This morning, Xander and I got up and headed out to The National Air & Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to watch the IMAX NASCAR movie. Xander did a wonderful job being patient while we waited in line to get into the museum (we got there about 10 minutes before it opened) and again while we waited in line to buy tickets.
Then we headed down to the theater. I’d tried to prepare Xander for what it was going to be like. I explained to him how the screen was going to be very big and it was going to be very loud. We walked in and he saw the screen and he said, “What’s that?”
Daddy: That’s the screen
Xander: That’s a huge screen!
He did a wonderful job sitting while we waited for the movie to start. He’s only 4 years old, so he had to sit very far forward to keep his seat down, so he ended up sitting on my lap once the movie got started. He also spent much of the movie with his hands over his ears because it was so loud, but he was clearly having a great time. I hardly watched the movie myself this time, I spent so much of the time looking down and watching his face. He had a wonderful time and loved the movie. He said his favorite part was when the cars would go by and go “Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!”
After the movie was over, we exited the theater and they had a “hands on” activity for the kids. Xander took a little bit of time to color himself a nice picture of a car. Then he went to claim his “prize.” He got lucky and won a full sized movie poster which now hangs proudly in his room..
After that we spent some time looking around the museum. Xander thought the SR-71 Blackbird was wonderful. “Daddy, that’s a big plane!”
There was also a indoor kite flying demonstration that Xander enjoyed watching very much.
Around Noon, we headed out and met up with Mommy and Mira for lunch at McDonald’s. After that we went for desert at Cold Stone Creamery, which was yummy as always.
Then it was home for about a hour and a half of quite time for everyone. Then we got Xander and Mira back up and we all finished watching Nextel Cup qualifying which we’d TiVoed yesterday.
Then Xander and I went outside to run around some since it was such a beautiful day. After about 10 minutes Xander decided he wanted to do some chalk drawing so we started doing that. Soon after that Mommy and Mira joined us outside as well. We all had a great time.
It really has been a full, rich day.
