I was .... kissed by a whale!

Our Sea World days are coming to an end... so the girls & I took one last trip to Sea World for the Christmas shows.  We had a great time ... perfect weather, minimal crowds .... and we took a final trip back behind the scene at my friend's work to see the beluga whales & dolphins.  Sadly, she had to go out of town but her coworker did a great job of showing us and teaching us all different kinds of facts!

Here are a few pictures that I snapped:

You are supposed to have your head turned to the right (to look at the camera), and the whale comes right up to your cheek and smooches you. :)

However ... for Katie it was a different story.  She was doing everything she was supposed to, but this little man went for THREE kisses from her!  The first time she wasn't prepared -- the second time he kept going and the third time he did it perfectly.  The handler had to stop the whale (I wish I can remember the name of this guy!) b/c he loved smooching on her. :) 

You can even push the top part of his head down ... it is a fatty tissue lump.... Doesn't hurt them either!

Isn't he just the cutest?  Love that smile....

Here he is waving goodbye to us!!!

I love to watch Maddie when we go to Sea World.  She wants to be a marine biologist someday, and to watch her while she watches the dolphins swim and other animals just makes my heart happy.  She truly is in love with these underwater animals!