The Aquarium

Today we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific. The last time we went was just a month before Konrad was born, and now that I think about it, this is our first outing to a large entertainment/ educational venue with all three kids.

This was Tom's Friday off, so we jumped at the chance to use two free admissions to the Aquarium, courtesy of our newspaper subscription, on a non-busy day. But we had NO idea that this would be one of the best days all year to visit. You will notice that I dressed the kids all in red so we could easily spot them in the crowds (I thought everyone else would be dressed in orange). I didn't need to, since there was practically no one there! Why? Because it's Halloween, and schools have other things to do on that day besides going to the Aquarium. Usually there are streams of kids pouring through the Aquarium (no pun intended!) While we were there, there were only two classrooms, which really made our visit much more enjoyable. (And we showed up right after it opened, at 9 a.m.) Note to self: go to Aquarium on Halloween next year.

Anyway, the first picture is how we mostly saw Natalie for the first hour: the back of her, finding her own way through the Aquarium, seeing what she could see. This was also her first major visit while walking, and she made the most of it (another reason I was thankful to not have a crowd...she did not care if we followed her or not). Her light-up shoes also helped us spot her from a distance. But after the first hour, she started to get tired and wanted to ride in the stroller or be carried.

We love this Aquarium because its displays are really kid-friendly (I don't remember the Monterey Aquarium's displays being as easy for the kids to see...although Lukas was only 6 or 8 months old when we visited, so I don't have an equal comparison). Konrad got into the action, and really enjoyed seeing the fish too. Lukas' favorite part was touching the bat rays, because they're so soft. I think Natalie would tell you that chasing the pigeons after lunch was her favorite activity.

While we were getting ready this morning, we watched The Zoo Train DVD from Signing Time, which has a section for aquarium residents. We used a lot of those signs while we were there: Natalie already uses "fish" a lot, and we added seal, octopus, shark, shrimp, lobster, crab and whale.

After we were done with the Aquarium, we walked up to the nearby lighthouse to see the harbor and the ships. What a beautiful day!

Yes, Natalie has a new scab on her nose (she fell on Thursday, right before therapy...she was running!) But I don't think there was any internal damage...just scraped skin.

We can't wait until all three kids are running around and we don't have to carry anyone (much)...next year!