A Very Sweet Valentine

Super SOAKED

Ridin' in the rain

Polar bear den

I am the walrus

beary cute

whale watching

show time

fish fans

super duper grouper

magnified fun

a closer look

bird watching

mappin' it out

for the birds

Kare bear snuggle

Sham Slam

a whale of a good time

preying for french fries

lunch with the sea bird

all smiles

Pierce crew Calypso

warming up

block party

3's company

Silverback

slender-snouted crocodile

"wil fuzz ball"

welcome back, otter

lion around

Janie the orangutan

bear fans

big bamboo

'gowilla'

"make sure Aunt Amy gets this picture!"

Star War (pancake) breakfast

STICKERS & SUGAR!!!!

the Candy man is here

sweet heart

The boys had a week off for winter break, and Poppy made the long trip from Ohio to see our crew. The kids couldn't have been more excited. He arrived just before Valentine's Day, bearing gifts of candy, Dietsch's chocolate, and stickers, which amplified everyone's enthusiasm immediately. If you haven't tried the chocolate peanut butter candy, or the sea salt dark chocolate caramels, you may want to visit Dietsch's website and do so. De-li-cious!

We set Poppy up in Karrington's room, in his own bed, hoping he'd be able to get a little rest while he was here to prepare for the full days the kids had planned for him. However, the thought of Poppy sleeping by himself didn't jive with the boys, so all three kids joined him. I don't think Poppy had a minute to himself, but I also don't think he minded much.

We started day one with Star Wars pancakes and a trip to the San Diego zoo. This zoo has a reputation for being one of the best, and I would agree; it is incredible. We saw everything from the slender-snouted crocodile to a panda bear, a baby hippo, kangaroos and the long-legged eagle. The panda bear was grumpy, and he was moping around his exhibit. I guess he gets left over bamboo on Mondays (as opposed to fresh cut) and he's not happy about that arrangement. While we were visiting the lion exhibit, the male roared. It was unbelievable. If you've never heard a lion roar, it's a lil' intimidating. We also watched the gorilla's eat their lunch. One of them was waving down the zoo keeper for his lettuce. It's amazing how much they're like us. The kids really enjoyed climbing on the sculptors of the apes, and little Anderson made a special request to have Aunt Amy see him on the gorillas.... so Aunt Amy, that pic's for you! (I think someone still has a slight crush). Janie, the orangutan was also fun to watch. The trainer was encouraging guests to entertain her. Apparently, she was someone's pet at one time and doesn't understand why she's in an exhibit with other orangutans, as she considers herself much more sophisticated. She sits near the glass and watches people. She pointed to a woman's purse, and the zoo trainer encouraged the woman to take out some lotion and rub it on her hands. Janie watched intently as the woman did just that. Then, when Janie was bored, she scooted over to Karrington, and they communicated through the glass. If you ever make it to the zoo, you have to meet Janie! She's precious. We also visited the koala bear exhibit. There were probably 15 bears, and every last one of them was snuggled up to a tree sleeping. They are the cutest things I've ever seen. Karrington loved 'em too, and she'd say, "awwww, wook at that wil' fuzz ball," every time she approached a new bear.

We also ventured to Sea World- two days in a row. We watched the shows on the first day and played in the Sesame Street area. Anderson is a big fan of Shamu, and he's completely embraced the 'Sham Slam' dance, which encourages Shamu to soak his guests. We weren't seated in the soak-free zone, so we were lightly sprayed. The kids loved it. We were a little late to Shamu's performance, as we had to finish our lunch with the sea birds. There was a bird perched right above us, who sat and watched us eat. I finally reached out and shared a french fry with him. The second day was devoted to seeing new animals. We met the beluga whales, a walrus, polar bears, eels, a massive grouper and more. Apparently, grouper's can get to be around 1000 lbs. and they've been known to swallow swimmers on occasion. I just thought they made a nice sandwich. I had no idea they thought of me in the same light. We also met bat rays. They're like stingrays, and Sea World provides guests with an opportunity to feed them with little fish. We had to place the fish between our fingers, stick our hand down as far as we were comfortable, and wait for the ray to suck the fish out of our hand. It was a little scary, to be honest. I tried to play it up like it was fun so the kids would join me, but they weren't convinced. The boys just tossed the fish into the tank. As I was feeding the rays, it started to rain, and rain, and rain. We still stayed at the park and visited the rest of the exhibits. We stumbled upon a water ride that didn't appear to soak the riders, so Poppy took the boys on it. When Karrington and I met up with them at the end of the ride, they were SOAKED. Apparently, there's a hidden hill that really gets the guests. I was so grateful Karrington was too small to ride. I didn't want to be any colder than I was already. As we were walking to the car, Anderson kept tripping on his wet jeans saying, "this is the worst day of my life." He'd take a few steps and then, his feet would get out from under him, landing him in a puddle a water again and again. It was like watching a comedy act. And it's hard to tell the difference between deliberate actions and accidents with him, as he loves to entertain.

We thoroughly enjoyed the time with Poppy, and we were sorry to see him leave. Thanks again Dad, for a great visit! The kids are already planning your next trip (Gammy included). Rest up!

One final thought, I was running errands the other day and we parked our van next to a car that had the Transformer autobot sticker on it. I don't know where people get these stickers, but they look just like the silver symbol from the movies. Anderson saw it and screamed, "Mommy, mommy, do you think he's going to transform while we're in the store?" To be a kid again...