Out of the House and Into the Curb

Keeping a clean house made us restless. I stuck around the house to clean and clean. And while I was cleaning, the boys entertained themselves. I relegated them to one basket of toys, but those toys grew stale. The boys instead created their own entertainment. You know what I mean. Things that weren't toys became toys. Once Son1 found an expensive stashed pool cue stick and rode it like a knight on his horse, it was time to leave our four walls. On a whim I decided to take the kids to the Waikiki Aquarium. I called Jesse and she and her son agreed to meet us there.


We had never been to the Waikiki Aquarium. It wasn't exactly on my Places To Go list. Too many reviews stated it was small and limited. The reviews didn't entice me. Then Kristen wrote this post and sparked my curiosity. I read a little beforehand. It is the third oldest aquarium in the United States, and part of the University of Hawaii.

We left the house at 1130am. I made two stops with the kids before the aquarium. An hour and a half later, I cheered as the aquarium came into view. We nabbed one of the few free parking spots available in front. But first I orchestrated some ugliness. POP shake rattle, and hiss. The car rapidly sank on the passenger side. I wasn't even going ten miles an hour when it happened. No, no, no. I jumped out and gaped at my tire. A one inch piece of rubber curled back into a jagged black tear on the side wall. I called Hubby and he explained how I clearly had punched the tire. The tire was not defective. He had a crazy day at his office and he was ohhh less than thrilled to change my tire. It was one of those days he really couldn't leave. Well, maybe Jesse had Triple A because we didn't. For three years Hubby was right. Why would we need road side assistance on an island 44 miles by 30 miles? But today I could have answered that question.

Sure enough Jesse rescued the Farmer family with road side assistance. We had twenty minutes before help was on the way. We paid our admission and hit the exhibits.

It was no surprise my eldest was enthralled. But I was pleasantly amazed how my 15 month old screeched and pointed at the exhibits, waving wildly, expressing all he saw. He deservedly abandoned his stroller and stood at the exhibits. I loved that the frames of the exhibits were carpeted for standing. At least I thought standing was ok! He peeked in at the sea grass beds and gawked at the shrimp and gobies.

Jesse pointed out these giant clams. I thought they were fakes. I still can't figure why that crossed my mind. We stood and watched the 120 pound clams open and close.

Jesse helped Son1 use a magnifying glass to spot sea horses and other tiny fish in the tanks. He wanted to share the magnifying glass with her 9 month old, too. Little Caleb was mesmerized, just like my own kids.
Jesse's cell rang, and road side assistance had arrived. We exited our underwater utopia and faced the reality of my carelessness. In just a few minutes my car was was jacked up, the flat tire was removed, and my spare was installed, all with some kind words of aloha. I thanked both Mr. Roadside and Jesse. We reentered the aquarium for a little more time.

Unicorn Nose Fish

Bearded Armorfish

Moon Jelly

The Edge of the Reef is an outdoor exhibit facing Waikiki Beach. It was a lush backdrop for the outdoor tide pool. The tide pool contained several different habitats found along a Hawaiian shoreline. Son1 participated in the hermit crab demonstration. He expectantly waited for the itty bitty crabs to pop out of their shells and crawl into his palm. He dropped them back into the pool rather quickly. The volunteer was patient to show him over and over.
The three boys loved to watch the Hawaiian monk seal. These seals are endangered, and found only in Hawaii. We watched from below the tank and from above the deck. The seal swam past several times. Son1 carefully observed how the monk seal held his breath when he dove.

We entered the aquarium one final time. Son1 was fascinated by the shark exhibit, and ogled intently for a few more moments before it was time to go.