Theme Park Weekend

What do you get when you combine hotel rewards with free tickets to SeaWorld thanks to your husband's service to our country?  A really fun mini vacation in Orlando, that's what!!

We hit the road bright and early Saturday morning to get to SeaWorld right when they opened.  Being one of the first ones there is definitely the way to go.  

We loved the penguin exhibit... 

....and the walrus was a big hit too...

Beluga whales are a lot of  fun to watch play too.  They sure loved batting that buoy around...

We got a big kick out of watch them put the flamingos away...

...they are almost like cattle.  Crazy!

Of course the aquariums and shark tunnel are a big hit with the boys...

The boys took notes and can now officially bark like seals now too...

...you better believe I'm one proud mama :-).  Speaking of mamas, this turtle's name is Big Momma...

...she is so sweet and injured but doing great thanks to their rescue and care taking of her.  

After a fun-filled day at sea world, we were more than ready for some good food followed by some snuggle time at the hotel.  Aunt Miriam even joined us for dinner at Bahama Breeze and a round of jumping on the hotel beds, don't tell the management :-).  

Sunday took us to the Space Center for our second time this year.  It was just as much fun as the first time.  

We checked out some stuff we didn't get to last time, like taking a turn sitting on the moon vehicle...

...and learning about the wildlife that's all around there on their protected lands.  We're big fans of the hogs :-)...

We also checked out the other IMAX movie...

....and tried more of the simulators...

There is so much to do there.  

I love that the boys are so interested in all of it and it's close enough that we get to experience it rather easily.  Who knows, maybe they'll be future space explorers...

There's a rocket launch coming up February 8 we're hoping to check out from our yard.  Living this close to the space center is a fabulous thing!

After our fun day at NASA, we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset on the way home...

...we made it home in time to grab some delicious pizza and cozy up on the couch for a movie before calling it a weekend, and a great one at that.  

Our Magical Day

The boys and I got lucky and got to take a trip to Disney World a while back.  It was truly a magical day.  Of course it would have been even more magical if Mickey could have joined us for it but when you have access to free tickets on a Thursday, you don't pass up the opportunity, right??  We had so much fun...

I teared up watching their faces light up as we walked right into a parade with Mickey in it... 

Since the boys aren't big fans of rides, we started off easy with the people mover.  It was a huge hit...

...and we got more and more daring as the day went along...

  

...finally braving Dumbo...

...and the teacups for a little more excitement...

Of course we loved the tree house....

...and the jungle cruise...

...even the shows were a huge hit... 

...which surprised me since the boys aren't too thrilled with people dressing up as giant cartoon characters.  At a distance, apparently, they're awesome!!

 We lucked out with a cool, overcast and rainy day which seemed to keep the crowds down...perfect for us.  It was truly such a fun day and we can't wait til our next visit WITH DADDY, of course.  

Hope to see you real soon, Mickey...

Back to Our Routine

Our staycation wrapped up with a visit from Oma.  We always love when she comes...

...then it was back to life as usual.

We studied the letter I...

...and caught up on lower case h which we had forgotten to finish up before Christmas...

We did a building and painting project at Home Depot....

...the boys were pretty proud of their sleds. :-)

We're also back to our workouts at gymnastics...

...and at the park... 

...and on our bikes...

We've been putting our Christmas presents to use.  One of our favorites is the Cootie game...

...and our new hot wheels track...

...the puzzles are always a hit as well...

We hit up the River Center for Story time... 

...and put the workers to work with all of our questions... 

...and are back to our weekly story times as the library as well...

...gotta love Ms. Jayme.  

I even got to squeeze in a girls night out...

This happy dance in the toy aisle is a pretty good representation of how much I enjoy a night out... 

We've discovered some new fun spots, like the lego table at Barnes and Noble...

...and the new Thunder Bay donut shop...

(they're so good it hurts :-).  )

We also revisited some old favorite spots like feeding the ducks...

...going out for ice cream...

...and checking out the sunsets on brisk evenings... 

We're back into the church routine and loving it... 

...(Colton still isn't a huge fan of coloring though... :-) ).

He is a big fan of the beach, however...

...and so is his brother...

Even a windy day couldn't spoil our fun... 

Life is good!  Happy New Year!!!!  Hope your's is off to as great of a start as ours is.