Last night about 11 PM my sister, her wife Victoria, and their daughter Virginia arrived. They had driven all day from Ohio and were exhausted. We had our futon all set up for the adults and the blow up mattress set up in Garrett's bedroom for Virginia. The next morning Garrett was so excited to see Virginia. They had fun visiting with each other :)
Everyone getting ready to head out to Mystic Aquarium for the day.
Tim loaded us up in the back of the truck and we headed down to the visitor parking since we were taking Debra's vehicle today. Tim was staying behind :( he had to work that night.
We made it to Mystic Aquarium and were waiting in line to get our tickets.
First stop....the Beluga Whales. These creatures were so much fun to watch and they were very interactive with the people watching them. My favorite part though.....watching Garrett and Virginia watching them. It's so much fun to look at the world through their eyes. Sometimes us adults need to remember to slow down and take in what is around us. My other favorite part.....watching my sister interacting with Garrett!!
Of course they had to go through the tunnel!!
Next up.....Seals. They just finished up doing a show with them so they weren't as active as what they probably were during the show.
Heading to the Sea Lion Show. Garrett was sure enjoying his apple!! Trying to teach him good habits while he's young.
The Sea Lion show was great!! Garrett and Virginia both seemed like they really enjoyed it. The handlers did a great job and the animals were fun to watch.
Tim and I about 15 years ago swam with the stingrays in the Cayman Islands. It was an experience I will never forget. Here you could touch them and Garrett was really getting into it. They are slimy/smooth and he was loving it. My main concern was him grabbing their tails. But he did great. One of the gentlemen that was standing next to us had some fish and he gave me his last one to hold. Unfortunately they had been fed most of the morning so they really didn't want it. It was still a great experience and I really enjoyed watching the kids getting into it!!
Sisterly Love!!
Watching the penguins. They sure were entertaining.
Walking to our next location they had this lagoon. All kinds of neat animals, flowers and lily pads. It was really pretty!! Can you spot the frog and the turtle?
Garrett still eating his apple......
We then headed inside to look at the fish. Lots and lots of fish to look at!! So colorful.
Virginia was having a great time in the touch tank!!
Scary Octopus!!
Of course anything you can crawl into is a must!!
Learning about the different kinds of animals. Some of the animals are even good at art.
Having fun comparing ourselves to sharks!!
Garrett was having a little too much fun running around so I strapped him in the stroller. Still a happy guy though :)
They actually have a facility where they use trash as energy. Watching how it actually works, and wow. Very neat idea!!
Some cool jellyfish!!
They loved the Jeep!!
Having fun in the Aquarium!! I'm glad I have a fun crazy family :)
Can you see me now.......
All kinds of learning opportunities!! Ages 5 and up were able to touch one of the animals and she even got to dig for bones.
Having fun with the aquarium tanks. So cool!!
Trying on hats!!
We finished up at the aquarium and decided to head eat for dinner. Well we are in Mystic so.....Mystic Pizza. Yes the place that the movie is based off of. This place has been on my bucket list!! One more I get to cross off :) I had a salad and 2 slices of Eggplant Pizza. It was so good, not normally what I would have on program but that's OK. I did the stop challenge choose and made my decision. I no longer regret the choices I make or wake up in the morning feeling bad for something I made a decision on. One of the reasons I love this program so much!! It was so much fun to look at all the different things about the movie they had inside. So fun!!
Walking around Mystic for a little while after we finished up eating. It's a really cute little town!! Found a really cool spice shop, I think Tim and I may have to come back here and take a look around.
Sooooo tired!!
We headed to Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island. Everyone was having a great time!! That lasted for about 30 minutes, until Garrett fell in the ocean from one of the waves hitting him. Luckily Virginia was standing next to him and scooped him right up. Of course he wasn't very happy after that, and even face planted in the sand which made it even worse. Took him to the outdoor shower and tried to clean him up as best we could. Thankfully I did have some extra clothes for him. Poor little guy!! It was great fun, and everyone really enjoyed it :) Well at least most of it......
A photo of just our shadows.
We got back to the car, got Garrett changed and out of his clothes and on the way home decided to stop for Ice Cream. Today was my day of making the choice to come off plan and enjoy my time with my sister and her family. It was so much fun and I'm glad I made the decision :) Garrett was having so much fun playing with his Aunt Debra and his cousin Virginia.
We got home, had a bath and it was story time. Virginia helped me read to him. Love my family so much!! It truly was an amazing day and I'm so glad that my sister and her family came to visit us!! What an absolutely perfect day :)