Thursday, November 1, 2012

Rule #146: Don't stare down the barrel of a....fountain

Sea World was our first full day. We had hoped that Graham would take a nap in the stroller. That didn't even come close to happening, so we just powered through the day and he did great. He was a little grumpy by the late afternoon, but he handled it really well.

We had a great time at Sea World. We saw all the shows and the kids loved them! Graham loved the pet show the best. I have never heard him shout so much in such a short period of time. "Dog!" "Cat!" "Pig!" It was a cute show. Evan's favorite show was the dolphin show. (It was Susan's favorite show as well) When we first sat down he was feeling anxious and asking to leave. I was worried that he wasn't going to enjoy the show. Once it started and the first dolphin jumped out of the water, he was hooked.

I won't lie, I teared up a little. I'm an emotional girl, what can I say? I was just so happy to see him enjoying something that most little kids enjoy. I wish I had taken a picture of Evan's face during the show, bummer. Trust me, it was priceless.

There was a tide pool that Doug and Susan took the boys to while Alex, Jeff and I rode the roller coaster, The Manta. Zero line. It was awesome. It was a fun ride and we might have done it again except that Alex is an old man these days and needed a few minutes to recover ;)

I don't think Evan touched anything, but here is proof that Graham at least touched the water.
    

The have an area of the park just for kids. It's Sesame Street themed, which I don't quite understand how that ties to the sea, but it was cute. They had a big obstacle course the ran over the heads of the crowd. A little pit with soft cubes to stack for the littlest ones. There was a large splash pad, which my children avoided like the plague. Emilie can attest to it, my kids don't like splash pads. Crazy.

Luckily there was a mini splash pad which they loved! It was just five little fountains, all of them very shallow. Graham and Evan played there for a long time. One of the fountains came up higher than the others, he could never seem to remember which one it was. Not once but TWICE Graham had leaned over to look down the fountain, waiting for it to turn back on....and totally got it in the face both times! Hysterical.

Elmo and a few other Sesame Street characters were there. After some time, and going up a second time we got this great picture! Cute stuff.

The highlight for me at Sea World? Elmo's Flying Fish.

I had asked Evan, as an aside, if he wanted to ride Elmo's Flying Fish. (One of the handful of kiddie rides they had) Adults could ride with the kids so I knew there was at least a chance of him going, and maybe even liking it. To my surprise he said yes! With a smile! So we raced off the the ride....and it was closed for repairs. :( Seriously? Evan was so disappointed. They hoped it would be up and running before the park closed. So we watched the Shamu show then raced back to Elmo's Flying Fish. Hooray! They had it working again!

Evan did have a hard time waiting in line. He was a little anxious just standing there, but once we got on and he was able to pick the white fish he had wanted (lucky us) he was all grins. He even rode it a second time. :) Again, luckily, he was able to pick the same white fish. I'm not sure how things would have gone if he had to pick a different fish. We didn't have to cross that bridge so I'm not going to think about it. He loved it and that's all that matters to me!
Take a close look at this picture. Same facial expression, same posturing. Like father, like son :)

Evan had a great time feeding the pigeons at lunch. I don't think our neighbors appreciated the added guests, but again, he had a great time. :)
While Alex, Jeff and I went to look at an aquarium, the boys stayed in the Sesame Street Playground with Grandma and Grandpa. Fun was had by all. 



Sea World was so exciting for me because it gives me hope for Disneyland. (I'm crazy, I know). I've never been sure how Evan would do with the crowds or the rides. Neither have really been up his alley. But as he gets older and we have been able to understand what makes him tick, it seems possible to be able to take him soonish. Disneyland is a big deal to me. It was a large part of my childhood and I have magical memories created by my father there. I want to pass those magical memories on. I wasn't sure how long I would have to wait for Evan to be ready, and I think he'll be ready sooner than I thought! *big smiles

2 comments:

Emilie said...

Ok, that picture with Evan and Alex is hilarious!

Hooray for small splash pads!

And I'm so happy you are having glimpses into how Evan is growing in the areas that you worry about most. He's a great kid and is going to do amazing things with his life.

Brianna said...

I LOVE Sea World, and can't wait to take my kids there one day!

I am happy you were able to see a glimpse of your Disney dreams coming true!