Marineland and Niagara Falls

We've been on vacation at Nonni and Papa's house in Rochester since Monday, 8/8. At various times over the last ten or so days, I've found Maia sitting quietly and looking teary. When I inquire why she's feeling sad, her answer makes me smile, "I don't want to stay at Nonni and Papa's for two weeks. I want to stay for three!!!" And she's right on- it's been a fabulous time so far!

Last week Uncle Gabe was here and we had such a fun visit with him. There were walks in the park and lots of playtime on the wonderful new playground built just next to the reservoir, trips to the children's museum, and I even got Uncle G to go see Midnight in Paris with me. (It's FABULOUS! Go see it!) Sean arrived early Saturday morning and after catching up with the girls, we got all fancy and headed out to Wes and Ehret's wedding with Nonni and Papa (Uncle G was a groomsman). Maia and Cecily were delighted when Aunt Ruth arrived in her ridiculously cool new Mini to take care of them so we could enjoy the wedding. By all accounts, the girls had a fabulous evening. Thanks Aunt Ruth! And we had a fabulous time as well. The wedding was beautiful- such a lovely celebration for some of our oldest family friends. Sean and I had a blast catching up with everyone, and even had a chance to revisit our sweet moves on the dance floor. We finally limped off the dance floor to start the long trek back to N&P's... we had a very important day to get ready for...

On Sunday morning, Maia quietly slipped into bed with us and snuggled right in. When we were waking up, she gave us both big hugs and told us we were the "best Mommy and Daddy ever!" What a sweet way for us to wake up on her birthday! Maia is 6! Who let this happen?! Sniff sniff sniff. We had a wonderful day celebrating our sweet one (clearly we've been having too much fun for me to remember to take photos?!). We started the day with chocolate chip pancakes and birthday presents. Maia asked for a chemistry set, a volcano chart, and a surprise. She got a chemistry set, a volcano making kit with a poster chart, and some great books from us. She got a new scooter and some safety gear from N&P. We spent the morning playing, reading, and trying out the scooter, and then headed to the science museum for an afternoon of fun. Maia's lovely new friend, Julia, came with us, and we had a blast. We came home to a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. (Papa made veggie meatballs for us and meaty meatballs for him and Sean. I think Papa and Sean are mutually delighted to be on vacation together- Papa has an excuse to cook all kids of meaty things and Sean has an excuse to eat as much meat as he wants.) We followed dinner up with our very favorite family birthday cake- a 7-layer ice cream cake from the Goodie Shoppe in Webster. Yum! We were all very tired and happy when we kissed our birthday girl goodnight!

Monday started off on a sad note- Uncle G left for the airport before we were even up to head to Berkeley. We're so glad we got to spend so much time with him this summer! And we can't wait to see him at Christmas. Nonni bravely took Maia and Cec to the Children's museum so Sean and I could venture out on a date. Our first stop was Nick Tahou's... after nearly 14 years together, it seemed time for Sean to try a Garbage Plate. (I have a great photo that I'll try to get up soon.) He gave it a valiant effort but couldn't finish the entire thing. Our next stop was... the movies. (I saw three movies in the movie theatre in nine days. Did the earth stop rotating?!) We saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was much better than I expected, though it couldn't hold a candle to Midnight in Paris. Just to keep the fun going, we went to a really nice running shop and got Sean some awesome new running shoes. We got home just in time for a dinner of meatloaf, gravy, and mashed potatoes. We were all very happy!

Our biggest adventure of the vacation started early Tuesday morning- we said goodbye for the day to N&P, loaded into our car, and drove to Canada. After talking with a very serious Canadian customs office, we went to our first destination: Marineland! I went there as a kid, and had vague warm and fuzzy memories. Sean went to Niagara Falls with Grammy and Grampy when he was a kid, and as we drove into Marineland he wondered if maybe they'd gone there as well... Our first ride was the Orca Screamer. We all got strapped in, then raised to the top of a 40-foot tower and dropped up and down. It was really fun! We did a few more of the family rides, and then ventured off to see a Dolphin/Sea Lion/Walrus show. It was delightful. The kids watched with rapt attention for the entirety. After that, we headed off to see some more of the park...

And have poor Cecily learn how hard it can be to be the younger sibling. She was just a little too short to go on some of the bigger rides. And this made her understandably very sad...

While I tried to console a heartbroken three-year-old, Maia and Sean tried out Hurricane Cove.

Next up were the flying swings... and Cecily was still too little.

Next we saw the Beluga Whales... they were amazing!

A sweet Mama and baby...

Maia examines the map to see where we should go next.

There was a fish feeding pond... in my opinion it was gross.

Yet another ride that Cecily couldn't ride... the Kandu Coasters. Sean and Maia loved it.

Cecily Bear got to see some bears!

I love roller coasters. Really, really love them. I couldn't talk Maia into going with me (Cec wanted to go, but alas... didn't meet the height requirement), but I loved it. It was super fast, went upside down four times, and went through a long dark tunnel.

Sean also went on a grown-up ride by himself (next time we're bring a grandparent!)- the Flying Dragon.  It's a platform that goes up and down in a kind of circular motion (how's that for descriptive articulation?!). As Sean watched it, he suddenly remember that he HAD been to Marineland and that riding the Flying Dragon was the most terrifying moment of his entire life. After watching it, he decided it was time time to conquer old fears... and he rode it twice! Yay Sean!

There was a huge deer area, and the girls bravely greeted them.

The highlight of Marineland was, of course, Friendship Cove- home of the Orca! Maia has been obsessed with these beautiful animals for years. She has been counting down the days to seeing them in person. And they did not disappoint.

(Smells like Teen Spirit)

My favorite picture of the birthday girl.

Our last ride was the Ladybug Coaster. Maia and I went first and then Sean and Cec got the very first car... of course the memory card filled up with this shot... just before they came around. They're kind of visible...

We were all exhausted as we dragged our way back to the car... and on to Niagara Falls. It was as gorgeous as ever.

We had to literally pry Cecily's eyelids open to see the Falls (and Maia flat out refused to be in a photo with them).

After the Falls, we drove to Niagara-on-the-lake, one the of the most charming towns I've ever seen in my life. We had a wonderful dinner, walked around, and then wearily packed into our car and drove back to Rochester. It was, without a doubt, the most action-packed day our family has ever had. And how did we follow it up yesterday? Relaxing? Of course not! We spent the entire day at Seabreeze!