Sea World

We decided to make use of our last holiday weekend in California by taking the kids to Sea World in San Diego. (Marc and I visited Sea World last when we were just newlyweds and childless!) We were so excited to have Grandma "A" and Papa Don drive over from Phoenix to meet us there! Unfortunately, the weather and the crowds didn't cooperate. Southern California was experiencing a major heat wave, so we donned the sunscreen and tried to brave the hot and humid weather for a couple days (not to mention the many, many people there). The kids survived by purposely sitting in the "splash zone" at each show we attended. Some shows they got drenched, others not so much.

Chandler, Caleb, and Carlie holding real "sea stars". We snapped the picture quickly during the 10 -second rule of letting them be out of water.

You can't see anything in the tank behind the kids, but they're all smiling so cute, I had to throw this in.
Caleb's greatest wish was to see the sea turtles. That was his desire last February when we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but we had no luck. (He was so sad!) Luckily, we saw a great one that kept swimming right next to us.

After the Arctic exhibit, Rachel and I waited in the gift shop for the others to catch up. She went crazy seeing all the stuffed animals. She begged and begged to hold them ... and then gave them great big loves. Grandma A. bought her a stuffed polar bear at the end of the trip to take home, which she continues to hug a lot!