day 3: under the sea

After another great night of rest, we had breakfast and headed to Sea World to celebrate Granddad's birthday with the fish! (yes, I know whales are mammals, however, Hudson hasn't quite grasped the concept of lungs v. gills.) 

We made it just in time to catch the Shamu show.  Yet more ahhs, pointing, clapping, smiling and gasping

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The day had been timed perfectly to allow some time to explore between each show (good work, Nana and Gdad.) Next, we checked out the shark exhibit which allowed us to walk beneath aquariums viewing sharks and other sea life above us.  Hudson loved this part! Fish we everywhere and he was in heaven!  

After getting our shark fix and a quick lunch, it was show time again.  This time with Clyde and Seymour, the sea lions.  This was another show that did not disappoint with lots of giggles and perhaps Hudson's favorite part: a ginormous walrus blew kisses at the shows end.  

After the show, he headed to go feed the sea lions ourselves, well, not ourselves, we fed them fish,:) another highlight as Hudson giggled at the birds with funny hair trying to steal the fish from Nana! 

Next up, the dolphin and whale show.  This time, Hudson decided he needed a front row seat. 

While he wasn't permitted to sit right there, Nana and Granddad saved us fabulous seats right in the center of all of the fun! There, following a fun game of Hudson giving away kisses to us all (he even tried to kiss a friendly woman behind us) we watched an action packed performance of whales, dolphins, birds and even people flying through the air!  He was amazed and completely overwhelmed by all they had going on!

After the show it was time to check out the dolphins and whales for ourselves.  

Next, we took a trip to "Key West" dancing our way with the sounds of Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley to pet and feed the sting rays, and visit more exotic fish! 

Signing and yelling "more!"

By that time, it was show time once again, this time with trained pets in Pets Ahoy!  Here, Hud got his fix of cats, dogs, pigs, ducks, impeccably trained to put on a fun show.  He even got to meet the "actors" afterward.  

And so, there we ended our fun-filled day of fish and headed back to the hotel for some rest before dinner! 

With only a short break, we changed clothes and headed to dinner reservations at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Problem was,someone fell asleep on the car ride there.  

No worries, birthday boy Granddad was happy to hold the sleeping Hud halfway through dinner when we finally could wake him up to join in the excitement.  Our table was seated by windows overlooking the Animal Kingdom.  

To be continued... Off to start today's adventure!  :)