Denver Aquarium

If you can't tell, I am enjoying living in a new city. Last Friday we went to the Denver Downtown Aquarium. I was so excited. At one point in my life I wanted to be Marine Biologist. I became a little discouraged when there wasn't a program anywhere at any Utah universities and I had hated the Wildlife Biology program at Utah State.

The Denver Aquarium is a lot bigger and more interesting than the one in Sandy, Utah (with exception to the Penguin exhibit). It walks you through all the different habitats around the world. To say Ellie LOVED it, would be an understatement. She put off eating lunch for almost 2 hours she was so excited.

Here were some ducks that were across the walkway from the otters. (We didn't get a good picture of the otters.) Ellie occasionally says "cack cack" (quack, quack), but only when she wants.

Ellie and Jake watching some sharks on the bottom of the huge fish tank.

Oh my, look at that shark. Ellie stood in front of this tank and walked back and forth using the glass for balance for about 15-20 minutes. We had to stop her from tapping on the glass. Most people would comment about how brave she was.

Where are the fish going? You can partially see how big this tank really is. That fish in the background was actually about twice Ellie's size.

Ellie and Jake looking at the Lion Fish or something like that. Their fins flatten down while they swim but will puff up like a lion's mane occasionally.

Of course they have a ray tank. Ellie was dying to get in and swim. I don't know if it is because she likes swimming or if she wanted to touch the rays. She did try and touch them a few times, but as parents we didn't think fish water was the best for her to play with, especially since her fingers are always in her mouth.

I just thought this picture was hilarious. That star fish just really loves that pipe.

At the end, there was this worker with a bearded dragon. As you can see, Ellie wanted to snuggle it so much. Again, for her's and the worker's safety, we didn't think this was such a good idea.
Some of the other cool things we saw there; shark egg pouches (called mermaid purses), sharks with noses that looked like saws, jellyfish, and oddly enough a tiger. There were also these fish that spit to knock bugs off plants so they can eat and they could really spit.
Since it was just after 3 and none of us had eaten lunch yet, we decided to stay and eat at the restaurant. Even though it was after 3, a manager allowed us to order off the lunch menu. We were sat next to the fish tank. Ellie was just the biggest cheeser for the staff. This video is of her eating at the restaurant. *Notice her small yummy shimmy.*

As we were finishing up, the manager who allowed us to order lunch came by. Ellie cheesed and waved. It was then we were informed that it was because Ellie was so cute that she allowed us to have lunch.
It was quite a fun afternoon. One day it would be fun to go back when Ellie is older. They have all sorts of programs and activities; snorkeling in the tank, scuba diving, eating lunch with Mermaids, etc. Maybe after law school.