Discovery Cove
My dad loves Discovery Cove. He has been there at least 4 times. It is a fun place because you get salt water snorkeling, fresh water lagoon and lazy river, aviary and other animals, all you can eat all day long, and they limit the number of guests. Plus, with Covid-19 going on right now, they only let 50% capacity in the park, so we basically had it to ourselves.
Aquatica is my favorite water park because it has it all. My favorite is the rapid river and fast slide where the floor comes out under your feet. I loved taking Payson and Avenly on bigger slides, even though they got scared. One big intertube slide that fit a lot of people had a weight limit, so my dad ended up taking three little girls. The girls didn't want to be seperated and they wanted to go with Grandpa. My dad said Avenly had the best facial expressions because she had slid down into the enclosed tube middle and was holding on. I wish I had a video. Grandma Teresa was great to watch my littles while they slept, so I could have some fun. In the middle of the day, we encountered a huge rainstorm. (We had one at Discovery Cove, too, but we were eating our second lunch when that happened). We were parked under a huge sun umbrella, that kept the rain off a little bit. The crazy thing was the lightening that struck the lightening rod in the water park. It was so close, and the instant thunder was so loud.
Sea World
I got some AWESOME pictures at Sea World with the huge orcas swimming right behind my kids. They were even looking at the camera and smiling. I got some with the huge manatee swimming next to the kids, and the big sea turtle, and lots and lots of cool pictures. Unfortunetly, something went wrong with my sd card in my phone and those awesome pictures didn't process right. I was so bummed. I do have some pictures from earlier in the day, and my sister shared some pictures with me, so I have a few to share. The huge sea animals were impressive and really cool. That, of course, was Josh and Payson's favorite part. I enjoyed seeing them excited. My favorite was the dolphin show, but the other shows were cool, too. Avenly and Zaylee loved the rides. Zaylee really loved Sesame Street World. She was so excited to see Elmo pictures and such. I went on one roller coaster (not counting the kiddie one I went on with Anny), but my stomach was emtpy, so it made me sick to my stomach. We did encounter another storm, but it cooled the air off a bit, so I was glad for it.
The Beach
You can't go to Florida and not have a beach day. This was our little family's 2nd beach day of the trip, but it was very different from the first beach day. (See my post about our pre-trip). The water was not hotter than the air, there were a lot more people on the beach, the waves were big, and we were with the extended family. It was hot in the sun, so we rented a big umbrella. Zaylee was not keen on getting in the salt water, and cried everytime sand would get in her face. Trex loved the water and sand. Payson and Avenlt experienced both the waves and the sand. The rest of the family seemed to have a great time, as well.
That evening Aaron and Christopher, my oldest nephew, babysat while the adults went out to dinner to Joe's Crabshack. We brought Trexton with us, so I was mostly helping him the whole time, and then we left to get diapers. Plus, Josh was working so he was a little late, but the food was good. It made me want to go on a real date without the baby. Maybe an adult only trip would be fun... ha ha
Busch Gardens
There was no storm this day. It was soooo hot. We lost 10 lbs because of our sweat, I swear! Despite the heat, the park was emtpy. We were suppose to wear masks, but half the time, I had mine off because there was no one around. The kids had the Sesame Land to themselves, and only waited in line behind their cousins. A lot of things were closed, like the kangaroo walk-about, so that was a bummer. The animals we did see were impressive, and often right up next to the glass. I got some great pictures of the hippo and arangatang with the kids. The crocidile was huge, and the safari train was pretty cool because there was no fence blocking the animals. Zaylee wanted to ride every kiddie ride, but they wouldn't let her on the roller coaster. She was so sad. I only rode four rides the whole day: Merry Go Round, Rapids, Safari Train, and a kiddie ride with Zay. The one roller coaster I was going to ride, broke down before I got on. We did see all the animals, except the snakes. It was probably my least favorite day because of the heat, but it was still fun. That night, we went swimming at the condo pool, and that is always fun.
The last day
We had to check out of our condo this last day. My parents and some siblings were staying a couple more days in another condo, so we met them there and went swimming for a few minutes before the big strom came. Payson is my science dude, so when the first thunder roared, he got out of the water, and would not get in, waiting to make sure the storm was passed. Sure enough, a minute later, another boom sounded, and they all scrambled out of the pool, except Pay who knew it was coming. Then the rain started pouring. The pool was closed for a long time after that, and we ended up not getting back in. That evening we flew home. We saw Benji and his family in the airport, so that was fun. It was a great trip. I'm glad my dad decided to use his inheritance money on us, so we could all have fun in Florida together!
PS- Anny lost her first tooth on this trip.
