Spring Break!

Spring has sprung!!

We all enjoyed spring break this year. Todd took the week off, and we decided to spend a few days in San Antonio, including a day at Sea World.

The last time we were there was almost 3 years ago, when Keeley had just turned TWO!
Sea World, May 2008

This time, it was actually MY birthday! :D
We drove down to San Antonio on Tuesday, checked into our Riverwalk hotel, and then set out for some dinner. We were steered towards a trendy-ish Mexican restaurant, and we waited a bit to sit on the patio. The weather was so beautiful, and we enjoyed getting out and people-watching.
After dinner, we strolled about for a bit, until the kids had had enough.


The kids and me. :)


We got a bit of a late start in the morning, after some difficulties sleeping in a new place all together, and we headed out to Sea World after breakfast at a super-quaint cafe a few miles from our hotel.
We SHOULD have gone a lot earlier, as we ended up standing in line for ONE HOUR just to buy tickets to get IN! Yikes!



Once inside, we were ready to get to it!

First, we checked out the dolphins, but decided to come back and feed them later.


Then we found a cute spot for a posed photo.


Off to visit the aquarium building!

We searched and searched for the octopus, but later found out that he wasn't on display at that time. :( It was a big disappointment, as Luken was so looking forward to seeing it! And, earlier in the month, we had gone to the Dallas Aquarium with his class on a field trip, and their octopus spent the whole time in hiding. *Sigh.*
He was good about it, though, as there was more to see!

We saw a sea lion show!












This guy had been the culprit responsible for a lot of missing fish!


He did some sit-ups to work off the calories. ;)


Another show later, with dolphins and birds and acrobats!








We also rode the carousel!


Luken was not too enthused about this development, as he had spied another ride he had preferred, but he and Daddy made the best of it on a bench aboard the ride. :)


Keeley really enjoyed it, though!


Then we headed to see the killer whale show, but arrived too late to find seats, so we watched from the waaaay back until we were ready to move on.




We thought it might be a good time to check in on the dolphins before the day was over!






Luken got to do all the feeding, as Keeley was a little too scared to do it. She enjoyed the close-up interaction, though!


By then, it was nearing 6, and we were worn out, which could only mean one thing - time to visit the gift shop!


How cool are these octopi? :D


Luken spied this guy, and just HAD to have it! Luckily, he had brought his saved-up allowance to pitch in!




Keeley opted for a cute killer whale puppet, which I seem to have failed to photograph.

It was time to head out! Here is Luken walking past the (now) empty area where we had waited to buy our tickets. It looks a LOT different in this photo!


Daddy and Keeley, walking back to the car.


Tired and hungry, we went and grabbed some dinner, and then checked in at our second hotel.
In the morning, we had a FABULOUS breakfast at a super popular restaurant, and then hopped in the car for the long drive home.

The kids did great in the car, both ways. They mostly watched movies. Lucky kiddos!

We loved our trip together, and loved coming back home even more!

Milestone: First broken bone

On Superbowl Sunday, after we had been cooped up for many days because of the ice and sub-freezing temperatures, the kids and I headed to the gym so they could play while I got some exercise.

After we had been there a while, I was paged to the childcare area, which is unusual, as the kids generally enjoy playing there. When I got in there, Keeley was crying, and they told me she had fallen off of some play equipment, and seemed hurt. I wasn't sure if she was crying because she was still in pain, or if she was just upset and needing mama. We went home, and Todd and I decided to get her calmed down with a drink and a TV show, an ice pack, and some Tylenol. Then we checked her over and asked her to move her left arm, and it seemed to really hurt her. :(

So, I registered us online at a local Urgent Care, and headed over. They evaluated her and set her up with an X-Ray.

The doctor gave me the news I was dreading, but expecting - fractured collarbone.




Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done for such an injury, so they hooked her up with a sling and sent us home. She was GREAT about it. The only difficult times were when she woke up the next 2 mornings, after her Motrin had worn off, and she was stiff from sleeping all night. She woke up crying and in pain. :(

But, during the days, she was fine. I kept her out of school that week (she only goes 2 days a week, so it wasn't a big deal) and we just took it easy at home (though it was stressful for ME at times, watching her like a hawk, terrified that she might fall down at home on the tile and worsen the injury!)

On Friday, we followed up with her pediatrician, who said she seemed to be healing just fine, and that she'd be all better by 6-8 weeks.

The big disappointment was that she was scheduled to begin new ballet classes that week, and we have had to postpone. Boo!

Here she is in her sling!




And some general silliness. :D

Winter Wonderland

In January, we had some epic winter weather. Ice, insulated by a lot of snow, covered the roads, and everything shut down. One week, the kids missed 4 days of school due to weather, and the next week, another day!!

It was fun for a little bit, and here are the photos I took of our snow play!














Snow Princess!! :)






Daddy likes to pass the time by trying to hit the keystone with snowballs. :D










Later, the neighbors came out to play, as well, and all the daddies decided to make an igloo. It took quite some time, but they really did a great job, and it stayed up for DAYS!!