Shamu Love

When you go to SeaWorld as much as we do, you would tend to think that the experience is going to be practically the same every time, but it isn't. Every time something quite surprising seems to stand out. Usually, it has to do with an animal encounter. I can remember a special moment that Lexi had with the flamingos once. Other times, we have enjoyed the manatees, polar bears, walrus, etc. This time, the Orcas in the viewing tank stole the show. There was a mother and her son that stayed near the glass for the longest time. The kids got to see them very close up. It was amazing.

The Cove with Megan

Today was Megan's last day of visiting us. We are sure going to miss her. We took her down to the cove. The seals and the coast are always amazing even on gloomy days like today. Later, we met up with my mom, Paige & Papa Malcolm for lunch at a Mexican restaurant before Megan headed off.

Wedding Crashers

My cousin, Megan, is in town this weekend for a wedding. She had planned to come with her kids, but she is going through a (((HORRIBLE))) divorce and this week in court the judge decided that the kids would spend weekends this month with their dad (bad idea). Since she had sent an RSVP for her & her 4 kids, she invited Lexi, Jordan & me to go along in their place. It was a beautiful event on Coronado Island. The wedding was right on the beach and the reception was at the Boat House. They hired people to run a party upstairs for kids. They played games, got their face painted, had a wonderful mac & cheese lunch and everything.

Coronado Island

We went to Coronado Island today. I love going there because the view from the bridge is amazing, the beach is always enjoyable, the architecture is interesting, and the cafes and shops are fun. Lexi paid a couple of dollars for a pair of flops in one of the little stores. That was the highlight of the day for her.

SeaWorld with Paige

Yesterday, we took Paige with us to SeaWorld so she could take Lexi on the Shipwreck Rapids ride for the first time. They both got very wet. Paige was even more wet than Lexi because was trying to shield her from some of it. Of course, as soon as they got off, Lexi wanted to go again.

Easter Clothes

Easter was such a crazy day that I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the kids in their official Easter clothes. In the morning, I had to get my car towed to a tire shop. We had a blow-out on the way home from Shamu Rocks the night before.

I haven't even mentioned the huge earthquake (7.2) that happend after our afternoon picnic. We had dropped Steve off at his hotel and were back home napping/resting when it hit. I thought my mom was having problems with the door to the garage and was rattling it. I openned it to see that she wasn't in there and discovered that the entire garage was shaking. For a split second, I thought it was the wind (hurricane type), but realized quickly it was an earthquake. I started walking toward the living room and by then we were all coming out to see what was going on. Papa Malcolm had originally thought Lexi was being silly and banging into the back of the couch. One of the amazing things is that everything was still shaking. I swear it lasted about 5 - 10 minutes. It was the biggest/longest one I have ever experienced and it was the kids' first earthquake. Steve called almost immediately to check on us. This was also his first earquake experience. It woke him & Jordan up from their naps.

Anyway, Easter was quite a crazy day, so the pictures of the kids in their new clothes happened on Tuesday.

Easter Picnic

Our Easter consisted of a picnic at the park, dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant, and a sleep over for Lexi and Jordan. They loved spending time with their dad especially sleeping with him at his hotel. I am pretty sure he had a great trip too.

Easter Morning 2010

The morning started off with a hunt for their Easter baskets. Lexi looked in two places and got frustrated, but with a little encouragement was back on the trail and quickly found hers. She was especially excited about her toy lamb and the chocolate candy. After breakfast, the kids watched Toy Story with Grandma while I went to deal with the blow-out tire I had last night on the way home from Shamu Rocks. It is safe to say that they had a better Easter morning than I did.

A Little Beach Time

We went to the beach this morning. There was a slight chill in the air, so we stayed at the playground. The sand at the playground is better anyway.

Long Day at SeaWorld

I had an unexpected work deadline pop up, so I had to drop Lexi, Jordan & their dad off at SeaWorld today. I left there at about 10 am and didn't get back until 3 pm. We all stayed until about 8 pm, so they had a long day there. In fact, Lexi & Jordan have never been there that long. Another big first was Lexi's first time on a big roller coaster. She is finally tall enough, so I took her on the Journey to Atlantis one, which she had mixed feelings about. She also rode the Wild Artic Ride with her dad, which she loved & wanted to do again.