Bastaball and Sharts

I'm backtracking just a little to last Saturday. We had a great day out and about with our Macie girl. Our first stop was the Rebel game. I've really been wanting to take Macie, but the games usually start too late. Luckily Saturday was an afternoon game, so we packed her up and went to see the Rebels win! Macie had a great time, just as I suspected she would. She loved the cheering, clapping, little boys sitting behind us, popcorn, mascot, etc. I am so glad she went. The funnest part was getting her all pumped up in the car to go see "bastaball". It is seriously the funnest thing to get her excited about something. She claps and screams and talks non-stop about whatever it is, even if she has no clue. I'm pretty sure she assumes that if Mom thinks it's exciting, then it must be exciting.

After the game we decided to stop at Mandalay Bay to go to the Shark Reef. Macie loves fish and knows about sharks, but has never seen them. I knew she'd enjoy it. She was all over the place running right up to the glass pointing at the fish saying, "Ohhh, big one!" Occasionally there were small ones, but to her they were mostly big. She especially liked the "sharts," and I was surprised she wasn't scared of them. As you walk through tunnels they swim overhead and it looks like they're swimming right in front of you. Josh held her up and she would reach out and tell me "touch it Mom." Even when they swam right up along the glass she stood still watching it go by and tell me how big she thought it was. Here's a poor picture of her talking about the fish.

She also enjoyed the sting ray and wanted to touch it like Daddy, but her little arms were too short. She has no fear! The cutest part was when we stopped to see the jellyfish. Of course they don't look like fish at all, so Macie kept saying,"Where jellyfish Mom?" When I pointed and said they were right there she would repeat her same question. Oh well, she'll learn when she's older.

We ended the day meeting friends at IHOP for dinner. (I know, what a healthy choice.) Macie was SO excited for her funny face pancake that she could hardly contain herself. By the time we got home it made for a long day, but was well worth it. We are loving the stage Macie is in right now. She is so aware of everything around her and communicates really well. For me, there's nothing more enjoyable as a parent than watching your child discover, be happy, and have fun. And of course when your child is such a crack up it makes life entertaining as well.