Sea World

So I know you are all back because of my "teaser" post last night. Isn't that the cutest picture though. Well, I think I can beat it.

This is a picture Mark's mom took of Hayden. What a cutie pie. Both of the kids were troopers this weekend. It started off on Saturday morning with waking up at 6am so that Mark and I could pack the rest of the stuff up in the car and get ready ourselves. We then took off so that we could be at Mark's parents house, Gig and Mur, by 7am. We then made the drive to Boerne. See, Mark had to be there to play music Saturday night for a wedding, so we just decided to make a quick weekend vacation out of it. After this weekend, I am a true believer that you can get a great getaway in just 2 days. Once we got there we decided to go drop off the band trailor at the wedding site and get some details squared away and then it was off to do some shopping in downtown Boerne. (Oh, I forgot that we stopped and got a bite to eat at La Cantara shopping area and the kids got to ride some of the rides they have sitting around.)

Mary and I took the kids and we just enjoyed our time going from store to store. The kids were FANTASTIC. Last time we went to Boerne, Ella was and infant and I carried her around in my front carrier. She never fell asleep and enjoyed all the new stuff. We just knew she was destined to be a shopper. Once again the kids were wide awake enjoying the different surroundings and not once did we have to leave a store because of screaming or touching things they shouldn't. We had to head back to the hotel pretty early because the guys had to get ready and set up band equipment. Oh, one detail I forgot to mention is that we ended up sharing a room with Mark's parents because it saved money and plus they had a suite that had two rooms. Soooooo, Hayden slept in the closet, Ella slept with us and Mark's parents stayed on the fold out bed in the living area. It really did work out great and plus it was just for one night and we knew we could make do. Gig and Mur are the biggest troopers for putting up with us!! Oh, don't start calling CPS about Hayden sleeping in the closet. He was in his pack n' play and we just set it up in there to keep him warmer since the room got so stinkin' cold and to keep the noise level down so he could sleep and not hear us. He was safe and sound. No worries!! After we returned to the hotel I put Hayden down for a little cat nap and Ella and I went swimming. Then Mary went to go grab food and surprises for the kids and we just hung out the rest of the evening. Sunday morning we got up and had a big breakfast and then went to Seaworld. First of all, if you plan on going be prepared for a long time waiting on the access road leading up to the park. They don't have it planned real well and plus we got there an hour after it opened which apparently was the plan for everyone. During that time, Ella decided she needed a potty break. Good thing I pack the porta-potty with me every trip. Bad news for all of us though because she needed to do more than urinate. UGH. Well, after sitting for 40 minutes on the access road, none of us could handle the smell any longer. So, guess who gets voted to empty the potty out on the side of the road. ME! Of course, it's always the mom. With probably 15-20 cars behind us I jumped out and ran down the hill to a bunch of trees and emptied out the potty. Making sure I didn't look at any cars as I ran back. I'm sure they were all grossed out to think of what I was doing. Oh well, more than likely they were all parents too and had been in similar situations before. I hope.

Seaworld was great! We enjoyed the water park, the Dolphin and Acrobat show, the sealions, the penguins, etc. The food was fine but astronomical in prices. You're not allowed to bring in any food or drink, so once you are in and dehydrated they charge you $4 for a large drink. PUUUUULLLEEEAAASSEEEEE!!! This picture is from us eating at one of the little money maker pits at the park. Like I said earlier we went to a couple of shows, but the best one was with the dolphins, beluga whales, sycronized swimmers and acrobats. They were amazing. Ella got scared at the beginning because the music was too loud, but then she settled in and enjoyed it.....I think. I can't believe the rest of the world works in offices and deskjobs when you could be flipping around with the neat creatures all day long in the water. They look like they really enjoy what they do for a living. I just don't think I could keep up their energy levels all day long.*Note: Please excuse the fact that I will probably be photographed all summer in the same black mommy swimsuit. I'm now afraid that the fact that my belly is COMPLETELY different color from the rest of my body, because I've been wearing one pieces all summer, that people would think that I had some strange skin graft or skin transplant from an albino woman. With clothes off it looks like I'm still wearing a white swimsuit. Ha, ha, ha. Yikes! After the full day we headed home. Kids slept as you saw in the picture last night and so did Mark. We just chatted and enjoyed the company. I will now post random pictures from our weekend getaway!

Ella will never look at the camera :(

Look at this big guy!! He could even do situps!!

Riding on the Paint Buckets (Just like the spinning teacups)

Playing in Splashtown

One last picture from this morning. Ella wanted Hayden and her to be "Super Girl". That means she wants me to tie their blankets around them to make capes. Hilarious. Hayden is not much of a fan, but I was able to snap a picture before he started screaming for me to take it off.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!!