The Bluebonnet Cafe

Before we set off for home, we stopped at The Bluebonnet Cafe. This restaurant is a family tradition for Greg's family to have breakfast before leaving Marble Falls, so we had to keep the tradition alive. Can I tell you how hard it is to go out to eat with two kids, especially a toddler. Zachary kept things entertaining by throwing his food all over the restaurant. I was about to lose my mind, but still in good spirits. We had the best food. Greg had the biggest pancakes I had ever seen and very delicious.

The cousins together again. Thank you Aunt Quint and Uncle Matt for housing us and feeding us. The time together was so much fun. We'll have to do it again sometime.

Camp Champions

We spent our last couple of days visiting Greg's brothers family in Marble Falls. His brother works at Camp Champions, so we went there to have some fun swimming and touring the camp. This swimming area is the camps newest addition.
Carlee loved the pool and had so much fun watching daddy and I go down the water slides. I was scared to go down at first because of how fast Greg went down, but I braved it out.
Zachary spent most of the time outside the pool walking and playing with any ball he could find.
Zachary loved the boogie board too.
They had this big glacier to climb and then slide down. It was fun climbing up, but when it came time to slide down I was a nervous wreck. However, I did do it twice and conquered my fear. My arms were killing me the next day from pulling myself up.
The happy family. Uncle Matt, Aunt Quint and Cousin Nathan

Carlee looking out over the lake. Carlee loved running around camp and checking out the rooms. She might just be a future camper here.
We toured camp on the golf cart and enjoyed the evening.
This was such a great time away. I am so thankful we were able to take a trip. It was much needed, so many great memories and fun times together.

The Mexican Market

There is nothing quite like the Mexican Market, good food, great shops, low prices, great music. I love it!
Carlee sporting her pink cowgirl hat.
I love all the colors and festivities of this place.
We ate at Mi Tierras and had the most delicious food. You can never go wrong with Mexican.
Carlee loved watching the men outside play their instruments and wanted to be just like them. So when she found this guitar and hat she was in heaven. She would get on the step of the shop and play her concert (as she would say). It was so funny and cute! All who saw her thought she was a doll. We decided to get the hat and guitar so she could have fun at home. Isn't this great...love that foot cock..

Playing at Sea World

We let Carlee burn some energy by climbing on the ropes and going in the tunnels above us. It was a little scary for me watching her because she was about 30 feet in the air over our heads and it looked like it was about to rain. However, Carlee was not phased. Daddy did have to climb up the rope tower to get her to come down. Thankfully, all was ok. Here's picture of him saving her.
We rode on these fun little spinners and enjoyed every moment.
Even Zachary got to ride.
One last picture with Shamu.
Our time at Sea World was so much fun. I can't wait to go back when they are bigger.

Day 2

On day 2 at Sea World we went to a lot of shows. The weather was great, cloudy and breezy.
Here is our family shot at the beginning of the day. The first show we went to was the water ski show. I was a little hot so I decided that we would sit in the splash zone thinking we would just get a few sprinkles. However, the first jet ski came our way and soaked us completely. Carlee started crying and we immediately took off for higher ground. I could not help but laugh at how wet we were and it was just the first show. Here is a picture of Carlee with one of the water skiers. She took pictures with all of them.
Then we went to see Shamu, which both Carlee and Zachary loved. They watched in amazement as he went in and out of the water making big splashes. Carlee was just hoping the whole time that she would not get wet and she didn't. It was a great show!

Zachary spent most of our time at Sea World practicing his new skill- walking, so for him to be sitting still during the shows and here looking at the flamingos was a rare thing. He did pretty good as long as he had something to snack on.

More Fun

Tip of the day: If you want to read about and/or see pics from the start of our little Texas road trip then skip down to the "Getting Packed" post and read from there up. There will also be more posts to come so stay tuned for more excitement.

Here they are in their life jackets getting ready to get in the wave pool. This is also a picture of Zachary right before he took his big fall to the ground (having the life jacket on just made the fall worse). Poor guy!
Carlee enjoyed the waves until they started hitting her in the back and tossing her about, then she started to cry and was ready to get out. The waves calmed Zachary down after his fall and made him very relaxed. I think he slept soon after.
This was Carlee and Zachary's favorite ride at Sea World; however, none of us went on it. We must have watched that boat go down the slide 10 times. Carlee would scream just like the people on the boat, as if she were riding it. It was hilarious!
Always wanted a hat like this, but have yet to own one. Aren't we cute...
This trip was a bit tiring, but full of fun.... and to think these are just the pictures from the first day.

Shamu's Happy Harbor Show

Last time we visited Sea World, when Carlee was 18 months old we went to this show and Carlee danced and danced. It was precious! This time Carlee watched and watched and kept saying, "I want to go up there and be on stage too." I heard this out of her mouth at almost every show we went to. I think she wants to be a performer when she grows up. At the end on the show they had everyone get in line to take pictures with the characters. She loved touching them and hugging them. She tells me this was her favorite part of Sea World. Zachary wanted to be on stage too and made every attempt to get up there as quick as possible, but I think he just really wanted to climb the stairs. He did clap his hands and dance around some.

Feeding the Dolphin's

When we told Carlee that we were going to Sea World to see Shamu and the dolphins, she immediately replied, "I want to touch them and feed them and hug them." She has such an imagination and high expectations for a three year old. Thankfully, she did get to feed the dolphin's some fish. I can't even believe Carlee did it and touched those slimy fish. She thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Look at her.... she is a pro.

Sea World

We got a two day pass to Sea World and spent one day doing all the water activities and the next day watching all the shows. It was a blast!
I took Carlee on her first roller coaster. She was really excited about it until we went down hill and the ride started getting a little bumpy and jerky. Since it was a short ride, it went two times around. I think Carlee was ready to stop after the first time around. However, she didn't get too upset. She just said that she didn't ever want to go on that ride again. I'm so proud of her for trying.
Carlee and Zachary loved this water play area. Zachary loved walking around in and out of the sprayers. Carlee avoided the sprayers as much as possible and played with the other things.

First Stop

McDonald's! We took Erin's advice and went there for dinner on our way to San Antonio. I can not remember the last time I ate there. We were mainly stopping for the play area. Zachary learned how to dip his nuggets and fries in Ranch dressing and got a kick out of dinner. (Thank you Amanda for the idea) Carlee loved eating there and bounced around the whole restaurant waving at everyone trying to meet her next best friend. She is a social butterfly, I tell you.

This was Zachary's first long road trip and he did good except for the excited scream or the upset scream he had throughout the drive. He was quiet only when sleeping and then as soon as he woke up, he would get really loud and vocal. Sometimes Greg and I just laughed and at other times we held our breath and ignored it. I guess this is just a one year old boy thing to do. Am I right friends? It still blows my mind.

Getting packed....

If it were only this easy.....
.....then maybe we would go on vacation more often. hahaha... just kidding. I packed all five days worth of clothes for our family in this suitcase for our trip to San Antonio and Marble Falls. Mission #1 accomplished! Zachary made it a lot more fun by climbing in and out of the suitcase while I planned what to pack.

Dirty, Sticky, Fun Days

I used to be one of those moms who rarely lets her children get dirty. I remember when Carlee had just started walking and we were spending a whole lot of time at the park and I just hated that she got sand on her bottom or dirt on her hands. I remember thinking...how am I going to clean her? she can't get messy.... I don't like this.... will that dirt just fall off or do I have to wipe it off every time? However, ever since I had a boy I am seeing the need to get a little messy. I'm changing and understanding that life is messy and we are messy people. My house is no longer clean, there is a sticky mess around every corner, food and dirt are all over my floor, beds are unmade, sinks and counter tops are spotted, mirrors are smeared with fingerprints and toys are scattered all around. However, these are the greatest days of our lives. My children love to play outside with sticks, dirt, sand and water. They don't mind sweating in 100 degree temp. Oh... but how I love getting them all cleaned up and smelling nice again.

I loved watching Carlee and Zachary play tonight. No one got mad, they just sat and played for an hour digging, catching bubbles on their tongues, jumping on the trampoline pad, screaming for joy, moving, climbing and enjoying every moment. I loved this night and hope to remember these special moments forever. Thank you Lord for such a sweet time.

It's Official....

Zachary is walking. Today he decided he would walk all day and not crawl. I can't believe it only took him one week to conquer. Let the adventure begin!!!

Cousins

The first attempt to take a picture of all three cousins together. Too funny!
The second attempt the next day. Notice how Carlee is in her winter clothes. Too funny!Too cute to pass up!The beautiful new familyCarlee rocking Nathan too sleep. What a big helper!We had a great visit with the newest addition to the family, cousin Nathan. He is two months and so sweet. He makes Greg and I an aunt and uncle. So fun! I love how our family is expanding!