Day 3 - Sea World

On Day 3 of our trip we went to Sea World.

Our first stop was to see and feed the dolphins. Luckily we arrived at a feeding time and were able to purchase 4 small fishes. Zach and Calyn eagerly picked up each fish and tossed it to the dolphin who was waiting for its food. I think the dolphin knew there was supposed to be 4 fishes because he/she waited patiently until all 4 were produced. Abby screamed LOUDLY every time Tim tried to take her close to the tank. After the feeding, we visited the big shark tanks.

We then headed across the park to watch the killer whale show. Abby was delighted by the huge whales and clapped for them every time they swam by.

We then headed to lunch. While we were waiting in line for food, Calyn dropped her hat. Abby dove to get it and ended up hitting her head. I'm not sure if she tripped or just misjudged but she rammed her head into the tile floor. She cried for a while and then got really lethargic. A nearby Sea World worker convinced us that we should let her call the EMTs. We agreed because Abby was acting so strange. The EMTs arrived in a flash and checked her out. They were kind to us and left us with an ice pack for the bump on Abby's head.

After lunch, we let the kids play in Shamu's Harbor. They had several different play areas. Zach, Calyn, and I rode the Shamu rollercoaster.

After playing, we visited the penguin exhibit and then Tim, Zach, Calyn, and Abby rode the log ride. They had to wait in line forever but it was the only ride that Abby could go on. I sat with Grant and visited with a nice family. After visiting for over an hour, the grandma offered to hold Grant so that I could take pictures of the ride.

The video is not great but shows Tim trying to make Abby excited about her log ride experience. She was not excited, by the way.

After the log ride, we had frozen lemonade and ice cream treats. We let the kids play in the water at Shamu's Harbor. They got soaked, so we decided it was a good time to leave. Abby was asleep before we even left the parking lot.

We had just enough time to get to our hotel and freshen up before we were met by the Vinson family. Dave, Cristy, Cal, and Kate moved from Lubbock to San Antonio just after the twins were born. Oh how we miss this sweet family and it was SO GOOD to see them. They took us to eat pizza and then to have Amy's ice cream. It was the perfect ending to a very enjoyable day.

Day 2 - San Antonio Zoo

We spent Thursday morning at the San Antonio Zoo. After a small "come to Jesus meeting" with the oldest Dallas female child, a good time was had by all. Apparently some five year olds would rather stay at the hotel and swim (who knew?).

Abby with the "mingos" as she calls them.

The gold star goes to this boy.

The weather was perfect. It was cloudy and a little drizzly which kept us from melting.

Zach was very sad to find out that the zebra had died of old age. Luckily we passed through Zephyr, TX on the way home and he got to see three zebras from the comfort of our car.

Thursday afternoon and night we toured the Alamo and walked along the Riverwalk. We ended the evening with a swim in the hotel pool.

Guess where we have been?

Any guesses?
Here is another clue:

Getting warmer?
Yet another clue:

Yup, the Alamo in San Antonio.

We have been on vacation for the last week. We had a great trip, did lots of fun things, and saw many sweet faces.

Words cannot express

how amazing it was to see Zach and Calyn get baptized. I have so much more to share about this special day, but I wanted to upload the video so that those who were not here today could see it.

An invitation for you

What: The Baptism of Zachary J. Dallas and Calyn E. Dallas and the Dedication of Grant T. Dallas

When: 9 May, 2010

Time: 9:30 – 10:45 am (during the 9:30 service)

Location: First Baptist Church – Lubbock (2201 Broadway St. [Broadway & Ave V.])

Online: www.paradigmtexastech.com (streaming video of 9:30 service)

On behalf of the Dallas family, we would like to invite you to witness Zach and Calyn being baptized and Grant being dedicated. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of our lives and a personal relationship with Him is the most important thing we want to instill in our children. We are blessed to have many family members, friends, and a church that have also communicated to our children the love and truth of Jesus Christ. After many weeks of nightly questions, on August 1^st, 2009, Zach and Clayn both made the best decision of their lives by asking Jesus Christ to come into their hearts. Although they have made this decision at a young age, we believe that they know and understand the core truths of Christianity and have a sincere desire to follow Jesus throughout their lives. We also believe that they have come to an understanding of the purpose of baptism and they have chosen to take this next step. Later in the service, we will be bringing Grant before the congregation to pledge our commitment to raise him in a Christian home including teaching him biblical truth through our lives, words, and actions. We are eternally grateful to see Zach and Calyn make this commitment and look forward to seeing Abby and Grant choose to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Please join us Mother’s Day 2010 as we celebrate this special day.

We also invite you to join us for lunch following the service at Dion's on University.

Sincerely,

Beth and Tim Dallas

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15