Multiples Mania: Johnson County Museum

We ventured to the Johnson County Museum this morning, a first visit for all of us. I saw the museum currently has a "Kidscape" exhibit so I decided to check it out (it's like a kid-sized village ... the photos will show what I mean). We had the entire museum to ourselves this morning, and the kids really liked the place. Lily loved the fishing and miniature golf, and Claire and Molly loved all of it. But then Molly got cranky about food after about an hour's time so we ran over to a nearby McDonald's for lunch. After the refuel, Claire begged to go back, and despite my hesitation, I took everyone back. I should have listened to my instincts. This time, the kids were more bold - they didn't stay in a "pack" (as they do when places are new to them), and ran wildly around, which is too challenging for one parent. After 25 minutes of our second visit, I lost Molly because I had my attention on Lily for a few brief moments. This caused a bunch of drama, with me trying to put the whole museum on lock down to find the kid. Molly suddenly reappeared on her own (we still don't know where she was hiding), and I immediately walked the kids out the door before we had a repeat incident. But then ... Claire (she's five, remember?) threw a screaming tantrum IN the museum about having to leave, which turned into the worst public embarrassment I've had in over a year from any child. I was mortified, which only makes me super angry with Claire.

So Claire and I are currently in a time out from each other so the both of us can cool off. While we cool down, I'll post some of our photos from this morning ... here's a view of the "village" ...