Spring Break part 4

Thursday we spent at the fantastic Sea World!

We opened the gates and rushed to feed the dolphins first thing.  Feeding the dolphins and sea lions was an experience the kids won't soon forget!  BS and I loved watching their anticipation and excitement when the gentle sea creatures ate their fish.  They were able to pet them too!

 

And then of course we saw the Shamu show, the dolphin and pilot whale show, and the Seymour and Clyde show.  All were as awesome as I remember.  {Except, the trainers don't swim with the killer whales anymore}.  I kept waiting for that part.

 Then it was off to ride Atlantis, a roller coaster/boat ride combo.  So fun.  We got drenched riding it over and over as well as the river rapid ride.  They had some cute little rides for little Quinny too!

Quin loves her shamu stuffed animal.  Calls it "whale with a tail"

Sam got drenched by the whales from sitting in the "splash zone"

 Sharks, penguins, sting rays, beluga whales, polar bears, star fish, and a HUGE pink walrus!

What a great day!

Sprig Break part 4

Man, I really need to get through this vacation so I can move onto other things.  So much has happened since we've been home.

Anyway, on Wednesday we decided to have a chill day at San Diego's Safari Park 

{used to be Wild Animal Park}.  

 It was a brilliant decision - nice weather, no crowds, no rush, lots of animals.  It was really fun and quite a delightful day!  The best part was the butterflies...for only 4 weeks/year they exhibit thousands of butterflies that are hatching in a beautiful atrium full of fresh flowers and plants.  We walked in and there were butterflies of all sizes and colors flying everywhere around us!  They even landed on us!  It was awesome! 

Also, we were able to feed some larakeets that landed right on our arms!

I have a ton of pictures of the animals but I decided to save those for the scrapbooks.  We saw white rhinos, elephants {even baby ones}, giraffes, monkeys, gorillas, tigers, cheetahs, flamingos, bald eagles, california condors, parrots, and owls just to name a few. There is a great playground and park where we enjoyed a nice picnic.  Another highlight was the petting zoo - of course Quincy thought this was the best!  She is such an animal lover!

Another fabulous day!  Here are the kids all tuckered out in our cozy hotel room:

Spring Break part 3

 Tuesday was spent entirely in Disneyland.  We used today to split-up: BS took the 3 older kids back on all of their favorite rides, while I took Quinny on her favorite rides and of course meeting the Princesses, Fairies, and Characters.  It worked out nicely and was a great way to conclude our Disney experience.

May I present to you....Quincess Cinderella!
She was in heaven, meeting the characters and getting their autographs! Here are just a few...

When we met Tinkerbell and the other fairies, the boys wanted NOTHING to do with them...in fact they were hiding behind BS :)

The "Caterpillar" ride is one of her faves

And of course the Teacups

Pretending to be scared to ride the Haunted Mansion but really all 4 of the kids love this ride!

This is either Pirates of the Caribbean or It's a Small World

After awhile Quincess got tired of her fancy dress and walked around the park like this :)

While Quin and I were busy at Disney, the others went on more rides of their choice in both parks for the last time. It is the best feeling in the world to see your kids soooooooo happy!

  wE lOvE thIs plAcE!

Spring Break part 2

Monday we spent the entire day at California Adventures.  We went very first to the Toy Story Mania ride and rode twice in a row.  This ride is very popular and there are no fast passes so the line gets long quick.  We all LOVED this ride!

 

We were lucky to meet up with some friends from Sacramento...Susie, Connie, Camie, and the rest of the Sugden family!  We spent most of the day together and Millie was thrilled to spend time with her long lost friend. 
 They were even very brave and rode "Tower of  Terror" together.  They were not fans.  Will was not a fan of that ride either.  But, he did ride California Screamin for the 1st time and loved it!  By the end of the day we had all ridden that about 5 times!

Little Sam and Quincy

Quincy loved the "Bug's Land" with the kiddie rides and also the King Triton's carousel.  She was getting crazy with no hands:

On the Buggy bumber cars

Here is Will and BS in a funny pic...BS put his hand in front of his face but it didn't stop him from flashing the "rock on" sign with his hands :)  And here's Sambo right before the big take-off:

 

There is a new show called "Worlds of Color" which is at night.  It is a water/laser show and it is incredible!  We were exhausted so it was the perfect way to end the day...sitting down to relax, cuddled up in blankets, watching this amazing show.

Another fabulous day and the weather was even warmer today :)