Sea World

Tuesday, we spent the whole day at Sea World. The kids loved watching the trainers surf on dolphins and loved touching the bat rays, starfish and sea cucumbers. We saw almost all the shows and went on all the rides. It was a blast to see them exploring so many new things. Cirque de la Mer was super cool. We were all amazed at the acrobatic skills we saw and the strength they had.

Checking out the dolphins.

Tim trying to blend in with our new friends.

The Forbidden Reef, our favorite spot. We visited three times. The kids couldn't get enough of the hands on stuff. The bat rays were really friendly.

Josh, Sara, Nate and Sam wanted to sit 5th row center for the Shamu Show. I explained about the soak zone, but they didn't care. However, before we got very far into the show, Nate, Sara and Josh all came to sit with us in a safer place. We still got wet but not too badly.

Wet after the river raft ride, but all smiles.

They did a great job staying together, no one got lost. Sara gave Laney piggy back rides on and off all day. They are great buddies.

Unprompted, Laney showing that her mouth is almost as big as the prehistoric shark jaw.

Our kids holding up a manatee, plus some random kid with a pacifier.

Who knew a little girl could be so strong!

My beautiful Tim.

Drew, Nate and Daniel's first roller coaster ride! Daniel said he hated it, but he didn't cry or seem to be too bothered by it.

The fearsome roller coaster riders. Tim didn't go, but only because he didn't want to be wet. The sun was setting and it was chilly out. I agreed with him so we took Laney and saw the penguins.

San Diego Temple / Presidio Park

Our hotel was near the temple. It was fun to see it as we would be returning to our hotel. The kids agreed that it looked like a Disneyland Castle, only better.
We went to San Diego on our honeymoon over 14 years ago. It was fun to be there again with the kids.

As soon as the kids and Richard saw the hill next to the temple they threw themselves on the ground and began rolling. Probably not a reverent thing to do at the temple grounds, but they will always remember it. They had just mowed the lawns, the grass was sharp and gave the kids little cuts all over, making them itchy.




Almost all of us, minus Sam taking the picture and Zanna back in AZ.
A nice lady snapped this one for us.

This is a museum at Presido Park, in Old Town San Diego. My family always visited here when we would go to San Diego. It is pretty, green and hilly. Great for picnics.

The twins decided this cool cross looked great for rock climbing. I didn't know they even did this until I loaded my pictures onto the computer. Sam had been following them around snapping shots.

It was a great trip. The kids were amazing. It did not feel like we had 8 kids to take care of, they were so well behaved. No one got lost, except for Daniel on the beach for just a few minutes. Having a big family is a blast! They love each other tremendously and love to be buddies and look out for each other. It is rewarding as their mother to see them making sure the little ones can see or have the food they want or have someone to carry them around when they are tired. And the little guys love to share with the big ones and follow in their footsteps. They are the best kids!

June/July Ely Family Birthday Party

The party started with water fun on Papa's huge water slides and pool. The kids all got along super well. Only a couple of injuries the whole night. We had hotdogs and nachos for dinner with other yummy side dishes .

Then the chocolate fountain! The kids had a blast.
It made a huge chocolate mess of everyone and the yard.

Sam trying chocolate covered pickle. Mmmm.

The twins cleaning each other up. They were so cute.

Thanks Gram and Papa for your fun yard and a great party!
And thanks to Dandi for the chocolatey goodness!

They Learn So Young

I caught Zanna doing one of her favorite things. She LOVES the computer. She knows that you move the mouse and click on things and somehow she knows how to turn on the computer narrator (I guess it is for the visually impaired, it tells you what the mouse is pointing at.). It is really annoying and it took me forever to figure out how to turn it off. Also, she reconfigured my monitor today. They learn so young to use computers! Fun, fun, fun!

Is it REALLY June?

The weather has been gorgeous the last couple days, so we have spent more time outdoors. Even a coolish breeze at times. It is great to get outside and not melt! Daniel even went in and put on a fleece long sleeved shirt to keep himself warm in the 92 degree cold spell, crazy boy! I love that you can see Zanna's fuzzy fly-away hair. And Laney is sporting a dress from the 80's, so retro, right?