Adventuring
Weeks ago now, we visited the Shark Reef exhibit at Mandalay Bay. For those of you unfamiliar with Vegas, Mandalay is a big, shiny gold hotel that you can see from the highway. We pointed out where we were going to Ava and she helped us navigate to it. Mandalay is also close to Matt’s office, so anytime we’re down there, she asks if we’re going to see the fish. 
Ava loved the exhibit and let the way through the whole thing. She had a great time exploring and we were happy just to go at her pace. Can’t wait to take her to a big zoo and maybe Sea World…all that wildlife would really rock her world!
Checking out the sharks with Daddy
She was nervous about this piece of glass over the tank at first, but found a way to explore safely.
BIG starfish!
These tanks were cool, but getting close to the glass warped how the world looked. Ava was nervous to get to close...I think she was afraid to fall in.
Say cheese!
She kissed the glass for this lizard. Gross, but pretty cute.
All in all, Ava had a great time visiting the fish and sharks. We worked on being brave on this trip. The word “scared” has become a big part of her vocabulary lately, especially since she went to see the dinosaurs at the the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. So, we talk a lot about how it’s ok to be careful, but we still should try things and check them out…maybe they’re not so scary after all. I’d say she caught on to the idea when she started kissing lizards!