Monterey Bay Aquarium

Those of you who know me well might think this picture was to highlight to Gift Shop but truth be told I was actually trying to do a combo picture of my kids and the enormous whales hanging from the ceiling.

Kevin has been torturing us- I mean having us all 'bond' by watching ALL the Star Trek movies (in order). We were so excited when we were watching #5 (I think- the one about the whales anyway) and recognized the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There were a few key scenes and those giant whales hanging from the ceiling was one of them. It actually kept us all focused (for part of the movie anyway).

With it being the 'rainy season' (aka winter) we ended up at the Monterey Bay Aquarium with several families that we knew. Ashton had plenty of people to dote on her and the girls had friends their own age to hang out with. It also meant that there were extra moms to visit with and help make sure we didn't loose anyone (at least for very long anyway :) Just kidding.

I know I have said this before but, once you have been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, every other aquarium is just a glorified fish tank. They have done such an amazing job at being educational but also child friendly and hands on. There are open areas where you can touch and feel various sea creatures. (Even Payton wanted to spend time 'petting' the creatures- is creatures politically correct?)

Ashton enjoyed being able to dress up as a sea horse so much that it took heavy negotiations to get her to leave the costume at the dress up area. It was neat seeing her make the connection from the actual sea horses that she had just seen and the costume (btw I wish they sold those costumes in the gift shop- which I didn't go into... taking Alex and Ashton really cuts down on my shopping aka browsing abilities)

I am also pleased to report that Madison is turning out to be more like her father every day (I don't think she will be pleased to read that though). She made sure we got some great shots of the marine animals both inside the aquarium and outside in the bay. While her numbers are still significantly lower than Kevin's, the fact that she took the time to take the pictures shows that genetics cannot be overridden! (See any of our camping and/or zoo posts to learn more. Thank heavens for digital pictures.)

Going during the week made it so there were hardly any crowds. Last time we went it was on a long weekend and we will just say our experience was 'slightly' different. I forgot how great it was to blow off a day and go on a week day. We all had an absolutely fabulous time! I can't wait to get back there.