Presidents' Day!

We celebrated Presidents' Day by taking the kids up to the state capitol to see the legislature in action. (If you look closely, that's Darrin & the girls at the bottom of the stairs.) You see, Callie was sick the day of the 4th grade field trip and really wanted to see laws being made. And we had time, so off we went!
We looked at the paintings inside the capitol dome:

And Brynn worked on a puzzle where she had to find things in the building:

She was delighted to find Fire Hydrant shaped candy jars outside the House & Senate chambers and galleries!

We took lots of pictures:

We went into the gallery to watch the Senate during floor time:

After about 5 minutes, they started debating the midwifery bill that is before the legislature this year. It was infuriating. While we were there the bills sponsor introduced a substitute bill that goes against EVERYTHING she promised in negotiations with the midwives! If anyone wants to write a letter to their house representative urging them to vote NO on SB93, I would appreciate it.
We then went outside and walked around looking at the newly restored exterior on our way back to the car.
Next we visited the plantarium. The kids loved watching the pendulum:

Visiting the moon:

And Mars:

And the crazy stuff in the gift shop:



And we finished off the day with a dinner at Sizzler, which my kids think is the best meal in the WORLD because they can pick and choose at the salad bar!