our trip to Dream World--not Disney!

Though summer is technically over from our standpoint, it still feels like summer. So before it officially slips away, I bring you the ultimate budding marine biologist's dream visit. . .our trip to the Georgia Aquarium! We've been hearing about how amazing this aquarium is---they say (whoever "they" is) it's the best in our country! But, I'll get to that in a sec. Fortunately for us, some of our dear friends live in ATL! So, on our trip back from South Carolina this summer, we stopped in to visit with the Stouts, whom we miss dearly, after they moved to Atlanta 3 years ago. They have a daughter older than Luke and then 3 boys who are the exact same ages (well within 2 months of each other) of our boys! It was such a treat to get to spend some time with them, even though it was too short.

Micah, Coley, Luke, Parker and Charlie  --our oldests of the bunch

And don't worry, Knox and Miles got to play too! Thanks for holding them still, Coley!

And as an extra bonus to the trip, after we said goodbye to the Stouts, we headed off to downtown Atlanta to check out this world famous aquarium! The boys had no idea where we were going until we were within minutes of the place. I wish you could have heard the squeals from Luke and Charlie when they discovered where we were going. Priceless! It turns out, the Georgia Aquarium, did not disappoint! To actually see whale sharks live and in person, was by far my favorite animal highlight! I think Luke, Charlie and Chad would agree, though Luke was pretty pumped to touch a hammerhead shark and we all loved seeing the Beluga whales! We also saw their highly touted Dolphin Tales, a show like nothing like you've ever seen. It was essentially a musical light show---as if we were at a theater! Amazing and yes, it made me cry! I'm pretty sure that was Charlie's favorite part of the experience as he named his new lovie, "Star" after a character from the show. I could go on and on, but I realize I cannot do our visit justice! You just have to go see for yourself. I will say though that having little ones so very interested in sea creatures and us having a passion for sea life as well, made it that much more enjoyable. I will never forget the awe and wonder of Luke's face and Charlie's too, as they soaked everything in!

Such an exciting trip for little Miles, that he was tuckered out!

We actually also made it to the National Aquarium in Baltimore this summer too! We went to DC to visit Chad's side of the family and Nana and Poppy thought our boys and their cousins would love to go. They were right. Sadly though, I didn't have my camera. Maybe Poppy will send me some pics! The sharks, and tons of them, and the moray eels, were big hits there! We also learned that the blue whale (the biggest animal in the world in case you didn't know) has a heart the size of a Volkswagen bug! So, don't say you didn't learn anything today! :)