Monterey: Lucas turning FIVE!

This year, instead of birthday parties, we decided to do family birthday trips. Caleb is still too young to really understand, but Lucas definitely is got it. It took some convincing on our part to show him that going on a trip would be just as fun, if not more fun, than having a party. He became super excited about visiting Monterey and the Monterey Bay Aquarium for the first time. We all piled in the car Friday afternoon and headed out on our little family road trip!

Because we were going in June, a couple weeks before his birthday, I wanted to make sure he still felt like we were there to celebrate him. We told the receptionist at the hotel it was his birthday, and she gave each of the boys little stuffed penguins and had milk and cookies sent up to our hotel room. He was feeling very special!

Fisherman's Wharf with just a short walk from our hotel, so we decided to go there for dinner. We sat at a table where we could see the water and the boys got a kick out of watching all of the seals and sea otters swimming around. 

Two of a kind... like father like son! 

Saturday morning we headed to the aquarium right after filling our tummies with breakfast, donuts and fruit, since you know, it was his birthday weekend. This was my first time to the aquarium also, and boy it does not disappoint. We spent ALL day there, and had Matt and I not been so tired the boys would have stayed longer. 

All of the exhibits are beautiful and have so much to offer, but my favorite by far was the jellyfish exhibit. Not only was it super interactive with so much for the boys to do, but those jellyfish are some awesome, beautiful creatures! 

There was one area where the kids could draw jelly fish and then send their drawing into the ocean, a huge screen on the wall. Lucas really enjoyed this, and kept cracking up at the silly jellyfish he would make. The two of us also made our family as jellyfish, which he thought was just so cool!

While my favorite was the jellyfish exhibit, Lucas's favorite was the huge deep sea tank. The first thing he asked one of the employees was, "Are there hammerhead sharks here? I really want to see a REAL hammerhead shark!" We stood at this ginormous tank for a long time watching the sharks and huge tuna swim by. At one point I gave Lucas my phone to take a few pictures, and he took picture after picture of the sharks and fish. 

So love my family!

On Sunday, before heading home, we went to the Dennis the Menace park that a couple of our friends had told us was a must with the kids. This park is beyond neat, and definitely not like any other park we had been to before. 

My little dude! 

The big (almost) FIVE year old!

Trying to get a picture of these two together these days is a bit of a show. One smiles, the other makes a face, or they encourage each other to make faces, both goofy, but oh so, so stinkin' cute!!!

Got it! The best of about 15 pictures! 

We all enjoyed the weekend together so much. There is not better way to celebrate our big guy turning five than by making memories as a family!