Wild Wonders

The main library had it's final summer show today.  They have all been pretty good, except for the last one when a couple of guys were just singing silly songs.  The kids got to see some cute critters and pet a snake...and put on lots of sanitizer afterwards.  

 

Pigmy hedgehog...so cute!

The "not so smart" possum

It's...a...

baby alligator, who was so still that it barely looked alive.

An anteater?  Nope!

A hairy armadillo.  I have never seen one alive and not feet up on the side of the road.

Five very brave kids with a giant snake.  The little girl on the far left almost got bitten!

Just chillin'

 We got on the front page of the Santa Monica Daily Press.  Too bad I look bored on the second row.

Cady's fourth

  After sleeping in and watching Olympics all morning, we had a quick Thai lunch and attended to Cady's fourth birthday party.  All the little girls were so cute all dressed up like princesses!  There was even a princess primping station with face painting, nail polishing, and tattooing.  Happy birthday to our favorite redhead!

 Homemade jolly rancher flavored cotton candy...it was, uh, interesting.

 Queen Patti says...

 Queen Patti and Princess Cady

Buds

All day at Seaworld

This morning the kids played a bit while Sabrina and I caught up.  Then we were off again to Seaworld.  I purchased the "Dine all day" plan which was nice because I didn't have to restrict Lydia's eating, but I'm sure we ate much more than we needed.  We went on all the usual rides and to a couple of the usual shows, but I made a point to catch the special night shows that we didn't get to see last time.  I had planned to leave after the 8 PM Shamu show, but the kids got hungry again, so we watched the 9:30 one instead and ended up leaving Seaworld at closing.  The kids changed into their pajamas in the car and were wiped out by the time I hit the freeway.  After a 2.5 hour drive home, I was ready to hit the sack.

Lydia, Sophie, Ava, and Pierson

Though they may not admit it, the girls still like their Sesame Street friends

Trying not to fall down

Bounce bounce bounce

Fore!

Flying cats

The entertaining Cirque de Mer show

The show was similar to a Cirque de Soleil show, but free!

The girls really wanted to take a picture with the girls dressed in red from the video clip above, but settled for these characters instead.

Sophie and the sea star

All smiles on the gondola ride

We made sure to stay clear of the wet zone during the dolphin show this time

The girls insisted on taking a picture with "Marina"

"Sophie, do you know why flamingos are pink?"  "Because they eat mushrooms?"

Shamu ROCKS!

Let's go to Legoland

The girls and I left mid morning for San Diego to spend a couple of days at the amusement parks while Trung worked.  We arrived around 1 at Sabrina's house where we exchanged passes and IDs and went opposite ways; she went to Seaworld.  After a quick bite to eat at Costco, we were headed for Legoland where we spend the next six hours watching shows and going on rides.  Much fun was to be had, but we were exhausted by the time we got back to Sabrina's place to spend the night.

 

 The New York City skyline.  They even had an original model of the Freedom Tower being built on the left side!

 Our first ride and Sophie already looks tired

 The ride with the most bang for the buck...short lines and the kids love it!

 Forget the two finger peace symbol, let's do four!  Of course because she is four.

 Having a roarin' good time

 Legoland got smart and put in ramps in the kids' play area for the Sky Cruiser ride.  Lydia spent a good part of our 45 minute wait just rolling cars down.

 

 

 All girls Legoland trip

 

A fun farewell

Zimmer with the Zamora's

 Today we met Annie, June, and Faye at the Zimmer Children's Museum.  Last time we went was on a free museum day and it was absolutely crazy.  This visit was much more tame and the girls could take their time playing with everything.  Of course, the ball pit was their favorite again, but they really enjoyed the kitchen as well.  Afterwards, we went to Annie's house for lunch and the girls played for hours.  It always takes a few minutes for the girls to get reacquainted, but then they really have a blast together.  Too bad our schedules are so busy during the school year because Annie is the only person I know who has kids (and girls too) the same ages as mine.

 Getting better at hop-scotch

 Overboard!

 Smiling survivor

 Lydia applying a foot brace on a complete stranger

 Giraffe, the puppet

 Lunch is served

Flying away

Aquarium of the Pacific

Today we met my old friend Tiffany and her extended family at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.  I haven't seen her since her wedding back in December and she was in town to celebrate her Great Aunt's 85th birthday.  The girls didn't care for the aquarium too much; they just aren't animal lovers, so it took a lot to hold their interest.  After finding a place to eat in Long Beach and finally settling on Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles, we had to place a to-go order because there was a 30 minute wait at 2 pm!  Oh well, it was worth it just to catch up with my matron of honor.

Sophie wanted to take a picture with anchovies...uh, okay.

 

Feeding time

Lydia and Tiff eyeing sea stars and urchins

Resting on a rock

Lydia and Christian hit it off like they did many years ago

Crazy puffin

Shark shot

From the Ly's to the Lee's

Monday we enjoyed the pool at the Sheraton hotel where we were staying.  The water was nice and warm, and there was a little water slide that the kids loved.  Time went by quickly and before we knew it, we were checking out and didn't have time to pick up lunch or fuel up the rental car.  Fortunately, our flight was delayed 23 minutes and was delayed an additional 20 minutes when we got to the gate, so we made it just fine, but unfortunately, we were guaranteed to miss our flight from Houston to Orange County.   So when we landed in Houston, I went to the United customer service station and waited anxiously as the representative found a way for us to get back home.  

We were supposed to arrive in Orange County around 4:30, and Mike would pick us up to take us to meet Jimmy & family (who was driving in from Houston) for dinner at a restaurant at Diamond Jamboree around 5:30.  With no available flights for Orange County, we decided to fly into Los Angeles instead, which is actually closer to home.  Jimmy drove our car from Mike's house after seeing baby Alexis and we were able to change the destination for the checked-in carseats.  Everything worked out just fine, though it certainly was a rush!  Now for an exciting week with the Lee family!

Tuesday after breakfast at Amandine Patisserie, Jimmy and family went to Universal Studios while the girls and I took the time to rest and get situated.

 Wednesday we visited the Farmer's Market and Santa Monica Place.  Then we drove to Little Saigon for lunch at Brodard.  Of course there was a wait, so I order spring rolls to go for everyone to snack on while we waited for our table.  Afterwards, we killed some time at South Coast Plaza before heading to Mike's house to visit the baby. 

The Lee grandkids

 

 Thursday we went to Din Tai Fang for lunch and Half & Half for boba drinks

Then we met Jean and her kids at the Griffith Observatory.

Sophie hung out with Cora and I while everyone else watched a show at the Planetarium.

Teddy, Sophie, and Albert

Group pic

My sweet girls

Posing with the Hollywood sign

Sophie getting a lift from Jocelyn

 

 Today Jimmy and family went to the Getty Center in the morning and then we all hit the beach in the afternoon.  The water was cold as always, but no California trip seems complete without a visit to the beach!

  The Lone Ranger

 Running from the waves

Sophie and Jocelyn's creations...the triple towers

 After dinner at Santa Monica Seafood, we went to watch Rio in 3D on the Promenade with Snow's family while Jimmy's family went back home to rest up for the second half of their road trip.