On Thursday this last week I had an awesome fun day! I dropped Jared off in uptown Phoenix, to work at the other clinic (which he covers for usually once a week, sometimes more) and drove up to meet my friend Claudia and her cute little baby boy Greysen, at the new Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Scottsdale. It was great to see her and get a chance to talk to her and see her little boy. No matter how much time we spend together, it seems to go incredibly fast. We’ve decided that we’ve got to meet up and do something together at least once a month especially now that we’re both Stay-at-home-moms.
The Museum was chalk-full of instruments and I had a fabulous time looking (and taking pictures w/o my flash). It was pretty fun with kids because they do have an “experience room” for the kids to try some of the more basic instruments though next time I go, I’d love to spend an entire day looking at everything sans kids. 
Here’s a pic of her darling little boy. Isn’t he yummy? He has such a beautiful complexion.
Claudia and I
The museum was vey fun and I loved looking at all of the (somewhat odd) variations on violins the best…who would guess?! Here’s one that they added a bell on it to help in amplification purposes, I don’t really think this one was much of a hit. 
I’ve never actually gotten to see one of these in person, it’s a Contra-contra bass so it’s an octave lower than a bass and two octaves below a cello—very cool though very cumbersome and ridiculous to transport! I had Christian pose in front of it to try to show the large proportion. Someone has to stand on the stool to play and there are frets and a mechanism on the top to play it using the frets since the strings are really too thick to play easily (and I thought the regular bass was a joke).
This one is only decorative…can you guess why? Resonating problems…this is one of those things that what you see is what you get, it’s beauty is really only skin deep.
Here’s another picture with Christian showing how little this little model/prototype of a violin is before a craftsman will make the full-scale model. I can just hear a voice in the back of my mind saying “I love teeny things!” 
I never knew there was a mechanical violin before….it works kind of like a player piano…I’m not sure there’s any vibrato or things like that available though.
I believe this is a “keyed violin” who knew?
These next photos are from the experience gallery. Christian really thought the gong was neat.
Vivian wanted to try her hand at the harp—she was very cute sitting there—until she wouldn’t let go.
Can’t you just imagine her as a harpist someday?
The museum is divided into continents and then countries. It was very cool to see the similarities and differences just in countries that really are not that far away from each other and some that are an ocean apart…as well as noting which continents have their own version of bagpipes, as well as lutes or other types of string or keyed instruments not to mention drums and the particular sounds made because of materials used in various regions.
I had to put this photo in for my dad. This is a real live Goofus! It’s a Keyed mouth organ…so in other words a version of a harmonica!
After spending the majority of the day at the museum, I had arranged to meet Christina’s newest addition while I waited for Jared to get off of work. It was so great to see her and her cute baby girl Maren (Christina doesn’t even look like she was ever pregnant). We spent the couple of hours I was there relaxing and watching the kids play. She was insightful and set up the pool for the kids to wade in (and I didn’t think to take one photo of it and Vivian was being so funny, darn it!) and then we went inside and watched the kids parallel play while we gabbed the time away.
Christina looking super cute with her 6 week-old baby.
Little Maren. So intelligent looking!
Sweet big brother James…
It’s hard to realize he’s only 6 months older than Vivian…she’s not going to be a baby much longer :(.
This one of the boys playing by each other just cracks me up...what an example of parallel play!
Vivian was very happy to find that James had an awesome cell-phone toy…she really wishes I’d forfeit mine to her :).
I honestly was a little sad when it was time to pick up Jared from work, it was so fun to spend a day just visiting friends after being in my house for days and days. Hopefully, very soon we will leave the ranks of one-car house-holds and I’ll be able to do things like this more often. Thank you to Claudia and Christina for a fabulous day!
That museum looks AWESOME!!
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