The animal hospital called Tuesday morning to let us know that Uno was out of the hospital and had returned to their facilities all patched up and was resting comfortably.  We found out that there was another dog that was sharing a run with Uno that was terribly aggressive and that some protocol about dealing with this dog was not followed by the folks that took care of the late night walks and feeding. The aggressive dog was able to get out of its noose style leash and once free attacked Uno, whom was minding his own business in his kennel.  The dog was able to force his way into Uno’s cage and proceeded to attack him, mainly chewing up his right front leg.

Uno is home now and heavily medicated but in otherwise good spirits – he was greeted by four very concerned little kidos who showered him with arms full of love.  He has spent the evening resting on his pillow and trying to clean his wounds by licking through his bandages – doesn’t seem to be very effective but I think he is just passing the time.  We were told Uno should be on his feet in a few weeks.  Regardless, it is good to have him back safe at home.

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One of the first attractions in the gate was hands on feeding sting rays circling a huge pond.  They were pretty tame and easy to rub your hands over or let them suction your hand looking for food.  The boys jumped right in – they probably would have were it okay to do so – instead they coated themselves in icky slime and smell leaning over the wall trying to get their hands down into the water.  The girls weren’t so enthusiastic about the thought of some winged creature swimming in laps licking their fingers so for the most part they watched.  We purchased a few trays of shrimp so that they could each get the opportunity to feed one.  It was a pretty neat site.  The boys teased the rays up and got them to pop out of the water a little but so that we could see their suction mouths – pretty cool to see from the top down.  The girls wouldn’t have anything to do with offering food so I held each one in turn and dangled their shrimp for them, trying to get the rays to come up out of the water so we could all get better looks at them.

Soon after the sting rays we found ourselves at the manatee rescue.  This was a huge attraction a massive tank for holding the manatee in what look like a reproduction of a natural habitat.  Most of them seemed to have been rescued from some form of injury or another, in particular propeller strikes.  I had never seen a manatee before and this attraction was pretty neat.  The kids thought so as well though for different reason – in particular interest, and in a most kiddy way, was the focus on certain bodily excretions that we all must at some point partake.  It was thus noted that Fatty, the kindly nickname offered one of the manatees doing laps in front of us, was not only bulbous, but also, very obviously, had to poop.  We actually spent quite a bit of time watching these guys swim in circles away from us and then back towards, each time rubbing their massive undersides on the glass before swimming away again, a long repetitive loop – and even then not that they were in any way more interesting than anything else we had seen yet, but the room we were watching them from was air conditioned.

The dolphin show was up next – the day was flying by – it was by far my favorite thing we saw at the park.  My previous experience with dolphin shows is limited to that of the Indianapolis Zoo, and while not bad, is not in the same category as that of Sea World.  All of us were in amazement at the flips, spins, and twirls.  After the first bit of the show I thought it was over.  A few of the dolphins came out, swam around, jump in the air a few times and then went to get some treats.  They did this a few more times … then the real show started.  Acrobats. Divers. Singers. Costumed performers. Trained Parrots (and other birds). Whales. And of course Dolphins.  All of these together told a story, narrated by in song by one of the performers.  There were good guys, bad guys, and damsels in distress.  Each played their part in a massive production.  Each act incorporated various actors and always some of the dolphins.  There were a few bits that really caught our attention – at one point one of the trainers (in costume mind you) dove under the water and seconds later came exploding up out of the water, riding on the tip of the dolphins nose, up into the air fifteen feet or more before falling back down in a splash.  Another trainer jumped in with a pair of dolphins, each with what look like a lease around its nose, stood on their backs and was pulled around the pool like a rider standing on a pair of horses – truly amazing and graceful, all the while the trainer was waving at the crowd while we clapped and cheered them along.  The finale was incredible.  There was so much going on that it was hard to keep track of let alone watch it all play out.  My favorite part of the end was the quad of dolphins swimming in formation across the length of the pool with most of their bodies out of the water.  Truly an incredibly amazing show.

The dolphin show was a hard act to follow for anything left in the park, except maybe the Shamu show later.  We headed in to see the penguins.  Not only was it once again inside and air conditioned but there were a large number of the tuxedos either running around, swimming or standing in packs to stay warm (note that it was one hundred plus for us and it was snowing for them).  Isaac was fascinated by the Emperor Penguins which were all huddled together keeping warm.

The Sea Lions were our next stop.  The kids wanted to throw them some shrimp and get them to bark and sing for us.  Each of them tried to get the shrimp across ditch and into the gapping maw of the nearest one but most of the food landed short and was picked up quickly by the cranes who were hovering nearby waiting for you to take your guard down or flying in holding patterns above looking for an errant throw – (with a coordinated effort the Sea Lions wouldn’t have had a chance).

At some point in the day we all decided we should eat.  We had ample snacks and water in the backpack but a more nutritious meal was needed – well that was the thought anyway.  The food sadly was my only disappointment with Sea World. Their high end, high dollar places might have been fantastic but us like many others with large families weren’t up for the prices.  We settled for one of a la carte cafes figuring we could get a mix of what the kids wanted, what we wanted and what we all needed.  In the end we ended up with horrible hot dogs for the kids, cold fries (even after taking them back for more), weird tasting barbeque chicken and drinks.  Oh well – we scarfed it down and moved on – plus we were in a rush to see Shamu.

Shamu it was.  Our show started shortly after we finished lunch and we had to haul tail across the park to make it in time.  I want to be condescending and say we should have ordered more food and taken a leisurely stroll across the docks only to arrive at the show just after it had ended.  That tone however, would not let me share my (our) dissatisfaction with what the Shamu show has transformed into.  Now I must say that this show had a lot of hype behind it for not only those of us that are newcomers to the park but also Sea World veterans coming back time and again to see the daring trainers perform stunning feats with the massive killer whales.  I am not sure what the show used to be like but now it is limited to a pair of whales swimming in laps around their tank jumping up into the air.  On occasion they would also swim up to the trainer and take some fish as a reward.  It appeared (and we later confirmed) that the trainers are no longer allowed to be in the water with the whales and the show is limited because of that.  Now I can say that a whale makes a huge splash of water when it lands and the first twenty rows of spectators are not safe from being soaked.  If the splash didn’t get them the whales would swim slowly along the edge of the tank and flip water out into the crowd with large strokes of their tails.

The cold of the artic was next.  I think this was supposed to be a ride but wasn’t much more than a movie about the endangered wildlife in the artic.  Once it was over there was plenty to see including several walruses that must have been talking to the manatees and loved swim in repeating circles around the glass rubbing its belly as it passed.  Our favorites here though were the beluga whales.  There were several of them in the tank but one in particular was actively swimming around and kept passing right in front of the kids.  It would slow or sometimes stop and look right at all of us for a minute before swimming another lap.

After a tour of the artic we took a short break in a tunnel leading back to civilization and the CotC decided it was time to become part of the exhibit.  They pulled out their claws, bared their teeth and started climbing all over the rocks and walls perching here and there to stare at the passing crowd and let out feral growls so that all those who might pass knew this was their territory.  At one point Violet decided that Mommy Carol was her prey and chanced her around a rock before digging into her with baby sharp teeth.

It was getting late once we left the bitter cold of the artic and we were running out of exhibits that would hold everyone’s attention so we headed toward the rides figuring this was a great way to end the day and burn off any remaining shred of energy (we were looking for a relaxing and quite ride home).  First stop was the kids’ area.  The older three took a spin on the hurler express…I mean scrambler.  They got in all excited and had their “egg” humming in circles before the ride even began.  The spinning didn’t stop until long after the ride was over and the attendant came over to let them out – my stomach turns just thinking about it – ugh.

The next ride we didn’t think we were going to be able to get on, at least not with Violet, but she was able to make it by about one inch (maybe less).  It was a kids roller coaster – The Shamu Express (i think it was more entertaining than its namesake).  Everyone was excited.  Isaac wanted to ride alone, Violet was with me, Piper and Jacob sat together, and Carol was left holding the bag – (no literally she held the bag…they wouldn’t let me take the backpack on the ride – thank you Love!)  The coaster was fun and quick but not so smooth.  The CotC didn’t seem to mind though.  Violet laughed and screamed the whole time, Isaac had his hands in the air looking for more of a thrill and Piper and Jacob held on tight.  It was a blast though getting to do it with Violet (granted I thought it was her first but Gramps got the honors a few weeks prior) and seeing her eat it up and want more was awesome.

Before leaving the kids section we spent some time in “the cage” – (I am sure it had a real name but I am calling it what it felt like).  We let the kids go in and run around, in the end they ended up with Carol helping Violet through.  The thing was amazing though (if not crowded for an adult male sporting a full backpack) and consisted of three stories of interconnecting tunnels and nets.  Lots of climbing and crawling but it was a blast, although I think the only ones tired after were the two of us.  The kids were nothing but thirsty and once fueled up they were ready to find something else.  We were even able to get refreshments from a concession that was closing at no cost – a savings of three bucks a glass for water.

The last ride of the night, and it was night now, was the Atlantis.  We weren’t’ able to all go at once so we split it up and Carol and Isaac took one boat and later Piper and I took another (Violet was too small and Jacob wasn’t interested).  The ride was weird.  We spent lots of time slowly climbing up and up inside this pyramid getting spooked by various medieval characters, in particular an eerie rendition of Medusa that was certainly to be give little ones nightmares, only to turn a misty corner and whoosh down a pitch black slope into a pool of freezing cold water.  The second drop was the one that took your stomach though, it took you back outside and down the entire height of the pyramid into a pool before making its way back in.  A few more drops, small this time, and we were done.  I thought Piper was going to be scared to death but surprisingly she only covered her ears when the noise was too much (blood curdling screaming).  She even seemed to enjoy the big drop and getting wet.  We all got wet – very wet.

All the rides were done so we made a trip through the gift store for the kiddos (deal was that they could get a gift at the end of the day if they didn’t bug us during the day – worked well being that most of the attractions ended with a walk through a store) and we were headed home.  There was one moment on the ride home, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, where it started raining.  Or, well, that was what we thought.  Turns out that there were so many bugs hitting the car that it literally looked and sounded like rain – granted turning on the windshield wipers had the opposite effect than had it been rain.  This barrage of insect massacre went on for about five minutes before we were free but the van was now in need of a serious scrubbing.

Before long we were on open highway.  The CotC had mostly fallen out, even Violet who never ever sleeps in the car – (I guess twelve straight hours of walking around in one hundred plus, high humidity temperatures is what it takes to wear her out.)  Jacob was tired but lost in a movie and refusing to close his eyes.  Seeing they were all in some form of la la land, we plugged in the iPod, turned up the volume and the rest of the trip slipped away into that little place between peace and harmony.

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The kids had a great time playing though and I doubt they even noticed the sun.  Isaac spent most of the time wave surfing and diving under each incoming wave.  He was fearless in the ocean.  Violet and Piper both started out running down the water line and letting the waves chase them back.  As the day went on Piper became more timid and fearful of each breaking crest – granted the tide was coming in and the waves were getting bigger.  She settled on making sand castles and playing at the top of the water line.  Violet on the other hand had no such reservations and took the growing size of the waves as a challenge to see how fast she could run away.  Eventually she settled to taunting the incoming menace and started throwing sand at it – large handfuls of soaking wet sand – most of which landed in her hair, in her clothes or in general all on her somewhere.  She did decide though that it could fight back whenever she would get any amount of stinging salt water in her eyes – so much one time that we had to flush her eyes with water – ice cold water from cooler – poor girl, that was all we had.  Jacob was all boy, spending time karate chopping, kicking and diving through each break with Isaac.  I think he got bored though and was looking for something more challenging.  Might be time for an upgrade on equipment – maybe a boogey board or beach skimmer or a snorkel and mask.

We will have more time at the beach later but this was a good start.  Next time we’ll break out all the toys – Frisbee, kite, football, sand toys, Transformers, Barbie – the essentials.

After a few hours at the beach we were all hot, water-logged, and covered in sand.  It was certainly time for a swim in the bath, I mean pool.  It was good to let the kids get out of the sun (pool is shaded in the later afternoon) and just enjoy the water.  They didn’t really get to swim at the beach and were itching for it by the time we headed to the pool.  Poor Violet didn’t really get to swim at all at the pool, she was having some issues with her bottom (stubbornness was the primary issue) and she hung out on the side with Mommy Carol and I – regardless I think she had a good time as well just dipping her toes in and pushing us under the water (meanness).

Dinner was at a customary vacation dinner place for Bonnie and Carol - Aunt Catfish’s – seafood galore.  They offered any type of fish you could think of, specializing in catfish, of course, as long as you liked it fried.  (For the record I think they did have the grilled variety but we were looking for it ).  They also had some more traditional southern stuff like frog legs, alligator, and shark – oddly none of the munchkins were interested – kids these days…  Dinner was fantastic and filling – I think I ate the equivalent of three catfish and topped off a full belly with another treat – hush puppies – YUM!

Somehow after the beach, the pool, playtime in the room, and an exciting dinner the CotC still had hidden reserves of energy they kept refueling from.  We thought a trip to a local park on the way back home would burn off any remaining shred we could find.  The first park we found was covered in gnats and fire ants.  Second one was a tennis park.  Third was a park with a fishing pier.  Fourth (almost after we had given up and were headed back) was perfect.  It was shaped like a castle, on the beach, and out of the sand.  The kids had a blast pretending that enemy soldiers were coming, ringing the alarm bell and looking out for incoming ships.

All remaining stocks of energy were burned.  Mission accomplished.

Fantastic Day!!!

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Today we left for our family vacation at the beach. We had plans to be in bed early and on the road by four so that we could get the kids out of bed, still sleeping, drive most of the early morning and arrive around lunch with an afternoon of swimming to look forward to. But after finally getting into bed somewhere near three-thirty four didn’t sound so appealing. We did eventually get on the road but not until after nine. Not too far down the road, right before pulling onto the expressway, Carol was curious if I shut the garage door. Of course I did…right? We had to go back into the house several times for this or that prior to leaving and neither of us could remember if we shut the door the final time. We called in a favor and the thought paid off – sure enough I had left the door wide open to the world.

One the road the kids had plenty to keep them busy. We packed books, games, movies, music, and thanks to the modern marvels that go into today’s vehicles, the GameCube. (I remember playing the license plate game, the alphabet game, sitting in the floor board while coloring or playing in the seat) The ride itself went pretty smooth, note that a good ride over such a long distance with four kids of very different age groups, is a good ride for everyone, and somewhat hard to come by…. There was one moment though that brought both of us near tears with laughter. We were listening to the kids tell us which of the characters from whatever movie they were watching that they “wanted to be” and we heard from the back seat, innocently, “Mom…Can we go to the Lion’s Den?” I guess Isaac had been not only watching the movie but also checking out the billboards. I guess the name works but I think it is off a bit for their target market We were able to get away not only without a visit but without even a response and the topic thankfully never came back up.

We neared our destination at the beach and the kids switched gears from mellow, hanging out, watching movies, reading books, generally having a good time to beach crazed, high energy, children of the corn. The switch happened just as we crossed the top of the bridge leading from the mainland to the sound and didn’t stop until we pulled in. We quickly unpacked the van and headed to the room. It was getting late and we had plans to hit the pool and burn off any remaining energy so that each of the kids would not only sleep but would pass out in exhausted mushy piles of sleeping munchkins.

We made it to the pool just before dark and swam for a while. Piper put on her big girl shorts and went down a quick, high speed water slide into the deep end. I jumped in to grab her in case she went under and started to panic but was surprised after she hit the water, went under briefly and came up no worse for wear – she wanted to do it again but said that her hand hit one of the rocks around the slide and she was scared it would happen again. Isaac was all over the pool – up the slide – down the slide – on the rocks – swimming side to side – chasing Piper and Jacob around – and doing cannon balls. Jacob played on the slide as well but wanted more than anything to hold Piper’s hand and escort her, The Princess, around the pool.

Bed time came pretty quick after showers for the lot and a late night snack of muffins and milk. Isaac crashed first in the chair and once the beds were set up the rest of them not far behind. They all had long days and after a good swim and full belly, not to mention it was midnight, it wasn’t long before they were all crashed hard.

Day One Complete.

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Kids that will sleep till noon — Priceless (or so the hope goes)

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Now enough of me on a soap box.  All the kiddos were going to be away for some or all of Spring Break this year so we thought it would be fun to do something out of the ordinary with them before seeing them off.  We didn’t tell them what we were doing until we got there and even then I don’t think they really understood what we were going to do until we started seeing and feeding the animals.  We packed a backpack full of old food stuff and picked up some corn and apples at the concession as well.

It was a hot day, especially for the beginning of spring, and many of the animals were content to lay in the shade and ignore whatever tempting goodies we might have to offer.  Others however took their place in a gorge fest of oats, apples, carrots, peanuts, corn and whatever else the kids could scavenge off the ground.

It was fun to watch them all try to interact with the different animals.  Violet was fearless.  Isaac was cautiously curious.  Piper needed insurance she wouldn’t be eaten.  Jacob was all boy (not feeling well but all boy nonetheless).  We fed all that we could, even the bears who were laying with their mouths in the pan the food landed in and lazily eating one bit after another.  The goats, lambs and ponies were the most active and the loved the quaker oats packed from the house.  The big cats were lazy, the coyote paced in ground wearing circles and the turtles hid in their shell to stay out of the sun – or for other reasons unknown.  One of the last animals we got to see was a pair of raccoons laboring on a spinning wheel – obviously working off the pounds they had packed on from the morning shift – I don’t know why it was funny but after seeing all the other critters stuffing their faces it was.

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Javan kept us busy.  We gave him an idea of what we were interested in and he followed us around while we had fun traipsing through wheat fields, looking in windows, avoiding bees, swinging on porches and playing in the barnyards – what I can only call being Intimately Playful – these were after-all, the photos that should show our undying affection and love for one another, so we had to do our best to ensure we got the message across appropriately….

I will be certain to put some of the photos on here once we get some of the proofs back in a few weeks.

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There was one moment while we were playing in the front yard that Piper broke down.  Everyone was playing, including her, throwing snow balls, chasing each other, and at one point she was knocked over into the snow and after getting up she wasn’t sure what to think.  Her eyes went puffy and she started balling histerically…poor thing.  It took a few but she did eventually calm down.  She was done though and retreatd to the van.

We didn’t really have any reason to be out, let alone driving.  But Jacob and Piper wanted to spend the day with Nana Bonnie and Papa Troy…I guess I needed to take them there…and if on the way I got to see how a minivan with southern weather radials performed on snow, slush and ice….what the heck – take one for the team.    The drive was fun.  Lots of other people probably didn’t think so though.  Once we turned onto Bush road we could see the line of cars, trucks, vans, and school buses all arranged in various patterns at the bottom of the hill, spinning this way or that, unable to find the traction to climb up the hill….the trip home was going to be fun indeed !!!

Everyone got to let out some steam and play in the snow.  Jacob, Piper and Isaac ran off with Troy to make snowmen and snow balls.  Violet went adventuring.  I was watching the chaos at one point and look around from her finding no sign but footprints leading off behind Troy’s house.  I found her carving her own path looking for Rudolph in the determined way that only a two year old can.

After leaving Piper and Jacob we headed home, strategically planning an alternate route around the hill on Bush road so that we didn’t end up like the others.  At home we made our own rendition of Frosty and had some fun just being outside in the cold.  Isaac had a blast carting snow for me to use on our glorious work of art and Violet was just thrilled to be in snow in general.

Now we need to plan a trip north to play in feet of snow vs. inches.  Nothing like carving out tunnels and building igloo forts.

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