the cube? check.

going through the bean's summer checklist has been fun for both of us.  a groupon deal helped us cross off another item - the discovery science center in santa ana, aka "the cube."

we've been here a few times over the years.  i'm actually pretty stinking bored at this place, but kids love it, and that's what counts anyway when it comes to stuff like this, right?  so much so that we've never been lucky enough to park in the actual parking lot.  we always end up redirected across the street to the mall, but that's okay since it's free and an easy walk.

she made a beeline for the hydraulic lift chairs as soon as we got in, and pulled as hard as she could on the ropes to lift herself up to the top.  upper body strength, she haz it.

further demonstration of said strength at the rock wall:

upstairs, we found ourselves going in for a lesson on recyclables, disguised as a fun trip to the grocery store.

at the checkout, she got to take a picture to be added to the wall of fame:

and then played another recycling game.

there was a whole section highlighting fun things to do in every state in the united states.

we were going for a cheesy "i've got the whole world in my hands" thing here, but it didn't quite work out.

if you've ever driven by this place and wondered what exactly was in that cube, here you go:

she went inside the wind tunnel, which whipped her up to about 80mph, and it was hilarious watching her crack up at herself in there.

by then, we were both pretty much over it.  time to go...but first, let me take a selfie.

oh, and pick up one of my friend mommybelle's most favorite souvenirs ever.

this should come at no surprise to you.

school starts in a week!  the countdown begins...