1st Family of 4 Vacation ~ Sea World

So we attempted and succeeded at our first Family of 4 Vacation! We've traveled with both of the boys before, but there were always extra hands around. This was just the 4 of us, so we had no idea how it would go and went into the trip with low...if not no...expectations. But I have to say, it went great. There were still meltdowns, lots of sweat, and some serious tiredness. But that happens at home, why not let it happen somewhere fun?

The great thing about going anywhere on I-35 is that we get to make a pit stop in Temple to see my sister and her family. Great way to burn off some energy and have some fun cousin time. And amazingly, we even got a decent cousin picture with all 5!

From there, we had a couple more hours on the road to San Antonio and our first stop. My beloved...Alamo Cafe. Now if I'm being honest, this is the part of the trip I was most nervous about. I LOVE (with all caps) Alamo Cafe. LOVE it and couldn't wait to get my hands on some hot tortillas and queso. But with a 4-year-old and 1-year-old, you just never know how a restaurant experience will turn out. Thankfully, my children indulged me and we had a great dinner, albeit a fast one.

Everyone got a good night's sleep and the next morning, we headed to the main event...Sea World.

Tate loved feeding the sea lions with the stinky, slimy fish.

And then it was off the Sea Lion show.

This is also where we somehow became famous. Or at least Will did. You can see a group of about 5 tourists from an Asian country in the row behind us. They were enamored with Will. Like gawking at him, getting him to smile, saying his name over and over, taking his picture, taking their picture with him. It was sweet, awkward, and funny at the same time. So somewhere far away, there is probably a blog written in a language I don't understand with Will's picture on it.

Will did great most of the day, except for the shows. He was not a fan of just sitting there. He much preferred being able to crawl on the ground under the seats. I much preferred he didn't do that, so that's when Wade & I tagged team watching the shows with Tate while the other walked around with Will. Maybe we should've asked someone from Will's Fan Club behind us to help out? :)

Lunch break to plan out our next stop.

The great thing about going on a weekday in May was that there was hardly anyone at the park. We showed up for the Shamu show right before it began and could get down on the 4th row. Yep, in the Splash Zone. Just another attempt to show Tate that I can be the fun one, too. :)

Meeting the Animal Trainer.

And then it was time to cool off in the Splash Park.

Even Will got in on the action. Will LOVED it. It was actually pretty hilarious to see him crawling around and just putting his face right in the water. Didn't seem to phase him one bit.

Time for an ice cream break.

As we walked by what we called the "water roller coaster," Tate said he wanted to ride it. He hasn't been on anything that big before, so I really wasn't sure how this would go. And I was really dreading standing in line only for him to back out at the last minute. I shouldn't have doubted my no-fear child. He hopped right on, arms in the air, giggling hysterically the entire way down. Realizing how big he was getting and just having fun with him on the ride truly made this one of the highlights for me on this trip. We rode it 4 times! :)

Feeding the dolphins.

And with 5 minutes to spare until the park closed, we headed to the Coral Reef Aquarium to see the sharks.

My favorite picture of the trip. We were the only ones in the aquarium. It was quiet. We were all tired. So relaxing watching the fish.

So we got our money's worth of the 7 hours the park was open that day. This is approximately 3 minutes after we got in the car.

Overall, the day at Sea World went great. Way better than I expected. And Tate loved it! As we were leaving, Wade & I gave each other some serious High 5's. We were really prepared for the worst, so even though it wasn't easy, we knew it could've been much worse. For that, we sure were thankful!

Of course, the funny part of the trip is how excited Tate was just to be in a hotel. The indoor pool was a hit. And on the last day, Wade had a conference call, so we had some time to kill. Who knew walking around each of the 10 floors could be so entertaining?

2 nights and 3 days makes for a very quick trip. Still we got home wiped out but with some pretty great memories. Even several weeks later, Tate will randomly start talking about something at Sea World...or the hotel. :)

So thankful for all 3 of these people I get to call mine. And so excited about hopefully many, many more adventures together in years to come.

Will ~ 1 Year

Back in April, our Baby Will turned 1! I blogged about the fun party but haven't posted about the 1-year-old himself. So here's a little trip back in time...

Going from 11 to 12 months had some fun changes for Will. He finally started crawling everywhere. And quickly learned how to crawl...quickly. He is fast! He also started cruising. He had been pulling up to a stand for awhile and finally combined it with some feet action.

Now that he's cruising, he is able to get into a few more things and places. He has decided that the kitchen cabinets are just about his favorite place ever. He's able to maneuver around much better now, but early on, I would often find him stuck on an open cabinet door.

His two naps a day became much more consistent. Right at 1 year, he was down to just the morning and bedtime bottles and slowly getting used to the sippy cup during the day. He still loves his pacifier and still LOVES to throw them out of his crib. We often find a family of pacis under the crib.

He has transitioned to table food really well and seems to like to eat most anything we give him. This concept is new to us...and we're LOVING it! :) When we ask him if he wants to eat, he makes a smacking noise. Hilarious.

And note that I don't have Photoshop. Those eyes really are THAT blue. LOVE!

Likes: eating, sleeping, paci, his "babies" video, being read to, going outside, his big brother, kitchen cabinets, looking out the window, baths, music, balls, swings, and the play house.

Dislikes: taking medicine, having his hands and face wiped, having his diaper changed, being stuck at a red light for a long time, when a certain big brother takes toys away from him.

And just for my own memory (since I often try to forget these), here is a list of 1st year in Will's medical highlights/lowlights: weight gain struggles/re-checks, reflux, Urgent Care Clinic for croup, chest x-rays, physical therapy for slight torticollis, four days in hospital for Staph Scalded Skin Syndrome, blood draws, IV, antibiotics, morphine, spinal tap, outpatient urethra surgery, spinal block, full anesthesia, spinal sonogram, big 'ol heavy iron lamp falling on his face, evaluation for cranial band, RSV, high-fever virus with blood draw and catheter, 3 ear infections, etc. All with a BIG smile on his face! No complaining as we are beyond grateful that he is here and healthy.

So hard to believe that he is already 1 (and now a 1 and a few months)! Having an only child for 3 1/2 years before he was born, I had no idea how it would look and feel with 2 kids. I couldn't be more thankful and happy with how this year has gone. Yes, he has kept us on our toes with all of his different ailments, but you would never guess it when you see him. He is a happy, healthy, smiley boy, and I absolutely can't imagine our family without him in it. He adds a sweet spot of joy that we all adore!

Will ~ Monthly Pictures

It was definitely more challenging to keep up with these compared to when I did the same with Tate. But I'm SO glad that I did. So fun to go back and see our Baby Will month by month.

Born on April 15

1 Month Old:

2 Months Old:

3 & 4 Months Old:

5 Months Old:

6 & 7 Months Old:

8 & 9 Months Old:

10 Months Old:

11 Months Old:

1 Year Old:

Oregon ~ 2011

Since it's almost 100 degrees outside, it's only fitting that I finally blog about our big Enright Family Vacation to Oregon in late February. It was far from 100 degrees there. In fact, Oregon was experiencing record lows and had just had a ton of snow a few days before we arrived. For the skiers in the family, that was exciting. For the nervous back-seat-drivers in the family, that was terrifying. :)

But the miracle of the trip was not only surviving the drive through the snow-filled mountain pass. But surviving six days together in the same house! :)

It was a great trip, and we are so thankful to my parents for helping to make this happen, so we could all be together to see some of our extended family and for our grandparents to meet for the first time their Texas great-grandchildren. Definitely some special memories.

But as you would expect on an Enright vacation, the trip started a little crazy. The picture just doesn't do justice to the sight of us checking in at the airport with 6 adults, 3 kids, 1 baby, 9 suitcases, skis, stroller, pack & play, and 4 car seats. What a sight.

But we made it on the flight. On the way there, we even got an extra seat for Will.

So when we landed, it was time to load up the 3 rental cars with the abundance of luggage. So what do you do when you have to wait in an airport with 3 small kids? You let them run all over the place, of course.

And then we were finally on the road. The drive from Portland to Bend was about two hours. But not just any two hours. Two hours through a mountain pass. I'm sure the locals are used to sights and roads like this. I believe my Facebook status that day was "grateful that not only did we survive driving through the pass, but that our marriage survived the process as well." :) Thank goodness, it is absolutely beautiful to look at. But that also just makes the driving even crazier.

We finally made it to our rental home for the week. Great deal on a great house. And the best deal of the trip...renting a highchair and exersaucer for Will. Genius!

Bright and early the next morning, there was some excitement brewing. It was time to ski! My Dad has always loved skiing, and he's really good at it. I have not shared that same love and much prefer water skiing over snow skiing. Traumatic experience in Ski School at 16 years old will do that to you. I'm sure he was glad I married someone who loves to go snow skiing any chance he can get.

So my Dad, Wade, Brad, and the three big kids headed off. Seriously, look at those smiles. Those are some excited kids!

The kids were at Ski School, so we went up to the mountain later that day to watch. Clearly I'm not a mountain girl. Not sure what I was thinking pushing the stroller in the snow.

But no surprise, Tate LOVED skiing. And no surprise, the feedback he received was to work more on slowing down to stop and not falling. He has in his head that going fast and diving on the ground (or snow) is hysterical. Both he & Mallory did well and seemed to catch on. Cutie Morgan may be more like her Aunt Kelly. :)

Two of the "serious skiers" a little higher up on the mountain.

While in Bend, we got to see my uncle and some of our cousins. All of them were so great with our kids. Wish we lived closer to get to see you all more!

The original 4.
And the main reason for the trip was to see my grandparents and introduce them to their great-grandchildren.

Our Will is named after both of my grandfathers. So it was super sweet to see the two Williams together. My grandfather's Alzheimers has progressed to the point that I know it had to be hard for him with all of us there. But a memory I will always be thankful for is seeing how his face would light up every time he was with Will.

My grandmother is recovering from a hip break in December. So one of the days everyone else was skiing, me, my mom, and Will took her to the grocery store. She used the electric grocery cart. You have to know the Higlin family to understand, but I seriously have not laughed that hard in a long time. Love you, Grandma Nat! :)

The Bankheads...pre-Baby Max.

The Strzineks.

The last full day we were there, the ski lifts were closed from a storm, so skiing was cancelled, which left lots of time for sledding.

And then it was time to head back home. There was a big snow storm the night before, so the pass seemed a little trickier.

And when you see this coming down the road.

You do this.

Bummed that I don't have any pictures from our last stop in Salem to see another part of the Higlin family...and another Will. Thanks Uncle Will & Aunt Patty for letting us invade your house!

It was such a fun trip with some wonderful memories. Thankful that my boys were able to meet their great grandparents. Thankful to be able to go and experience it all together.