SWEET SIXTEEN ....

Monday was Brit's 16th birthday .... however, she woke up feeling really yukky, after a night spent throwing up !!! When a child asks if it's possible to put her birthday out by a day (presents included), you know she must feel pretty darn awful !!!
Yesterday dawned, and she was back to her usual self ...... Yay, let the birthday fun begin !!!
She had chosen a visit to Dallas World Aquarium as her birthday outing. We like this particular aquarium a lot. It's so well laid out, and it's visually gorgeous, with plenty to see.

 The Birthday Girl with her Daddy and brother ... look how pretty it is. In the greenery behind there were monkeys and birds everywhere.

 This guy looked miserable - he had a friend sitting next to him, who insisted on rummaging through his fur, looking for a tasty morsel.

 The otters are elusive .... they often don't show themselves. There have been many times, we've visited and they've been nowhere to be found ..... cuddled up in their den I would imagine. Yesterday they were swimming in their pool quite happily. Never easy to photograph, yesterday, I got lucky ...... we were standing on a walkway behind the otter pool, when this guy decided to hop up out of the water, and take a break - fantastic photo op for me !!!!

 This sloth is a new resident to the aquarium .... and a pretty cute one too !!! He hangs out in some trees in the middle of a pathway. He has someone watching him, to ensure he's not harassed (why do people feel they have to do that .... makes me SO mad !!!). Our timing was perfect, he was sitting low down in the trees, and was on the move ...... they move a whole lot faster, than I thought sloths did. He was gorgeous !!!

 So cooperative ...

 And ever so handsome !!! I love these photo's .... to be able to see him that well, was a real treat !!!

So prehistoric !!!

Nemo came out to play too !!! I took about 20 photo's before I managed to get this one ....... Ahh the beauty of the digital age :-)

Little eely type pipefish .... this fairly large tank, looked like a garden full of these cuties. They were fascinating to watch.

 Penguin ...

Seahorses .... they fascinate me. There were a few tanks of different types. Pot bellied seahorses, that were pregnant (the photos I took at that tank weren't great), then teeny, tiny little ones (the particles floating in the tank were nearly as big as them), and then these beauties !!!

Me and my "babies ..... where has the time gone? I can't believe she's 16 already, it doesn't seem possible !!! She's a sweetie of note, and brings us so much joy. Being her mom is a privilege, and I thank God daily for blessing us, with her .... Love you Baby Girl !!!

She requested a chocolate cake with fresh strawberries as her birthday cake ...... I'm going to be honest - this cake was disappointing !!! I think if you like very rich, dark chocolate, then this is a recipe for you, but for us it was just too much. I wont ever put fresh strawberries in the middle of a cake again either - we didn't like the flavor it gave the cake.

She blew out the candles, we sang Happy Birthday to her, and she cut her cake. After we'd all tasted it (and decided it just wasn't our cup of tea), we ditched it !!! We have a year to find and taste test other cake recipes !!!!