Last weekend, Derrick and I drove to Houston to meet up with my family for some fun at the Downtown Aquarium. Since, Orange (where my family lives) is about a five- to six-hour drive now from Austin, we thought it made more sense to meet semi in the middle in Houston.

We stayed at a great hotel just a few blocks away from the aquarium, and we had a great time. Corbin and Lynley were perfectly happy to be wheeled around in the strollers. They barely made a peep! We bought two cheap, umbrella strollers to use instead of carting the big double stroller. We all agreed that it was much easier to manage both babies by having the option to go in different directions and look at different things.

The babies saw rainbow fish, turtles and even a couple of white tigers! It was shark weekend, but we really didn’t get why they advertised that. Derrick, my stepdad and I rode the train through the shark exhibit,a nd we were a bit disappointed. We saw some huge sharks, but we expected there to be more to it than driving through a tunneled tank and then driving past a fake “jaws” that popped out of the water to scare you. Oh well, it is for kids!

Overall, the trip was a success. An aquarium is opening in north Austin in November, and Derrick and I are looking forward to buying a family membership. I imagine that my two, little pumpkins will be walking by then, and this is such a toddler-friendly activity that I know we will be there frequently. It’ll also make a perfect location for play dates!