Special

Whew! I just collapsed on the couch after a day of Sea Worlding it up. At the last minute, instead of taking both Ava and Jace with me, we decided to go twice and let each kid have a "special" day with me. The problem was deciding which kid got to go today and who had to wait until next time. In the end, Jace suggested a coin toss, which seemed fair.

"I'll be heads!" He shouted. Ava was cool with tails.

He had a special "pirate coin" he wanted to use for the toss, and I told him to go get it, figuring one coin was as good as another.

Or, you know, it would have been, if the coin he brought me didn't have two heads and nary a tail in sight.

After a quick coin switch, much to Jace's chagrin, we prepared for the toss. I had each child practice the correct response several times. If they lost, they would say "Yay! I get to go next time!" They were both ready and waiting for the toss.

It was tails. I called it, and Jace immediately started crying. Of course. Because why would you act reasonably just because you said you would?

In the end Ava and I convinced him that he would get equal Sea World time and have time with his grandmother and Seth today, and we were off. It's about an hour and a half drive for us and we listened to music, chatted about what subjects we were best at in school (my answer: English. her answer: Everything), and things like that. Rain was pouring down for most of our trip but there was no way we could turn back, and Ava assured me she just loved being wet.

When we arrived, though, it had cleared up and we started on our first Sea World trip without a diaper bag, stroller, and sundry other items since...well...since about 5 year ago when I had a kid to begin with. We were free and flying by the seats of our pants, flitting from one side of the park to the other, nothing and no one else to slow us down. It was surreal, and so fun. I love getting to see what life could actually look for us in a few years when all the kids can hang like Ava can.

We rode every ride in the place that she was tall and brave enough for (that's everything but the big coasters...she's a tall one, and Sea World's rides are less than intense), and she would literally freak out in the line of every ride and scream like crazy during the ride, then at the end say she loved it and wanted to do it again. She's so weird. We ate cotton candy and watched people ride dolphins and she was just amazed by all the trainers' "swimsuits" (their wetsuits). Every flip and dive the dolphins made was thrilling to her, and there was some very complicated storyline going on with the people, too...a girl and a lady dressed as a bird who kept shaking her head like crazy and someone who was kind of dressed like Prince Charming...except they were all flying around (Ava said "You know there are wires pulling them up, right Mom?") and diving and by the end I wasn't sure if it was a dolphin show or a people show.

We saw manatee and alligators and dolphins and rode about 37 kiddie rides, all of which made me fairly certain I would throw up. They have a big climbing area in the kids play area with nets and ropes and tunnels all up in the air and I was excited to go up there with her since normally I sit with the baby while John takes the kids up...but about halfway up the first net, I suddenly realized that I'm not all that fond of heights and I had to literally force myself the rest of the way up the thing and climb out and beg Ava not to make me do it again. She was very disappointed in me. I wanted to suck it up, but I couldn't. We were three stories up and I could see straight down through my feet to the ground and it was not a pretty sight. The next level of climbing involved something vaguely like a trampoline even higher up with tire swings hanging down. I couldn't do it. I must have looked pathetic enough that she gave up, sighed heavily, and told me she'd settle for the carousel. Luckily there were stairs we could exit from.

We closed down the park and headed home, and Ava said it was the best day she's ever had in her entire life, and the only thing that could have made it better is if she had gotten a toy (Oh yeah, she's subtle). She said it would be a good thing if we could come to Sea World once a week, and I said we'd probably have to modify that schedule some.

In any case, I think the day was a success. However, at this moment I am about to keel over and die. My feet hurt and I am apparently intensely out of shape since walking around the theme park felt like running a marathon. Oh, how I miss my gym and working out every day!

How was your weekend?