Christmas 2014 found our family of 4 spending the week on the beach at Galveston Beach, Texas. We had a lovely home to rent for the week and while the weather was less than perfect that week for beach walking we were able to find some great things to do together as a family. 
One place that we found to spend some time was Moody Gardens Theme Park . It was very easy to spot this attraction due to the pyramid shaped buildings it boasts to hold many of the attractions. It is a bit pricey to get admission to all of the areas that are available but I could imagine that for a family summer vacation this spot would fit the bill for many tourists.
Once inside you have to determine what all you want to do and see. Tickets are available for each different attraction or you can purchase the packages that they offer with admission into several at the same time. We decided that we wanted to see the Rainforest and the Aquarium exhibits and those tickets were purchased and we were on our way. Several of the attractions had add on’s that you could purchase to have additional “animal experiences”. Micah was all over those but then changed his mind as they were not “encounters”. The quote of the week became “I prefer encounters because that suggests touching”. I guess you had to have been there but it was funny at the time.
Anyway, there was plenty to see. The penguins were a favorite with our boys.
Even behind the glass they showed their personalities with their antics. There were many animals to watch – all different – all beautiful in their own way.
The rainforest boasts some of the most wonderful flowers and plants and it brought back memories of going to rainforests when we lived in Australia. I will never tire of seeing rainforests even those that are “under roof” because they are just havens for wonderful creatures and plants.
But perhaps my favorite creatures were the ones that I made pose for the obligatory Mom picture. Come on, you know you would have done the same thing if you had been there with your adult children. I am not alone, am I? 
