Pump It Up and Children Museum

For a few days we got to take Austin and Alijah to a bounce house called Pump It Up. The last time Austin got to go to a bounce house it was a few weeks after I had Alijah so Louie had to go with Austin and that was almost a year ago. He loved it then and he loves it now. He really enjoyed all of it. He was also big enough to do it all himself. He was up the steps and down the slides over and over again. A few of them Louie or myself was able to chase him and race him through the obstacles and he loved it. It was a lot of fun for all of us. It also helped wear the boys out for nap time. Alijah even got to enjoy it. Louie and I would carry him up and slide down with him. His face going down you would think he hated it but he always had a smile at the end and enjoyed it. They also had enough room on the floor that Alijah got to be down and crawling and explore what he wanted to.

They also had two rooms. One room was a black light room and the other was just a regular room. Which room had different inflatables and toys in them. We played in both but I think our favorite was the black light one.

 

By the last time we went here Austin had mastered doing all the obstacles and slides by himself. He loved it!!

We also headed to the Children Museum. There they had all kinds of different rooms and each room was set up with something different that the kids could play with. One room they had babies and Dr coats a long with sink for bathing and scale. They also had beds and Dr tools to play with. They had an ambulance that has sirens and lights on it and then in the back was a bed and paramedic tools back there. Another fun room was the grocery store. There Austin filled his cart with all different kind of foods. He also got to bake a cake and check out all his food himself. There was also a banker room, building room, painting room, astronaut section, and even a kitchen house play area with play costumes. Then outside they had a whole area to play. They had a big water table that had different sections that did different things with the water. They also had a sound area where you could bang on different drums. They also had a building area with huge foam building blocks. Austin and Alijah really liked it here. They loved being able to touch and play with everything.

 

Last to come is our trip to Sea World San Antonio. There will be a lot of pics with that post.

~Kim

USS Lexington

Since it was so windy at the beach and neither of the boys completely loving it, well except Alijah loving to eat the sand, we decided to find something else to do in Corpus Christi. We could see from the beach a Battleship so we thought we would check it out. There was only an hour before they closed but we decided to go ahead and go through it. It was a self guided tour with lots of signs telling you where to go and what everything was.

We first went up on top of the deck. There it had several planes up there that was pretty cool to see. Austin was loving the planes and wanted his picture taken by them. There was a lot of areas for you to explore. Since we only had an hour we did as much as we could fit in. Louie and Austin did a lot more then Alijah then I just because he was done being held and well I could let him crawl around either.

 

After we check out all the planes and the other areas around the top of the ship we headed back down to the area where we came in. At that point I had to find a chair and feed Alijah so Austin and Louie went off searching for fun stuff to see and get into. They found a jail and Austin loved it in there. Louie had a really hard time getting him out of it. There were a few other areas that Austin could get in and play with.

 

I wish we had more time. There was a ton that we missed out on seeing just because we ran out of time. The ship is massive and we didn’t even touch the service of it.

 

~Kim

Corpus Christi Beach

We decided to try the beach again this year. Last year when we went to San Diego and went to the beach Austin hated it. He would play in the sand as long as he stood on a towel and he didn’t dare go anywhere near the water. So we were hoping he was over part of that and he would enjoy it. He now loves the water and pool so we thought maybe he would enjoy the ocean water.

Well it was very short lived and not very fun again. We talked to Austin and told him all about it all week and the week before so he would be well prepared. He said he would play in the sand as long as he had shoes on so I did buy him water shoes before going. So when we got there before we even pulled into a spot to park Austin started freaking out and did not want to go anywhere near the water. I really thought if I could just get him in the water he would enjoy it and be able to play in it. Nope not at all. Louie and I walked him to the water with him dragging his feet and fighting us the whole way. Luckily it wasn’t very far of a walk. Hey didn’t want his feet anywhere near the water. When we finally got him by it he picked his feet up so you wouldn’t touch. So water was a total bust.

The sand on the other part was a great time for Austin. He loved playing with in it and covering up his Daddy’s feet and legs. He really enjoyed the sand which was good. He didn’t even really mind that there was 30 mile an hour winds. It was crazy.

Alijah loved the ocean and beach. He had no problem at all playing in the water. He even sat down and let the waves come up and get him wet. He also played and ate the sand. He did really well and loved the beach. I think Alijah will be mommies beach bum.

We didn’t last too long on the beach between the 30 mile an hour winds and Alijah eating the sand he only stayed on the beach for about an hour or so. Since Corpus Christi was a 3 hour drive from San Antonio we had to find a few other things to do while we were there. So off we went to figure out what else there was to do.

~Kim

River Walk

So I have to admit that we should probably have not done this last. It was getting later in the evening and we just finished earlier in the day the Zoo and just got done at Tower of Americas so it had already been a really full and busy day. Since it was right there we headed down to it. We didn’t do to much there since it was late though. We walked down to the mall area and ate dinner and took a few pictures and that was about it. It would have been nice to take a boat ride but just couldn’t fit it in.

 

Austin did really well walking all the way. He even had a ton of steps to walk up. We said we would race so off he went. Alijah I carried in a side sling so he was good to go anywhere. He did really well in it and I carried him like that most of the trip. He would get a little restless here and there just because he wasn’t able to be down and crawling around like he normal could.

~Kim

Tower of Americas

After the Zoo we decided to do the River Walk and Tower of Americas. Aunt Pat got us a groupon to go up and check out the Tower of Americas. Since it was just a few minutes away from zoo we decided to fit it all into one day.

We headed to Tower of Americas. We really didn’t know how this would go over with the boys since they only got a 15-20 minute nap in the car between the two places so it was either going to be a good experience or a cut short trip. After parking we went down to the tower. It was super nice down there. They had several water falls a long with some great art on one wall. We got a few pictures down there before heading up to the clouds.

 

The boys loved it up there. Austin wasn’t so sure watching us go up in the elevator but once we got out there he really loved it. He really liked seeing the little people (ants) and our car. We could actually seeing it even from being so high. About 3/4 of it was super winding. I didn’t know how Alijah would do with it but as you can see in pictures he didn’t mind at all. He really like it out there and did really well as well. We actually went out there 2 difference times before we actually came down. It was pretty neat seeing the town from being up so high. Our next stop for the day was the River Walk.

~Kim

San Antonio Zoo

Austin loves animals and the zoo. I think he could go to the zoo everyday and see the same animals and still love it. We decided to head to San Antonio on Memorial Day hoping that it wouldn’t be a super busy day there. As we headed to the zoo it was only suppose to be a 20-30 minute drive that turned into not being sure we could even get there. The day we came in to San Antonio that had received a ton of rain. So there was a lot of flooding around town. The one part of highway that we needed on was flooded so we got off there and tried another way to the zoo. That road came around a bend and then came to a stop when we basically ran into closed road sign and water up the road. So we had to try a third route to the zoo. Over the river and through town we finally made it. It was crazy right across from the Zoo entrance the river was flooded out and you could even see benches in the middle where it was once part of the park.

This day was a perfect day to go to the zoo it was not too hot but was warm enough. We really lucked out on how great the weather was while we where down there.

Once we got in there we headed to check out all the animals. The first few that we saw were bears. There was a Sun Bear and grizzly bear. We of course got to see most of the animals sleeping but I think I would be sleeping in the middle of afternoon while everyone was watching me.

After the bears we jumped right into all the Monkeys. There was a ton of monkeys, but we love monkeys so it was great seeing all of them. Austin and Alijah loved them!!

After the monkeys we headed to go check out all the fish and other animals they had in that area. We first found a ton of alligators and crocodiles. They even had mini alligators.

While looking at some fish Austin noticed some Hippos in the water. Louie totally missed them and was trying to get him to move on to the next thing and Austin wouldn’t leave. We quickly realized why he didn’t and he had the perfect spot for him to see both of them.

After the Hippos we grabbed some lunch then back we went to finding the animals. The park was very nicely spread out. There wasn’t too much space between each area so it wasn’t a ton of walking. Most of the zoo also had areas on both side of you so you could go back and forth from side to side looking at all the animals.

We found more Monkey’s on our journey. These super cute little monkeys decided they wanted to share a cracker with Austin. (not sharing of food happened) Austin was eating a cracker was we went past 4-5 different small monkey area. One monkey really took interest in Austin and jumped right up on the cage to get really close and just eyed us down. Then about 30 seconds later the second monkey jumped over to us and hung out on the cage as well just staring at Austin and the cracker. Austin loved it!! He kept saying how the monkey’s wanted his cracker. It really was the cutest thing.

After these super cute monkeys we headed to the kid area. This area was pretty neat. They had a lot of hands on play stuff. They even had a beach area who kids could play in sand and water. We unfortunately didn’t make it to this area until the end and right before they were closing so we didn’t play much but it was cool seeing how they really had stuff for kids. They had a campsite area where you could play in a tent and pretend fire and even a small little river. They also had a turtle shell and eggs the Austin went through and tried to get the eggs out of the ground. He said they were stuck.

This was our trip to the San Antonio Zoo. The boys loved it and we all had a great day there.

~Kim

Sesame Street Live

While we were in Tulsa last week on the Austin weekend we went to the Sesame Street Live at the BOK Center. I didn’t really know what Austin would think of it plus had no clue how Alijah would do during it. They both Loved it!! Austin was singing and dancing the whole time. Alijah for the first half just sat there starring at everything going on. At about intermission he started to get a little fussy. I fed him that satisfied him for most of the second half and then Louie had to take him up to the top of the stairs and then he was fine.

It was so much fun watching Austin singing and dancing to all the music. The letter of the day was M and the word was Music so it was all singing and dancing and it was a lot of fun. I tried getting a video of Austin dancing but it was to dark in our seats to really capture it. We did get a few pictures but the memory of it will never be forgotten.

This was Austin climbing the stairs to take a picture. The problem with this was there was only two real steps and then the rest was very short. Austin tried climbing all and well ended up falling off and got a fat lip. We were done taking pictures out in the hallway after that.

I highly recommend if you have a change to go to something like this or even this one I would. The boys loved it and I hope to take them again next year if they coming back around this area.

~Kim

Wyndham Hotel in Tulsa

This post is a little late but well worth it with the pictures. Last month we took the boys to Tulsa to the Zoo and Sesame Street Live. We stayed over night and I found an amazing hotel to stay at. The indoor kids water park totally sold it. I was really wanting to find something that was under $100 and had breakfast but after I saw all the slides and fun stuff I knew we had to stay there. It doesn’t have breakfast but with the boys that is to big of a deal. It always just a little over $100 so still a great deal. 

 

The hotel was very clean and pretty nice inside. The pool area did not have the chlorine smell to it at all. The pool area had really good hours. It stayed open until 10pm and opened up at 6 am. We were able to take the boys swimming in the evening that was kind of crowded and then again in the morning where we were the only ones for most of the time we were in there. Having to ourselves really allowed Austin to play and have fun on the slides. We didn’t have to worry about anyone not waiting and coming down on him or him not being able to get up the slides by himself. Alijah even got to be down and in the water. He didn’t care for the slide at all. Louie and I both tried at different times and for Alijah is was not a fun time. 

Austin loved the slide. We have him in swimming lessons so he is really loving the water and being under water and still really has no fear of the water at all. The frog slide he was able to do that all by himself. He even got creative on it and would go down backwards and on his belly. There was a bigger slide that was covered and it bent a little. He also loved that one. That one we waited for him at the bottom since it was a little deeper by that slide. Austin would come down saying wee and then get up with all smiles saying again. I think I have made him into a fish. Austin also found the cannons that they had. He liked getting up on a chair so he could spray water out of them. It was kind of hard so Louie had to help him with that but he didn’t care. 

 

As you can see both of the boys had a great time with the water. I am sure any time we stay in Tulsa again it will be here. The only down side was the beds. They had the sleep number beds. The only problem is they did not have the remotes to use for them. They were pretty quick when we called about it to come get them fixed. Everyone was super nice and we never waited long for extra towels, crib, or maintenance for the bed. (hint: if you unzip the mattress on the top middle of the bed there is a white cap if you take that off you can let the air out and change the setting without the remote). Louie and I both decided though that we would never get a sleep number bed ever!!

~Kim

Family Vacation

We have decided on our family vacation and super excited to say we will be heading down to San Antonio TX. I am super excited about our trip. We will get to visit a few awesome places. We will only have a good 5 days to visit so we will be making the best out of those days to visit all that we can.

A few places will be Sea World, Zoo, and the Alamo. I think we will also take a day and visit Corpus Christy. I love the beach and am all for it any time we can go visit one. Last time we went to the beach it was in San Diego and Austin was 17 months old. He also wanted nothing to do with the sand and water. So it didn’t go so well. He played in the sand as long as you didn’t have to stand in the sand at all. I am hoping this trip he will really want to play and have fun in the sand and water. If he doesn’t it might be the last time I get to the beach for many years.

When we visited San Diego and we did Sea World and Zoo Austin loved it and I was 8 month pregnant with Alijah. This year it is exciting that both boys will get to visit both parks and enjoy it. I know Austin will love it and I think Alijah will really like it also. Alijah is pretty good at seeing the animals and so happy being outside so I am excited!!

If anyone has a must see place to go visit around the San Antonio and Corpus Christy Area please let us know.

~Kim

Tulsa Zoo

Louie and I decided to have an Austin weekend. This weekend consisted of lots of Austin loves. We first visited the Tulsa Zoo. We decided to go on Saturday since on Sunday there was a chance of rain. While we were driving to Tulsa we checked the weather again and noticed that there was possible 40 mile an hour wind gusts. We decided to still do that Saturday since we couldn’t really go in the rain and most of the zoo is in buildings. What a perfect day we had to go. Neither Louie and I could believe what a great day it was. It was around 75-78 degrees and was not really wind at all. Enough wind to keep us cool but that was it.

So our Austin weekend began. The zoo was really busy but once we got inside the zoo it wasn’t too bad at all. We got there right around lunch so we needed to grab something to eat. They were also having a Sea Lion show so I took the boys to see it while Louie waited in line for lunch. The boys liked the show for a little while but then they got distracted. They didn’t have the Sea Lions doing any tricks so it was super entertaining.

After we ate lunch we headed to the monkeys. Austin loved looking at all the animals. Alijah rode in the stroller almost the whole time and loved it. At the monkeys he just sat there and watched to two monkeys that were playing back and forth in the cage. This was Alijah’s first time in the big double stroller without his car seat so we really didn’t know how it was going to do. He Loved It!! He was the happiest boy all day long that I have ever seen.

We then headed to the Rhino’s. As we walked down the hill Louie took Austin over to the other side to where one of the Rhino’s was standing. Right as Louie was getting there the Rhino decided he wanted to roll in the mud. Austin loved it. He said that the Rhino got him dirty. It was so cute watching him watch the Rhino play in the mud.

After the Rhino’s we got to see the big Turtles. Austin has loved turtles for a long time so he enjoyed seeing them. They were huge, I couldn’t believe how big they were.

As we walked around we came to the Lion and Tiger. Their enclosures are right next to each other. As we walked closer to the Lion’s enclosure we noticed the a couple of zoo keepers were in the pen. It looked like someone either lost a hat or keys or both. After they got out they opened up the cage door to let the lion out. He was not having it. He didn’t want to come out at all. He hide in the door way for a bit and then poked his head out. Almost to see who was waiting for him and say no way, go away, I don’t want any company.

We checked out the penguins while we waited to see if the Lion was going to come out or not. Of course all of the penguins where sleeping and not swimming. We thought one was going to jump in the water to just lay down on a rock. As we started to come back to the Lion he started roaring. He was awesome hearing him roar like he was. He was still in the door way but letting everyone know he wasn’t having company today. Austin got to hear the roar of the Lion. We then visited the Tiger. He just sat there and hung out and was unfazed but anything.

On to the Giraffes we headed. Last time we came to the zoo they didn’t have the upper deck open to where you can really up close and personal with the Giraffes. This time they did so we headed up to get a little closer and see them. One was eating, one sleeping, and one just hanging out so none of them came closer but you can really enjoy how big they are when you are closer to their height.

Austin really had a great day looking at all the animals. He kept asking to see more. He walked a lot of the zoo too so he worn himself out pretty good. Austin was also able to tell us what a lot of the animals where or he would ask what that is. I think he had a great time. Alijah also had a great time. I have tons of pictures show how happy he was all day long.

If you get a chance to go to a smaller zoo the Tulsa Zoo is a great place to go to. It only costs $8 for adults and under 3 is free. It is really reasonable.

~Kim