Tex-giving, Ranch

After 2.5 short days in Houston, it was time to head to the ranch for the other side of the family's mini-reunion over turkey. Health has been an issue this year, so it was really nice to be together and always appreciated to converge in a place that really lets you listen.

We had a full day to enjoy the outdoors with cousins (Katie and Hannah) before the work of Thanksgiving began. Tractor rides, piggyback rides, lots of fresh air, and Owen was excited to have more new people to play football with.

There was even a bonfire! The fire is pretty fun (Grandad saves up lots of brush piles just for the occasion), but I think the kids enjoy being outside in the dark with flashlights going to and from the fire just as much. Lots of stars in the country sky!

The kids' favorite activity was probably fishing with Uncle Michael though.

Hadley started off with a bang, catching a pretty big bass right away! She was hooked! Although her luck didn't last...

Owen was a little jealous that his sister caught a nice fish right off and frustrated that he wasn't getting anything. But his persistence paid off when he ended up catching 4 blue gill perch and casting on his own line. He's actually already written about this experience at school! He's asked about fishing a few times, so I'm glad we could make it happen for him.

And I was helping out too. It's rare, but I like seeing myself in pictures with my kids. :)

Then, of course, there was the deliciousness that is Thanksgiving! Yum! Hadley is always interested in being in the middle of the action in the kitchen. I hope that translates to her being 'able and willing' help when I trust her with a knife.

But, as with Houston, the trip was mostly about good quality family time. This group shot occurred just as the first drops of an eventual downpour were coming down!

The kids were quick to learn about and reacquaint themselves with their extended family. It had been 18 months since they'd seen these aunts, uncles, and cousins, which is nearly half of Hadley's time on the planet!

They especially enjoyed their cousins! I wish we lived much closer to these girls so they could baby-sit for us. They are so good with them, and the kids were never far away from them.

Thanks again, Texas, for another fun trip reconnecting with our roots. Until next time!

Tex-giving, Houston

For Thanksgiving, we did a whirlwind tour of Texas to see both sides of the family. Driving, flying, more driving - I'm happy to report that these kids are fantastic travelers now!

First stop was Houston to visit cousin Adeline just days before her first birthday. The kids were all healthy this trip and had fun together playing in baby jail, reading books, and scooting around in a big basket.

The weather was incredibly warm, so we enjoyed lots of outdoor time at parks, playgrounds, and neighborhood walks.

 But our trip was short, so it was mostly about good quality family time!

However, when the lawyers had to work, we did make it downtown for another trip to the 'dinosaur museum', aka the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It was another beautiful, sunny day, so we parked by Centennial Gardens and walked over.

 We always have to discuss the planets on the sidewalk near the entrance!

I got a good deal on tickets, so the kids got to see their first IMAX (and it was in 3D). It was of the national parks, so I hoped that it wouldn't be too overwhelming for Owen (who does not like ANY movie). Thumbs up!

First priority: Dinosaurs! This trip, I think Owen was more interested in the pictures that accompany the dinosaur skeletons, but he really wanted his picture taken with the human being tossed by the wooly mammoth!

Maybe it was for the holidays, but they also had a really fun train exhibit new to us set up with miniature Texas towns, Christmas trees, and tunnels that filled a good-sized room. There was also a part to crawl under and pop up in the middle of the trains for the littles.

We even made it to the mummy exhibit this time. Owen had lots of good questions!

Since Houston is such a small town (ha!), we were not surprised at all (yes we were!) to run into some friends outside the museum on the way to the car. James and Mary live in Austin, but we had not seen them for over 5 years! The boys shared some of their first Halloween together, and the girls weren't even born yet.

 A museum trip usually warrants a nap in the car on the way home. Thanks Houston!

Indian Summer

After a chilly September and October, we are having a most unusual November. It's the longest fall I can remember - not even any snow yet! Even more bizarre, it's been in the 60s with sunny afternoons for the past two weeks, so jackets are only needed in the morning and evenings. It's wonderful! Sure to change soon though, so we are taking advantage as much as possible. One afternoon was too pretty to pass up, so the kids and I biked over to the city park where we discovered vast amounts of leaves!! So much fun scooping, tossing, piling, and jumping.

We even made an obstacle course of leaf piles for races, both around and through them! The daredevil boy had to have a go at them on his bike. Don't fret - there were several more successful attempts after this. He's tough!

The whole family also took our bikes/scooters to Snake River Landing's scenic path one afternoon. Less leaves there, but lots of open space for daddy-chasing and tons of rocks for throwing into the partially-drained pond.

The sun kept shining this past weekend, so we did a late-fall excursion to Cress Creek. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we had to fight the urge to curl up in the sunshine for a nap. 

All that time in gymnastics has paid off in this girl's balance.

The creek is the best part! Supposedly, the water stays fairly warm all winter so the moose can come eat the water cress growing in it. It also provides a calming, babbling brook sound in the background. Perfect for that nap...

But kids are always more interested in seeing how close they can come to falling in the creek! Luckily, we came away unscathed, other than the pond scum that Owen fished out.

Just a beautiful fall day. We were too late for fall color, but scenic nonetheless.

Owen and John even ventured up the steep, less-developed trail to the rocky top! They are the two dots on top of the rock way up there.

 It's still a nice view for a kid-friendly hike 40 minutes from home.

Lastly, the capitol Christmas tree came through town, so I took Hadley to check it out while Owen was at school. It was harvested in western Idaho and is making a few stops on its way to Washington, D.C. The top was visible and decorated, but apparently there is 80-ft of Christmas tree occupying the full length of this trailer! Pretty impressive!

Hadley even got to sign the trailer in silver marker, along with thousands of other well-wishers. 

Added bonuses were the free cookies and the giant potato trailer. The guy on the left there is Spuddy Buddy (the Idaho potato mascot), but this is as close as Hadley would get to him. She also didn't want her picture taken with Smokey the Bear or Santa. Since the line was a little ridiculous for that photo op, I was totally fine with her shyness!