Sea World Finale.

Well I saved my favorite for last.  I can't even begin to express how COOL these animals are.  I mean WOW!!!  Seriously spellbinding.

The show starts with a video talking about them and then right in time with the music BOOM he jumps out of the water in the middle of the pool.  I know I reacted but I KNOW other people *loudly* gasped and clapped and cheered as loud as I did!

AMAZING!  Simply amazing! 

Look at the waves they make!!!   That was from one swim by!

In the picture below he was waving!!!  *awwwww*

in the picture below everyone was waving back to him *AWWWWWWWW*

I loved the audience participation

I loved the show

I loved seeing these amazing beautiful animals

Below is a mom and her *baby*

SPLASH

Amazing picture catch of the day is below..... what perfect timing... it was a wow in real life and I'm soooo happy to have captured a little bit of the wow in this picture.

It's amazing how such large animals can be so incredibly graceful and then so fierce and giant all at the same time.

We enjoyed the show SO much that we went back for the second show of the day.  We were joking about it after we saw it the first time but we happened to be walking by and decided...hey... lets go check it out!!! 

This time, I was a 100% spectator and not trying to take a million more pictures.  I just enjoyed (again).  In the picture below they were swimming around.... and yes there are 4 of them right there, the two near the top and two underneath.

We let Mikayla pick out one souvenir from her special day and naturally she picked out the whale.  I let her get the bigger one because we had a super sized day and it was a special celebration and well, we just enjoyed the heck out of Sea World!!!

So this is how she sleeps now....

I loved our day more than words can express.  I love how Mikayla was playing the part of the trainer when we got home, this poor stuffed animal was wrapped up with a jump rope and ridden!  I loved taking the time to go!! 

Seriously - it was a WOW kind of day!!!  Have I mentioned I loved it?

Bob's House.

We live in what used to be Bob's (previous owner) house.  The first time we scractched the wood floor....we both said ACK we scratched Bob's floor....

Well times have changed.... it's officially 100% our house now!!  So many things have changed (most not photographable yet) but I can show you this.

We made the guest room a high priority to be redone.  My mother-in-law is with us for the next few months (well most of the time - yay) so we wanted her to have a spectacular space. 

Here is the room when Bob lived there.

I need to get better at the whole before picture thing so that we can really compare, but here is the room after we took the bed down....whoops but before we started the transition.  (I didn't realize how GLARING that yellow was in the dark...) but we had set up a king size bed, dresser, and some other things :)

The next morning we got right to work (thanks Dad!!)

 

 

WOA.....what happened here?

OHHHHHH, I have the best helper ever..... um hum... YES I DO!  There was no "extra" work in the remake of this suite....no there wasn't!

Here is where the unicorns put all the stuff that used to be in that room.

Then.... 2 days later.... I heard them.... the harps were singing.

We felt a bit like the old TLC show - Trading Spaces and how we were rushed at the end to finish up, my brother in law had just called and said they were on the way.... we were like OK.....but inside we were screaming OH CRAP we're not done with our surprise yet!!!!!

So just as they were pulling up outside, we had just suffed the last pillow sham and flipped the new bedding on.... Michael had just finished installing the new blinds.... PHEW

  

So there is our first - not completely finished room reveal.  We will be hanging the artwork and getting it all cozied up but I have to say, we are THRILLED with the transition so far!  Nothing says super clean and new than some new paint (and steam cleaned carpets, and new blinds, and new bedding and new....well you get the picture)!!! 

More to come!!

Rides - Dolphins - Sharks.... oh my!

We rode the white water rapid ride....OH my gosh, it was a riot!!!  We did get wet, Michael got SOAKED  HA!!!  I can't believe how HARD Mikayla was laughing on this ride, she was a RIOT, we had more fun because she was having so much fun!  It was AWESOME!!!! 

Now I don't think Mikayla was quite ready for this ride..... (even though I'm totally game)

She was ready for the Shamu ride though.... and I'm sure she felt like it was just as fast and nearly as big as the big coaster!

  

We met a few friends along the way....

I really wanted to ride this ride, but she told me no....she can do it by herself...WAAAAAAA

She had a blast though, so it's all good.  She caught a few more rides (again not wanting me to ride...waaaa).

Then we went over to the dolphin cove..... just to see what that was all about.....

Would you believe, we blindly walked into the feeding time!!!!!  WE GOT TO FEED THE DOLPHINS.

Whoops - sorry for the shouty caps it was just sooooooo exciting!  I'm reliving our day over and over again and it couldn't have been any more perfect than it was!!! 

Then we went over the the aquarium....  Fabulous!!!!!

Do you hear the "Jaws" music..... I do....





The Azul Show

Well, to avoid having ridiculously long posts about our AMAZING Sea World experience I'm breaking out the highlights :)

The first show of the day that we was was Azul.  WOW WOW WOW!!!!

It was an interactive (that's what I'll call it) show that featured beluga whales, dolphins, macaw birds, synchronized swimmers, divers, acrobats.... everything you can imagine!!  AMAZING!!!  Surely these people were in the Olympics....right?

Just before show time, here's Mikayla anxious to see the dolphins!

They started the show off with a bang....would you like a ride on an albino whale?  I sure would!!!! 

You can just tell there are very special relationships between the animals and trainers.  It was so neat to see it in action.

Then came the dolphins..... they jumped up out of no where and I wasn't ready the picture below was the first picture I was able to capture. 

SOOOOO neat to see them jumping and playing in the environment that is so normal to them :)

The bird flew over the audience.  I wish my mother in law had been there, she draws birds like no one I've ever knows...it would have really been funny!!!!  She would have pulled her shirt over her head and ran screaming from the auditorium LOL

Hello....

AWESOME to see the trio in flight.....

The yellow birds were really neat too, AMAZING how they do what they are supposed to do (without pooping on the audience) and go back to their people...  totally cool!  (and again chuckling at the thought of my MIL being here for this).



It really was a GREAT show, it captured the kids and adults alike!!!