Yesterday, we were lucky enough to spend the day with my cousin, Maya, and her son, Hassan. Maya and I grew up together, wearing matching Easter sweaters, eating strange delicacies, and fighting with our respective brothers. It was nice to remedy the fact that we live mere miles away from each other and rarely find time to hang out.

We started the day off at the fantastic Museum of Science and this thrill ride, which replicates a roller coaster in that it locks your children into a small box and then tosses them around like rag dolls while you watch on a monitor. Just like a real roller coaster! George was sooo close to being tall enough.

After the thrill ride, we played the piano stairs, went bird watching, conversed with R4D4, played a nerd version of the arcade claw game, explored Mars via Rover, photo acted in front of Predator, touched a pig heart and lungs, snuck up on birds, and listened to a story about Sammy the Gecko (spoiler alert: his home is the desert and the story teller lady may be in the mafia, as she does not like kids who ask too many questions).

We also held the whole world in our hands (we held the whole world, in our hands!) with varying degrees of success, depending on the photographer.

Maya and I got our moose antlers on. (Insert moose sound here, whatever that is.)

Then we built towers taller than ourselves (or at least, Maya’s was taller than her) without using glue unlike some posers (cough, cough, MOS towers behind the glass).

Hazy built stairs leading up to the girls’ tower and George was very jealous. Later, as we were leaving, he wanted to destroy Hazy’s stairs and they got in a fight about it. Hassan is so sweet that while Hazy was in the bathroom, he asked me why George was crying and I told him. He said, “I’ll be right back,” ran back into the room with the towers and came back and told George, “it’s all set.” When I started to say that wasn’t very nice, he repeated himself to George and gave me a big exaggerated wink. George was thrilled, the stairs were intact (I think), and Hazy was none the wiser. Thanks, 8-year old parenting genius Hassan. Can I borrow you for the rest of the summer?

The highlight of the museum for me was the POPnology Exhibit, and the highlight of the POPnology Exhibit was the Delorean, one of the actual ones from Back to the Future.

Before we left the museum, we made a quick stop to get brainwashed by this digital screen.

Being the two amazing planners we are, Maya and I decided to take the kids to the Food Court at Cambridgeside Galleria so that we could stop at as many different booths as possible while two hangry adults dragged three hangry kids around. We also confirmed that Hassan and George are related, despite looking slightly different. They both like sticking their tongues out, running at top speed across the food court to the bathroom, and chicken nuggets. At the end of the day, George told me Hassan was his best friend. (Hazy was still name-dropping Sophie as her BFF.)

The kids decided their table was the “cool table.”

But what’s cooler than eating the same thing you ate before every swim meet in high school – a D’Angelo Italian sub with pickles and hots?

Hangriness abated, we headed to the playground and then attempted (and failed at) a jumping shot.

What’s the best thing to do after a giant Italian sub? Go swimming, of course.

We did not wait 20 minutes before swimming/jumping.

I will museum-food court-pool with you anytime, Maya. I may not get an Italian sub next time though. But for the record, I didn’t barf.