We are still a bit behind with the blog, so we will probably be putting up new posts every day for awhile. This summer has been a busy one for us. A few weeks ago we went to the Aquarium with our friend Jessica. She has been wanting to see it for quite some time, and Elora was so happy to show her around. And mom, if you are reading, a snake appears in this post a couple pictures down. Just so you know.
Here are the fish you can pet. It kind of creeps me out because they suck on your fingers, but Elora thinks it is fantastic. Oliver got all ready to pet one and then chickened out at the last minute. He is not such a fan of being approached by animals.
Instead he went to hang out by the lizards. He loves these ones, I think because their habitat is right at his level! They are often moving around too, and he loves it when they move! “It’s Moving!!!!”
Check out the huge yawning snake. I have never seen a snake do that before, kind of makes you feel like it wants to eat you.
We found these little turtles which we have never seen before, and they were fighting! The little scrappy one kept chasing the big one and actually pushed it off the log into the water. Then the little guy jumped in the water too, and we watched them fight for awhile. The kids were fascinated by this, but Oliver got upset when he figured out the little turtle was being kind of mean.
A favorite part of the aquarium is the leaf cutter ants. There is a tube that runs around an entire floor of the aquarium that is filled with these ants.
Elora loves to watch the ants crawl, and she followed the tube back to the ant habitat – and found more ants! She was very happy.
Oliver was excited to try and reach up for the ant tube that was high on the wall. And if you look closely at the pics hanging on the wall next to Oliver, you can see what happens to people who get bit by a variety of poisonous snakes. Elora likes to study this and ask us lots of questions about it.
Today in the tropical section of the aquarium the little monkeys were running around everywhere, so we spent some time following them around.
And Elora found this cool bird that we have never seen before.
Oliver enjoyed climbing stairs. He was getting bored of animals by this point, but he absolutely loves stairs.
We showed Jessica the big tank with the sharks in it, and Elora talked to us all about sharks and how they can bite.
This was also a new exhibit with Gila Monsters in it. They were sleeping in this tiny crevice between the rock and the glass, with their toes poking out under the glass. Elora and Oliver liked petting the Gila Monster’s toes.
We headed out into the cold August air to enjoy the view from the top of the tower. Yes, that is right. Cold and August. This has been the weirdest summer.
Here was the hit exhibit of the day. We didn’t even have to put money in, Oliver just liked standing near it and talking about it.
Jessica and the kids posed outside the big flak tower for a photo.
And Jessica helped Oliver climb up this pole that is supporting the tree. My kids love Jessica, she is so much fun. And she has a tiny little dog named Bijou, so whenever Oliver sees her he asks about Bijou! Very funny to hear a two year old try to pronounce it. We had a great time showing Jessica around and next we will help her tour the zoo!
