Thursday, July 18, 2013

San Antonio: Day 2

The plan for our second day in San Antonio was to have a "resort day." We planned to swim and play at the awesome pools, lazy river, and beach at the resort. We did spend the day at the resort, but it didn't go exactly as planned.

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We got up and had breakfast in the restaurant where the boys had bear-shaped waffles. We noticed that it looked a little dark outside so we decided to check the weather on our phones. Forecast....almost certainly rain. And the temps were cool. Normally awesome for the end of June in south Texas, but it did not go along with our plans for the day. 

So, after we ate, we headed out to find the playground. We passed by the lonely beach front and lazy river where no one was swimming. It still looks inviting to me, but what is hard to tell from the photo is that it was mid-70s outside and really windy.

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We found the playground and let the boys get some energy out.

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Clouds continued to roll in and the wind didn't let up, so we only played out here for about 15 minutes or so.

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Then, when it started actually sprinkling, we headed inside and looked around the lobby at the fish tank and other things.

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When we made it back up to our rooms, it was full-on pouring outside. Again, such a great thing for a Texas summer, but boy were we disappointed.

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Actually, let me rephrase...I was disappointed because I wanted the boys to enjoy the pools and such. But, they were loving the rain.

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So, we put on a show for them on Mimi's portable DVD player (otherwise known as "the life saver" on this trip) while we re-grouped and brainstormed what we should do with two kids stuck in a hotel all day.

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The forecast showed that the rain would move out in a few hours, so we decided to play it all by ear. The first indoor activity we chose...getting giant cookies from the general store and heading to the lobby to eat them.

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This was obviously an activity the boys appreciated.

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After they finished their cookies, we figured we'd just step outside under the porch awning and watch the rain for a little bit. But, of course, the boys just took right off into the rain and didn't care one bit about getting wet. In fact, they loved it.

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They decided to play hide-and-seek in the rain and had a blast.

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Then, they both tried (successfully) to catch rain drops on their tongues.

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And right after this next photo, Logan was running around on the deck and slammed into one of the metal hand rails on the porch. Ouch. After spotting blood from a cut above his eyebrow, I scooped him up and headed upstairs to our room. Everyone else decided it was time to go too.

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You can see Logan's cut and bruising a little bit in this photo of him taking a bath right after playing in the rain. A little bit of Tylenol and a few kisses and he was back to smiling.

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The baths were just one more activity we thought of to pass some time during the rain. They just played with their planes and cars in there since I didn't bring bath toys. But that was fine by them. We put each boy in their own tub so they could do their own thing.

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Right after baths we decided to do an early rest/nap time. We were hoping that by the time they'd rested a little, the rain might clear up and we could eat lunch and then swim. So, Ethan got in his bed with the iPad.

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And Logan (now bandaged) snuggled in bed with daddy and the DVD player. He didn't ever fall asleep, but he stayed in there the whole time and didn't make a peep.

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Right at the end of rest time, the skies finally cleared and the sun started (almost) peeking out from behind the clouds. We decided that was good enough for us. Even though it wasn't super hot outside, we were going to make the best of our day. After rest time, we did grab a bite to eat and then hit the pools. Lazy river, here we come!

Now, all of the photos at the pool, beach, and lazy river were taken with my new underwater camera. I decided to just bring that so I could carry it with me on the lazy river and not worry about water or sand messing up my big camera. Plus, the pool grounds are spread out and I didn't want to worry about my big, expensive camera just sitting in my beach bag when I was off swimming or floating. I was fairly pleased with the results of using my new point and shoot, but let's just say that my Canon is still my first love.

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The first thing we did was head to the beach. Because of the rain that morning, people were slow to get out there so we got our pick of chairs and a spot on the sand. The boys were pretty much the only kids there for a little bit. And they loved playing in the sand, naturally.

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Me and my mom in our prime seats watching the boys play.

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Logan insisted on wearing his bandaid to the pool, but it held up the entire afternoon. I was impressed.

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It didn't take long before we ventured out onto the lazy river.

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We sort of had to explain the "lazy" part to the boys because that word is not really in their vocabulary. They are on the go for sure. But Ethan actually lay there with me and we enjoyed our floating together.

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We eventually figured out that letting Logan float down the lazy river in his puddle jumper was the way to go. He just went along beside us happy as a clam. He was just too small to fit on those big tubes, but this worked perfectly.

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When the boys were done being lazy, we went over to the "activity" pool, which really just means that kids can swim there. The enticing calm of the adult-only pool makes a stark contrast!

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Any time we are swimming, Logan will be the first one out because he wants a snack. I'm convinced that snacks are his favorite part of swimming. Here he is cuddled up with Pop about to have a snack. (He also loves to be wrapped up in a towel.)

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The resort has opened a water slide since the last time we visited two years ago. Unfortunately, it is only for taller children and adults so the boys weren't able to participate. But honestly, they didn't seem that upset by it. They were thrilled to watch their daddy and Mimi each take a turn. Here's daddy...

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And here are his feet flying up in the air as he splashed at the bottom of the slide.

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And there's Mimi. This is one of the reasons Casey and my mom get along so well. They do things like this and love it.
 
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After the slides (and a much needed bathroom break for the boys), we went back to the beach, which was much more populated than it was a few hours prior.

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The boys set out to bury daddy's feet and legs in the sand.

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And Pop showed them how to use their buckets to add a tower to the top of the mound. They were impressed. (We need to take them to a real beach soon!)

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Finally, the boys were getting hungry and we headed back up to the rooms. After spending half an hour getting sand out of everything. After baths, I ordered peanut butter sandwiches from room service for the boys as they watched another show. This gave the adults time to shower.

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I had packed a ton of snacks, some grapes, apples, and Logan's yogurt to keep in the small fridge in the room. That was so helpful so we didn't have to hunt down some (expensive) food every time they wanted a bite to eat. What I should have done, however, is also packed a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter. So easy...and I will do it next time. They devoured those sandwiches.

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While we stayed back to put the boys to bed, my mom and dad went out to eat at the Antler's Lodge restaurant over by the golf course. Then, when they were done, Casey and I went out to the restaurant to eat. This is one of many benefits of having grandparents with you on a trip. We did this dinner-switch last time we came too.

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The food is locally sourced and the dishes are inspired by the Texas Hill Country flavors, game, and influences. First of all, that bread is fantastic. I can't remember what is in it (or that butter), but bread like this is one of the reasons I will never entirely give up carbs. 

Then, we split the Texas quail appetizer that is served on a peach polenta cake with salsa verde. This was one of the dishes we remembered from our last time here because it is so unique and good. 
 
We also split their baby iceberg wedge salad (isn't that the most beautiful wedge salad you've seen?) with jalapeno bacon (I know!), poblano ranch (keeps getting better!), roasted tomato (told you), and cotija cheese (yep).
 
For our entrees, Casey had a filet (not pictured) and I had the special...shrimp and scallops served over roasted corn with chiles and bacon. It was amazing.

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After dinner, we took a look at the dessert menu, which did not include a chocolate dessert. Not one. I have written, not once, but twice, about my feelings on that subject. So, we decided to forgo dessert and went to get ice cream again instead. Our big day at Sea World was coming up the next day!

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