Hudson enjoyed pointing at everything! I was a little nervous that one of us would get sea sick, but we didn't! If fact, both Piper and Hudson snacked pretty much the whole boat ride. I'm not sure exactly how long we had been on the boat when one of the other boats radioed in and mentioned that there had been a whale spotting, so we headed that way. It turned out to be a California Gray Whale and we got extra lucky because it turned out to be a cow/calf combo (mommy and her baby)! Fun Fact: according to our guide for the day, a whale's mommy milk is as thick as cottage cheese! I'm glad we didn't see that part, but because the mom was nursing we were able to watch them pretty much the whole time. The whales kept going in circles instead of following their normal migration patterns, which was awesome and so rewarding for us on board. It was just truly amazing and I can't wait to go again!
It was so fun to learn about these amazing creatures and to hear a little bit about the whales we were seeing! The guide that had was so knowledgeable and had nearly a million different whale facts. He mentioned that there are two very distinct things to watch for when seeking out a whale. One, is a puff of mist from their blowhole and two, is a very smooth, almost silky layer on the water. It was almost surreal to grasp just how big these animals are, and how different and dangerous their life is in comparison to ours. The crazy part is that all of this was happening just a mile or two from where we parked our car! it's humbling to find a moment in life that helps me remember just how small I really am in this amazingly beautiful and mysterious world. :)
What felt like ten minutes on a boat was somehow two hours, it came and went all to fast! On the way out of the marina, and on the way back in, we got to see so many sea lions just sleeping, and soaking up the sunshine.
After whale watching we went back home for a small break and some lunch! Josh's step-dad made the most amazing nachos. After we had eaten and said our "good-byes" to Kara, who needed to leave for work, we decided to go check out Downtown Disney! This turned out to be not the greatest of experience for us. Our kids were so tired from not getting naps the past couple days, that they fell asleep on the drive there and then were grumpy the entire time! We kept teasing Piper saying "how can you be so grumpy when you are literally right next to the happiest place on earth?" She wasn't impressed. We did get a few smiles from her at the Anna and Elsa Boutique. What girl wouldn't smile in a store dedicated to one of their favorite movies?! We asked her if she wanted to take a picture with Anna and Elsa ice skating, which we honestly did not think she would go for, but surprisingly she said "YES!" although, she did make it very clear that she would not pretend to "icee- skyte". It didn't take long for her to change her mind, she just couldn't help herself! We told her that she could pick out anything she wanted from the store!....... and she picked one of those smashed pennies with a picture on them! Both Josh's and I thought for sure we would regret that decision, but it was a small reminder from a sweet little child that sometimes it's the little things in life that make us the happiest.
She was so happy to have her new penny that we actually got a smile! She even asked to go back and take a picture with Beauty and Beast at the Lego store. Which, of course I said "yes" to, because I think it was my favorite store, although Josh argues that the Star Wars store was best.
Our night came to a quick end after that though, Piper started dancing around like she was Bell and tripped on her blanket! It was the saddest thing ever because her penny bounced a few feet away and she didn't know what to care more about, her penny or her scuffed up knees. She tripped right next to this little group of cute Asian girls that spoke no English, but really wanted to help her up. They were so sweet and caring for her even though they didn't know how to vocalize their concern. Needless to say, after that our night was done. We carried Piper to the car, cleaned off the blood and the dirt, went home and all went straight to bed! Such a fun day deserved a good nights sleep for all of us.
