment and excitment. How fantastic would it be to always see the world through the eyes of a child...

Joel became a little nostalgic over the old
Herpolsheimer train that ran on an overhead track
in a local, long-gone department store

Joel noted that this bike seat could've used a bit more padding

Emma was delighted to ride the carousel

Mom took a ride too

Joel commented that this looked very natural to him...along
with the directive on the sign next to me :)

My two most favorite criminals

Emma, in a trance, figuring out how to pose the next 20 questions...

I realized today that when Emma gets really excited,
her tounge hangs out of her mouth