Dinosaurs Rock!

This was just the most perfect weekend! So perfect, in fact, I'm going to break it into several blog posts. Of course, Dinosaur Day was the highlight, so that is where we will begin...

The theme this year was "Dinosaurs Rock," and they really focused on the fossil aspect of dinosaurs. The NC Fossil Club set up all kinds of displays both showcasing and giving kids the opportunity to touch and learn about all kinds of fossils, from sharks teeth to dinosaur bones to ferns. It was amazing.

We arrived as soon as the museum opened to members in order to avoid the biggest crowds. It also meant we had the dinosaur trail to ourselves:

 Who doesn't love riding a hadrosaur?

 Daddy sort of humored me for a picture:

 Even though we walk this trail at least once a month, it's just a little more exciting on dinosaur day:

 The kids ran from one dinosaur to the next. I've finally stopped jumping when the troodon sneaks up on us:

 The end of the trail boasted the fossil pit complete with fresh dirt and Fossil Club members to help identify. When we got there, it was the four of us and four members in the pit. Talk about a treat! I cannot say enough wonderful things about this group. They are knowledgeable, but they are so kind, too. They treat a cool rock as specially as a real fossil, and they cheerfully identify the same kind of tooth many, many times. They pass along any cool finds they dig up, and they teach without making it a lecture. We were so busy digging, I didn't take a single picture, but I did want to capture our finds.

Some really cool shells:

 Shark and puffer fish teeth:

 Barnacles:

 Fish vertebrae (and shark vertebrae, not pictured):

 Issa's prize find, a whale shoulder:

 Evan's prize find, fossilized alligator poop:

 The rest of the museum was still lots of fun, and I just love these pictures:

I love the reflections. Issa is actually getting pretty good at sailing; Evan still pretty much runs the boats into the wall. And to think, this was just the beginning of the weekend...