Family Valentine at the Aquarium

We took a family trip to the Long Beach Aquarium, and Rye was blown away. (Even more blown away than we were when we discovered it was going to cost $25 per adult plus $9 in parking, and a good discount is hard to come by. Annual pass? $90.)

Rye kept signing and asking for "More?" "More?" ("Mowe?) His favorites seemed to be the lion fish ("EYEN shish") and the "sharp." He was very disappointed that he couldn't touch them all and play with them. "Out?" he kept asking. Can't you take them out for me? "Pice?" (Please?) It took him more than a half hour to wind down for bed tonight, as we rehashed every step.

"Out?"
"The fish can't come out. They have to stay in the tank to live."
"Out?"
"The fish have to stay in the water, Sweet Love."
"Beuds? Out?"
"The colorful birds have to stay in the enclosure, or they will fly away."
"Out?"
"You really wanted to play with the fish, didn't you?"
"Shish. Mowe?"

They have some cool touch zones, but many of them are just too deep for a toddler to reach. Others are filled with tide pool creatures and Rye didn't really understand they were alive.

We finished the day at a favorite local Mexican place and checked in with the waiter who had a daughter a few weeks after Rye was born. We talked with him a lot before Rye was born. Rye had his first 100% restaurant meal with no supporting snacks: tortilla chips, beans, quesadilla and tortilla soup with carrots.

A lovely Valentine all around.






Lion Fish, Rye's favorite

Sea Dragon, Mommy and Daddy's favorite.