October 22, 2005

Finally, I get to see the koalas at the zoo. This is what I wanted to see the first time and didn't! For those of you who don't know, I have been a koala lover most of my life. It all started when my Gran brought me a stuffed koala home as a prize from a trip. From that moment on, I was smitten. I collected the cuddly bears for a long time and amassed quite a collection! Now, to see then in full living color is just amazing! They are so cute and cuddly looking, although I understand that they can be very ornery! The zoo has about 4 of them with 5 babies behind glass. I could have stood and watched them forever, but there was more zoo to see!

Next stop was the elephants and the rhino! and then on to the bears. They have some sun bears, brown bears and some polar bears. Oh, and don't forget the Pandas! Last time we went there was a pretty long line to see them, so we waited. This time we were causually walking past, on our way to the exit (baby had had enough of the zoo and was in sore need for a nap) and there was no line, so we snuck in. What beautiful creatures! They ask you be quiet in their area which was not easy for baby. The downside is that they don't let you linger very long. Gotta keep the line moving so others can see, ba hum bug!

Pictures this time are of the animals..... hope no one minds!

October 15, 2005

It is getting to be "pumpkin time", so in honor of our fall time family tradition, we had to find a pumpkin patch! After an extensive search of patches in the area, we chose to go to Victoria's Garden. It is a working farm, complete with corn, hay and of course, pumpkins!

They had a nice set-up. A jumper, slide, corn maze, flower maze, tractor hay ride and the girl's favorite, pony rides! Hailey was most excited to ride the horses and she was a happy camper the entire ride. Holly rode with Daddy's assistance, but she was much less happier about the whole affair.

In the end, we found 4 nice pumpkins for our Halloween jack-o-laterns! We will post pictures of them once they are carved!

Family Fun Day... October 9, 2005

Today's family fun day adventure led us to Legoland! It was a beautiful sunny day with a bit of a chill in the air, which we were not expecting. Legoland is about 25-30 minutes away from our house and of course we didn't bother to check the park hours. We were a little disappointed to find out that they close at 5:00pm, so we had to hurry and pack in as much fun as possible!

Once in the park we met Lego Darth Vader, C3PO, Dora and Boots. We got a good chuckle when a Lego man who looked like a static statue scared the heck out of Hailey by moving suddenly. The park is pretty cool because the rides are made for the little ones although, Hailey is still too short for many of them.

We had a lot of fun in the Medival Villiage where the girls rode a jousting horse ride and the whole family got their faces painted! (yes, including Daddy and Mommy!) Then it was off to the flying planes, the boat and the mini-speedway. The kids had a lot of fun! We even played with, what else? Legos! Holly really just liked taking them in and out of the basket, but she still had a good time!

By this point everyone was running out of steam so out we went, plenty of time to explore the rest of the park next time.

Daddy's favorite prize

This is the boat of Aaron's dreams... and now it is a reality. Imagine all the fish he will catch on this bad boy! We hope to have a lot of family memories on this fun toy!

Sea World, Here we come!

Family fun day #2 took us to Sea World. We bought our Platinum Passports online so all we had to do was redeem them at the kiosk when we got there! It was a beautiful, sunny day and the girls were ready for a day of fish watching!

Our first stop, the dolphin cove. The dolphins were swimming around but there wasn't another feeding for about 30 minutes, so we decided to feed ourselves at the Shipwreck Cafe. Very cool cafeteria style dining with aquarium exhbits throughout the dining area. Aaron and I had ribs and the girl had (guess, what?) -- chicken! They came in Shamu shaped plastic cases, very cute, but they didn't last past baby's hands.

Next stop, the aquarium exhibits and the sea turtles. Hannah and Hailey had a lot of fun being introduced to the Sea Stars in the touch tank. Hannah had some reservations, but finally touched and held on. Hailey showed no fear and scooped one right up! Baby, well, the pictures should tell the story. Funny little baby!

After the sea star pool we visited the shark

tank. Hailey was nervous in the dark halls, but was excited to see the sharks swimming above her head!

Next was the "Pets" show. Tons of cool dogs, cats, birds and pigs.. yes, pigs... doing tricks. Hailey was in HEAVEN! Afterwards we got to meet one of the dogs.

Manatees, more fish and finally PENGUINS and PUFFINS! Very cute and very busy.

We caught the dolphin show, hit the gift shop and headed out, as it became pumpkin time quickly. Next time we are planning on making the Shamu show and the Sea Lion act!

Thanks for reading and sharing our family fun day!