Summer Fun

What a busy summer this has been! It seemed like we were on the road traveling and visiting and playing & having fun 80% of the time. . . we were seldom home as most of you know. We did so many fun things, I don't know that I can blog about them all, so we'll hit some of the kids favorites. SEA WORLD was a big one! Seth loved the sea lions (so funny), the Rock'n Ski Show (super talent), the acrobats & dolphins (flipper in action), and of course the killer whales - SHAMU! I have to admit, as this was my first time to visit Sea World, the animals and their trainers were pretty impressive. I cannot even fathom the patience that the trainers must have to work with animals that are so large and possibly not always agreeable to the requests of those silly humans on land. They develop relationships with the animals and they each learn to trust and love each other. After one of the shows, we hung around in the Killer Whale stadium watching the trainers try tricks that were not part of the show. The whale known as "Shamu" did a full flip and the trainer were so excited. . . she nearly jumped into the water to hug him, but Shamu beat her to it. You could see how proud she was of him and how much she cared for him (brought tears to my eyes). I think the best part of Sea World is watching the shows, but there is also a mini-water park & Seth made sure to spend some time in the wave pool. There are a few roller coasters for the thrill seekers (I recommend the inverted one called Great White - good times to be had there!). Seth really didn't want to try the kiddie-Shamu coaster, but after some coaxing, he gave it a shot. I could hear him yelling as he got off the ride, "That was stinking fun dude!" And again he went. . . hands in the air, loving every minute of it. (You can see him in the last car on the coaster.) So, yes, Sea World was a blast and I highly recommend taking a visit with your kids. We went 4 times in August!







When we went to see Gran and Grandpa, Karsyn was able to ride her first carousel - a two story carousel. It was a bit of a love-hate experience. . . meaning at moments she loved it, and at others she couldn't get off that horse fast enough. Seth, as always, had a good time and was ready to ride again! While there, we made a trip out to South Padre. . . spent some time at the beach & then ate at Dirty Al's. Karsyn loved the water and the sand. We have no idea how much of it she was able to eat when we weren't looking - YUCK!