Spring in Texas, Big City Houston

Houston - big, hot, and humid, but home to family.  We love staying at Uncky Dan and Auntie Jenn's house, especially if Oma and Papa are there, too!  (I also have to note that this was the first trip that the kids had to share a room, and it went pretty well!  They're growing up.)  When we arrived on Tuesday afternoon, Oma wasted no time in tracing a life-sized Owen for him to decorate.

Here's the finished product.  Owen couldn't wait to give it to Uncle Dan when he came home from work!

There was also much fun to be had with chalk, balloons, hampers, blankets, and old magazines during our stay.  The kids did not mind the heat or humidity at all.  There was so much to do and so little time!  

The blankets were used along with pillows and a desk chair to form a fort to protect Aunt Jenn, Owen, myself, and sometimes Hadley.  The opposing team (Papa, Dad, and sometimes Hadley) then tossed a tennis ball over trying to breach the fort.  It was all fun and games until someone messed with Hadley's bag of fish (don't ask)!

Hadley was a flip-flopper on the teams and also enjoyed walking around with this hamper over her head a la Dark Helmet, which was pretty comical.

The old magazines were dismantled and reassembled into a alphabet collage.  The kids really seemed to enjoy searching, cutting, and pasting their finds, though Hadley may have been a bit obsessed with faces on her collage...

And of course, we spent much time at the playground or going for walks (usually to the playground).  

Owen said that the clover looked soft enough to lie on.  Poor kid; he may never have seen clover before...?  (Is that something I should be keeping track of?)

Now, that didn't all happen on Tuesday, but it was the stuff that we did at and/or close to the house.  As we've established, Houston is a big city with lots of things to entertain small-town Idahoans, including food.  Our agenda in Texas is usually centered around food: BBQ, Tex Mex, Asian, Cajun, sushi, Southern...  All the stuff that's hard to come by in Idaho, including crawfish for a certain someone.

It's also important to introduce nostalgic eateries to the next generation and make sure they know their culinary roots.

Hadley even helped us make pizzas one night.  Even better, she ate it!

Now back to the bigger stuff.  On Wednesday, 5 of us ventured into the museum district in search of dinosaurs again. We found them at the HMNS, just where we left them.

Watch out, Hadley!!

Owen was in heaven.  So many dinosaur bones!

We also saw exhibits on samurai (in record speed),

fossil fuels and energy (Owen actually requested to 'ride' the geovator, which he didn't really like last time, but seemed to appreciate this trip),

and wildlife, which the kids found fascinating.  

By the end, Hadley was pretty tuckered out, 

but Owen had just enough energy to check out the planets outside before our trip back across town.

On Thursday, we met up with my college roommate and her husband, at their new brewery: 11 Below.  We got to see the sights and taste some of their beer.  We are so excited for this new business venture and really hope it takes off for them!

Rosa has a girl, Lilly, just a few months older than Hadley, and they palled around while we got the brewery tour.  Aren't they cute with their hands in their tiny pockets?  (Owen got a day with Oma and Papa at Chuck-E-Cheese!)  

On Friday, us parents had a date night, Oma and Hadley had a stay-in night, and Owen went with Dan, Jenn, and Papa to a Houston Dash soccer game.  I think he had fun, and it was a perfect set up to return to Idaho to start his own soccer season.

Spring in Texas, at the Ranch

The day after the party was Easter, and the bunny found us at the ranch!  The kids actually walked by their baskets (unseen) to make their way in for one of the famous ranch Chicken-in-the-Barnyard breakfasts.

After they had satisfied their appetites, Owen finally noticed the baskets in the corner. Lots of candy and books this year.  Thanks Easter Bunny!

Spring is a beautiful time at the ranch.  The dogwoods were blooming in full, and everything was green and new again. 

As usual, the kids enjoyed going on hikes, exploring, and riding in the mule.

Owen finally realized that the ranch is kind of like one big sandbox.  He even recalled seeing an old, metal dump truck on the back porch that belonged to Uncle Ken.  That and a couple of laundry scoops, and the kids were set for an afternoon.

The front porch is also fun.  We got in a few beer/wine/peanut socials, time on the swing set, and apparently tended to a chore or two.

Of course, the kids got to spend some good time with family and had lots of story readers.

After a few days, we had to leave for the Houston leg of the trip, but we stopped around Brenham for lunch, ice cream, and bluebonnets with Granna and Grandad.  We took some scenic back roads to find idyllic bluebonnet scenery and came across some longhorns in a field.  Next thing I knew, both kids were proudly brandishing the "Hook 'em Horns" sign.

Tummies were grumbling, and the back roads didn't provide an easily accessible bluebonnet posing area, so we took a break for lunch and dessert.  Luckily, we just beat the Listeria hysteria at Blue Bell.  We skipped the tour this time and went right to the sampling area. I'm glad to report that none of us got sick!

Back on the main highway, we found bluebonnets!  The wildflowers were pretty spectacular this year!  We enjoyed them all the way to Houston.

Spring in Texas, 50th Anniversary

The main reason we traveled to Texas was to help Granna and Grandad celebrate 50 years together.  What an amazing milestone!  

Family and friends came from far and wide to attend the celebration.  Some family members were reunited for the first time in decades!  How wonderful it was to come together under such happy circumstances.

We even had all the cousins together for the first time in a long time (maybe ever)!

Of course, it's nice to have friends that may as well be family, too.  

The Longest Journey Award went to Oma and Papa for making the trip in from Ohio!  The kids certainly enjoyed the special attention they got during the party from their very-prepared sitters.

But, naturally the focus was on Granna and Grandad.  There was delicious family BBQ, photographic trips down memory lane, and two spectacular cakes: a wedding cake to make up for the lack of one 50 years ago at their semi-elopement and a birthday cake to celebrate Grandad's birthday (the same day as their anniversary).  

There was even a touching cake-feeding a la wedding reception 50 years later.  Congrats Granna and Grandad!  To many more years together.

And to much more cake!

Spring in Texas, Getting There

We had some reuning and celebrating to do, so we headed to Texas in early April.  The kids are actually becoming pretty good travelers.  Through hours in the car, sleeping in hotels, and the airport rigamarole, their main hangup seemed to be escalators/moving sidewalks.  Owen rode several escalators on his bum, and Hadley wouldn't walk on the moving sidewalks.  At least we had plenty of time to make it to the gate.  :)

And traveling is always easier with entertainment in tow.  It also helps to have an equal kids-to-adult ratio and headphones!

Once we got there and car seats were in place in the rental, we made a beeline for Texas tacos! Austin is full of food truck lots, so we channeled our inner hipster and partook of the yumminess.  It was a little hot, coming straight from Salt Lake City, but the sun felt nice when filtered through a big oak tree's leaves.

After we'd eaten, we headed over to the university campus to share some highlights with the kids.  Of course, Owen wanted to see the stadium where the Longhorns play!

And the Moncrief Fieldhouse was open, so we enjoyed the AC and saw some pretty neat trophies too.

Next up was the Texas Memorial Museum, a hidden gem on campus.

Owen had been requesting that we see the dinosaur fossils in Texas again, and we knew this place would fit the bill!  Most impressive was the huge Quetzalcoatlus hanging from the main floor's ceiling, but they had lots of others to view, too.

They also had a floor dedicated to Texas wildlife, which the kids enjoyed.  

By the time we finished with the museum, the kids were definitely dragging, and it was time to beat the traffic out of town and head to the ranch...