We have certainly traveled but this is the first time Chris and I have gone away for a couple of days with the kids by ourselves. It was an adventure! We didn't really know just how much energy it would take to manage 3 kids especially when two of them are Jaden and Luke!
We were so excited to go to Sea World (Jaden has gotten very good at saying "Shamu") that we were able to brush off quite a bit of whiny-ness and crankiness from little ones who don't do well on long trips. They did fairly well on the way out to San Antonio while they were fresh. The problem is that Jaden and Luke like to be on the move so, they don't take very well to being strapped into a car seat for extended periods of time and they don't really nap in the car much. Children need to sleep! Luke didn't at all on the way up and only did for about 30-45 minutes at a time on the way back. So, by the end of the trip he was a mess. He didn't eat hardly anything the entire time. He just drank milk - and let us tell you it is not easy to come by in Sea World. We know where to look now!
Next time we are thinking about staying some place cheaper and just pay for two rooms so they can have their own space!Anna did awesome. She was the best little girl! We told her over and over how wonderful she was :) She was definitely rewarded.
There aren't any pictures of Shamu, unfortunately. We sat in the soak zone and so I didn't take the camera out of the bag. I actually wrapped it up in diapers (clean) - it worked. We got pretty wet but the camera stayed nice and dry!
Feeding the dolphins!
Just look at that ornery smile. He knows he's doing something he shouldn't. He thought it was so funny to run farther and farther away. When he couldn't go any farther that way he decided to go up!
Penguins in Texas. Jaden really enjoyed seeing them.
All in all we had a really nice time. It was really neat to watch their little faces light up at all of the new sights they got to see. We bought a pass and will definitely be back before the year is out - just not during the summer! We'll wait for a nice fall day off-season when it is not as crowded. I think we'll be more prepared next time as well.