TGR Exotics

My Mom's Group at church had a playdate scheduled last week at a place called TGR Exotics.  I had never heard about it before but it turned out to be really fun and was only about 10 minutes away. It had a pumpkin patch, a hay ride, and lots of animals to look at.

 

Ave spotted lots of animals when we first got there wanted to pet the cat first!

Posing with my girl

Sweet buddies

 

The best of friends! 

There was a one legged kangaroo hopping around the pumpkin patch.  I was extremely nervous about Ave petting it, but it was really calm and just stood there.

 

Ave's dream- a mini horse that she of course named butterscotch

Petunia, the pig

Who knew hay could be so much fun!

Hayride to see all of the animals

 

All the kids got to pet the camels

They even had a buffalo!

One of Ave's absolute favorite activities was a trough full of corn.  She could have played all day with it.  It's the little things that bring her joy!

 

I'm so thankful for my Mom's Group and opportunities like this to experience new things!

Zoo Boo!

On Bill's Friday off, we went to the Houston Zoo's Zoo Boo.  We took Ave last year, and she had a blast so we decided to try to make it a yearly tradition.  It was absolutely perfect weather on the day that we went.  Avery wanted to wear a costume but I was worried that she would get her new one dirty.  We went with last year's bee costume since it used to be big on her.  It was a little snug but did the trick!

 

1st stop-elephants!

Riding on Daddy's back is Ave's favorite place to be

Avery loves everything having to do with Halloween this year so she was thrilled to pick out a little pumpkin in the pumpkin patch.

We had been talking to Avery for a few days prior to our trip about feeding the giraffes.  Last year she was terrified, but acted really excited about it this year. 



Not scared one bit!  She loved feeding them and has not stopped talking about it since.

 

We checked out a few more animals before meeting up with Stephanie and Sophia.



I love that one!

We met up with them by the seals.  The girls could have watched them swim all day long.  They were fascinated.

 

Sophie girl really liked Ave's antennae.

I had to add this last picture.  Last time Steph and I took the girls, Ave ended up have a major tantrum at lunch, flailing on the ground, and getting duck poo all over her shirt and mouth.  This time, she ate like a perfect angel or really just like a normal child should! Such maturity :).

I love days that we get to do special things as a family.  The holidays are officially here, and I couldn't be more excited!

Sea World!

A couple of weekends ago, we met my whole family in San Antonio for a minivacation.  The summer was crazy with Kelly's wedding, birthdays, etc so we waited until Fall and decided that a trip to Sea World would be a perfect little getaway.  This past month has been rather stressful so we were more than happy to have some fun!

 

So, so excited to go to Sea World!  This sign was in the lobby at the hotel, and she was thrilled!

 

Once everyone had made it to San Antonio on Friday, we went to Cheddars for dinner.  



Aunt Steph brought the coolest books and activities

Avery played with this forever!  Stephanie got the idea off of pinterest, and Ave loved it.

Off to get a good night's rest before the big day

 The next morning, we got some breakfast and made our way to Sea World.

 

Avery waited as patiently as she could for the bus to take us. 



The bus ride was almost as exciting as the park...almost.

Sophie girl was just as happy!

 

Once we got there, we went to the dolphins exhibit.  You could feed the dolphins but the line was insane so we watched from the other side of the pool. 

 

A lady kept telling Ave to lay on her belly but she was not going for it.  She really wanted to stand to see the action!

The shark exhibit!  The last time we were at an aquarium, Ave was completely freaked out by the tiniest of fish.  She definitely got over that and loved every minute in this one.

Family pic in front of the sting rays and sharks

Scott, Steph, and Sophia

The newlyweds- I think they felt at home there because they had just gone swimming with sharks on their honeymoon.

 

It was crazy how close they were!

Checking out the sharks with Grandpa

We went to a show next that featured beluga whales and dolphins.  Avery and Sophia were in heaven. I loved watching their faces as they watched the show.



Penguins!

 

Then came the moment that Ave had been waiting for...Shamu!  We checked out a book from the library months ago called Wow America that had Orcas in it, and she has been fascinated by them ever since.

 

She had never been so still in her life!

There were five Shamus which multiplied the amazement.

 

After Shamu, I relived my youth by going on two roller coasters.  It had been a while since I had been on one and now I have had my fill for a little while.  Ave unfortunately did not meet the height requirement so she stayed with Grammy, Aunt Stephanie, and Sophie.

 

Last but definitely not least in Avery's eyes, we took Ave to ride the Merry go Round.  She picked her horse specifically because it looked like Butterscotch, a play horse that my parents have at their house. 



When I was uploading this picture, she literally shrieked, "Butterscotch!!!"

 

Around 5 o'clock, we headed back to the hotel.  Sea World was extremely successful.  I'm pretty sure it was Avery's favorite day of her life.  The A&M game was on that night, so we set up shop in the lobby and ordered food from their cafe.  There was a perfect little spot for our craziness.  Avery had not taken a nap during all the excitement of the day which turned her in to the most wired, crazy child I have every seen.  She was bouncing off the walls!

 

Andrew is one of the most fascinating people in Ave's opinion, so she decided to hang around him for the majority of the evening.  Lucky him!

 

Sweet Sophie girl

 After I put the wild one to bed, all the adults gathered in one room to play games/ watch the football game. 

 

My mom was a little cold :)

 To top off a great trip, we went to one of my FAVORITE places in the world for breakfast the next morning, Cracker Barrel.  It brings back so many special memories of family vacations growing up, and I absolutely love everything about it.

 

I love that they both look a little awkward and caught off guard!

Grammy and Grandpa even got Ave her very own Shamu.

 

Was this trip successful?  I'd say so!

On the way home, I was really sad that it was over.  This is not always the case when traveling with a little one!  I love when our entire family is able to get together.  Avery has so much fun with Sophia which makes life a lot easier while traveling.  We all made lots of fun memories and Ave has been talking about dolphins and Shamu ever since!