Sea World Trip

On June 25-26 we took a quick family vacation to Sea World in San Antonio.  We left Thursday morning as early as we could - I think we made it out the door by 7:20.  We dodged traffic with the help of Google Maps.  It was nice to take a new route and have the map show that we just saved 30 - 60 min.  It still took us about 4 hours to get there.  We did take one stop at Buc-ee's.  I guess this is quite a famous convenience store in Texas.  It is pretty big for a pit stop place and there were a lot of unique things inside.  They had a bakery and a full counter of jerky you could buy by the pound, lots of souvenir things, and of course the normal snacks and stuff. 

I had packed a lunch so we ate that as we got closer to Sea World so we could start on full tummies.  We brought in snacks and water but I was nervous because they check your bags and it says you are not supposed to bring in coolers or lunches.  We were fine and it really was just a few granola bars and fruit snacks.  

Well when we got there we learned that one of the main shows was cancelled because the beluga whale had just had a baby.  That is nice and everything, but I really had wanted to see THAT show.  Oh well, I guess we'll just have to go again sometime.  So first off we saw the beluga whale swimming with the new baby (gray/brown thing to the right of momma).  It was pretty cool actually.  Then we walked around the park and the boys and I got in line for Rio Loco - it's the raft ride that's like your floating down a river.  Damon and I wore ponchos - I really didn't want to walk around drenched even though it was very hot.  Tyler got soaked by being the one to go under the waterfall at the end - but he didn't mind.  Chris stayed pretty dry and everyone liked it.  Doug stayed out with the girls - hard when you have kids at all different ages and height levels - Chris was barely tall enough to go.  

Next we looked at the penguins - they were so fun.  They started swimming as a group and it was so cool to see them go so fast and make laps in their pool.  There was another indoor exhibit nearby that had some snakes and insects.  It was nice to cool off - but Tyler was getting cold since he was wet.  

Next Tyler and Doug went on the STEEL EEL. It is a big roller coaster (150 feet high) and I don't think Tyler has even been on one before - but he was excited to go.  Well, turns out that he got pretty scared and really was fearing for his life.  Doug felt bad for him on the ride and I could tell when he got off that he was in shock a bit.  Well, he snapped out of it and later when asked what his favorite thing was he said going on the Steel Eel.  I don't know if it really was, or he just wanted to sound brave, but we'll see if he goes on another roller coaster in the future.

Next we found the play area for littlier kids and I wish I would have taken the girls here first.  I felt bad that up until now they really hadn't been able to do much.  Oh well, next time.  We played for a bit then went to go see the pet show.  It was really cute and fun.  They had dogs, cats, birds, geese, a pig, and a rat in the show.  They were well-trained and the kids all liked it.  It was nice to sit down and be in some air conditioning for awhile.  

We got to pet one of the dogs after the show. 

Another show was starting soon nearby so we just headed over there and ate some of our snacks.  This was the sea lion show and it was pretty fun too.  They brought out a huge walrus before the show and it was neat to see it do a few tricks. It had to roll into the water to get off of the platform - it was pretty funny to watch.

The girls were tall enough to go on one ride, the Shamu Express.  It was the little roller coaster. I sat with Kaylee and Damon sat with Jenna.  I don't think either of them liked it much - I didn't either.  It was very jerky and they both hit their heads on the seats.

It was around 5:00 and we were all getting tired.  We started heading over to the Shamu Theater to watch the final show with the killer whales.  We got there a bit early and had to wait for 10 minutes or so before they let us into the theater.  I was holding Kaylee for some of the time and we were all hot and sweaty.  Once we sat down it was ok.  They let the whales out before the show and they were doing laps in the pool, so it was cool to see them go in and out of the water.  Doug was a champion and treked back to the van to get a few more snacks and grab the strollers we had borrowed.  It was nice just being able to walk, but we had some little feet that were tired that we didn't want to carry.  Doug made it back just in time for the show.  It was pretty cool.  

After the show we just headed for the van and picked up some pizza.  I had kept some frozen Gatorades in the cooler in the van so we could have a cold drink when we were done.  Well, they stayed cold too well and were still frozen.  We all sipped them as they melted.  We found our hotel - Marriott Residence Inn and ate our pizza.  We were tired and hungry but the kids always get excited in hotels so they were all crazy again.  We did baths and got them settled for bed and I got things ready for the next day.  A fun but hot and tiring day.

Friday we were debating when to get to the park.  If we got there when it opened at 10 we thought that everyone would want to eat almost as soon as we would get there, so we decided to wait and go after lunch.  We didn't have to check out until 12 so we could stay and eat our leftover pizza and make sandwiches then I wouldn't have to pack up a lunch :).  The kids wanted to go swimming at the hotel so we went down to the pool around 9:00 am.  The water was pretty cool and the hot tub was really hot.  But they all had a good time. There were a lot of bubbles in the hot tub and the girls liked playing with those.

So after lunch we loaded up and headed back to Sea World.  Today we were going to the swimming part of the park.  It was busier today but I figured it would be being a Friday.  The water park was so much fun.  There were so many areas to play in.  We started in one that had a few little slides and everyone loved those.  The girls were really good to go down and Doug or I would catch them at the bottom.  They do really well with their puddle jumpers on.

Then we decided to go on one of the bigger slides together.  There was one where you could have up to 4 people in the tube.  The line was pretty long - I think we waited about 30 min. but the kids had good attitudes the whole time.  We had hoped that we could go all together, but then we were told the limit was 4.  So I went with Tyler and Kaylee and Doug took the rest.  We got going a lot faster than I thought we would.  It was pretty fun.  At the slide goes through a tunnel where you can see manta rays swimming, so that was really cool.  Kaylee loved it.  She said she wanted to go again when we got out.

After that we moved onto another area that had a bigger slide for Damon and Tyler, Chris wasn't tall enough, but there was a big wide slide that Chris and the girls had fun going down.  They could all sit next to each other and go down at the same time.  Sometimes it was tricky for me trying to catch them all.  Doug took the boys over to the wave pool and they all loved jumping the waves.

We gathered together and ate our snacks.  I brought in some Go-gurts and string cheeses along with some granola bars and crackers.  This was about the only time I had to take pictures since you can't really swim with your phone.  Tyler really liked this line of floating objects that you could jump across - he did it quite a few times.

We all got some sun, but no one really got burnt.  My neck and shoulders were pretty red, but they didn't peel and went tan.  We were all pretty tired from swimming all day.  Doug was great again and went to the van to get our clothes and the strollers.  I took the girls and we showered because there was so much sunscreen in their hair.  It took forever having to do both of them and then getting dressed myself.  It will be nice when they are a little more independent.

There was a McDonald's right outside of the park that we ate at and then we headed home to Houston.  The girls didn't last long, they were pretty tired.

The boys watched a movie and then they fell asleep.  We made better time on the way back but it still felt long.  The girls don't sleep well in their car seats so they would wake up whining because they couldn't get comfortable or because their legs were falling asleep.  It was good to get home and sleep in our own beds.

It was a fun trip.  I think we did the park as well as we could have.  I had read quite a few comments and tips from people online and it helped.  I'm glad we didn't have to buy any food there - it was so expensive.  The kids did great and they all had a fun time.  It was really cute, the other day Kaylee woke up in the night and I went to tuck her back in and she said, "I had fun at Sea World."  She keeps telling us that now, so that is fun that she remembers.

I think we will make another trip to San Antonio sometime to see the Alamo and other cool things that they have over there.  Maybe next year. :)  Sea World was great, but not something I'd want to do everyday - so exhausting.

Frozen Cake

I decorated this Frozen cake last week.  These cakes always take a few days.  Monday I made the fondant, Wednesday I cut out the snowflakes so they could harden and I made the buttercream frosting.  Friday morning I baked the cake and in the evening I covered the layers with the fondant.  Then Saturday morning I put on the snowflakes and final touches.  I assembled it at the birthday party because moving a double layer on a cake plate is not a good idea. :)  The thing I learned from this cake is that decorating with humidity is not very fun.  The fondant never dried out completely and it was much softer and stickier to work with.  I might have to go back to my other recipe.  But it was a fun cake to do and the snowflakes were super cute.  

No More Diapers!

I should have posted about this awhile ago, but I just kept forgetting.  Kaylee is finally potty-trained!!  I think it has been almost a month now.  It was just a slow process for her, and I felt bad because we were so busy during that time that I kept putting her in and out of pull-ups, so that probably didn't help.  But she finally figured it out and she has stayed dry during the night as well, yay!  I have a big pile of diapers that I need to distribute among friends but I am so glad I won't be buying any more.  Potty breaks can be a bit frustrating or inconvenient, but it's fun to see my girls growing up.

Girl's Night Out

Someone suggested that we do a painting class for our GNO and I was so glad we did.  It was so much fun.  I was nervous about messing up or not doing a good job because I wanted it to look good enough to hang and I think it turned out well.  Looking at it now, I see some things I would like to change but it's not bad for my first oil-based painting.  On sale now for $99 - be the first to own an original C'Anne! :)

Around the house

 Since it was rainy and we had such a crazy week last week with day camp it was nice to just hang around the house.

 Doug put up some hooks and I hung the CD's so my concave wall project is done - this picture was taken when I still had the blue tape up. :)  I think it turned out cool looking - unique anyway.  I wanted to do this with the upper section too, but I don't think we can climb that high safely without scaffolding.  As a background story, this was my attempt at duplicating a look I liked with mirrors.  Their version had the mirrors hanging from a rod and mounted on wooden discs, which I really liked, but to fill this space it was going to cost over $200.  So I went with our old CD's and contact paper diamonds stuck in the middle.

The kids still like to build forts - it's nice that they can build them on their own now that they are older. 

 They didn't want to destroy their fort and since all the chairs were being used we had a picnic on the floor.

 Obstacle course.  The girls had fun jumping off of the slide onto the pillows.  Jenna would add a summer-sault after landing for extra effect.

Tropical Storm Bill

So this was our first storm experience with a threat of a hurricane in Tropical Storm Bill.  There was a lot of hype. The shelves were empty of water and bread - and we had emails from the Elder's Quorum telling us what to do in different scenarios.  The biggest thing we were worried about was flooding and extended power outage.  But I wasn't too concerned about the flooding because we were told we were on the 500 year flood plain.  But I didn't like the idea of being without power for more than a day or two.

So I went and filled the van up with gas on Monday - the storm was supposed to hit land on Monday evening.  We had our big barrel of water in the garage, but we filled up our bath tub just to be safe.  Anyway, to make a long story short, the storm didn't turn out to be as big as it was anticipated.  It slowed down a lot and really just produced a lot of rain (tropical storm was the official severity).  And some areas might have flooded, but we were fine.  We had lots less rain than the big storm we had 3 weeks ago.  Bill was a wimp.

I downloaded an app to watch the radar and it was cool to see the spinning storm and see where it was going.  It did rain pretty hard at times, but never for very long.

Tyler had an orthodontist appointment scheduled for Tuesday afternoon - right when the storm was coming in.  I thought we might need to reschedule, but it was just raining and the roads weren't bad.  So I guess we wait and see what the next storm brings.

Speaking of the orthodontist, there is an arcade area at the office we go to.   Jenna figured out how to reach the pedal and steer at the same time.  It kept my kids occupied while Tyler went in to get looked at.  His teeth are moving well, top front teeth are now in front of the bottom, and we will go in again in 9 weeks.

Cub Scout Day Camp!!!

So Day Camp started right after my parents left.  They called this camp a 'twilight camp' because the time was from 1:00-8:00pm.  The camp was all week long, which is a lot longer than our previous Stake-run camps which were usually only a Friday and Saturday.  This camp was put on by the scout council so it was pretty neat to see all the things that they did.  Our pack was the largest, but there were about 10-12 other packs there.  I would guess around 200 cubs in all.  

Doug and I volunteered three of the days.  Doug went on Tuesday and I went up on Wednesday and Thursday.  Friday was family day so I took the girls and Chris up at the end on Friday and just stayed for the last 2 hours.  

It was a lot of fun, but HOT!  We were all just dripping with sweat.  The Webelos had their own camp and agenda; they were out in the sun basically all day.  The Wolves and Bears were together and they had a few activities inside so they got a break from the heat.  They had a special something for the Wolves and Bears each day, Tuesday was a hands on insect exhibit and Wednesday they brought in an enclosed mini dome that allowed the kids to watch an astronomy show lying down.  An exhibit from the Forest Rangers came on Thursday and on Friday some representatives from the fire department and SWAT team were there with their trucks, weapons, and gear.  The firemen sprayed all the kids at the end on Friday.  They got soooo wet - at least those that chose to do so.    

Damon was put in a group of 4 boys from different packs.  They worked as a team to learn the Scout oath, law, slogan, motto, and the outdoor code.  They started a fire with flint and steel and boiled some water.  They went on a 'hike' (really just a walk around the perimeter of the grounds) and learned some first aid stuff.  He had a good time.  He was bummed the first day that he wasn't with his friend from his den, but I think he made friends with his group by the end of the week.

Fire!

Damon was excited to see a friend from school at camp, Noah.

Damon and Tyler both said they liked the range the best.  Damon liked shooting with the BB guns best and Tyler liked archery best.  They were both really good marksmen.  The range master even complemented Tyler on his good BB skills.  I was able to get a video of both of them popping their balloons in archery.  

Wilderness scavenger hunt. 

Making puppets, Tyler's was a crazy snowman.

The Forest Rangers brought animal skins.

Playing marbles, Tyler was a good shot.

During lunch on Thursday a professional puppeteer came and put on a show while we ate.  He was very animated and was silly - which is great for a bunch of cub scouts.  It was neat to see the different types of puppets.  This was a shadow puppet on a screen that he controlled with sticks.

Everybody likes getting into a firetruck - I have a lot of pictures like these.

The last day they had some push mobile races.  I didn't get there in time to see Damon race, and Tyler missed it because he was shooting on the range.  But he pushed Chris around on the lawn for a bit.

The girls took a turn too.

Chris enjoyed his blue Gatorade.  We loaded up on snacks this week to keep us going.  They were all excited to have Gatorade which is usually only given to them when they are sick - or playing in a sporting event.

It was a busy and long week, but the boys had a good time.  It was hard because it was so late.  The boys wouldn't get home until 8:30 or so and they would be so sweaty and gross that they would have to take a bath.  So bedtime was late for a week, but it worked out ok.  I had some friends watch the girls when I volunteered.  Chris was able to come with me and be in the "Me Too" program, basically a day care for the children of the volunteers.  He did a lot of fun activities and had a good time - he was tired though on those two days.

Yay for the scouting program and yay for day camp!  It is so great to have some good programs for boys to participate in.