Papa Duane and Nana Karen flew from Kansas to help Brielle celebrate her 2nd birthday. Brielle immediately remembered Papa from their Thanksgiving visit and Skype. She called out, "Papa! Papa!" and gave him a big, long hug.
The grandparents brought birthday gifts, including some great new outfits.
They also brought early Easter gifts.
Nana threw in a toddler toothbrush, and Brielle brushed her new bunny's teeth.
Then Nana helped Brielle brush her own teeth.
We took a day trip to McMinnville to visit the Evergreen Aviation Museum.
Since Brielle is a big girl now, we didn't need to take her around in a stroller.
She sometimes got excited and ran across the open floor space, but she was surprisingly good about not going under ropes or places she shouldn't be.
We started with a movie. Brielle's first movie in a theater! It was an IMAX movie called, "Legends of Flight 3D". Yes, a 3D movie with glasses and everything.
Brielle was amazing. She sat in the seat quietly and watched the screen. We tried to get her to wear the glasses, but she didn't quite get the concept. I guess some of the things coming at her might have frightened her anyway. Some things were a little blurry for her, but she could still make out the planes, and she loves planes. The only time she talked was when a dog appeared on the screen and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Dog! Arf! Arf!".
The museum is home to the Spruce Goose, which spans the entire length and width of one of the buildings. Here's the inside:
One of the four museum buildings houses the airplanes, another features space exploration, one is the IMAX, and a new fourth building will open this summer as a water park! Yes, that's an airplane on the top. Water slides spin down from the airplane into the building.
Can you spot Brielle?
Daddy and Papa pointed out their favorite planes.
There were many interactive exhibits for Brielle to enjoy.
She touches her first meteorite.
One of the highlights of the visit was seeing the plane that Papa Duane flew in Japan in 1973. It used to have his name on it, but it's been re-painted many times since then. Most recently it was painted to look like the plane that John McCain was in when hit by a rocket.
In the gift shop, Brielle quickly located the hat section.
Finally, Brielle couldn't help but notice there was a play area for kids outside. It was a wet day, but Brielle used a rain coat to slide down safely.
After a long day, Brielle fell asleep in Nana's arms. What a great visit!
Brielle thanks everyone for her wonderful birthday gifts!
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