Aquarium Visit

What a fun way to spend a cold winter day off (MLK Day) - Baltimore Aquarium!

This aquarium is designed so cleverly!

contained ecosystems set up throughout a hall...

 

Dolphin Show!

 Special Exhibit: Jellies!

Jellies are over 600 million years old.  They have witnessed the extinction of dinosaurs, the ice age and the arrival of humans.  They look magical.

This is a little kids zone... hands on learning:

(That's Ains racing from item to item....)

On the way out - a replica mini world of the Outback.

 Alligators (crocs, actually) were a big hit with A.

 Just as we headed to the door, we ran into a woman giving a little talk with her dragon. Ains ran straight for the pillow cushion, sat down and listened. :) (I think she may be ready for big school after all.)

Awe, wonder, magic, and the mystery of the beautiful world we live in.

A day well spent.

chores? Ah, they'll be there when we get home.

Dinnertime at Our House

Apparently, we are beginning a tradition of reading aloud to each other at the table.... or should I say, Ainsley will be reading to the family at dinner.  We always light candles. Every night. What are your dinner traditions?

As we ponder and prepare Ainsley's THIRD birthday - we are awed by the logistics and pricing of a city girl birthday.

Living in a teeny townhouse in central DC, an at-home cake and ice cream party sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. So we looked for venues....

There are MANY venues very happy to accommodate, we are learning.  However, they all have specialized pricing when you bring a group of children to celebrate a birthday.  Prices range from $175 at the low end to $650 for a "fairytale tea party with tutus" at Petite Ballet. No - that's not a typo. $650. Hmmmm - what ever happened to meeting a bunch of kids at a park or at your house and playing toss the balloon and such? Oh, you need a larger house - maybe a suburban house - for that. 

We are still undecided... but that chaotic mass of toddlers & parents in our 500 (400?) square foot main floor is looking better and better. :)