The Big Trip To Volente Beach That SUCKED

If you read our review blog, you know we thought this place sucked majorly, you can even see in the pictures the kids are underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, they had an okay time, but after 2 hours, we were done and ready to leave. No one wanted to do anything again (well, they wanted to go to the "beach" again, but there were just so many rocks and we'd had enough of stubbed toes and slipping around. Anyway, without further ado...

You'll see pics of Marie, my 9 year old niece a good bit over the next week or two. She was here early this month and I'm WAY behind on posting pictures...

I'm still getting used to the little P&S water camera we bought, so some of them suck, but oh well. You will all live. Somehow.

Here they are walking from the parking lot, filled with so much hope and desire for fun...


Only to have those hopes dashed...




They did have SOME fun though...

Decking The Halls -- and the Tree Topper saga...

---> I've been blogging like crazy this week, so keep going, there's lots here! <---

So, today was the day we promised the kids we would decorate the tree and house. We also said we'd do outside, but it's bitterly cold and raining, so they had to get disappointed there - we only have a few things for outside anyway.

So, I (even though I'm sick) take the kids to Target while Tom unpacks the stuff in peace - oh trust me here, if they had been here they would've driven him crazy - plus I think I got the better end of that deal. We were on a mission for a tree topper... the kids found one. I thought it was going to be WAY too big. It was. We get home and we were all dying laughing at this thing bending over and swaying back and forth. We don't have a tiny tree, but that thing was made for a Texas-Sized tree for sure!

So, we decide to ALL go back to the store and the only one we could find is this hideous silver thing, but whatever... it fits. Well... more on that story below with pictures to guide you. *laugh*

So, here's the pictures to share...

While Tom fussed around with getting the big tree set up, we got the kids busy decorating the little tree..

The stocking were hung with care (notice I have stocking hangers! I've always wanted them but never bought them) - Yes, Julie gets a stocking.

This is new this year... I thought this was a cute set... Daddy and Son bears going fishing. They are outside the door...

Another new one... look! It's Tux! On our fireplace!

Tom puts on the garland...

And the kids decorated it (with our help)

And the kids put on their santa hats to show off the final product...

Now, let's talk tree toppers... we have yet to have a good one. We have had a few hideous stars through the years. This horrible angel my mother gave me (sorry, mom, it was hideous). You'd think in FOURTEEN years we'd find one we like! But no. We are tree topper impaired. So, after the laughing fits that the big one entailed, we ended up with the hideous round star one that was a whopping $4 at Target. Whatever. The kids liked it and we have given up. BUT getting it on the tree was an adventure... what is wrong with us? What about those pictures with the perfect family with the smiling dad with a cup of cocoa putting the tree topper on with a flourish and the adorable kids standing by looking up in awe? Yeah, that's not us...

Here's Jamie showing off the atrocious thing...

So here's Tom "this will be easy, just sit it up there"... um... not so much, the base was too small for our tree...

Tom asks what we have to hold the damn thing up there. I go and get a binder clip (hey, it sounded like a good idea, stay with me here)... and Tom celebrates because it looks like it might work...

... and then it fell over.

By this time, Tom and I are laughing so hard we have tears just flowing down our cheeks and Jamie is doing his eye-roll thing which is supposed to be "my parents are so weird", but whatever...

So, we finally got it... how? Look closely. Yeah. Tom wrapped the top of the tree around it. *laugh*

But it's up there. And it's staying. And we have another hideous tree topper. But that's okay because we had a really good laugh about it all. Maybe next year we can find a purple one with gold leafing!

Sea World Mini-Vacation

It was so rainy and yucky for the first week Marie was here, we have been trying to jam in as much as we can (she leaves on Tuesday). So, Wednesday night, very late, we decided to go to Sea World. (Can I just say that I love what I do? Who else can decided at 11pm at night to disappear for the day?).

Anyway, so off we went, we got stuck in traffic on the way there, so we got there around 11:30. We first went to see the 3D Pirates show. Cassie did okay, but after the bees, bats, and spider, she was done and I had to take her out of the theater. She tried though. The older kids thought it was AWESOME.


Then we headed over to feed and pet the dolphins (this is always just too cool - Marie is the queen of dolphin sounds so she thought this was the bee's knees).

Waiting for the dolphins...

One dolphin does a swim by looking for fish...

Aha! Fish are served!
Humoring me by posting for a couple of pictures on the way to the next thing...

Next up was the Viva! show. This is my favorite show - and at the end of the day, Jamie said this one was his favorite too - he liked the "funny guy". :)

Here they are waiting on the show to start cooling off with the fans and watching the funny guy (hehehehe... he looks like he's peeing in one of those - yeah, I'm 12).
The dolphins...

The beluga whales...

While we were on our way there, my phone rang... a good friend of mine was actually at Sea World, but we didn't know! Luckily a mutual friend knew and clued us in. They were doing the water park part of it (smart - it was HOT), but we still met up for lunch and this REALLY cheesy show Shamu's Beach Party - the kids loved it though and it was great to have lunch with friends! Awesome!

The kids had a great time dancing with the actors and having lunch together. The kids were mesmerized because we had ages 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, AND 9 there. Wow, all in a row. It's a pattern! LOL!

Next up was the Penguins. I had to deal with a few emails, so I gave the camera to Tom - you will notice there are NO penguin pictures. Even Marie looked doubtful of his photographic abilities.
Marie wanted to ride a roller coaster and we didn't want to have to stand in line at one of the big ones, so she and Tom took a spin on the Shamu Xpress in the kids area.
Then we started walking towards the big one... yes - Believe - the Shamu show. Jamie and Cassie were SO cute. While we were waiting on Tom and Marie to go on their ride, we did the "throw the ball until you win" for $5) and they both got stuffed Shamus. (Marie played the fishing game and got a small stuffed dragon). So, here they are walking - what you can't see is how they are "swimming" their dolls along. It was so freaking cute!
And then the Shamu show. Marie and Cassie said this was their favorite. Tom, who held Cassie on his lap so she could see well, said she was crying a little and when he asked why she told him "it's just so pretty". LOL.



We decided to swing by the Sharks/Coral reef. WAY cool... (and air conditioned!)

... and humoring me some more by posing for pictures on the way out the gate.

Sea World Rocks!!

Schlitterbahn Vacation Movies

Just a few quick video clips from vacation...

Cassie swimming on her back (she can really move it) while Jamie... well, is Jamie:

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Jamie going down the octopus slide:

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The kids... err... dragon riders:

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Jamie gives us all a lesson on how to swim in the wave pool:

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Schlitterbahn Vacation Photos

If I've done this correctly, you should see a slideshow from our vacation :)


Created with Paul's flickrSLiDR.

We had a great time! Cassie was still a little weak from being sick, so it was 2 hours in the park and 2 hours back to the hotel to rest, but she was a champ! The kids had a great time, we had a great time and I feel really rested! Such a great vacation - the kids absolutely love Schlitterbahn (okay, we do too) ;)

bread girl smiles

Lunch after

Well we got in the car and Cassie started screaming for bread... So we made a lunch stop at Johnny Carinos. I will have pics and vids this weekend from the trip.

Nighty Night

pull out sofa = sleepover for siblings
gameboy = movie time!

Nice Siblings

Thankfully vacation seems to have called a truce to the recent sibling wars. Having a great time... Kids are prunes!

On the road

and bribed with sugar..... Shhhhh... Don't tell granny grits....

Adventures in San Francisco...

I'm finally (somewhat) catching up with work and thought I'd finally load the pictures from my trip to San Francisco. What a beautiful city! When I become independently wealthy, I'm moving there. I mean it! *laugh* The IVAA Summit was great and I wasn't leaving until the next morning, so we had six hours to kill. A colleague of mine, Lanel, is from the area and took Lauren (another colleague) around... talk about speed sight-seeing! I had a GREAT time though! Enjoy!

First up was Giants Stadium - they are baseball? football? I don't remember... anyway Lauren's kids are into it, so here ya go :)



Then we went to the Golden Gate Bridge. I seriously did not realize how MASSIVE this bridge is. It's freaking HUGE. A helicopter going under it looked like a speck of dust. The cables on that thing are... it's just really freaking big, trust me.




Here's us at an overlook, some boats and stuff...



We went to the beach where I got this idea "I came this far, I'm sticking my darn feet in the ocean" Yeah... here's a tip... the ocean in San Francisco is REALLY cold in April. No really.



You can kind of see Alcatraz (no time to do that, I wish I had!) in the background here...


And for a thrill we went up Lombard Street and then back down it. What's so great about that? Well, it's CRAZY.

This is us going up...


And us coming down...

And since that really doesn't give you a good vantage of what this thing is, check out the top picture HERE

I had a seriously good time!

Tom

... And he's not playing a computer game!!!

Goodbye San Francisco

I am sadly on my way back home. I will post more about my trip when I get back.

Transamerica Building

Lombard St in San Fran

SFO

I love this city... Wanna move here

Is that water cold?

Yeowch... My toes are freezing!!

New convert

You think she's sold on getting Treo?

Dinner at Scoma's

sfo

Fishermans wharf in sf

Lanel

Lanel getting her picture taken in SF

San Fran

Lana taking a picture of Lanel

Schlitterbahn Craziness!

I'm not all that bright. There. I said it. Several months ago, we booked a vacation at Schlitterbahn. My kids have been asking to go back since we went a year and a half ago, so we went ahead and booked it. Cool, right? Ha! The day we leave is the day of a friend's wedding in Houston! *laugh* So the current plan is do the vacation thing, take the kids with us to the wedding and get a sitter to watch them while we are at the wedding. What's so funny is that our lives are so not a big schedule mess, but the two big things we have this Summer fall on the same week! The kids will be all grumbly for missing a day at the water park, but they'll get over it. Just another one for the therapist's office.