A T.REX Called SUE

Today we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to have a look at the T.Rex Encounter Exhibition. We were really impressed with the exhibition, and really enjoyed the life size computerised dinosaurs that interacted with both sound and movement.

The exhibition focused on a dinosaur called Sue - a T.Rex named after the lady who discovered the fossil of the skeleton in 1996. No dinosaur in the world compares to Sue, as she is the largest, most complete and best preserved T.Rex ever discovered.



We thoroughly enjoyed the double feature at the Imax located in the museum that explained all about dinosaurs and how paleontologists work. Max exclaimed, "Oh my God..." regularly throughout the films. It was the best 3d experience we have had - especially the fight scenes.

We also viewed some of the other exhibits at the museum and were especially impressed with the taxidermy. Below are some of the amazing examples of the displays.

Unfortunately, to leave the Imax you had no choice but to walk through the centre of the exhibit shop. When we said that we would not be buying anything Max started an epic tantrum that lasted well after we arrived home. We are determined to not give into tantrums!

Skyline City Park

We have been spending so much time getting organised that we decided to have some family time today. We set off for the open air ice skating rink in the middle of the city. It was very reasonable - only $2 per person to rent skates and free to skate. We arrived full of anticipation...

Yasemin rushed onto the ice and sped away. She was great in the very cold conditions with a strong wind. Although she had many falls she didn't want to leave the ice. Maxy also raced onto the ice - he refused to wait - I feared disaster! To our surprise Max held onto the edge and proceeded to complete a number of laps.

Garry and I lagged behind, lacing our skates and organising gear. Garry beat me to the ice, but experienced a nasty fall very quickly injuring his wrist. I was okay, some of those old skills returned and I spent time assisting Max with an odd little red frame that helps little ones learn to skate, holding hands and skating with Yas and much enjoyed solo laps. 

                     

This is the first tick on my wish list. I have always wanted to ice skate outdoors and wasn't disappointed - the weather could have been a little warmer though. Due to the cold we didn't last long, but have all vowed to return, (not sure about Garry).

We have arrived!!!

After a long flight from Honolulu to Phoenix with an extended stopover due to a snowstorm in Denver, we finally landed at Denver airport to the views of snowplows working hard to clear the runways. We were greeted warmly by our new friends, Ange, Dan  and Susan. Many hugs and kisses as well as gifts were exchanged. We felt overwhelmed by the kindness that was shown to us!

After a short drive through very snowy roads and some traffic hazards we arrived at our new home - wow!!! It could not have appeared more perfect, as it was covered in snow. We waited while Dan shovelled a path for us to the house. Yasemin and Max were very excited and could hardly wait to dive into the snow. They were strongly encouraged by Susan to pitch a good snowball.

After looking around our new home we were raced outside by Susan who met and then introduced us to many of our new neighbours - everybody was so friendly and welcoming. Garry and Ange had a go at removing the snow from our new car.

The house is really lovely, we are really lucky to be spending the year in such a great place. A big thank you to Annie and Sam for making the house so comfortable for us, along with the gifts that were waiting on the dining room table. It was about this time that Garry and I were starting to worry that our place might be a bit of a disappointment for Annie and Sam? We think their house is fabulous and love the prospect of a back yard and are looking forward to our first BBQ!!!