Petting Sharks

As many times as we've been to the Newport Aquarium, Nora's never petted the sharks, or even the starfish.  She would hang back and encourage Aaron but never would participate herself.  She would set goals for herself, like saying she'd do it when she was 6 years old, but would then change the age limit.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving was an evening event for passholders, with an introduction to Scuba Santa, cookies and milk, and the introduction of two white alligators from Santa.  Pretty low key, dim hallways, less crowded as the evening went on, the usual holiday fun of finding the reindeer.  My friend Michelle took some great pictures of the kids.

And this time, when we got to the petting tank, Nora petted the sharks.  She spent so much time that Aaron was ready to move on and wondered when she would be ready to go.  Other kids came and went and she just wanted to . . . pet sharks.  The attendant told her that the petting tank must be her favorite part of the aquarium, and she agreed that it was.

I'm not sure why, this time, it was Nora's own good time.  Perhaps it was her approaching 9-year birthday, although as I said, she's been quite willing to move the bar before. 

We left and admired the twinkling lights and the tree at Newport on the Levee.  Cold as it was, Aaron sat on a bench and just took it all in.  This time it was Nora's turn to say, "How long is he going to stay here?"  The evening was a good introduction to the holiday season.