Kandinsky At The Guggenheim.

With the rain we've been having lately it's so nice to know that there are places we can go to escape from the rain and not be stuck indoors so much. Museums are a perfect place to venture out to and because we live near the city there are so many to choose from, but the Guggenheim is by far my favorite! 

These photos never made it into the blog but last year before Lexie went back to college we went to the Guggenheim to check out the Kandinsky exhibit. Kandinsky is one of my favorite artists! I love it when Lexie visits and having individual time with all my daughters is so special. We love the city and I sure am going to miss days like this when I can take one of my kids with me to the museum. They are growing up rapidly and the older they get, the busier their lives get, and with that comes less visits especially when they go to colleges across the country! So I am going to treasure these memories and document these moments because they are something I always want to look back to remember!

Inside The Guggenheim Museum!

The past two weekends in April have been dreamy, and this past Saturday was even dreamier with the all the sunshine we had. You'd think that because the weather was too perfect that we'd spend the day outdoors and we did, but for the beginning of the morning we spent it inside the Guggenheim museum. Yessssss! After four years of taking the kids to see Peter and The Wolf we finally went all the way in! 

Day Trip To The Pez Candy Factory!

Memories of my time with spent with Noah when he was a toddler came flooding back as we have been spending this whole week together........alone! 

Philadelphia Museum of Art.

When I was in the fifth grade I was in a club called U.I.L. picture memory. I'm not sure if any of you who went to elementary school with me would remember that club, but it was one of the best things I could ever have done in part fun, and in part to learn. Being in that club also helped me to cope with my surroundings as to how my childhood was like, and also helped me to develop a love for art at such a young age. 

I remember having to memorize paintings by Rembrandt, and Van Gogh, and Picasso to name a few. It was so interesting how i learned to distinguish which artist painted the portrati. One of my all time favorites will always be Lady With a Harp by Rembrandt . Every single competition I ended up winning and leaving with a small trophy or ribbon. I really loved that part of my life in elementary school, and so happy that the memory of learning about artists wasn't repressed. Art for me is like music for my kids. I love it, and will find opportunities to expose my kids to it every chance I get. We have been to quite a few museums since moving here, and how fortunate we are to have so many surrounding our vicinity. From D.C. to New York to Philly there are so many art museums to see. 

Last week the kids and I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was our first time going, and I am kicking myself wondering why it took us eight years to come! It is so convenient, and there is always some art program to do for the little kids. 

We invited a friend of Lexie's from school, and he was really impressed with a lot of the exhibits. He admits he's not a "lover" of art, but appreciates it. I think we are all picky with certain art, and I'll admit I'm not too big on contemporary art, but sure do appreciate those artists in that genre. I'm an old school kind of gal who is into Monet, and of course Rembrandt, and Picasso. 

This museum is huge, and took us about three hours to cover. Noah was getting a little ancy, and because we hadn't eaten lunch was becoming more cranky. We covered the entire museum, but I didn't get to read all the details behind certain paintings which gives me an excuse to come back again with Jon on a date night. 

I took a few photos of certain paintings that caught my eye, and some just because the kids were so into certain paintings and sculptures. 

Lexie and Ben were impressed that I knew this sculpture by Degas. It's pretty popular, and if I could find a knockoff somewhere I'd have her in my home. 

 A few paintings by Monet. 

 These plates are so beautiful! 

 Lexie found her favorite. A picture with a Violin! 

 For some reason Noah wanted Lexie by his side towards the end, and so she helped me guide him. He was really good at staying behind the black tape. Well...sometimes. 

 And here he is guiding us as to where to go next with the map. 

 These are called the Constantine tapestries, and they are huge! 

 We were mesmerized by these swords! I can't even imagine having one of these being stabbed into something, or someone! They are so huge, and sharp! I definitely wouldn't have wanted to be living in the medieval times! 

There is an exhibit where I swear it feels as if you are in Rome, and naturally there are all kinds of roman sculptures with crosses. Very catholic, and gaudy, but some of the art is beautiful. 

Here is Ben with Noah looking at an exhibit filled with armor wear for Knights. Noah thought it was pretty cool. It was especially cool when one of the guards came up to him, recited some kind of oath, and after Noah agreed to the oath officially made him a "knight." 

We really enjoyed this museum, and like all museums always come up with some of the most amazing exhibits. We all had a great time, and it was so nice being with all these kids. Once again Noah just loves when there is another male around. I swear this kid needs a surrogate brother at all times. It was a great day, and we look forward to coming back again, and I hope it won't be another eight years when we do! 

Gracias por tu amor Philly! Thanks for the love! 

The Seward Johnson Center for the Arts.

I'll tell ya, walking along the grounds of sculpture the other day was a workout that was filled with awe, and fun! We loved every moment of that place, and the kids really got a kick out of seeing all those sculptures. Good thing we came early in the afternoon where we squeezed in the rest of our time hitting this museum right next door. 

This museum is where they have local artists work on exhibit. Here is this one from Paul Henry Ramirez titled "Rattle". The kids especially loved the pops of color, and the music that was playing in the background. It was totally fitting for the exhibit. 

Noah's favorite was the sculpture of the Mona Lisa. He said that she should smile bigger. I chuckled a bit when he said that. 

There were other sculptures inside this museum, and this one was my favorite, "the girl with the pearl earring." 

I thought this chinese sculpture was interesting. I personally think that all asian women are beautiful! 

And talking about beautiful get a load of this portrait. It's amazing how times have changed. Back then this was considered beautiful, and you know something it still is. Now the world thinks that skinny is better, and that's definitely not true! No matter what, women of all sizes are beautiful! 

This display was pretty cool.  it's called "Merge" and it is all done from maps!

 I like how "chill" noah looks in this photo. 

These are all painted serving trays, and we noticed some that are exactly like some of the sculptures on the grounds.

And a bittersweet exhibit. 

A 9/11 memorial display. With the anniversary coming up next week this is in remembrance of that dreadful day. Bittersweet for sure. 

Truly a wonderful place to visit where you can really appreciate local artists, and just art period! 

MY SCIENCE GEEKS AT THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE.

Only two weeks into the school year and already the elementary kids had their fall field trip. I swear going to the Franklin institute never gets old. There's always new exhibits, and attractions to see, and the kids love it here! I have to say that this is the perfect place to bring kids of all ages! Noah is at an age where he is discovering all things about science, and slowly but surely it's beginning to make more sense to him. It also helps having an older sister who loves it, and when we bring books home from the library that are associated with anything science Noah becomes more engaged. 

Every year my crew gets smaller and smaller. With Sierra out west, and Lexie busy with school we came here with only Noah and Chelsea. Lexie had a tennis match, but since the kids only have one field trip in the fall to the museum we chose the museum, and Lexie didn't mind. The last time she came she had fun, and learned all about the brain. She has a ton of tennis matches to play, and we'll make sure to go to the rest of her games. By the way...she's been winning all of her matches so far!! 

As I was saying Noah and Chelsea both had a blast. We tend to go to the museum during the school year only because they seem to have exhibits that are specifically for kids. It's almost as if their brain somewhat shuts down during the summer due to all the beach trips we took, because when we entered into the kids science room they were all over the place relearning all the elements of light, water, air, and earth! It is amazing to see the light in my kids eyes when they are exploring the wonders of outer space! 

^^^ Noah has become obsessed with spacesuits. ^^^

^^^ There is this kiosk where Noah and Chelsea love playing with. It's basically a "space trip" where it helps you get outfitted in the perfect spacesuit for their destination when going into outer space. It's pretty cool. ^^^ 

^^^ We couldn't leave the museum without checking out the locomotive! Aside from the space center, Noah will always love trains! ^^^

^^^ oh...this was a fun hands-on project for the kids to do. There was a station with legos (which is the kids other favorite thing) where they had to guess what the other person is building by describing how they built their legos. And guess what?? They both nailed it. The men on the other side of the partition guessed exactly what both Noah and Chelsea built! It was awesome. ^^^

^^^ If you're wondering what they're looking at there was a light show on the ceiling with stars, meteors, and planets. It was pretty cool, and they couldn't take their eyes off of it. I just had to pull away to take a picture. I swear Jon was like a little kid in a candy store. He too loves coming here with the kids, and deep down is truly a die hard  science geek. ^^^

^^^ If you have a snapchat which is r_jorgensen I snapped the heck out of our evening here. They absolutely love it here. Three hours isn't enough at this place. Next time we'll have to come earlier in the day and spend longer hours here. There were a couple of shows to see in the planetarium, and franklin theatre that we didn't get to watch. It's amazing here, and I highly recommend every child, teen, and adult coming here to appreciate the earth, and how truly big space is getting!