5 Years!

Gracie at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Trying to pet a sting ray

I liked the jellyfish

Gracie thought every fish was a shark.

Riding a boat in the Long Beach harbor

Gracie and her dad.

As usual, Gracie found something to put on her head.

Drew and I hit another milestone yesterday! July 3, 2009 was our 5 year anniversary. Since we were low on babysitters, we had to find an activity that we could share with Gracie. I've been wanting to take her to the Aquarium of the Pacific for some time, so off we went to Long Beach! Gracie was very excited. We recently acquired a Beta fish which she LOVES. So, when she found out that we were going somewhere where there were lots of fish, she was very excited.

Once we got to Long Beach, we decided to stall on the aquarium and have lunch first. The aquarium was super busy (that's what we get for getting married right before a major holiday). We had lunch and then took a short harbor cruise. Grace thought it was pretty cool that she was on a boat. She seemed to enjoy the wind and the movement. We saw some sea lions, but Gracie was more excited about the sea gulls flying overhead.

Finally, we went to the aquarium. At first, Gracie was happy to sit back in her stroller and take in the sights. She knew the fish immediately and even pointed out a shark to us. We made our way to the outdoor exibits where Gracie got to see sting rays and big sharks. Once we went back inside, Gracie had decided that all of the fish were sharks. =)

Drew and I have decided that we are going to start a tradition. Gracie has been to the LA Zoo and the San Diego Zoo already. While visiting those places, she aquired her babies, an elephant and a panda. She has lots of stuffed animals, but these two are her absolute favorites. Since we were at another animal-related place, Gracie had to get another baby. We bought her a Nemo-like fish. Since she spent the day yelling, "Fish!" it only made sense that that was what she brought home.

Have a happy 4th, everyone! Be safe and God bless!