Learning, Living, Loving, and Sharing

“There must needs be opposition in all things." (2 Nephi 2:11) When there is, it’s nice to have days like this one to pull out, reflect on, and then build upon.

Woody was able to make working from home today work, even though this week he’s filling in for his boss (who is cruisin’ with his wife for a couple of weeks to Hawaii). We were able to take advantage of an afternoon field trip sponsored by one of our local homeschool group moms. (Thank you, Phyllis!)

Starting our day together, including Daddy, just feels right. Our devotionals are simple - a song, a prayer, and scripture study (personal and together)- but they sure make a difference!

The girls took their math tests in the van (Hurray, carschooling!)
as we drove (thank goodness for HOV lanes!) to the coast. Woody and I saw a gorgeous hawk fly right overhead, so we had a really close-up and detailed view of its feathering and structure. Awesome! The girls even finished in time to enjoy some of the scenery, too, as we got closer to the ocean.

We visited a small aquarium, in San Pedro, CA, that we had not even been aware existed – a little hidden treasure. At the Cabrillo Aquarium we saw sea animals, birds, and other creatures. Nature Studies sketchpads added to the adventure fun as the girls drew some of the things they saw and documented their sketches with notes, scientific names, and the date.

We watched some jellies getting their lunch – a specialty shrimp soup concocted to best meet their nutritional needs. They eat, um, the brine shrimp that are the sea monkeys Jelly keeps in a special tank in her room!
I love the reflections in this picture - Jelly's profile, and an awed Adelle, a little member of our homeschool group.

Jelly especially wanted to visit the sea horses where a helpful marine biologist in the Aquatic Nursery taught us how to tell a male from a female. The girls also had their eyes opened as they studied shells, and their own hands, under a microscope. I think Doodle’s favorite parts were the hands-on mud flats you could crawl through and explore and the tank you could crawl under and then stand up and view from the inside out.
We had planned to experience the touch tanks, but a HUGE crowd of public school field trippers changed our plans. Now that we know it’s there, we’ll go back and explore the aquarium and its inhabitants at a less-busy time. (We made sure we got that very useful information from a very helpful young lady in the Exploration Center.)

Leaving earlier than we had planned turned out to be a blessing. Daddy Woody gave us a guided tour of the area where his grandpa had moored his boat, the Seagull 3, when Woody was but a lad. Some things have changed a lot, others not at all. Woody was able to locate the exact area where he spent to many happy times making wonderful memories and even having learning adventures as he shared Grandpa’s passion for the sea. He told the girls stories, and they were as enraptured as they listened as he was in the reminiscing and the telling.

Today was full of learning, living, loving, and sharing – things good for the heart and soul.