Our vacation was a little strange this year, as we were without the Tolers. Baby Hayes was due to come in the beginning of July so that meant they were going to need to be close to home for most of the summer.
We decided that we would still go on vacation, but we would do something a little more low-key and save something super fun for when they could come with us!
We spent 4 days in San Antonio with GG and Puh and it was fantastic!
Our Saturday started off very early in the morning (6 am) as we loaded up the truck and headed West!
Our first stop (well, second stop following a potty break!) was the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch in New Braunfels.
We got there around 10 am which was perfect because it wasn't too hot and the animals were hungry.
This meant that most of the animals we saw came right up to the car and ate either from our hands or off the ground when we would drop food.
We got there around 10 am which was perfect because it wasn't too hot and the animals were hungry.
This meant that most of the animals we saw came right up to the car and ate either from our hands or off the ground when we would drop food.
Jim did a great job navigating through all the animals even though they were super close to the car!
We listened to the signs and did NOT feed the zebras from our hands. I mean seriously?! Look at this guy!
They also had a petting zoo with a ton of pregnant goats that would not leave Jim alone once they realized he had food. It was hilarious. They were actually butting him with their heads.
Trey thought it was super cool to ride in the front seat and to be free of his car seat.
He spent much of his time jumping back and forth between us and GG and Puh in the backseat.
He spent much of his time jumping back and forth between us and GG and Puh in the backseat.
After getting our fill of the park including seeing the giraffes and also feeding and petting the goats in the petting zoo, we were off to Gruene, Tx.
Here, we met up with my Great-Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Porgie and their grandson, Mark. We ate at the Gristmill which I can honestly say we've all had MUCH better food, but the view was spectacular and the atmosphere was amazing!
Here, we met up with my Great-Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Porgie and their grandson, Mark. We ate at the Gristmill which I can honestly say we've all had MUCH better food, but the view was spectacular and the atmosphere was amazing!
By the time we left, Trey was getting super tired, so we loaded up the car and he took a good nap in the car on the way to San Antonio. By the time we got to the hotel, he was still sleeping, so Jim checked us in and I carried Trey up to our room for him to finish his nap.
After he woke up, we headed to downtown (which was only two blocks from our hotel) to check out the Riverwalk.
The Riverwalk was interesting as it was PACKED with no rails or anything to keep people from going right into the river! It made me quite nervous!
So, after walking around for what seemed like forever to find a restaurant that could fit all 5 of us and sit us inside, we had DELISH mexican food. It was amazing! We also enjoyed some tasty beverages while we ate :) After dinner we headed back to the hotel to rest up for our big day #2.
The Riverwalk was interesting as it was PACKED with no rails or anything to keep people from going right into the river! It made me quite nervous!
So, after walking around for what seemed like forever to find a restaurant that could fit all 5 of us and sit us inside, we had DELISH mexican food. It was amazing! We also enjoyed some tasty beverages while we ate :) After dinner we headed back to the hotel to rest up for our big day #2.
Sunday morning we woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel then loaded up the car to head to the San Antonio Zoo. The first thing we did was ride the train, which was super cool.
It was a pretty long train ride (about 20 minutes) and took us through Brackenridge Park and through the outskirts of the Zoo itself. Trey really liked it but so did we!
Then, we got to the zoo, soon after it opened and was not crowded at all yet!
It was a pretty long train ride (about 20 minutes) and took us through Brackenridge Park and through the outskirts of the Zoo itself. Trey really liked it but so did we!
Then, we got to the zoo, soon after it opened and was not crowded at all yet!
Trey got to see some of his most favorite animals right now: Hippos "BoBos", Tigers "Rawrs", Monkeys "Ahh Ahhs" and Rhinos "Inos".
Trey loved watching the tigers through the fence. He kept sticking his head as far as he could reach and "rawr'ing" at them.
I honestly didn't think we were going to get him away from the rhino exhibit. He was SO excited to see it and all it was doing was laying down in the dirt. He was waving to it and screaming at it.
We decided it was time for a little break and we stopped to cool down with some popsicles. I got Trey coconut since it was clear and don't you know he ended up trading with GG and getting her RED one...little monkey! So, after a change of clothes :), we headed to the carousel.
Trey was a little unsure at first and made me ride on the bench with him. He smiled and waved the whole time, so we knew he was enjoying it.
...BUT then he rode with Puh and was SO excited and brave. He rode the panda bear and she said he kept petting it and smiling at it. The look on his face in these pictures melts my heart...
...BUT then he rode with Puh and was SO excited and brave. He rode the panda bear and she said he kept petting it and smiling at it. The look on his face in these pictures melts my heart...
We brought his stroller along and he did sit in it every once in a while when he got tired, but he mostly was a big boy and walked around holding one of our hands.
We went back to the hotel and ate leftovers from our yummy dinner the night before and Trey napped...well actually we all napped :)
Sunday afternoon, we headed to Alamo Square downtown to check out the Alamo. It is still amazing to me that it is just so small! I was expecting it to be huge and to have its own little area, but no there it is- just in the middle of downtown SA!
We took a sno-ball break to get our game plan together for the evening.
We walked around for a while looking for something to eat and couldn't make our minds up, so we went to Salt Grass and ordered food to-go, which took FOR.EVER. We headed back to the hotel and Jim brought the food back to us when it was ready- thank goodness for him! Then, Jim and I got showered and dressed for a little date-night.
We took a sno-ball break to get our game plan together for the evening.
We walked around for a while looking for something to eat and couldn't make our minds up, so we went to Salt Grass and ordered food to-go, which took FOR.EVER. We headed back to the hotel and Jim brought the food back to us when it was ready- thank goodness for him! Then, Jim and I got showered and dressed for a little date-night.
For our date night, we headed to Esquire Tavern which had a really cool atmosphere and had some drinks there. I did not like the first one I tried, but ended up falling in love with Jim's Moscow Mule (I also fell in love with the adorable copper cups the drinks came in). After drinks we got some gelato and sat along the Riverwalk and people-watched until we were too tired to sit any longer so we headed back. We were only gone probably two hours, but we were just so tired after being in the sun all day!
Monday morning we headed to Sea World and were there when the gates opened at 10 am!
First, we headed to the dolphin exhibit and tried to pet one, which didn't happen.
They really weren't into getting too close to any of the people out there, but they were still cool to watch nonetheless. And, extra plus- Trey loved laying on the side of the pool and touching the cold water.
In the tank there was a grandma, mommy and baby dolphin.
Next, we headed to the aquarium exhibit to see fish, sharks and other underwater creatures.
They were cool, but we were ready to see more exciting things!
Next, we walked to the sea lion exhibit. You could buy fish to feed them, so of course GG and Puh hooked Trey up with some sea lion food.
He didn't quite get the memo that it was their food as he held a fish then licked his fingers ****EHHHHHHKKKKK***. I almost lost it, but held it together (barely), so we promptly hand sanitized and made him drink something and we were good to go!
There was one old sea lion that I think everyone felt sorry for because everyone kept trying to get the fish to him. I later noticed he was really fat so I think that was his plan all along!
The tank had these great windows down low for the littles to be able to look through. Trey loved pointing out all the sea lions!
After the sea lions, we headed to the penguin exhibit which was cool, but Trey was really only interested in the "people movers" like at the airport. He loved running down them and had a meltdown when we told him it was time to leave.
Next, we headed to the Sesame Street Bay of Play (which was the main reason we really wanted to go to Sea World). Trey played in the playground for a bit then we headed to Rosita's Cafe for lunch. We had pizza, pasta and salad and it was all pretty good.
After lunch, we headed into the Bay of Play and Trey did just that- rode the carousel and rode it over and over again. The lady ended up telling us we could just stay on :)
At this point, it was Trey's nap time and we pushed him around in the stroller until he fell asleep then we went into a restaurant so he could nap in the cool air. I guess it was pretty comfy in there because Puh took her a little nap too :)
There was a Sesame Street show starting at 2:15 so around 2, we headed back to the Bay of Play so we could get good spots for the show. Trey was still asleep in his stroller and I woke him up just in time to see the characters come out onto the stage.
He was SO excited he was trembling! Jim and I were wondering what was wrong with him then we realized he was just excited!
The show was WAY too short and Trey cried when it was over. After the show, the characters came out for photo ops. Trey didn't want to get too close to them though.
He did high-five cookie monster and grover (who he calls "grrrrrrrrrrr") before they walked away.
Then GG took him to see Ernie "Nernie" and Bert. Once again, he wasn't too excited to see them so up close and personal. :)
Trey got pretty upset when he realized Elmo was missing, so we went to find him! He was hanging out with some of his friends in the 123 photo booth.
After the show we were very hot and tired. Trey was getting crazy from the heat and because I don't think he was drinking enough. We found a nice shady spot and took a little break to re-hydrate. Trey really loved the lemonade and had fun drinking it out of the big cup (that GG scored us for free, by the way!).
Daddy had scoped out the gift shop earlier in the day and knew there was a little Ernie that he wanted to get for Trey, so he snuck off for a few minutes and got him a special surprise "wrise".
With Ernie in tow we took off to tackle the rest of the park. We thought you could still see Shamu swimming around even when the show wasn't on, but that was not the case. We were a little disappointed we didn't get to see any killer whales but we were pretty tired at this point in the day so it was ok. We also found a cute photo op spot which worked just fine :)
Once back at the hotel, we hit up the pool which felt really good after a long day in the heat. Trey loved jumping in and swimming and made friends with a little boy and girl at the pool.
Tuesday morning, we woke up sad that it was our last day of vacation as we packed everything up and checked out of the hotel.
We headed to El Mercado Mexican Market, which was a lot of fun!
Trey was tired of being in his stroller, but with a little encouragement from the ipad, he stayed put so we could shop.
After a little shopping, we took a break and got Trey a Corn Cup (which usually has cheese and spices but I knew he wouldn't go for all that so I just got him corn and butter in his). He sat with his daddy and chowed down while GG and Puh finished up their shopping.
Next, we headed to Mi Tierra (a fantastic bakery that never closes!) We loaded up on pastries, coffee, and other yummies for the ride home.
Trey got a sprinkle cookie and I had a guava stuffed pastry along with a pineapple and cream cheese stuffed pastry. I don't remember what everyone else had but everything was really good! Of course we all got coffee!!
This little dude took his nap in the car on the way home and was happy as a little clam when he woke up.
We played "where's nernie" the rest of the way home as Ernie kept showing up in random places!
Although we were sad to leave, we were happy to be home and I was even happier that I took Wednesday off as well to be able to unpack and rest up. GG stayed an extra couple of days to keep Trey while I went to work and she also wanted to stay for Baby Hayes party Saturday- more on the party to come!
First, we headed to the dolphin exhibit and tried to pet one, which didn't happen.
They really weren't into getting too close to any of the people out there, but they were still cool to watch nonetheless. And, extra plus- Trey loved laying on the side of the pool and touching the cold water.
In the tank there was a grandma, mommy and baby dolphin.
Next, we headed to the aquarium exhibit to see fish, sharks and other underwater creatures.
They were cool, but we were ready to see more exciting things!
Next, we walked to the sea lion exhibit. You could buy fish to feed them, so of course GG and Puh hooked Trey up with some sea lion food.
He didn't quite get the memo that it was their food as he held a fish then licked his fingers ****EHHHHHHKKKKK***. I almost lost it, but held it together (barely), so we promptly hand sanitized and made him drink something and we were good to go!
There was one old sea lion that I think everyone felt sorry for because everyone kept trying to get the fish to him. I later noticed he was really fat so I think that was his plan all along!
The tank had these great windows down low for the littles to be able to look through. Trey loved pointing out all the sea lions!
After the sea lions, we headed to the penguin exhibit which was cool, but Trey was really only interested in the "people movers" like at the airport. He loved running down them and had a meltdown when we told him it was time to leave.
Next, we headed to the Sesame Street Bay of Play (which was the main reason we really wanted to go to Sea World). Trey played in the playground for a bit then we headed to Rosita's Cafe for lunch. We had pizza, pasta and salad and it was all pretty good.
After lunch, we headed into the Bay of Play and Trey did just that- rode the carousel and rode it over and over again. The lady ended up telling us we could just stay on :)
At this point, it was Trey's nap time and we pushed him around in the stroller until he fell asleep then we went into a restaurant so he could nap in the cool air. I guess it was pretty comfy in there because Puh took her a little nap too :)
There was a Sesame Street show starting at 2:15 so around 2, we headed back to the Bay of Play so we could get good spots for the show. Trey was still asleep in his stroller and I woke him up just in time to see the characters come out onto the stage.
He was SO excited he was trembling! Jim and I were wondering what was wrong with him then we realized he was just excited!
The show was WAY too short and Trey cried when it was over. After the show, the characters came out for photo ops. Trey didn't want to get too close to them though.
He did high-five cookie monster and grover (who he calls "grrrrrrrrrrr") before they walked away.
Then GG took him to see Ernie "Nernie" and Bert. Once again, he wasn't too excited to see them so up close and personal. :)
Trey got pretty upset when he realized Elmo was missing, so we went to find him! He was hanging out with some of his friends in the 123 photo booth.
After the show we were very hot and tired. Trey was getting crazy from the heat and because I don't think he was drinking enough. We found a nice shady spot and took a little break to re-hydrate. Trey really loved the lemonade and had fun drinking it out of the big cup (that GG scored us for free, by the way!).
Daddy had scoped out the gift shop earlier in the day and knew there was a little Ernie that he wanted to get for Trey, so he snuck off for a few minutes and got him a special surprise "wrise".
With Ernie in tow we took off to tackle the rest of the park. We thought you could still see Shamu swimming around even when the show wasn't on, but that was not the case. We were a little disappointed we didn't get to see any killer whales but we were pretty tired at this point in the day so it was ok. We also found a cute photo op spot which worked just fine :)
Once back at the hotel, we hit up the pool which felt really good after a long day in the heat. Trey loved jumping in and swimming and made friends with a little boy and girl at the pool.
Tuesday morning, we woke up sad that it was our last day of vacation as we packed everything up and checked out of the hotel.
We headed to El Mercado Mexican Market, which was a lot of fun!
Trey was tired of being in his stroller, but with a little encouragement from the ipad, he stayed put so we could shop.
After a little shopping, we took a break and got Trey a Corn Cup (which usually has cheese and spices but I knew he wouldn't go for all that so I just got him corn and butter in his). He sat with his daddy and chowed down while GG and Puh finished up their shopping.
Next, we headed to Mi Tierra (a fantastic bakery that never closes!) We loaded up on pastries, coffee, and other yummies for the ride home.
Trey got a sprinkle cookie and I had a guava stuffed pastry along with a pineapple and cream cheese stuffed pastry. I don't remember what everyone else had but everything was really good! Of course we all got coffee!!
This little dude took his nap in the car on the way home and was happy as a little clam when he woke up.
We played "where's nernie" the rest of the way home as Ernie kept showing up in random places!
Although we were sad to leave, we were happy to be home and I was even happier that I took Wednesday off as well to be able to unpack and rest up. GG stayed an extra couple of days to keep Trey while I went to work and she also wanted to stay for Baby Hayes party Saturday- more on the party to come!
1 comment:
Such a great vacation-don't know what day I liked best as they all were fun! I love you all
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