We visited San Antonio with a surprise visit for the kids to Sea World at the end of June. The weekend went really well and was probably one of our best vacations yet! :)
We stopped off at Baylor on the way to San Antonio, so I could get a new Baylor shirt. The kids had gotten shirts and Micah got a hat our last visit, so it was my turn! After much searching I was able to decide on the right shirt, then the kids were ready to go see the bears. I wish I had some good pictures of the kids with the bears, but we had left the memory card at home, so pictures were not taken until we purchased a new card in San Antonio. The kids loved looking at the bears in their new living space. Baylor in the past couple years renovated the bear pit from a sad concrete slab with a pool and waterfall, to a beautiful grassy area with pool and large rocks, shaded den, and second grassy area with more rocks and some toys for them to keep themselves entertained. The bears were just sitting around for the most part, so the kids were easily bored and ready to move on soon after.
Thanks to our movie players, we had an uneventful road trip with few "How much longer?" inquiries. Once there, we settled into our hotel. I have never stayed in a Drury Inn before, but I definitely will again. This one was really new, so everything was still nice, and they had the free happy hours every night with food and drinks, so dinner was free on Friday night! :) Aiden was so excited about sleeping in (and jumping on) the queen bed, he said he could stay there the whole weekend! We went out that night to see the Alamo and take in the Riverwalk. We made our first stop the Alamo since it would be getting dark out soon, and we didn't want to miss out on it. The kids were bribed into taking some pictures.
Afterwards, we walked down to the Riverwalk to enjoy some of the sights. I love San Antonio, and I am pretty sure that's the only other place in TX I would consider moving to if we had to move out of the Dallas area. It just so gorgeous with the trees, the hills, the surrounding hill country is amazing, and the history behind the city itself. We did a Riverboat ride and learned even more about the area, and it was really neat. Baylie and Aiden were very excited to go on the boat, but Baylie was just as excited to see the ducks swimming along the river.
They both waited very patiently for the boat to come and pick us up, although Aiden was a little worried when the boat we were going to load started up before we got on, so I had to explain that he was just pulling closer to the side to tie up the boat.
Everyone enjoyed the boat ride, and we got a longer one that usual because they had opened up one of the gates that is usually closed.
The next day, Aiden was ready to find out what the mystery destination was. We lasted until we drove into the entry to Sea World, and Aiden saw the sign with Shamu. He was excited to say the least and began filling Baylie in on what to expect. Upon walking in, we decided to try look at the schedule to get as much done as possible without getting too hot. We tried to start off at the dolphin-beluga show, but one of the beluga's had recently had a baby (3 days before), so the show was canceled to allow mom and baby to bond. We were able to go in and see the new family. There was another bigger baby beluga that was swimming along with them. It was very neat, but the kids were ready to move onto the pirate movie pretty quickly.
The glasses were a big hit with the 3-D movie. Baylie was preparing herself to be scared, and Aiden was reassuring her that all she had to do was take off her glasses if she got too scared. It was fun, but by the end I was ready to take of my glasses b/c they were giving me a headache. I guess my eyes are a little more sensitive than when I was younger.
After the movie was over, Micah and Aiden went to do one of the rides in the kiddie section, while Baylie decided it was the perfect time for a fruit snack break.
The rest of the day was great, and we were able to catch every show, and even had time to take a break and cool down at the water park. Aiden particularly enjoyed the water ski show (he was saying "whoo-hoo" after every trick), and he even got a picture with the crew after the show. Baylie seemed to take it all in staying pretty quiet at the shows and then chattering about it after the fact. The kids enjoyed feeding the sea lions, even though Baylie was a little intimidated at first by one large, loud, hungry sea lion. He looked very well-fed, but still hungry. We finished the day exhausted but happy.
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