The Griffin Gang: Spontaneous Eventful Weekend to San Antonio

We have talked about going to Sea World again to use our passes before they expire off and on for the past 4 months but there never seemed to be a time we could figure out to go. So a little over a week ago we decided it was now or never and decided on this past weekend. I went back and forth about going until a couple hours before we left. For some reason I just thought maybe it wasn't a good idea. But we had told the kids and they were excited so we went.

On another note...Friday morning the girls had the Storybook Parade at school, where they dress up as a character of a book and bring the book with them and do a parade through the school. With 1100+ students in their k-4th grade school, it was a little long, and crazy, but it was pretty cute.

Hannah was so excited that her teacher was going to be Pinkalicious too...

all the Pinkalicious' in her class

Part of my hesitation may be because 2 days before, Audrey's hand swelled up like one of those rubber gloves blown up, out of nowhere (at least I'm still not sure what it was). She swells up easily but this was more than ever but I thought by the next morning she would be fine after giving her some Benedryl. Nope, next morning still the same, so I decided to take her to the dr. As soon as the nurse and doctor saw her they both said how horrible it looked, which got me a little more worried. The conclusion that was drawn is that she is allergic to some bug bite. Not sure what. We didn't go outside all day, she didn't scream or cry like something had gotten her all day. So I still have no idea. The doctor just had me giving her way more Benedryl than I had been and every 4 hours to see if that helped, if not she was going to prescribe her steroids. She also gave me a prescription for an EpiPen and told me I need to keep it in my purse all the time. And that it could get worse every time she gets bit by whatever it was or if she had gotten a few bites, we could have been in trouble.

waiting at the doctor's office for over an hour in the waiting room...Audrey patiently read magazines while waiting...

So there's that. It was still swollen 2 days later when we left for San Antonio but much better than it had been. The doctor called me and told me it could take 3-5 days but that she would send the steroids to San Antonio just in case. It looked better and better so we never picked it up. But half way through the day at Sea World I noticed she was really warm and had a fever, but she was really good and stayed in her stroller. But about an hour after we left, the throwing up began. And she threw up the whole way home and into the middle of the night. She woke up, I hope being done with the throwing up part, but super hoarse and sounding really croupy. Today she woke up at 11:30am and has no voice but seems to be feeling much better.

We always make a stop at Bucee's on our road trips, we LOVE that place...

Weston threw up the about an hour before we left the hotel to head to Sea World. One big one, and then he seemed to be fine. So we went ahead and went anyway, since we had come all the way out there the night before. Our kids had fun playing with our friends' kids all night and didn't go to bed til 1am (including Audrey) and then half of them were up in the night too.

This girl doesn't ever watch TV but I walked in and Joe had turned on The Lorax for her at midnight and she was still sitting there watching it when I walked in. This is at like 12:30 and after 5 doses of Benedryl and a 2 hour nap that happened at 10am that morning...

playing in the hotel closet...

How many dad's and kids can fit in this little pool?? It was fun to have us moms chatting in the chairs outside the pool and watching people come to go swim and then turning around and leaving after seeing there were too many of us in there already.

So after all that we decided if he didn't throw up again and seemed fine, we were going to go. And he didn't throw up all day or night and did great at Sea World. Sunday he rested most of the day but still seemed fine and then last night it hit him again (more than 36 hours later) and it happened over and over until about 8 am this morning was the last time so far. I really hope they are doing better and done with that and that no one else gets it. *UPDATE: Tuesday morning, he threw up again (26 hours after the last time) right after we got all done getting his costume and shoes on for his Halloween day at school...he's been following me around ever since in his old Buzz costume with his Ironman Mask and his spiderman candy bucket asking when he gets to go to school, that it's been 24 hours, he promises not to throw up again, and that he's not sick anymore. I reallly hope that was the last of it...and hope he's right about not being sick anymore.

waiting for everyone else to get done riding Journey To Atlantis (he was the only one besides the babies that couldn't ride it, but was such a great sport about it)

I got in trouble for taking these pictures but it was worth it. I had no idea you couldn't take pictures on this little dinky ride, so I was taking them...Thinking the ride was over because it stopped after a while, the lady came to inform me that the ride wasn't over and that I am not allowed to take pictures. So we got to do the ride all over again.

But I loved these, look how happy they were!

So maybe it would have been better if we hadn't gone. It ended up being a little of a crazy weekend but we did have a good time at Sea World, and I'm glad we went, even though to me it was freezing. The high was 60, but I was planning on it being 65 and sunny, so I was cold most of the day.

checking the heights...my poor kids have to be so patient at these kind of places where all their friends get to ride rides but they can't because they are too short...mostly Weston, he was too short for all of the rides...

All the girls...minus Audrey, who was perfectly content in her stroller almost the whole day

Abby's all about her independence these days. She wanted to ride without any of us and met a new friend.

The Azul Show...

She did get out to play on the playground for a little bit

What a great teacher he is...

carosels...

wiped out on our way home that night right before Audrey decided to start throwing up.

Don't we look so excited to be there? Hannah was crying because she was too cold. Weston had thrown up about an hour earlier. I was cold. Audrey doesn't know what's going on. And Joe and Abby really were excited! Thanks to Koni for getting a family picture for us!