{ a "winter" day at the aquarium}

The Aquarium downtown was the perfect way to spend the holiday and day off from school today. Several girls in the three wards in our area (only about a 5 mile radius) teach preschool, and every year they organize a trip to the aquarium--and everyone is invited.  It's an annual event, and I'm not kidding when I say everyone goes--over 200 people were in our group.  Instead of the usual $16 per person ticket price, we are able to get in (exhibit and unlimited rides) for only $4!  It was a fantastic deal, and one I definitely couldn't pass up.

We were all meeting early to get our tickets and start the day, so we were on the road a little after 9am.  The kids were so excited--everyone they knew had been talking about it  for weeks. It was the talk of the town the day before at church, lol.  I was just happy that we wearing short sleeves and enjoying 70 degree weather.  :)  Texas is finally showing me some goodness when it comes to temperatures, and it's fabulous!!!

The aquarium itself only took about 45 minutes to go through, but they had some really fun animals, and all of the kids enjoyed it.  The final exhibit was kind of funny...a white tiger.  At an aquarium, lol.  

There was also an amusement park area--not huge--but it had quite a few rides and attractions.  I was by myself with the four littles, and at first I was concerned how it it would all work, but it ended up being just fine.  There was a carousel (always a favorite), ferris wheel, tower of terror, and shark train ride, plus a few other things, and it was enough to keep us occupied for several hours.  The lines weren't really long, and we were able to get on everything within 10 minutes.  It was fun to see people we knew everywhere we went--lots of talking, chatting, enjoying the incredible weather and watching the kids have a great time.

We went on the ferris wheel first, and everyone loved it except Emma.  Poor girl, she was a trooper anyway, and managed to make it through--laying her head on my lap.  So, you can imagine my surprise when we came to the "Tower of Terror", which Kate could NOT wait for, and she asked if she could go on it.

What???  Was this MY Emma? The one that wouldn't even go on the Dr. Seuss 15 mph train at Disneyworld? You would be proud of my mom skills--I didn't show any shock at all, I just told her that she could, and put them both in line to wait for their turn.  I fully expected her to change her mind, as she stood there and watched kids drop four stories straight down.  She never did.  

At the last minute, I realized that Henry was much taller than the required 42 inches, and when I asked him if he wanted to go, he jumped right in line with the girls. Yes, I know.  I let my 3 year old go with my two 6 year olds, but hey, I'm a roller coaster/ride girl too.  All three got in their seats, and I was still expecting Emma to back out, but once they were all buckled in, that was it--no more time.  The verdict?  True love.  All three of them.  They got off, and couldn't wait to go again!  Poor Jack Jack, he had to hang out with me, even though he would have loved to go too.  Just a couple more inches, buddy---maybe when you're 4!!!  

The shark train ride was actually really cool.  We went all over the property, and then into a large tunnel.  The train stopped, and we were in the middle of a huge shark tank---they were swimming all around and above us.  We saw at least 10 different sharks, including a huge sawtooth shark.  Very cool. We sat there watching the sharks and listening to the guide for about 10 minutes, and then moved on.  At the very end of the ride, there was a large pond up on our left.  All of a sudden, a huge shark popped up, and water sprayed everywhere!!!  Kate screamed, Emma jumped in my lap, and I'm not really sure what Jack and Henry did. Yes, it was totally a fake shark, but they got us good!  It was pretty funny, although Kate was a little miffed, lol.  

After we ate lunch, and rode for a couple more hours, we were ready to head home.  Both of the boys fell asleep, but the girls and I listened to the Les Mis movie soundtrack all the way home.  We listened to their favorite song (the loud and fast one, lol--no "love" songs for them) at least 5 times, so it's a good thing it's one of my favorites as well.  

I wasn't sure how things would go today--no Rick, no Ryan, a mom that waddles more than she walks, and four littles in an amusement park, but they were awesome. Really.  I didn't have to chase anyone down, everyone listened, we didn't have any accidents. it was amazing!  We really had a great day. 

and...the white tiger.  :)

Bedtime was even earlier than usual--and we all went to sleep tired and happy!