Dozin' with the Dinos

It was two nights ago… But I finally have time to tell you about our fun Friday night. The kids and I had such an awesome experience spending the night with the dinosaurs at the Field Museum.

When we arrived I was a little nervous. Jordan was underage for the event, but I felt like she was mature enough to really enjoy the experience. So when we got there with her brand new helper arm, there was no question. Actually, the woman who checked us in told us how she had a brother who was sick when she was younger. Her parents used to drop her off at the Chicago museums to help her get away from it all. So she had a connection and an understanding with Cameron. She remembered both kids’ names the rest of our time at the museum. So cool.

We got there a little late, but with enough time to snag a great spot near the dinosaurs in the Evolving Planet exhibit. I had paid a little extra (about $9 each person) to actually sleep with the dinosaurs. It was SO worth it. I’ll let the kids show you our sleeping area:

Once we got settled, we got to take part in some really cool craft and learning projects. Cam and Jordan got to dig and identify a bone. It turns out we dug up a replica of one of Sue’s toe bones. They got to color and learn about fossils. But they also got to check out ROBODINSAURS! (The concept was a bit confusing for Jordan)

We also got to tour portions of the museum in the dark – including an pyramid with mummies and the dinosaur area. I’ll be honest, touring the dinos in the dark was so freaking cool:

Add in snacks, additional art projects and a chance to really explore the museum on our own terms with very few people in the building. (I’m going to estimate there were 200 families in attendance… Maybe fewer). But the coolest moment for me was right before bed time. The kids and I were ready, but I asked them to take one more bathroom break – I really didn’t want to get out of the exhibit to take one of the kids to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The closest bathrooms were by the actual head of Sue the T-Rex. And near the head was a replica of Sue’s forelimb. I’ll be honest, I got giddy. Jordan’s helper hand was almost EXACTLY like Sue’s T-Rex hand.

The three of us really geeked out on that one.

The best part for me? Probably checking out the dinosuars in the morning before the kids were awake. And giving the kids hugs before heanding into the exhibit for our real bedtime. I was just to happy to be with them and in the moment. TOO. CUTE.

Along with exploring, Jordan had a chance to show off her new helper arm… Not only to the staff, but to other people sleeping in the museum. During snack time, Jordan pulled her elbow arm out to show it off. Then she used it to climb and become silly.

I can’t even explain how awesome this experience was after two full days of prosthetic building. We soaked it all up and had a ball.