Then we drove to San Diego (amazingly enough passing through L.A. without any major traffic or stopping. I don't know if we just picked the perfect time or if bad economy and job loss has resulted in less traffic.) to spend a few days at Daniel's Aunt Beatriz' house. We had a fun time hanging out with her and utilizing the pool that was associated with her community. She gave us some great Spanish books for Joaquin, including 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' in Spanish. (La Oruga Hambrieta in case you were wondering.) We also got to catch a late dinner with Daniel's cousin Philippe, who was a real hit with Joaquin as you can see. I think he actually remembered him f
rom Philippe's visit to us a year or so ago(?), so he enjoyed playing with him again. Our more photographed event in San Diego was SeaWorld. It was relatively warm the day we went and Joaquin was somewhat spoiled from our sojourn in northern California. All that to say that when we sat down to see the Shamu show, Joaquin was feeling hot and grumpy. He kept whining about the sun in his eyes (even after I gave him my sunglasses) and how hot he was.
I promised him ice cream after the show and then he kept whining about how he wanted ice cream. We kept pointing out the amazing miracle of a giant whale leaping feet into the air and spinning around on a wet platform. He was much more interested in the heat. After the show, feeling like the parents of the most blase child in the world, we went and purchased ice cream in the shape of Shamu and a Shamu hat for our little sourpuss. (We were right by the Shamu arena, everything was Shamu.) And apparently this was all he needed. After finishing his ice cream he 
started giving me demos of how Shamu jumped, crouching down on the ground and leaping up into the air. Apparently he was watching? The fun continued after that with sharks and dolphins. Joaquin had a great time with a splash pad in the children's playground area. Apparently if you can't get wet enough by the Shamu method this is for you. He was absolutely drenched and Daniel 
rang out his clothes when he was finished playing to help him dry. This left him looking like a small gangster child, wearing clothes several times too big. Fortunately, he looked perfect for the small children area (nowadays he often looks too big for these areas. Age-wise and ability-wise he still enjoys them, but he's on the tall side and built like a tank so other mothers tend to glare at me, thinking I'm foisting a 5 year old in amongst their darlings.) They had a bouncy floor and foam blocks in varied colors to build with. Joaquin enjoyed the concept, but was annoyed by the many small children who did not understand 
sharing or building. They kept knocking down his creations and his mean Mommy wouldn't let him yell at them. Imagine! Unfortunately he was still too damp to play on the big kid play area so when naptime rolled around we headed for home. This made him so sad that we bought him a stuffed Shamu which he loves devotedly and has now replaced all his kitties and puppies as a bedmate. "No Mommy, just Shamu." This last picture is a 
cute one from the next day. We attempted to spend another morning at Sea World before heading to L.A. to see my grandfather, but Matthew called that morning to inform us that he had died. Joaquin was 'reading' the map to figure out the days activities, but we ended up giving him a little time on the play area and then heading off to L.A. to be with my step-grandma Evelyn. So there are still parts of Sea World we haven't conquered, but Shamu has definitely conquered Joaquin's heart. Even if he thinks he's a dolphin.
rom Philippe's visit to us a year or so ago(?), so he enjoyed playing with him again. Our more photographed event in San Diego was SeaWorld. It was relatively warm the day we went and Joaquin was somewhat spoiled from our sojourn in northern California. All that to say that when we sat down to see the Shamu show, Joaquin was feeling hot and grumpy. He kept whining about the sun in his eyes (even after I gave him my sunglasses) and how hot he was.
I promised him ice cream after the show and then he kept whining about how he wanted ice cream. We kept pointing out the amazing miracle of a giant whale leaping feet into the air and spinning around on a wet platform. He was much more interested in the heat. After the show, feeling like the parents of the most blase child in the world, we went and purchased ice cream in the shape of Shamu and a Shamu hat for our little sourpuss. (We were right by the Shamu arena, everything was Shamu.) And apparently this was all he needed. After finishing his ice cream he 
started giving me demos of how Shamu jumped, crouching down on the ground and leaping up into the air. Apparently he was watching? The fun continued after that with sharks and dolphins. Joaquin had a great time with a splash pad in the children's playground area. Apparently if you can't get wet enough by the Shamu method this is for you. He was absolutely drenched and Daniel 
rang out his clothes when he was finished playing to help him dry. This left him looking like a small gangster child, wearing clothes several times too big. Fortunately, he looked perfect for the small children area (nowadays he often looks too big for these areas. Age-wise and ability-wise he still enjoys them, but he's on the tall side and built like a tank so other mothers tend to glare at me, thinking I'm foisting a 5 year old in amongst their darlings.) They had a bouncy floor and foam blocks in varied colors to build with. Joaquin enjoyed the concept, but was annoyed by the many small children who did not understand 
sharing or building. They kept knocking down his creations and his mean Mommy wouldn't let him yell at them. Imagine! Unfortunately he was still too damp to play on the big kid play area so when naptime rolled around we headed for home. This made him so sad that we bought him a stuffed Shamu which he loves devotedly and has now replaced all his kitties and puppies as a bedmate. "No Mommy, just Shamu." This last picture is a 
cute one from the next day. We attempted to spend another morning at Sea World before heading to L.A. to see my grandfather, but Matthew called that morning to inform us that he had died. Joaquin was 'reading' the map to figure out the days activities, but we ended up giving him a little time on the play area and then heading off to L.A. to be with my step-grandma Evelyn. So there are still parts of Sea World we haven't conquered, but Shamu has definitely conquered Joaquin's heart. Even if he thinks he's a dolphin.
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