San Diego ~ Sea World

Oh man, I'm getting behind on my posting!  Last week the kiddos and I, along with my dad {Papa Derwin} and step mom {Grandma Phyllis} spent the morning at Sea World.  These first few photos are from the night before when we had dinner at their house in Mission Beach. 

So every year when we come home we usually visit Sea World.  Of course we have a lot of good memories visiting the park as kids and it's great to go back now with our own kids ~ and the fact that as a military family we get in completely free once a year is not too bad either ;).  But I have to say, this year I was a little disappointed with the ongoing 'developements' in the park.  Over the past several years rides have been slowly added and the uncommercialized play area I once knew as 'Captain Kid's World' is now Sesame Street Bay of Play.  And now right smack dab in the middle of the park they're constructing a HUGE roller coaster.  So imagine this: you go to Sea World to see Shamu, learn about dolphins, and enjoy general sea life and instead all you hear is the click click click, WOOSH, and screams of ride goers.  The focus has gone from education and conservation to 'theme' park and frankly I think it's disrespectful to the sea life that is still there.  It's just not the same experience for kids today.  And it definitely showed in Kayla's behavior this day.  She was more focused on the rids, blaring music, and countless gift shops.

Anywhoooo.  Overall it was still a good day ~ just not quite what I was prepared for.  Our first stop was the starfish pond.
                

If you look in the top left corner you can see Kayla's little arm reaching over with a fish in her hand.

 

It always seems like the sea lions are just STARVING!

Of course we had to spend a little time at the Bay of Play :)

A few days after this my dad went in for a scheduled open heart surgery to replace a defective valve he was born with and repair an aneurysm that had resulted.  The surgery went very well although he has a killer scar now!  We're praying he continues to heal and will come home soon.