Day 5- Sea World

Saturday we didn't have anything planned with the Warners until late afternoon so we had the whole day to ourselves. We debated what we wanted to do and decided to head to Sea World. We knew they did a few extra things for wish kids so we thought it would be fun to go there. After completely wearing everyone out on Friday we let everyone sleep as long as possible. It felt great to be able to sleep in for a while!

Once we got ready we headed to Sea World. We stopped and took a picture just before entering the park. This time I handed the camera to Jared so I could be in a picture:)

This was one of the only days I attempted to wear my hair down. It definitely didn't last long. It is just too hot and humid there!
The first thing we did when we got inside the park was pet the sting ray. As a wish kid they let you feed them for free so the boys enjoyed that.

Caleb was always a little more timid when feeding the animals. Kyson thought it was great!

After feeding the sting ray we also got to go feed the dolphins.



After feeding the dolphins, I started feeling quite sick. We found a place to sit in the shade and get some food and water. Unfortunately while sitting there I just couldn't eat and I felt awful. My throat was really hurting, I was nauseous, and probably a little dehydrated. I was determined to not let it ruin our day. Jared kept saying we just needed to go back to the villa but I didn't want to. After saying a quick prayer the thought came to me that I should have Jared go to first aid station and ask for some Ibuprofen. We were actually sitting quite close to it so he ran over there. They didn't have Ibuprofen but they gave him some Tylenol. I took it and began feeling much better. Jared was still thinking he wanted to take me back but I convinced him to go watch the Shamu show where we could sit in the shade and we would leave after that if I wasn't better.

We had to walk clear across the park to get to the show and by the time we got there it was almost going to start. We didn't think we would find very good seats but when we got there I asked the people in charge if they let wish kids have special seating and sure enough...we had the best seats in the house. I was very grateful for that especially since I wasn't feeling the best.
Here's a couple of my favorite pictures from the show.


Once this show was over I knew I was feeling good enough to do a couple more things. The boys kept asking to see sharks so we headed that direction. There was a big tunnel that you can go through where the sharks and other animals are swimming all around you. The boys really liked that (and it was air conditioned!!!) so we did it twice!

After seeing the sharks we knew we had time for just one more show before needing to go back to GKTW. I remembered as a kid loving the Sea Lion and Otter show so we headed there. We got front row VIP seats which was awesome!
This show was very fun. The actors did a really great job and it was really funny.


In the middle of the show they asked for a child volunteer from the audience. Since we were sitting in the front row I told Caleb to raise his hand and he was chosen. He got to go and help the Sea Lion do a few fun tricks. He was definitely very timid but I was proud of him for going up there and doing it. He loves to tell people that he got to shake hands with a Sea Lion:)


They took a really great picture of Caleb shaking hands with the Sea Lion so we got a printed copy of that picture. That was another perk being a wish kid...they give you one free picture at Sea World. I'm so glad we have that picture! I just wish Jared had videotaped it because Caleb was so cute up there!

On our way out of the park we spotted this shark. The boys wanted a picture with it so we stopped real quick.

I'm so glad we chose to go to Sea World despite my not feeling very good. We had a lot of fun and definitely felt like VIP every where we went. Plus it was a great place to go with three little kids. We didn't ride any of the rides there, but we all got to enjoy feeding the animals and watching the shows. Brooklyn was a little angel as always. It was so hot and she was sweating like crazy and yet was happy as can be.

We got back to GKTW in time to go to the parent meeting with Kurt and Brenda. All of the volunteers came and watched all of the kids while all the parents met together in a small conference room at the village. We really enjoyed this meeting. Everyone got a turn to tell a little bit of their "story." I think out of the ten wish kids there, five of them were HLHS kiddos. It was a special time to get to know each other. There were many tears shed but we could all relate to one another on so many levels. At the end of the meeting Kurt said a prayer for all of us and our kids, and even he shed a few tears. I'm so glad they always take the time to have that special meeting.

Soon it was time to go rescue the volunteers...I mean get our children. Poor Rory always had a story to tell about something Kyson did while we were away. He can definitely be a tricky kid to deal with but Rory was so great with him. Sometimes it wasn't even that Kyson was being bad, he was just so dramatic. For example, Rory was carrying him on his shoulders and accidentally hit his head on something and Kyson was so upset. I know Rory felt bad and Kyson just made it worse by screaming bloody murder! Hopefully someday Kyson will learn to deal with his emotions just a little bit better:)

While we were in our meeting the kiddos got to spend some time with Mickey and Minnie. They each got turns taking pictures with them.



After the parent meeting there is usually a pool party with everyone. We were all so excited but unfortunately there was lightening in the area AGAIN so they closed the pool and all outdoor activities were cancelled. We just hung out around the village, ate dinner, and had ice cream. Soon the sky got really dark so we decided to call it a night in case it started pouring. A little disappointing but since I still wasn't feeling great I was grateful to get to bed.