Forida trip Part 2 - Sea World!

On Monday, we went to SEA WORLD!!! We had been once before in San Diego when I was pregnant with Maddie and we were moving from Monterey, CA to Texas. It was the most magical, awesome amusement park experience I have had, so I was really excited to go back. I was also really grateful that the company allows active duty military and their families to go to Sea World (and associated parks) for free once a year! With ticket prices at about $80 each, this is a huge blessing.

Needless to say, we had an amazing time and the weather was just perfect! The girls loved all the animals and rides. We touched sting rays, rode a big ride with panoramic views, watched the dolphin show and dog and cat show, rode kid rides, looked at lots of animals, ate cotton candy (a first for Maddie), and each (except for Amelia) got a souvenir. It was an awesome day. Here are some pictures!

A view of the alligators from under water - just chillin. 

This was the ride we went on together. The rotating seating area goes to the top of this pole to give panoramic views. 

A view from the top.

Waiting for our turn.

Running around like crazy kids. :)

So many pretty sites!

This went up and dropped little bits at a time. Maddie wasn't such a fan, but Claire liked it. 

Hello, Mr. Polar Bear!

How do you do? Mr. upside down, swimming walrus.

Palm trees are so cool. :)

Checkin' out the aquarium

Looking at the dolphins. See the one on the left behind us?

We tuckered her out.

Hello, Mr. Turtle.

 My favorite part about Sea World is the shows. They are so magical! There's awesome music, amazing animals, dancing, costumes, and acrobatics. It really is incredible. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I actually teared up at the end of the dolphin show. I was overcome by the beauty of these animals, and the combination of all the things just mentioned. Here are some shots.

When we went to Sea World in San Diego, the other show we went to was the killer whale show. Sadly, the Orlando Sea World is redoing their theater for that show, so we could only go see the whale do a few tricks in the back stage pool. Instead we later went to the dog and cat show which was cute and funny, but didn't have the same magical effect.

The kids were exhausted by the end of the day which provided Chris and I with a quiet drive down to Fort Lauderdale. :) That night we made it to John and Carin's house where we stayed for a week! More on that next time. :)