Our time in California was winding down, and Enzo happened to be turning 5 in a week, so my mom had asked if there was a special cake that he would like so she could make him one. As it so happens, he wanted a butterfly cake in an array of colors. I’m not sure where the butterfly idea came from… maybe because we’ve talked a bit about plants and hoping that the monarchs will make a return to our yard. Either way, my mom truly delivered.
For his 5th birthday, Enzo had really only one request. He wanted his own Alexa for his bedroom. Done. The excitement on his face was priceless, as was the moment when he turned to his sister and whispered to her, “Phoebe, we have our very own Alexa for our bedroom!”
My mom and step-dad had the excellent idea of buying him his own first camera too, which he was very excited about and has been using on a regular basis. The hardest part has been convincing him not to delete all of his pictures!! I need to sneak his camera and download the ones he has saved to my computer.
On our final day, we went to Birch Aquarium and it didn’t disappoint! Not too big, not too small and it had a really good variety as well!
The jellies never disappoint, and they had so many here. They really are so fascinating to watch and it was fun to watch Enzo take pictures of everything with his camera as well.
I think one of my favorite parts of this aquarium was this really cool Giant Kelp Forest. Honestly, I could have sat there for a while just watching, and considering there were plenty of seats, I imagine people do fairly often. It would be perfect if there were big comfy chairs that you could relax in. I’d never leave.
The kids were also excited when we found Nemo and Marlin and, of course, Dory.
And they had some of my favorite underwater creatures – sea dragons! I love these so much!
There was also a cool exhibit on deep-sea creatures, which is always interesting considering most of them are just really freaky to look at. Some of the plant life was really neat, though.
Anything interactive is great for kids, but also so not fun for parents because you can never drag them away. Also, even if all the screens show the same thing, it’s pretty much guaranteed that they will need to try out every. single. one.
Before we knew it, it was time to start heading East again! Durango, here we come… or went… or whatever!
You got some fabulous pictures!
Thank you!