December 27 – 28 – Coral Gables, Florida

I’m in Grandma Heaven with my Exceptional Grandsons Owen and Cam. This is a rotunda in the hotel where the kids are staying.  The pink marble floors of the hotel are stunning. The boys love to race around the upper level while an adult times them.

b Rotunda
Hotel Rotunda

Here, they paused on the far side for a picture.

b Owen and Cam in Rotunda
Owen and Cam in Rotunda

There is a Mellow Mushroom in Coral Gables so we went there for dinner.  The waiting area is in a modified Volkswagen bus. We could hardly keep Cam at the table; he only wanted to sit in the bus.

b Volkswagen Bus Waiting Area
VW Bus at Mellow Mushroom

Today we went to the Miami Children’s Museum. Grandma is exhausted, even with an afternoon nap.

Andy and I gave Christmas presents to the boys this morning while George and Jennifer worked out in the gym.

b01 Cam and Owen Opening Presents
Cam and Owen Opening Presents

We stopped in a bagel shop for breakfast and sat outside to eat.  Here are the Bartons watching the world go by.

b02 Bartons Eating Bagels
Bartons Eating Bagels

Cam loves cream cheese.

b03 Cam with Bagel
Cam with Bagel

A loud truck was passing by so Owen held his ears.

b04 Owen with Choc Milk
Owen

This is the Miami Children’s Museum

b05 Miami Children's Museum
Miami Children’s Museum

The Wicked Witch of the West went south here.

b06 Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the West

I think this was everyone’s favorite exhibit.  This aquarium is an extra large computer touch screen.  The fish are swimming around and if you gently touch the screen near them, they will turn around and swim the other way.

b07 Aquarium Screen
Aquarium Screen

The coolest part is that we got to “make” the fish.  They had little cartoon drawings on a table for the kids to color and write their names on them.  Then they put the picture on a scanner.  In a moment or two, the fish would drop down into the aquarium screen. This is Jennifer’s  jellyfish.

b08 Jennifer's Jellyfish
Jennifer’s Jellyfish

I wrote “Baba” on a fish and scanned it, but when my fish dropped into the tank, my name was upside down.  I re-scanned the picture, but my fish was still upside down.  This was interesting.  Then I realized that the scanner could tell which edge was the top of the paper.  I had drawn my fish upside down, so it didn’t matter how I put it on the scanner. I drew one right-side up and it turned out fine. Owen posed in front of the aquarium with his fish picture.

b09 Owen with Fish Picture
Owen with Fish Picture

The next room had a fishing boat with plastic fish to catch.  Owen like catching fish.

b10 Owen Catching Fish
Owen with Fish

Cam liked to drive the boat.

b11 Cam Driving the Boat
Cam Driving the Boat

They were most enthusiastic over the firetruck where they donned their fireman outfits, complete with boots.  Here they are waiting their turn.

b12 Firemen Owen and Cam
Firemen Waiting to Drive the Truck

There is a large screen in front of the steering wheel, showing street scenes as the firetruck drives along.

b13 Driving Firetruck
Owen Driving the Firetruck

The cruise ship was also a big hit.

b14 Cruise Ship
Cruise Ship

Again, Cam was most interested in steering. He was sounding the horn with the large button.

b15 Cam Driving Ship
Cam Steering Ship

Own liked ringing the ship’s bell on the fore deck.

b16 Owen Ringing Ship's Bell
Owen Ringing Ship’s Bell

The adult children were doing the limbo.

b17 George Doing Limbo
Limbo George
b18 JD Doing Limbo
Limbo JD Barton
b19 Jennifer Doing Limbo
Limbo Jennifer

Fun Day!

 

14 thoughts on “December 27 – 28 – Coral Gables, Florida

  1. sportsattitudes December 28, 2015 / 10:35 pm

    The making of the fish sounds very cool. Interactive museums are great fun for the young and the not-so-young alike. I wonder how I would fare doing that limbo! Probably need a day to recover…! Looks like a busy, active, enjoyable time was had by all.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Afrika Bohemian December 28, 2015 / 11:23 pm

    Wow sounds like an amazing day well spent, I love the children’s museum with the wicked witch.

    Like

    • Dinata Misovec December 31, 2015 / 5:49 pm

      It is an amazing museum, I could have posted dozens of pictures of cool things for kids to do, but it was way past bed time – mine.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Afrika Bohemian January 4, 2016 / 10:38 am

        I can just see a picture of the kids reminding grand ma to go to bed

        Like

      • Dinata Misovec January 4, 2016 / 3:44 pm

        Funny! They should have. It’s been several day and I’m still recovering, mostly from carrying Cam. Oh, my aching back, arms, hips, legs!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Afrika Bohemian January 4, 2016 / 4:22 pm

        Wicked children making grandma work 🙂

        Like

  3. M. L. Kappa December 29, 2015 / 2:47 am

    Grandma heaven indeed! Don’t I know it – best thing that’s ever happened and calculated to pay you back for getting old(er)! And that Cam – I could just about eat him, together with the bagel! Bless.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. milliethom January 4, 2016 / 4:51 pm

    The Miami Children’s Museum looks brilliant! I’m sure you all had a wonderful time there. I love that aquarium. And behind all the fun, how educational it all is. Your grandsons are adorable, Dinata. No wonder you were in Grandma Heaven.

    Like

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