Texas Time!

Monday, June 28, 2010 - Sunday, July 4, 2010

Texas Time: not only do we gain an hour, but we gain an aunt (Auntie K), an uncle (Alphie), and two fun cousins (Keegee & Oh-ee)...not to mention Tessie and Papaw who were also there from Ohio! Unfortunately, Alan couldn't join us for the week because he is teaching summer school, taking summer classes, and working at Riverside Adventure Company on Bald Head Island. We were sad and missed him all week, but I think he got a lot accomplished while we were out of his hair!

Our fun time in Texas started immediately! We got off the plane and were greeted by everyone! We hadn't seen the Rouses since we went for Kohen's birth, so our visit together was long over-due. Kohen had grown SOOO much, and Keagan did not surprise me with his ever growing vocabulary and quirkiness! Once we loaded our bags in the car, we headed straight for the splash park so the kids could play! It was HOT HOT HOT! I was not expecting the heat. I mean, Wilmington is hot, but we get a nice ocean breeze. In Texas, it is just hot and humid with minimal air circulation. Regardless, the kids had a great time and it wore them out!

Teeter-tottering! Clearly, the child is exhausted from our early flight!

Keagan riding the duck at the splash park!

When we returned to Kristen & Kevin's house from the splash park, the kids were OVER-TIRED...unfortunately, they barely napped. We decided that we would put the kids to bed early, and then eat dinner - what a BRILLIANT idea! The kids were sleeping and my mom made yummy shrimp scampi. Rouse was out of town, so it was just me, Kristen, Mom, and Dad enjoying a dinner together (well, Kohen was peacefully sleeping in his bouncy chair). We decided that that hadn't happened in a really long time. But it was definitely nice to actually eat dinner without worrying about a certain someone throwing food.

On Tuesday, we all piled into the car and headed to San Antonio for a couple of days. We were looking forward to staying in a nice hotel and going to Sea World on Wednesday. When we arrived at the hotel, the kids were ready to release some steam after being in the car for 5 hours. As Keagan says, "Mom, I have lots of energy!" This proves it:

Our rooms weren't quite ready yet, so the kids did some running around in the banquet room. I'm sure there were plenty of guests who thought I was a horrible mother allowing these children to run rampant in a classy banquet room, but I knew the more they ran at that time, the sooner they would go to bed (although that theory didn't really work with Keags). After a few races around the banquet room, we took the kids outside to check out the River Walk and snap some photos:

The River Walk in San Antonio

Keagan peeking!

Stella and Papaw

Stella with Grandma Tessie & Papaw

Keagan & Stella

My sweet little lady...

Once we were checked into our rooms, it was time to get settled and decide what we were going to do next! While the kids jumped on the beds in states of pure elation, the adults determined that we would walk along the River Walk, but not after visiting The Alamo (apparently something you just have to see if you're in San Antonio). Luckily, everything was within walking distance, so off we went!

Sweet Kohen is such an easy-going guy!

Stella was so intrigued by "Baby Oh-ee"

Is a caption necessary?

The Alamo

One of two photos of the two of us in Texas...nice, huh?

After a fun walk on the river, and a yummy dinner, it was time to go back to our room for some much-needed sleep. The kids needed to get their rest in order to take full advantage of Sea World the next day. Stella slept in a pack-n-play, but the whenever she saw me in the bed next to her, she would manage to cry long enough for me to put her in bed with me. Needless to say, I got lots of snuggles throughout the week!

The next day, we awoke early (we're still on NC time) and got ready for Sea World! The forecast predicted rain, so we packed extra clothes just in case, but we ended up having great weather. It was overcast, so not too terribly hot, and it didn't start to rain until right when we decided it was time to go home. The day was packed with lots of fun! We got to see sea otters and their newborn pups, penguins, dolphins, sharks, and of course, Shamu! Although Stella had fun, she wasn't as intrigued as I thought she'd be. Luckily, we didn't have to pay for her to get in! During the sea otter and Shamu shows, she was more interested in climbing on the bleachers and eating snacks than watching the amazing acts before her! I, however, was incredibly impressed. The ways in which these ginormous animals were trained was amazing. Before the Shamu show, there was a Q & A session wherein someone asked, "How DO you train the killer whale?" The trainer responded that it starts with respect, moves to trust, and then polite requests. I thought that was funny...the trainers aren't "telling" the whales to do tricks, but rather "asking them politely" and then rewarding them if/when the whale complied. From what I could tell, all of the acts went off without a hitch!

Missing Alan... :-(

Ready to see Shamu!

Mama Sea Otter and her pup - two days old, I think.

Stella thought the sea otters were dogs. There was a window in the exhibit where on the other side of the glass was a different mama and baby (than the one above). She kept saying, "Dog - woof, woof!" Then she would lean in and kiss the glass...gross, I know. Sometimes I really think that she thinks she is a dog herself. These sea otters, though, were SOOO funny. The would bark for food and their movements just made me laugh. Here's a funny video:

Stella managed to sneak a power nap in between the sea otter and Shamu shows, so Kristen and I decided we would sneak a ride on a roller-coaster! It was fun, but my old body didn't react like it used to! My vertigo returned temporarily (for like 10 seconds). We screamed like we were twelve. The kids played on the playground (probably Stella's favorite part), too!

Nap time!!

Enjoying some popcorn during the Shamu show!


Shamu!!!

Down the slide!!

Keagan!

Dolphin cove where you can feed and touch the dolphins!

Kristen & Kohen in the aquarium...such a sweet little man.

Stella checking out the fish!

Overall, we had a really fun day! Keagan was such a good listener (at the request of everyone) and really seemed to enjoy every aspect of Sea World. Stella was just happy to be running around and playing with her cousin, and sweet Kohen didn't cry once! Grandma Tessie & Papaw Keith were in their glory with all of their grandchildren, too!

After Sea World we went to this yummy pizza joint. There is something special about the pizza we ate, but I can't remember what it was. It was delicious...I'll let Kristen, or Rouse, blog about the pizza joint. The one thing about our trip so far that was worrying me was that Stella was not eating meals like she normally does. She would eat crackers, goldfish, pretzels, but not anything of nutritional value. It was stressing me out until my lovely sister reminded me, "A toddler's diet is like a roller-coaster, and sometimes you just have to go along for the ride." That helped. By the time we had returned to their house, she was eating better...I think she just missed her broccoli and peas!

On Thursday, before we got in the car to head back to Dallas, we went to the San Antonio Children's Museum. Stella had a great time playing in all of the exhibits that were just her size. I chased her around like a mad-woman trying to get some pictures, but most of the time I managed to get the back of her head. Good thing she was having a good hair day! I think pony-tails make her look like such a little girl....

Keagan driving the trolley!

Stella - the annoyed passenger.

The little aquarium.

Waving to Grandma Tessie through the cock-pit window.

The second of two pictures the entire time we're in Texas.

This museum had so many cool exhibits: a miniature trolley, an airplane for the kids to "fly," a tree for them to climb, small general stores, sand boxes, bell towers, bubble rooms, and so much more! Stella really did have a great time (and so did I!).

Stacking cups in the general store.

Climbing out of the row-boat.

"Oh-oo-oh-oo, operator! Information..."

After the museum, we decided it was time to head back to Dallas. The car-ride was uneventful, aside from the torrential downpours and the horrific traffic. I seriously thought Keith was going to suffer a coronary because I was driving. We made it back to the house (finally!) and the kids did some swimming!

Pouring water from one container to another - what a fun game!

See the red foam object? It's a water gun - he's scheming against his cousin.

This little guy was so happy to be home!

The next two days were just spend relaxing and playing at the house. Keagan and Stella are getting better at playing together, although I think Keagan's enthusiasm toward his cousin was not perceived as such. Stella likes her personal space, and therefore, did a lot of whining and crying for no reason. The difference between girls and boys? I don't know, but I hope that someday they'll be the best of friends!

On Friday afternoon we decided that it would be fun to take the kids for a wagon ride to the pond to feed the ducks. We had two full loaves of bread and were ready to go. Grandma Tessie and Papaw came along, too. It had been overcast and rainy all week, but we didn't anticipate getting caught in the pouring rain during our walk. It was hysterical! We were all drenched to the core, but laughing and having a great time. I have a "before" picture, but not an after picture (bummed about that).

Judging by their facial expressions, maybe they knew what was in store....

Saturday morning Grandma Tessie & Papaw left Dallas. Stella and I stayed until Sunday, and then we went back to Wilmington. It is always so sad to say goodbye. Kristen and I counted up the number of times we saw each other this past year, and it only totaled four times. We never imagined to be raising our kids so far apart from one another, but I truly feel that even though our visits aren't high in quantity, the quality of the time we spend together is priceless.