Brian had picked up Subway sandwiches while I got the rest of the picnic together, did girls' hair, etc. Since it was lunchtime when we got there, we ate our picnic first thing. The kids sat on the ground on their cardboard pieces for the anthill (sections cut from a giant Costco Huggies diaper box this time). They found this huge tree branch and somehow got the idea to ride it like a horse. Good thing it's a sturdy branch!
The nest near the giant anthill. Brian said I was in it with all my little chicks. And then he went on about how they all have to leave the nest sometime... Oh boy. Julia already talks about how she's halfway to being a grown-up. Austin's sitting on his piece of Huggies box. We left their cardboard by the hill when we were done, and they were quickly snatched up by kids who didn't have any.
The most interesting thing we saw on this visit was these tortoises mating! It had never crossed our minds to think about turtles doing this, but here we witnessed it firsthand. I never knew tortoises did much besides crawl around e v e r-s o-s l o w l y, but here they were actually being quite active! Hee hee... And making noises! I never knew tortoises made any sort of noise. Good science lesson for the kids, right?
We had very tired kids by the time we left the zoo. Austin was crying because we didn't go on the train this time. Lauren was saying her feet didn't feel good. Poor Lauren. She wasn't complaining, just kept mentioning it. Julia had her attitude moments. Yet we still had more plans! No going home yet!
We drove closer to the waterfront and walked on Stearn's Wharf. The first picture was near our parking spot. The kids nicely posed for a picture by the dolphin fountain even though the sun was in their eyes.
We stopped to get ice cream at one of the little shops on the wharf. And Brian commented, "No wonder we've never done this before..." as he paid for our cones. No kidding! It cost $22 for us all to get ice cream. And it was just Thrifty (Rite-Aid drugstore) ice cream, not special gourmet stuff. Grrrr... But we'd promised the kids ice cream on the pier, so we got it. What's vacation without a little splurge, anyway? Austin's looking ticked off because he had to share a few bites with Caroline. We all shared a few bites with Caroline, but he and Julia had the hardest time being generous!
We walked to the end of the pier and back, then went out to dinner at China Pavilion in Santa Barbara. Brian has been there many, many times before; he said he got take-out lots of times when he was a bachelor. He lived downtown Santa Barbara. And I'd been there a few times. The funny thing is, both of us think it had a different name before. As soon as we walked in, we knew it had changed. It was much more upscale, and less casual than when we'd been there last. Probably shortly after we'd been married? Almost 12 years ago? I guess things could change in 12 years. LOL
In we trooped, with our tired, sticky, four kids, one of them being a very, extremely over-tired busy, grabby baby... And they seated us at a table in the middle of our section. I actually said a quick prayer that this would go well. Not at all sure how the dinner would play out!! We were surrounded by couples somewhat dressed up, and here we were in our zoo clothes, coming from the zoo, and windy wharf, and ice cream.
The big kids were as good as gold. We were so proud [and thankful!!]. Caroline was good too and thankfully did not screech, as she has been known to do in restaurants. She was kept busy eating her cereal puffs and playing with the chopsticks. Until she started putting them in her mouth. Didn't want her stabbing herself with one, so there went that fun. At least it was at the end of our meal, and we quickly calmed her down with bits of fortune cookie.
I told Lauren at one point, "You are being so good, and you are only four years old, and this is really a grown-ups' restaurant."
She just beamed, and told me back, in the sweetest voice, like she was in on a private joke, "This is reawwy not a tid's wrestwrant! There are no toys for tids here!"
I asked, "What is a kid's restaurant?"
She answered, "Somewhere like Old McDonald's where you get bad guys with arms that 'swish swish'!" Austin's gotten pirates in Happy Meals, which she was referring too.
Another Lauren funny: I asked her if she wanted any cashew chicken, and she said, "I'm still eating my egg casserole." Tee hee :D She meant her egg roll.
We got home about 10 that night. Austin and Caroline had fallen asleep in the car. All the kids had baths (got to be clean for church on Sunday!) and then went straight to bed!
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