Unaccompanied Minor

Sorry no pictures, just a fun story!

Now that Marshel is old enough, Grandma Jackson wanted him to fly out to visit her before the rest of us show up so she could spoil him a little. So, on Monday, July 14th, after an all-day chant of "Is it time to go yet?", we headed off to the airport. Marshel had his suitcase, which he insisted on dragging himself, and his backpack full of goodies and fun stuff to do. Kellee also had a matching set, because she had to do everything the same as Marshel.

After we begged for hugs and kisses, Marshel couldn't wait to get out of here. He headed down the ramp without even so much as a look back. We found out later that once he got on the plane, he missed us. He arrived in Las Vegas where Uncle Jamie picked him up. He was amazed at how grown up Marshel was, walking off the plane by himself, as if he'd been doing this for years.

When they called, Marshel said the plane ride was SO AWESOME! He told of all the drinks they gave him, which resulted in him having to pee, but not until it was too late and the plane was landing, so he had to hold it a long time. I know we've all been there! He loved sitting by the window and just thought the whole experience was cool.

Kellee on the other hand, was so sad. She kept asking when we were going to pick up Marshel. When she talked to him on the phone, she asked if he was going to come home ever. He reminded her that in 9 days, she would be coming to "VISIT" him. She can't wait until next year to go along with him.

To be honest, we can't either. It has been very nice having an only child this week, but having a week with no kids would be even better.

The Day After: 5th of July at Sea World

We had so much fun the day before, we decided to do it again. Actually, we wanted to see the whole show at Sea World and do the fireworks with Nate, who got home from Scout Camp this morning. So, we headed to Sea World a few hours before the show was to start.

The show was awesome! It started with the Sea World Band, the Lagoonatics! They were so much fun to watch.

The Sea World Animals came out to dance while the band was playing. We had to fight Marshel and Kellee to get them out there dancing. Rachel wasn't so shy, amazingly enough!

Next was an acrobatic group from China, who did some pretty cool stuff, including this guy who danced and his face covering changed every minute or so. That was pretty cool to watch. It was like a magic show.

Finally, the fireworks show, which was great of course. It was put to music and was so much better up close than from the night before.

After the fireworks were over, a band that was discovered on America's Got Talent came out to sing. They are basically Voice Male, for those who know who that is, but more alternative rock. They were fun to watch though.
We had this huge rain storm during their performance and even during the fireworks, but it didn't stop the show. It was a fun time!

4th of July Fireworks

The fireworks at Sea World are always so great, but we didn't get there early enough this year. The bleacher seats were full. We sat on a table outside the SKI Stadium and enjoyed the fireworks, but not as much as we had hoped. We went back the next night, the 5th, and enjoyed the whole show(see next posting).



Rachel enjoyed the music before the fireworks started. Here's a sample.

Marshel and Kellee love this ride at Sea World. It's one of their favorites. Rachel went on it with them this time.

Sea World: Part II

We then went to the Sea Lion show. One of the guys in the show picked this couple and wanted to take a picture of them. He set them up together, then decided something was missing. First, it was they needed a kid. That's where Marshel came into play. They put him with the couple. Then they added another lady, and so on and so on. Until, finally the guy got rid of the man and Marshel and ended up with the 2 ladies. It was pretty funny.



After the show, we walked over to the jungle gym area and Marshel, Rachel and Kellee were monkeys for awhile. Mike did his usual: hang out with the adults, listen to music, and look bored.

4th of July at Sea World San Antonio, Part I

We went to Sea World for the 4th of July. Nate was at Scout Camp, so we went again on the 5th for him, but that's another blog.

We only went part of the day, and because it was so crowded, and we have an annual pass, we avoided the rides and hit some of the shows. We went to La Vida, which had some acrobatics, beluga whales and dolphins.
The first part of the show is this guy who tries to divert a water leak, which causes other leaks. It's basically a good way to drench the audience. Rachel, Marshel and Kellee were right in front of him, so they got pretty soaked, but loved it. We laughed so much.

Kellee got the most excited about everything she saw. The looks on her face were so much fun to watch. She was loving every minute of it.

Down Time

Fresh from the cruise, and Mike's Blackjack lessons, he was quick to jump in to a game with Rachel and Nate. They played with pennies, and of course, the dealer won in the end.











Soon after that, Mike decided it was time to shave the old noggin. He and Rachel had a great time playing with the razor, and acting as if nothing was up when they called Mom in to look at the haircut. Luckily for Mike, they have now shaved the rest of it off, but for awhile there, it was like looking at Mike in 30 years.

Finally, Nate decided to cut his hair. We don't have any pictures of this, but the story is hilarious. He shaved his head the length he wanted, about 1/4 inch. He asked Mom if there were any long stragglers, she told him about one spot on the back of his head. A few minutes later, Nate called in Mom to shave the neck and around the ears. With the hair guard off, she began to shave those areas. Suddenly, Nate said, "What about that area that I had to fix?" Mom, being the nice one she is, said, "It's still a little long" and then shaved it. Oops, forgot the guard was off, thus leaving Nate with a nice bald patch on the back of his head. After the hysterical laughing ceased, we proceeded to shave polka dots all over Nate's head. Luckily, he's a boy and that complete head shave isn't the end of the world.