Sea World- The Kids!

The kids were really good at Sea World. I think in 8 hours there was only 1 timeout. Cameron took a mini-nap in the stroller but then powered through. I think the parents were probably more tired by the end of the day then the kids. I had no idea the park was that big and I think we covered all of it and got a lot of great pictures!

Sea World- The Animals!

On Sunday we got the troops moving and headed to Sea World for the day. We planned the day around the various shows that were scheduled and it was perfect! We started with the "Pets Rule" show which featured dogs, cats, birds and pigs with special appearances from ducks, kangaroos, parrots, and an ostrich. The kids loved it. They could not stop laughing when the pets did their tricks. Dogs did obstacle courses, cats walked on tightrope and all the animals put on a great show.

Then we headed to Shamu's stadium to see the whale show which was awesome. We were very glad to not be sitting in the front rows because those people got drenched! 

Then after roaming the park a bit and grabbing lunch we headed to the dolphin show. It was amazing because it also featured people diving and jumping and swinging on trapezes. There was even someone dressed up as a parrot. I, of course, was nervous for the performers the whole time but it was a great show. The kids loved it when the people swam with the dolphins and stood on top of them. 

In between the shows we saw flamingos, polar bears, sharks, beluga whales, penguins, walrus, sea lions and tons of fish. I had no idea there were so many different types of animals at Sea World. 

We ended the day at the Sesame Street kids area which was both the best and worst part. The kids were quite tired at this point so there was a lot of whining. Cameron lost his mind while in a bouncy house (he just laid there and screamed and we couldn't go help him, Addy was a responsible big sister and took over). Addy did an obstacle course with Brian and we got to meet Elmo and Ernie. We had plans to do one more show to end the day but everyone was out of energy. We definitely got a full day out of it and lucked out because the weather was perfect and it wasn't very crowded.
After we were done I asked Addy what her favorite part of Sea World was. After a lot of deep thinking she said, "seeing that silly dog walk on his back legs was my favorite." Next time I think we could save a lot of money and just take her to a dog park!

Sunny San Diego

Last Friday we packed up our stuff and headed to the airport to go to San Diego to see the Mrozek's. We were all looking forward to a little vacation, or as Erin called it "a complicated excursion with children." It was super fun, but she's right, it doesn't feel like a vacation when there is no time to relax because it was clear with 4 kids that there would never be a second to actually relax. But we definitely had a great time. Their house is like a resort since they have the pool and hot tub in their backyard. I think we were in the pool within 10 minutes of arriving to their house! We had a perfect evening at their house relaxing at the pool and spending time catching up. It was great to see how well the kids got along with each other and our kids did a great job on the plane down (as did Brian since he had to deal with the kids the most).

On Saturday we headed out to see Baylee's softball game (the purple ponies, so cute!), had a picnic and then headed to the beach in La Jolla. It was a perfect day and the kids had an absolute blast playing in the sand and carrying all of the seaweed back into the ocean (who knew how exciting that could be?) We were all tired by the end of the day and ended up having a quiet night at home with the babysitting unexpectedly canceled. It was probably a blessing in disguise because we needed our energy for the next day....Sea World!

Fun for All

Addy and Cameron weren't the only ones who got spoiled by having Papa and Kathy visit. Saturday was Brian's birthday so they took the kids while we got some time to ourselves and went out for dinner and drinks. Clearly we aren't very experienced at date night because after our dinner it was only 7:15 and we weren't sure what to do! We did manage to stay out later than when the kids go to bed, but not by much. Man we are old!

On Sunday we headed out and went for a morning walk at Yost Park and then took a ferry ride and found a new park to play in and then got some crepes for lunch. It was a sunny day and we made the most of it, even if it was a little chilly. It was a nice relaxing day, or at least as relaxing as it gets with two kids.

We came back and after a well deserved rest we headed over to Bob and Sylvia's for some serious ping pong playing! It was super fun but clearly I need to work on my game, Brian beat me for the first time in ages. He won in foosball too (not my go-to game). We decided next time we need a date night we will just head next door!

We finished the weekend with our traditional crab dinner. It was a perfect ending to a great weekend and we were all sad to know Papa and Kathy had to leave the next day.

Papa and Kathy

The kids were excited all week waiting for Papa and Kathy to come. They wanted to show them their toys, read books with them and of course- go out for ice cream! Lucky for everyone there was time for everything. The weather was somewhat cooperative and we made the most of it. We hit the road Saturday morning and went to the tulip festival. Even though we drove through pouring rain to get there (my phone promised the rain would stop in 2 minutes) eventually there was blue sky and we found the last of the tulip fields. Because we had such an early spring this year there weren't as many fields as normal, but we still got to see all kinds of amazing flowers. The kids loved it and lucky for us they slept the whole way home. That gave them the energy to go downtown with Papa and Kathy to go to the library, the book store and out for ice cream. I can't think of anything my kids would love more- books and ice cream with Papa and Kathy!