Fun in the Sun

We were steps from the beach since our hotel was right on Mission Bay and our room looked out onto the water. Friday was my day to play on the beach and I had a blast! I waded into the water, played with sand toys, destroyed sand castles that Daddy & Mommy built, and ran up and down the beach. Boy, was I sandy! Covered from head to toe!

You can also see I spent some time chilling with my iPod and chasing after the ducks that were all around the grounds. I definitely had a fun vacation!

-Tyler

Next Stop, Sea World

We spent Wednesday and Thursday at Sea World. Grandma gave Daddy two day passes for Father's Day so we spent the morning at Sea World and in the afternoons Mommy and Daddy each had time at the spa while I napped. As soon as we arrived, we were able to see Shamu in his tank and then we saw the dophins. We went to the touch tank as well and I got to pet some starfish. They were very interesting and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. Forbidden Reef was our next stop where we saw lots of eels in big tanks and some bat rays in shallow pools. Mommy got some fish so we could feed them. I wanted nothing to do with the feeding so Daddy held the fish for the rays to eat. I also got to see the penguins and puffins in the special cold area they have for them. They do have some Magellan penguins that live in South America that we saw outside since they can stand the heat.

Sea World also has some animals that don't live in the water. They have a stable with some of the Anheuser-Busch clydesdales and I got to meet one. His name was Dallas. The one show we went too also had non-sea dwelling animals- Pets Rule! It was a show with trained dogs and cats. Imagine that, a trained cat! We learned that all of the animals in the show were rescued from shelters. They can do some amazing things...too bad Satchel can't do tricks like I saw in the show.

The next morning we arrived in time to feed the dolphins. We bought some more fish and Mommy feed them and got to pet them. I just enjoyed watching. I also got to see the sea lions and seals. Boy are they loud! Of course, people were feeding them so I think that they were asking for food. We also went through the Shark Encounter and saw the manatees at the Manatee Rescue. The manatees were having salad for lunch when we got there. It was very interesting to see how they use their front flippers to hold the lettuce up to their mouths.

One of the other fun things I got to do at Sea World was play in Shamu's Happy Harbor. It's an area just for kids. I played in the water and there was even an area with mats just for the toddler set. It was fun to just run around for a while.

On our way out of the part on Thursday, I met a penguin who took his picture with me. I really liked being able to see all the fish and other sea creatures during my visit.

-Tyler

Lions & Tigers & Bears, Oh My!

Last week we all went to San Diego (except for Satchel who went to the doggie hotel). On Tuesday, we went to the San Diego Zoo. I had so much fun seeing all the different animals. My favorites were the pandas, all the different types of monkeys, and the elephants. The polar bears were pretty neat too. Here is a picture of one swimming in his pool. Right outside their enclosure, there are two polar bear statues and I got my picture with the smaller one. You'll also notice that I met Monty Meerkat outside the restaurant where we had lunch. He was very friendly.

The zoo is really big and we covered almost the whole thing (we just missed one small section) that day. There are lots of hills but I didn't mind because I either rode in my stroller or Daddy carried me. You know, you can see a lot when you sit on your daddy's shoulders. A few times, I helped Mommy push my stroller. We had dinner at a restaurant that had a waterfall which was pretty entertaining. We got back to the hotel about 8:00, though I fell asleep in the car. I had a great day at the zoo!

-Tyler