After an exhausting four days at Disneyland, what better than a trip to another theme park! SeaWorld was included in the passes we got so we figured we'd put them to use.
We got to SeaWorld around 10:00 AM and were pleasantly surprised by the light crowds. Thanks, Blackfish!
The kids got to pet some creatures, including real sharks!
The girls saw these guys perform last time we were here. Today we just watched them frolicking.
The whales were zipping by along the glass behind them. Pretty cool.
The girls have gotten much bigger since the last time they were compared to dolphins!
Mommy and Cara headed to the big roller coaster The Manta but Gwen was still too short. So Daddy and Gwen headed to the Sesame Street area. Gwen liked spinning in the Abby jellyfish ride.
And got to meet Abby and Elmo!
She played in the playground area while we waited for Mom and Cara. Cara was unimpressed by the intensity of The Manta...she's a roller coaster aficionado now, I guess.
The girls bounced on this huge air cushion.
We stopped for lunch. Gwen had some fish sticks. Maybe from an underperforming creature?
We stopped by some of the aquarium displays.
And saw some pufferfish!
And a weird crocodile fish left over from the dinosaurs.
The flamingos had just had some babies. They were adorable.
They were still fluffy and not yet pink.
We went back to the Shark Encounter. The ominous music wasn't so bad this time.
We decided to catch the dolphin show since we didn't get to see it last time. Sitting on the metal bleachers waiting for the show to start was probably one of the hottest moments of our lives.
But it was worth it! The dolphins were cool.
A trainer surfing on her dolphin friend.
A few porpoises joined the show and did some tricks.
People in the splash zone of course got wet. We sat a few seats further up.
Posing with the cast.
We went back to the Sesame Street area since Cara didn't get a lot of time there. The kids were enthralled by the fun house mirrors.
The McGinns have been feeding us too well?
Gwen thought this mirror made her look like a lithe ballerina.
Abby was taking a break but Cara got to meet Elmo!
Family shot!
We went on this crazy ride called Journey to Atlantis. The first flume ride/roller coaster we've ever been on and it included an elevator for the car you ride in.
Our ride photo from the big drop.
The ride also had some wildlife built into it.
Nothing like flying to SoCal to visit the Arctic. The polar bears did not look like they were enjoying the August heat.
Cara thought the ice wall was fake and almost wiped out when she pushed on it jokingly.
Gwen cooling off. Feels like home - it snowed while we were away!
A not-so-baby beluga in the deep blue sea (tank).
Before heading back to the McGinns' for supper, we decided to try the last big ride we hadn't done: Shipwreck Rapids. How wet could we get?
Apparently, very wet! We were soaked to the bone. People can pay money to spray water at passing riders and we happened to catch a kid with some change and a water cannon.
A lot of these tsunami warning signs are around the coastal areas. Scary stuff but for us landlocked Calgarians it was a novelty.
A California sunset on our way back to the McGinns.
The next day, we thought we'd hit the beach again. This time we went to a different beach Carlsbad Beach.
The waves were pretty intense here, but Cara still got some boogie boarding in.
The McGinns teaching our kids about the power of the ocean. Only a few dunks.
Cara and Aunt Jill!
Gwen enjoying some Ringalos.
Gwen wasn't a fan of the sand. She got tossed in the waves and ended up with a head full of it.
Gwen had a little cat nap. Could all the fun finally be catching up with her?
She woke up in time for some Pirate Booty on the way back to the McGinns' place.
One of the perks of having a cousin who works at Legoland: free admission for Charlotte's guests. So we headed back to pick up the few things we'd missed the first time around.
A giant Lego Batman.
Charlotte works in the XBox area sometimes and showed the girls how to use the games.
Charlotte and Gwen saving their owlets from the magpies.
Uncle Mark and Cara played some Lego Jurassic Park.
Cara with her best Dark Knight impression.
Bat-family.
Charlotte brought Jacob along for some fun with her cousins.
We rode through some storybook scenes. Here's Lego Red Riding Hood off to Lego Grandma's place.
The Big Bad Lego Wolf had some dinner plans.
Hansel and Gretel were filling up on Lego treats.
Lego Cinderella and the Fairy Legomother.
One of the seven Dwarfs having a snooze.
Lego Snow White had seen better days...her hand is on the ground in the lower left!
But we didn't mind, it was still cool.
Lego Red Riding Hood made it to Grandma's place.
And in the end, made friends with the Wolf and had a dance.
The Three Little Pigs rockin' out.
The rider restrictions on this ride forced Riley to sit in front with an adult because he was a "child" ... a "child" who weighed enough to almost tip the boat!
Legoland is maintained by Lego workers when Charlotte has a day off.
Mary and Riley went back on the insane Knight's Tournament. Level 5 was intense. Someone screamed the entire ride (again).
Mary and Riley are on the left - on level 4.
Cara and Aunt Jill are on the right - on level 2.
Level 4 was crazy! Mary was screaming but had fun - enough fun that when we came back to Legoland she agreed to do level 5 (which was way too crazy and she screamed even more but had some fun and would probably do it again - she is a nice Aunt to Riley like that :)
We met some princesses in the Medieval area.
What a wonderful world it would be if these two were in charge: no bedtimes and candy for all!
We all went on the Lego Friends carousel.
And saw the Lego Friends stage show!
Gwen was rockin' out to the music....
And joined in the dancing too!
The girls practiced driving again. Cara avoided traffic jams this time.
Who says California traffic is bad?
Cara rode on the helicopter ride with Charlotte.
While Gwen took a Lego car for a spin.
Next we met Emmet from the Lego Movie!
Everyone was excited to meet such a big star.
Group shot!
The kids took the Friends car for a spin.
Gwen is growing up so fast.
The girls went on this drop ride and loved it despite being a "little kid" ride.
And then the younguns had a spin on this crazy ride again.
We also got admission to the aquarium in the park. Gwen got a fish eye view of the creatures.
A lot of low light for the deep sea animals.
Daddy looking sparkly.
There were lots of jellyfish to see. They were very cool and the lights made them glow.
The girls met a mermaid too!
Some surreal Man'o'Wars.
They seemed content.
We spotted some familiar looking fish on the other side of a display.
Looking up at a sting ray.
A shark on patrol.
He looked a little hungry.
"What'r'you lookin at?"
There were some Lego displays scattered throughout the aquarium.
Gwen's dream come true: real seahorses!
They were bigger than we imagined!
So long LegoLand (again!)
Summer 2004...
We haven't changed a bit!
Sadly, the next day it was time to head back to Calgary. Jill and Riley drove us to the airport and posed for one last photo.
Riley is a great cousin to these girls! He played Blitzkrieg Bop about a thousand times in Rock Band and carried our band every time.
The girls had one last American treat at the airport: some Jack in the Box.
It was a hit.
We had a nice flight home and Uncle Jamie picked us up at the airport. We couldn't have done this trip without the McGinns' and Jamie's help. Thanks so much! We'll be back soon, especially once Star Wars Land opens at Disneyland!
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