Texas Vacation Part 1

We're HOME!

We pulled into our garage about midnight Saturday night.  It was a long, long day, but we made it.  And everyone is still alive.  And yes, including me.

Yesterday we totally chilled out.  Jackson and William played with their toys in the dirt most of the day, and I never got out of my pajamas.  After chores and before dinner, Ryan took us all for a gator ride. Perfect Sunday!

On to the trip!

We had a wonderful time, and I took a million pictures.  And you get to see them all this week!

In planning the trip, I decided that I did not want to eat fast food the entire time.  Nothing will make four days on the road any more miserable than battered carbohydrates fried in oil, with a side of grease topped off with a sugary drink.  Don't get me wrong, I do love me some McDonald's... but how many times can you eat there in a week?
On Friday, when we were at Wal-Mart picking up a few last minute items, we grabbed things for a picnic!

Eating our picnic at a road-side rest area in Illinois.  Everyone is happy to be out of the car!  They all ran for a few minutes before climbing back in for the last seven hours.

The lights of St. Louis! Blurry through the dirty window.  Our half-way point.

We arrived at my parents about three in the morning.  Everyone woke up then of course, and chatted with Nana & Papa for a few minutes before crashing into bed.

While my mom made breakfast, dad showed me his garden.

His little green house.  Onions on the outside,

cucumbers on the inside, poking through the wire.

Tomatoes, zucchini and broccoli.

His beans are flowering!  So impressed since our garden is ten tomato plants in pots on the drive way.

Two of the twenty cherries on his tree.  They looked so pretty against the green leaves.

Breakfast is ready!  We ate on the deck and watched the hummingbirds eat their breakfast too.

On the road again!  We tucked mom's stuff in around ours, and left about eleven.

Jackson was on the lookout for animals the entire trip.  He especially like these little goats in down the road from Mom & Dad's.

They are cute.  Behind that fence, and in someone else's pasture!

Nana was sweet and packed new toys for the kids.  Jackson liked his baby cheetah and bear.

Our car.  And yes, I was stopped when I took this.

It didn't take us to long to get to Texas, but it took us forever to drive through!  Texas is BIG!  Oddly, it's the same size as all the other states in my map...

Jackson, playing in his car seat. He was happy all day. *phew*

BOO!

She wanted her picture taken too.  More than happy to oblige.  I'm sure she'll soon hate it as much as Elizabeth does!

We arrived at Cousin/Aunt Jennifer's about ten pm?
Everyone went straight to bed!
Monday, we hung out at home.  The kids had so much fun playing with each other.  Jennifer's three girls have a love/hate relationship with William and Jackson.  Sometimes the rough-housing boy crazy is so much fun, and sometimes it's NOT.  Everyone played very nicely all day.  I'm pretty sure they had every single toy out, and scattered through out the house.

In the evening, once the temperature had cooled down to the high 80's, we walked the kids to the park.

Clara, Elizabeth and Jackson.

Miss Reese.  She is a beautiful little lady!  She wanted me to take her picture with whatever that thing is.

Elizabeth biked Jackson and Brynn in the burley.  Jackson love it, I'm not so sure how Brynn felt about sharing it.  Or her cup.  They looked so sweet together.

And that was the end of the third day!