Memorial Day: Austin Aquarium

Since everyone and their dog (literally) seems to want to spend time at the lake on Memorial Day, Ander took the day off and spent it with me and Charlotte, and we decided to take baby girl to the aquarium.

I feel a little silly confessing that the aquarium has actually been open for a while now, but this was the first time we actually went, and we had a really good time! It was the exact activity we were hoping for, it wasn't too crowded, and Charlotte absolutely loved every minute of it.

By the way, I didn't take many pictures, because it was dark and hard to see, but I did get a cute video of Charlotte petting the stingrays, which is the best part of this post.

Biggest hermit crab I've ever seen in my life. He was twice the size of my hand.

Reptiles galore. They even had an iguana that just hung out on a rock that everyone was allowed to just pet whenever they wanted. He was very chill. You could also feed quite a few of the animals, like the lorikeets, the huge tortoise, the rays and a lot of the fish.

Thankfully, you could not feed these dudes. This guy had to be the most sinister looking reptile I've ever seen.

You could feed the rays, too, which both me and Ander did, but Charlotte couldn't quite get the hang of it. It was so strange, the rays don't have teeth. Just two bony plates that they munch on your fingers with, while sucking the shrimp from them. It was totally bizarre, but awesome at the same time.

I hope you all had a lovely Memorial Day, and that it was free of sinister reptiles!

First word

Charlotte's first trip to Utah: Part 6

The last two days we spent in Utah were calm ones that were full of family. Charlotte and I spent a morning at Grandah's house playing on his swing set, something that Charlotte absolutely loved!

On our last day, Charlotte spent the afternoon with Granny Ashby along with her two aunts, Cozette and Aleah, and her uncle Joel, while mom, Katie and I did a little bit of shopping. Charlotte and I visited the petting zoo at Thanksgiving Point with the Ashbys, too, but apparently I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy making sure Charlotte didn't get her finger chomped off by some animal. 

We topped off said shopping with a trip to the Purple Turtle, which has THE best shakes in Utah, and it did not disappoint.

When we finally flew home, we were blessed not to have anyone sit by us, so Charlotte was able to take the entire row and do as she pleased. Which was, incidentally, watch Baby Einstein and eat goldfish crackers. (No fruit snacks this time! I learned my lesson!)

After a wonderful trip that was full of fun, friends, and family, it was definitely good to be home. 

Charlotte's first trip to Utah: Part 5

This trip was where Charlotte began trying to wear my shoes, and she has been continuing to do it every since. They look good on her, don't they?

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Mount Timpanogos temple with my dad and Colleen, which was the exact temple that Ander and I were married in nine years ago. I hadn't actually been inside a temple since before Charlotte was born, so this was very refreshing, and we had a lovely lunch afterward to top it all off!

 #templeselfie

Charlotte and I then went to Granny Lisa's school where Charlotte pushed this little car up and down the hallways while me and Granny rearranged desks. Charlotte had a blast having the whole school to herself, and she laughed and giggled the whole time she pushed that car in the hallway.

A trip to Utah just wouldn't have been complete if I didn't go and see some old stomping grounds of mine, so in the company of Granny Lisa we saw:

the house I was born in

the house I grew up in 

my old junior high (Go Leopards!) 

and the PF Changs I used to work at 

It's so strange to me that a place can look so familiar, yet so different at the same time, and it was a serious walk down memory lane to visit these places. The time I spent here shaped me into who I am today, and it was really special to be able to see how far I'd come from where I'd started. Hard to believe that all that time eventually sent me to Texas!

Charlotte's first trip to Utah: Part 4

My mom knew of a cute little pond that was close by, so we took Charlotte there to feed the ducks. Unfortunately, everyone else had apparently had the same idea, so the water was FULL of uneaten bread. But that was alright, Charlotte began quacking without any prompting from us, so I considered that mini victory.

Granny Lisa also had a totally awesome bubble machine that Charlotte absolutely loved. She loves bubbles as they are, but this was a dream come true.

I finally got to see the crazy, funky, odd, awesome house that my sister lives in! I'd heard all about it, and had been looking forward to seeing it myself. I was not disappointed. Katie and her roommates are all about animals, (alive and dead, oddly) and most of them own creepy crawly pets... like two species of highly aggressive tarantulas, which is absolutely beyond me. Don't worry, I didn't take pictures of those two.

This is Lemonpepper, the leopard gecko

 And this is Adelaide, the kestral. Some of Katie's roommates or falconers, and they have a shed out on the side of their house where they keep their birds. Adelaide was super cute, but she wasn't very happy with us since we had no food for her and kept making her do tricks.

And once I got back to my mom's house, I had to break out my Utah survival kit in order to get any sleep: Humidifier, lotion, and a glass of water. (Not pictured: lip balm and throat lozenges) How did I ever live in this climate? I felt like every ounce of moisture my body had to offer was being sucked out of me every time I breathed.