A lil' bit extra

Katie and I went sightseeing around town while the kids were down for a nap with JB and Brian. We stumbled upon this little kitschy shop called Gratitude. The lady that owned it was spunky, awesome, and just radiated positivity. I LOVED her. She was about 60-something and had hot pink streaks throughout her blonde hair and wore tons of leopard print. Anyway, I found this sign in her store and bought it. Anyone who knows what I've been through in the last 2 years knows why I bought it...and plus, I have loved Audrey Hepburn since I was 10.

A beach pass that is good for an entire year. Um, yes please! This means we can go back at Thanksgiving, no??

Stopping to have a picture and walk-through of the giant shark is a must when visiting. In this case, he has a chunk of the beastie brothers in his teeth.





"Hey moooooom! We're in a shark's butt!! Cool, huh?!"


The sweetest night swimmer's face you'll ever see!

Disco Stu is a sand sculpture.

Christopher Cross Lied to ME!

I did NOT sail away and find tranquility...
The dream and the wind did carry me...to Seasick City. Ugh. We went on a fishing excursion which did involve getting on a large boat and going pretty far out to sea. I was cool with it since it is something on my bucket list to do. Actually, I believe it was to fish from a large boat, catch a large shark (and release it) and then be on my merry way. The first 20 minutes I was cool. It was pretty much fun. Then I looked over and saw Caden, my roller coaster enthusiast, turning a wee bit green. He kept busy and tried to make the best of it AND he didn't cry once on the entire four hour trip, btw. But, after about 45 minutes, he looks up at me from his coloring book and goes, "Mama, I don't feel good." as he crawled up into my lap and collapsed. After that point, I figured we were seasick. I've been on a boat before and it never bothered me. Welp, I figured out quickly why this time is so different. We were hitting some rough waves...aftermath from the hurricane around Mexico. It was the weirdest, most-thrilling, most nauseating experience I've ever had. I have never been that nauseated even during pregnancy. Folks, I thought I was dying from the inside out. Caden slept in my arms for about 2.5 hours and I tried to keep from getting up to vomit. (I never did that!) But, I looked around and nearly everyone else was just as sick. The only people who weren't were JB, Ethan, and a couple of other folks on board. I think Ethan yelled out, "This. Is. Righteous!" at one point. I did curb the feeling of nausea for a brief moment when Ethan was the first person to catch something---a shark!! His lifelong dream of catching and holding a shark came to fruition. He looked at it, touched it, and then turned it loose. I went back to trying to maintain myself. We headed back into the port side and the waters were a lot calmer and the wave of nausea subsided. Caden woke up along with Abbie, and both shouted, "Hey! We aren't sick anymore!!!!" Brian ended up catching a shark and a catfish of some sorts which was pretty awesome. I did tell him that I was not willing to get back on a boat like that for a loooooooong while. I can't say that I will never do it again because it was pretty thrilling. I guess I will bring some SeaBands next go round...and some Dramamine.

I hope you always have a shell in your pocket...and sand in your shoes.

Texas State Aquarium

This place is better than Sea World because they aren't out to make profit on animals. They are there, by their own admission, for animal husbandry and preservation. We did take in the dolphin show which was only 15 minutes and was less display and more informational. I loved that the aquarium sits right on Corpus Christi Bay and looks more like a research center than amusement park. What I hate? The parents who let their kids bang on the glass or don't pay attention to the rules. The kids enjoyed playing with the sea turtles, the shark viewing, and watching wild dolphins jump around in the bay. The last time we visited, Ethan was only 2 so it's been a while. They've since added a small splash park for kids and more viewing areas to look out on the bay. OH! The best part? We got a 50% off discount for being Dallas Zoo Members!! WHOOOOOOO!

My Boy Lolllipop

You make my heart go giddyup
You are as sweet as candy
You're my sugar dandy...













Winton's Island Candy. Katie told me about Winton's. She told me they had homemade caramel that one could only dream about. That and homemade saltwater taffy, homemade fudge, and lots of other goodies. I love it in that place. The kids loved that place even more. I followed Katie's lead and got the plain caramel (usually it comes with pecans or peanuts in it). They put it in a styrofoam container and basically told us to go to town. I can't describe that moment of euphoria nor can I pinpoint what it is exactly they put in their caramel that made it so addictive. Let's just say it must be some sort of illegal substance (or should be considered illegal) cause it was SO. GOOOOD. The boys were in awe at how many different types of candy were at their disposal. Fruit sours, 3 ft long gummy snakes, saltwater taffy, gummies of all kinds and shapes, chocolate as far as the eye could see...etc. It's a help-your-self kind of place. Um, not okay with kids. My kids wanted to help themselves to barrels full of candy. Either way, this place is definitely pure greatness. And yes, those are gummy fried eggs you see. *shivers* Gross.