Children's Aquarium

The kids and I went on a Big Trip today to visit the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park - and look at me! Still alive!

The aquarium is modest in size (and seriously needs to update some of its signage...), but it was just about perfect for my young crew (and unlike the Dallas World Aquarium, I didn't have to take out a loan in order to afford the price of admission). Sarah was able to sleep peacefully through the whole thing, and Luke could see all the fish and crustaceans and turtles and alligators and sharks that he could handle. And I got to try out my new Mother-of-Two stroller!

Luke loooved the tank where you can stick your hand in the water and touch the crabs and lobsters and sea snails. Of course, he would only touch them if he thought they were rocks. When the aquarium lady turned the horseshoe crab over to reveal his squirmy legs, Luke immediately stepped back from the tank and gripped my hand, eyes wide, body still (and ready to retreat). I got this shot while he still thought the lobster was a rock.

We pretty much caused a scene when it was time to leave the touching tank - but I knew Luke would enjoy seeing a few fish as well (and I would prefer to not spend the entire morning making sure my 2-year-old didn't dive into that tank!). And sure enough, once the tank was out of sight, Luke really took to the rest of the aquarium's offerings. I don't think he missed anything, and we had a lot of fun watching the moon jellies float around in their technicolor tank, admiring the ripple of the electric eel's fin, and being amazed by the size of some of the lobsters and sea turtles.

My favorite part was Sting Ray Bay (you can pet the sting rays!), but Luke preferred to view it from afar.

I can't really blame him - some of the animals in that area were really daunting to a lil' tyke like him...

When it was time to go, we caused another little (?) scene, but I didn't really mind the fact that Luke had enjoyed himself so much that he was reluctant to leave. I couldn't help but think about the time that my mom took us to this very aquarium (my memory is that it left much to be desired back then - maybe it was mostly closed for renovation at the time?) - and all the other hot, summer days we spent at the Tyler Zoo, Six Flags, the Fort Worth Science and Nature Museum, or the Natural History Museum at UT... I know it had to have been challenging to handle all four of us on excursions like those, but I see now that those kinds of things are more than just "something to do" during the dog days. They are the kind of adventures that make memories, spark imaginations, and extend experience - whether you're the wide-eyed, wary-but-fascinated kid or the hand-holding adult.