Over Valentine's weekend, which was also our weekend for the Presidents' Days this year, our friends invited us to meet them at the coast and go to our favorite aquarium. The last time we did this was three years ago, with the same wonderful friends. And, one reason I love to have the blog is that we can go back and look at pictures of that weekend in this post and in this one. Benjamin wasn't even close to walking at that point - and life was very different! (I still had two kids in diapers!) But we are thankful to make memories together again, and to live so close to such an amazing aquarium. We had such a great visit that we decided to be come members like Dave and Jen, so now we have passes that we are happy to share with our nearby friends and family. Just ask me!
And now, the pictures...
I don't know if we'll ever get over the wonder of the jellies.
Getting in early on Dave and Jen's pass gave us the opportunity to get some fun pictures, both because it wasn't crowded and because Jen and I could take pictures for each other.
This one is of Jeff and Grace. Thanks for the pic, Jen!
Watching the divers clean the tank was a big attraction, especially for Benjamin
And oh, the octopus! I'm not sure I have ever seen an animal more creepy and amazing and beautiful, all at the same time.
How does it have spots one moment, and not the next? (And did you know that ones the females mate and bear young, they die?)
Jellyfish Benjamin.
The Jellyfish exhibit had this feature where we could draw our own Jellyfishes and then launch them into the tank. We spent a long time here!
Just to clarify, this one was Jeff's.
There's nothing like touching the sea creatures yourself.
Our family has grown up! (And this year, we took Jen's advice and stood by the sign that doesn't face the sunshine.
We ate at a grocery store cafe for lunch. We are at a stage that allows for kids at one table and adults at another. This was a short-lived game of hot hands. And I don't have a picture of dinner, but we ate at Pizza My Heart in the same fashion: adults at one booth and kids at the next. The kids had a rousing conversation about "Would You Rather?" The most memorable either/or options Jen and I heard, which were mostly orchestrated by Ella and Jonathan, were, "Would you rather dive into a sea of jellyfish or parachute into a tarantula farm?" or something like that. Jen, did I remember that correctly? Both the firstborns enjoyed arguing with each other over each option!
Now, back to the aquarium.
Deep in conversation. I have been told that Benjamin's cheeks are really thinning out, that he's losing his little-boy look and turning into a big boy. True, but the cheeks are still there.
Here they are in the wave room. Ella and Delia have done this so many times that their expressions are made-up…but they're pretty good little actresses!
Here's a girls' selfie Jen took on her phone. Grace loves being part of the girls' club with Jen and her girls!
Our crew on this gorgeous, sunny day at the coast!
After the aquarium, we took some time to explore rocks and tide pools. It was super fun, and even worth the parking ticket. For the record, it's illegal to accidentally park in a bike lane.
Grace wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day.
Jonathan drew some jellies...
And Grace says this is Gracie Fishy.
Jen and Dave have a talent for finding all the local places to go that we have never gone. One of them is this butterfly sanctuary. We went in the early evening, so we got to see jillions of monarch butterflies settling into clumps in the trees for their evening rest. My pictures of that didn't turn out so well, but here are three others. It was after this that we had pizza with our friends. What a gift to make more memories with them at the coast!!!
Despite the fact that it was Valentine's Day, Jeff found us an inexpensive place to stay a little way from the coast so that we could wake up and enjoy one more day of the ocean before going home. Dave and Jen went home at this point since they had already been at the coast for awhile. We went to Point Lobos the next morning, which Dave and Jen had recommended to us.
We learned that these seals don't usually come this far north. They usually stay further south, but it's too warm, and they can't find enough to eat, so they're here for the first time at this time of year. They're pregnant, and some of them have been birthing stillborn seals because they are malnourished. It's very sad! The area was roped off so that nobody could get too close to them.
Benjamin took this picture.
And Jeff took this phone picture of Benjamin.
After our time at the coast, we went to the park and play for a long time, although I don't have lots of pictures.
And this was not the exciting part, but we stopped at a store on the way home, and Grace and Benjamin had fun in this fire truck, although we never gave them money to turn it on. I guess we never have, and that's why it's still fun to sit in one that's not moving.
This is an anticlimactic end to a super long blog post, but if you made it this far, congratulations. (Mom!) We're thankful for a fun weekend of special memories! Thanks, Dave and Jen, for sharing it with us!
