Magic at the Magic House!

It was so miserably cold Saturday that we finally broke down and used the ace in our pocket for winter entertainment - four free passes to the Magic House which Mike got long ago at work.  It was a panic-inducing headache of a day, but it was totally worth it to see faces like this. 

This place has grown probably ten times the size it was when I last visited.  The one thing Colin wanted to do was the "static ball" that Zoe had told him about.  It was frustratingly not listed on any of the maps or directories.  And yet somehow while the kids were going down the three story slide for the 15th time... I had this vague memory it was at the top of the stairs past the slide.

Bingo.

I should mention the last time I was in this room was June 28, 1986 - the day Aunt Zoe was born.

The best part of this place was the kids were actually... playing together?

Everything has changed so much but some things were vaguely familiar.  Although I believe in the 80s this thing was actually made out of metal pins?  And may  have been horizontal so you could climb underneath and smash your face into it?  Kids today are weak.

This thing mystified Colin.

Meanwhile Charlotte set to collecting the balls and redistributing them to kids like some kind of socialist.

The pulley chairs were a hit

And charlotte managed to find her way to the water table of course.

This replica courtroom could have inspired the kids to learn about what lawyers and judges do.  Instead Charlotte grabbed the mic and belted out "Let it Go" from Frozen.

This is pretty accurate from most times I was ever in court with a male attorney too....

speaking of sexism.. the kids then gravitated to their own activities.  Colin showed a strange and strong attraction to being a grease monkey suddenly, changing the tires on this (orange) automobile...

While Charlotte took to the baby nursery and fed and diapered this random baby.

All in all, I think they had a great day and are already begging to go back again.  Magic!