We took the kiddos to Sea World this week for the first time. I think I was even more excited than the girls to experience Shamu in person. We drove to San Antonio Saturday afternoon and had dinner at my favorite childhood restaurant - Magic Time Machine. Very little has changed in 30 years, just so you know. The wait staff still dress in costume, the salad bar is still housed in a convertable, the kiddy cocktails (lemondade with dry ice) are still as alluring, and the atmosphere is still as chaotic. Unfortunately, our food wasn't very good which was really disappointing. Oh well, the kids had a blast.
After dinner, we headed to the hotel in a futal attempt to have the children wind down for bed. We tried a bath. No luck. We tried reading books. No luck.
I don't think anyone slept very well that night for a variety of reasons. 1) We were away from home in beds that were not our own. 2) Some of us were excited about Sea World 3) One of us was sleeping with Morgan. Need I say more?
Morgan sounded the all awake alarm at 4:15 am. Thankfully breakfast was going downstairs at 6 am and Kim took all 3 kids to eat in their pajamas. We want to give a big shout out to Shorty, hostess of the breakfast area at the Holiday Inn Express North Airport location for her dedication to helping a woman alone with 3 crabby kids and her keen ability to overlook the disasterous mess left in the breakfast area. In return, Kim wrote a beautiful note to the manager of the hotel about Shorty's supreme service.
With anxious anticipation, we drove to Sea World Thursday morning. To say it was chaotic would be an understatement. Walking into such a place for the first time is a bit overwhelming. Did I mention it was cold? Ah yes, about 50 degrees in late March in Texas. The wind was fierce and I knew in an instant we chose to right day to visit Sea World for the first time cause if Mommy is hot, ain't nobody happy.
Madison and McKenzie rode their first roller coaster - Shamu Express. By the end of the trip, they rode 3 times. It was the big ticket winner for both girls.
The girls climbed, slid, jumped, waited, and watched for 2 days having an absolute blast.
While the Shamu Express was the #1 attraction for Madison and McKenzie, the sea lion show came as a close second and for more than one reason. Yes, the sea lions were hysterical. I actually surprised myself at the number of times I laughed. But the biggest appeal of the sea lion show for the girls was getting to sit in the splash zone. Kim and I were not prepared to get soaked, so we let them sit together in the front where we could carefully monitor the situation. The closer it came to show time, the more nervous I grew about their getting soaked. I just knew they would be miserable walking around in wet clothes, but I was wrong. They loved every second of the show and the water. As a matter of fact, McKenzie ran up the steps to where I was sitting after the first big splash to show me just how wet she was! Precious!
Morgan slept in the stroller through much of the first afternoon, but finally woke up in time to see the walrus on the stage of the sea lion show. She went nuts! After the show, we were able to watch the sea lions and some people (not us) actually fed them! Morgan was blowing kisses to her new friends and loving every minute.
We had a wonderful trip and we look forward to going back again. The whales, the sharks, the dolphins, and especially the sea lions were a huge hit. As exhausted as we are now, it was worth it.
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