That being said, there is absolutely no way my mom and I would have survived that trip on our own and here's why. I forgot to pack the stroller and the aquarium does not provide rental strollers. I also couldn't find Parker's monkey leash which is kind of necessary when going to a place like the largest aquarium in the U.S. Plus Parker has the energy of threes toddlers rolled into one and he tends to be a little strong willed.
The moment we walked through the door Parker took off yelling "PISH" (fish for you non toddler speakers). Mom had Jesse, one of the uncles had Annley so I took off after Parker. He stopped suddenly and stared in awe at the fish behind the floor to ceiling glass. He took of running again but this time it was just the length of the glass and back. He picked out a fish and followed it back and forth for a little while before we moved on to something else.
We only made it through a third of the aquarium because both kids were up at 4:30 and hadn't napped. We left as soon as the meltdowns began. Regardless, we had a great time. The uncles were the heroes of the day seeing as they carried Annley and Parker most of the time we were gone.
Annley loved the jellyfish and the sea otters. She also got to touch a starfish and an anemone and was excited about it. That was a huge deal! I've never been able to convince her to willingly touch anything that wasn't cute and cuddly.
