Oklahoma Aquarium

We were in Tulsa last week with Darin.

He had a class to put on so I took the kids to the aquarium.

Despite getting a little lost and trying to find the place with a map no bigger than the palm of my hand, we found it. 

By the way, getting lost on toll roads can be very stressful and a little expensive.  I actually blew through one toll because I didn't have money!

I was excited to take the kids to the aquarium.  It was between that and the zoo.  Since it was about 105 degrees with the heat index and we don't have an aquarium at home, I decided that would be the better option.

I think the kids had a good time.

Riley's favorites were the seahorses and the jellyfish.

Tripp was a fan of the jellyfish and every fish he saw.  He kept calling them "puffer fish".

Cash liked the sharks.

They have a tunnel that you can walk under and the sharks swim all around you.

I thought that would be so cool and the kids would love it.

The boys liked it, didn't LOVE it like I thought they would.

It was a little dark and scary I guess. 

Especially when you are little.

Riley HATED it. 

I basically had to drag her through the tunnel.

That's when its nice to have another adult along.

Pushing a stroller and trying to keep two other kids in your sights while carrying a 4 year old with her arms and legs flailing about is not fun to do alone.

Oh, and she was screaming. 

You are supposed to keep quiet in the shark tunnel, didn't she know that?

There are signs all over that tell you to keep quiet.

That's Riley...breakin' all the rules!

 Of course, when you leave the aquarium, you have to exit through the gift shop. 

That's just kind of mean I think.

Not that I can't tell my kids no, but I try to avoid all those types of possible meltdown, tantrum starters, at all costs.

And here are the fine people at the Oklahoma Aquarium putting me right in the middle of meltdown city. 

A bunch of toys and candy at my kids every turn, but they can't have anything?!

Now, I might have been okay telling them we weren't going to get anything right at that moment, but I didn't even try.  I gave in and let them pick out one thing.

We were on "vacation" right?!

And dad wasn't there to tell us no (or help us get out of the store in one piece if they all started freaking out).

Riley picked out a seahorse, Cash a penguin and Tripp a scuba diver.

Not too bad.

We got out to the car and Riley said "and now we go to the zoo!"

Lovely.

I told her no, that we went to the "water zoo" and now it was time to go back to the hotel.

Mommy was tired.

"But," Riley said, "there were no zebras there."

Awww...next time, Riles.

We will see the zebras next time.

It was time to navigate our way through the Tulsa toll roads and back to the hotel.

And we made it back without getting lost again!

I'd say our trip was a success!