North Carolina - Day One

We love to travel. We have amazing adventures everywhere we go, even in unexpected places. (Our trip to Cleveland is still one of our favorites.) James and I love to dream about our travels and as soon as we get back from one we are planning the next trip. But we do have our limits. We've learned that anything over 12 or 14 days makes us homesick and now it has become apparent that two big trips in one month is too much. We are exhausted. 

This morning was really rough, it was cold and rainy so we couldn't play outside and I did not have enough energy or motivation to take them out to a museum. The boys were desperate to swim in the pool but none of them were listening. I tried to do school, which Will and Jon did fairly cheerfully, but Christian would not sit still. But eventually the morning passed and the boys and I headed out to meet James for lunch. 

It was still raining but the boys needed to run so we went down the street to meet him at his class. This is when the day started to turn around. James' teacher is fantastic. Not only is he a great teacher, James loves his classes, but he is always happy to see me and the boys. He gave us a huge bag of kettle corn when we came to pick up James, the boys were thrilled!

We had lunch at McDonalds because it was the only place we knew about that had an indoor play area. The boys made friends with this tiny little two year old girl who had no trouble keeping up with them. She was so cute!

After lunch I took the boys upstairs for a little rest. Christian was clearly in need of a nap and I was hoping that he would fall asleep. Unfortunately instead of sleeping he bounced around on the beds. At this point I didn't want to take them to the pool because of their behavior but I knew they needed some physical fun and I really didn't want to be stuck in the hotel room any longer. So with some trepidation I took the boys down to the pool. 

Christian ready to jump

The pool was exactly what we needed. There was no one else there so I didn't have to worry about splashing or jumping or any of the other things you have to watch when sharing a small pool with strangers. Christian was happy to use his float which meant that I could play with all of the boys and didn't have to worry about him jumping off the side. The boys love jumping into the pool and most of our time there was spent doing that. 

Jon loves playing in the pool

For some reason whenever I'm in a pool (alone!) I have a tendency to sing "I Could Have Danced All Night". I pick one of the boys and dance with them, spinning around, tossing them in the air, and dipping them under water. They are still young enough not to realize how strange I am and they beg me to do it again but this time throw them higher and spin them faster. 

Christian was chasing me around pretending to be a shark

We also played a variation on our mermaid game. I was a mermaid who would capture/rescue the handsome princes and bring them down to my watery castle. They could only escape if they sang the mermaid song or gave me a kiss. Eventually though they got tails too and we all lived under the sea. When I was chasing Will or Jon, Christian would swim around me yelling "I'm a handsome prince! I'm a handsome prince!" Children are a wonderful excuse to get lost in fantasy.

Jon spins around under water

We spent two hours playing in the pool before I made them head back upstairs. Christian was getting cold but Will and Jon could have spent another hour there. We were all in a much better mood as we showered and cleaned up. James came home and he and Christian went out to get us dinner. They brought home screaming sodas for the boys and a ton of food from Cookout. I've written about it before but Cookout continues to be one of our favorite restaurants down here. The food is good and no matter how much you order it is impossible to spend more than twenty dollars. 

After dinner we watched a movie and enjoyed some of our kettle corn. James had to study so he didn't stay long but bedtime went pretty well. And now sleep is calling me as well. I am hoping to get outside tomorrow if the weather clears up for us. 
Goodnight!

North Carolina - Drive Down

This has been such a whirlwind month! We had a wonderful time in San Diego then it was back home to celebrate two birthdays, two Thanksgivings, and a photoshoot. We were only home for 11 days before we left again for North Carolina, our second time this year! 

We left early on Saturday, we were on the road by 5 am which is a first for our road trips. We are not morning people at all but there is something exciting about leaving for a trip before the sun comes up. I was afraid of hitting holiday traffic but we didn't run into any until midway through Pennsylvania. 

James and his sons

The biggest benefit to making such good time was that we were able to stop at the Army Heritage Center right outside of Harrisburg. It is such an awesome place! They have a huge field with tanks, helicopters, and war time exhibits ranging from the Revolution to the Iraq War. The boys favorite place is probably the World War I trenches. There were a few other kids there on this rainy afternoon and they all ran around shooting each other. Will and Jon have been listening to Rush Revere so they kept yelling "The British are coming!"

Christian runs through the trenches

Jon waves a flag in front of the Vietnam area

Will relaxes after climbing a wall

All the buildings were locked, as well as the underground bunker. But that actually worked out for us because it gave us time to explore the whole place. There was a Revolutionary War Redoubt that the boys scaled and an army obstacle course that the boys loved. Will and Jon struggled at first but they actually climbed the wall all by themselves! Will was so proud, "I could be a soldier!" And they loved crawling through the dirt under the wire.

Christian crawls under the "wire"

Will lets himself down from the wall

Jon made it to the top!

Daddy helped Christian overcome his fears

We only spent an hour there before it was time to hit the road but we will be back again! I love this place and want to bring my dad to visit too. It is such a great and hands on way to teach the boys about history.

Christian in the wheels of a tank

James and Christian made it to the top.
Christian was too scared  to make it up on his own.

Monster tank!

                    












The rest of our two day drive wasn't very exciting. We got a late start on the second day and never managed to stop anywhere fun. But we did enjoy listening to and discussing A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. And the very best thing about a long car ride is that James and I are able to talk for hours on end. I feel a little bad for the boys because once we get started on a topic we just don't stop!

We hit a lot of traffic on Sunday and saw a surprising amount of fender benders on the highway. Eventually we just got off the highway and took back roads to our hotel. I don't know if it was faster or slower but it was a lot less frustrating than sitting in traffic. We are finally here in our familiar and comfortable hotel. The boys were disappointed not to hit the pool tonight but James' has studying to do and I was just too tired. 

I wonder what adventures we will have tomorrow!

Sea World - San Diego Day Eleven

November is the right time of year to go to San Diego. The weather is beautiful, not too hot but still warm enough to go swimming, and there are no crowds. Today is our last day and we spent it at my favorite childhood theme park, Sea World! 

Another beautiful day. I will never be tired of this view!

A sunny day at Sea World

Group hug! I snapped this picture right before I got pulled in.

When I was twelve, my dad, my best friend Lydia, and I went to Tijuana on a mission trip with our church. Instead of flying home with everyone though we stayed an extra day and spent time with my aunt and uncle who had driven 550 miles to see us. I remember being given the choice between Sea World or the San Diego Zoo. I am so glad we chose Sea World because it was an amazing day!

I've been to Sea World in Orlando at other times in my life and while I've always loved the dolphin and Shamu shows they remain jumbled up together in my memory. My clearest memory of that day is of petting a penguin. The metal railing cut into my stomach as I leaned as far as I could over the barrier to touch the smooth wet back of a penguin. I doubt that it was allowed but it was such a wonderful experience. We had an incredible day!

I have many wonderful memories of Sea World and I am really glad that I could share it with my kids. I wasn't sure how they would like it. They've already been to Universal, Disney, and Legoland in their short lives, not to mention countless amazing zoos and smaller amusement park. Would they be impressed with Sea World? They loved it!! I was so happy.

The first thing we saw when we walked through the entrance was a couple touch tanks full of little fish, sharks, hermit crabs, and rays. The boys had so much fun petting them all. Will stayed in a corner of one tank making friends with the sharks. He named one Ray, one Spotter, and one Sharkbite. Christian couldn't decide which tank he liked best and ran from one to the other. 

Jon and Christian at the touch tanks

Will names his sharks

After the touch tank we visited the dolphin pool which we all loved and then went over to ride the Manta, the big roller coaster. I don't know if it was the weather, the weekday, or the time of year but Sea World was empty. Will, Jon and I were able to ride the coaster over and and over, climbing back on the same car we had just left. The Manta was swooping, soaring, fast ride that we loved. James took the boys on it once and I went on with them five times!

A dolphin comes to say hello

Jon's picture of the dolphins

Will, Jon, and I riding the Manta coaster. What a great ride!

While the boys and I were up on the ride, Christian, James and Camille were waiting for us at the Ray touch tank. Christian's loved petting the big bat rays there, it might have been his favorite part. He was so happy running back and forth finding new ones to touch.

Christian pets a ray that has come to say hello

I am pretty sure this is a bat ray...

We had lunch at the Shipwreck Cafe and it was a fantastic meal! I was expecting typical museum/amusement park fare but this was excellent. We had chicken, pasta, and salad and all of it was good. 

Christian enjoying the fish

After lunch it was time for the Dolphin show and we had to run right over since the theater was on the other side of the park. It was a cool day but the boys wanted to get wet so I sat with them in middle of the soak zone. The dolphin show was wonderful! That seems like such a small word for the beauty of the dolphins leaping out of the water and interacting with their trainers but I cannot do it justice. The boys loved the show although they were so disappointed that they didn't get wet! I told them not to worry though because we were sure to be splashed at the Shamu show.

Waiting to get wet

It was an amazing show!

Jon's picture of the ghostly trainers

A smiling dolphin

So long and thanks for all the fish!

We had a little time between shows so we went to visit the turtle and the shark exhibits. The turtles were cool but it was the sharks that were most exciting to see. The exhibit took us through a tunnel underneath the tank. Even safely behind glass there is something terrifying about them.

The shark tunnel was really cool!

Jon's picture of a shark

We arrived early for the Shamu show so the boys and I could get soak zone seats close to the glass. The orcas were amazing. The show was less dramatic than the dolphin show but it is awe inspiring to see the killer whales leap out of the water. The boys loved it and it was hard for me to decide between watching the show or Christian's face. This time we got wet and he was so happy that "a whale splashed me!"

Ready for the show and hoping to get wet!

Backflip!

Jon's picture of an orca

Will's reaction to the show.

Since the boys and I were already wet we decided to go on a river raft ride after the show. Camille waited for us onshore keeping herself and all our stuff dry. The ride was so much fun and we all shrieked and yelled at each wave washed over our raft.

We were soaked!

Before we left the park we saw the penguins (although we didn't pet them), orcas in their tanks, beluga whales, and a walrus. We even saw a couple of wild rabbits hopping around. Christian wanted to bring one home with us to be a friend for our bunnies. We missed the sea lion show but there was so much to do there that we didn't have time. But before we left James bought Jon a polar bear to be the daddy for his "poley" family and he bought me a stuffed dolphin. I have a couple from my childhood, all named "Flipper". It was a tradition for me to get one when I went to Sea World or Marine World and I was so happy when James surprised me with one.

Watching the orcas. 

My little penguins!

We had a wonderful day at Sea World, it was a perfect last day. This has been an amazing trip! But we leave tomorrow and it is time for me to start packing. 

Goodnight!