Ripley's Aquarium

Drew and Mikayla trying to pet the stingray. They both were able to pet several of these magnificent creatures. Drew was even able to pet a small shark (approx. 3 feet long) that swam up occasionally.
This is one of my favorite pictures. Drew and Mikayla are sitting on the ledge of the jellyfish tank. That's the closest I hope they ever get to these beautiful jellies.
Mikayla and Drew were enthralled by the sea life in this tank. We are not sure who the little guy is standing beside Drew, but judging by his hair he could almost be another one of ours!


Daddy helps Mikayla pose in this astronaut suit! It was on display in the Mars exhibit. Mars - The Search for Life was the new exhibit in the ever-changing exhibit room at Ripley's.
Drew takes a turn to have his picture made in the astronaut suit. In fact, we had to pull him away from this. In this exhibit he also got to drive a remote controlled Mars Rover, and Mikayla got to touch a huge meteorite!

On Tuesday night, we took Drew and Mikayla to Ripley's Aquarium. This was the third or fourth time Drew had been to the aquarium and Mikayla's second trip. The last time our family had been to the aquarium was when Mikayla was only 9 months old so we were due another trip. We have always had a ball there, but this time was really special because both Drew and Mikayla were old enough to really participate in the fun on their own. Sure Craig and I were still with them every moment, but we were able to stand back more and watch them take it all in.

From touching (Drew even tried to hold) the horse-shoe crabs, to viewing the sharks and other marine life, to petting the stingray, Drew and Mikayla were excited about it all!