Fourth of July Fun!

J and I desperately wanted to get out of town with just our little family for the weekend. We both love San Antonio and decided to take Jace to Sea World for the first time knowing full well he was still a bit young to really understand and enjoy it.

When we got to the hotel Friday afternoon Jace was exhausted and not wanting to sleep in his pack'n play. We have never had this issue before but we also usually have separate rooms for him to nap in. Once we gave in and brought him to the bed with us he was out within seconds and slept like this for a good hour..... so unlike him to sleep with a lot of noise and movement. I loved every snuggly second.

That night at dinner on the Riverwalk (my favorite part of San Antonio) Jace decided to try drinking milk and water at the same time. He did figure it out somehow.

Saturday morning Jace slept till 9:00 when we woke him up. Then we headed off to SEA WORLD. We knew it was going to be pretty busy, but wanted to go any way. We made pretty good decisions all day and were able to avoid to many lines and crowds. Here Jace is enjoying a snack while watching the flamingos and pelican, or in his world "Bir's" for birds.
Waiting for the Shamu Show "Believe" to start. I have always loved Shamu and was excited to see the show again after many years.
I love this face! His shirts is wet from spilling a water all over him, not sweat. It was hot enough though.
Looking at Shamu and the other whales performing. Jace seemed to really like the shows when they finally started. They couldn't keep his attention for long though. Next year will be much better. He did so good the whole day though and tried his best to be patient even though at times it was VERY hard to.

They put on a great show.

It was so hot and bright at times that Jace even left his sunglasses on.

Entertainment while waiting for the different shows. Cars are always the answer right now in his world.

Later that night, (we left before a big storm hit) we walked around downtown San Antonio. We ate at a very yummy Italian Restaurant and let Jace run around. J asked me why I love this place so much and I told him because I love cities. And even though it is a little dirty city, I still love the bustling city life.
While we ate dinner, Jace sat in a big boy chair and watched his dvd. Everyone was laughing at how we brought that for him. We learned the trick from J's brother and are so glad we did. It has saved many a meals.
Today, Sunday, we walked on the Riverwalk again before we came home. Here Jace is saying "Cheese" with a cheerio in his mouth. I LOVE THE RIVERWALK. It was crowded but still so worth the crowds.
Here is our 2008 Family Picture on the Riverwalk.
Here is last years 2007 Family Picture.....
Jace started getting a little worked up and out of hand after 2 days of short naps and a crazy schedule. He has started to hit, which makes me so sad, when he gets frustrated. I decided to give him minute to sit and calm down so these are the pictures of him doing so. We can call this a baby time-out. It seems to help him re-group more than talking to him or distracting him. Then he is ready to go again. Is this normal so young?

Jace loves my IPOD. J put the ear pieces in today and he sat there for a while like that. Usually he just hold them and puts them up to his ears.
I probably took 10 pictures of him sleeping this trip. Even though he only got little catnaps, those small moments were very much appreciated on my part. I love him when he is awake, but also when he is asleep.
Our cute friends watched Annie for us while we were away and when we got back they had us over for a wonderful dinner and dessert. Jace loves these girls and they are so sweet with him. Thanks DeAnn and Jason for helping us out and being so good to us.

Overall the weekend was so great. Vacationing with a one year old can be difficult at times but Jace really did well. Next time maybe we'll need to invest in a baby leash since Jace refuses to be held at all. Just kidding about the leash.....I think.