We Love A Good Road Trip

Road tripping with the family is always my favorite part of our little vacations.  I am so thankful that our kids are good little travelers.  We didn't even have to turn the DVD player on until we were about two and a half hours into the drive.  They play and talk and look out the window... the way a road trip is supposed to be.  On the way down and on the way back we got to stop at Buc-ee's to stretch our legs and have some fun.  If you haven't been to this place, and you have the chance to stop at one, you really should.  Good food, nice restrooms, and a ton of quirky fun things to look at.  Oh, did I mention the huge stuffed beaver.  Both Savannah and Ryder wanted pictures with him each time we stopped.

While Daddy's Is Away

When we go on the road with E, I have to be prepared to keep the kids busy outside of a hotel room all day until we need to go pick up daddy.  We had one full day to go play in San Antonio while E was away working.  Since we hit two of the main attractions in the evening with E, I decided to go basic and head to the local zoo.  I don't know why, but the zoo is always a huge hit with the kids.  They both ran around that place like crazy animals... climbing on every animal statue they came across, jumping off every rock they could, touching every animal they could... keeping up with the two of them was quite the task.  Thankfully, both of them tend to be pretty good listeners and stay close while we are exploring places.  

Oh the Emu... Ryder's only fit of the day... he did NOT want to leave that "big bird".  

The coolest part of the zoo was the bird feeding area.  Both kids had a blast getting to hold and feed the birds.  Savannah started off a little scared and then eventually was brave enough to have the bird sit on her hand while it ate.  Ryder did not want the birds to land on him at all... he did want to hold the food and pet the bird, though.  Savannah's favorite part was when a pesky little bird landed on my head and scared me to death.  It wouldn't leave my head.  She was laughing so hard that she was crying and I thought there was a chance that she was going to pee her pants.

After we were done at the zoo we walked over to the neighboring park and rode the kiddie train around.  Again, something else that is always a huge hit with the kids.  Ryder would not stop saying "choo choo".

The River Walk

While we were in San Antonio, we of course took a stroll down the river walk.  The kids and I did a few things there during the day while E was working... a boat ride, some shopping, some people watching.  Then when E got off, this is where he would meet us.  We ate dinner on the River walk both the nights we were there.  The big down side to the river walk... not really stroller friendly at all.  It is pretty narrow at some points and then there is patio dinning set up all along the water so people are just clustered everywhere.  Little man walked pretty much the entire time we were there.  He was surprisingly well behaved... he held our hands and stayed close and didn't fall into the river.  I was very very worried that was going to happen.  Most of the river walk is wide open with no railing... and according to people down there, it is pretty common for people to fall in.  Luckily the water isn't anymore than 5 feet deep.  So very thankful for well behaved children who are pretty dang good travelers.

My favorite part of the river walk... it actually was probably my favorite part of San Antonio, was the boat ride.   The kids loved it, our tour guide was awesome... I learned way more than I ever needed to know about San Antonio on that boat ride.  

Yay for daddy getting off work and meeting up with us.  After an all day sightseeing adventure with both crazy kids I was so happy to see E.  Those kids wore me out.

Last Minute Tag Along

Spring Break is upon us... finally!!  Since we had no plans and Eric was having to take a quick two day trip in state for work, I invited the family to tag along with him.  Lucky Eric.  Can you guess where we went?  I have a way too proud Texan husband who will be very disappointed if you can't figure it out from the picture below.

Yup... hello San Antonio!!  I went once as a kid... but hand't been back since.  So I was looking forward to exploring the city a bit while E worked.  Our first stop (obviously) was the Alamo.  Eric met us there one evening after he finished work so we could go through as a family.  There was a lot of interesting things to see inside... definitely not for Ryder, but Savannah had a ton of questions.  I tried to get her to go ask the information desk where the John Wayne section of the "shrine room" was, but E wouldn't let that happen.  He was totally mortified that I even suggested it.

After we went through the "shrine room" (inside the remaining Alamo structure) we headed out to walk the grounds.  This was waaaaaay more Ryder's speed.  A ton of grass, lots of running, and even better than that, he could touch stuff.  Inside the Alamo was a big HANDS OFF for him.

The last stop... the Alamo gift shop.  No, we did NOT purchase this hideous Davy Crockett hat... we did however make Ryder try it on.  Savannah would not go near it... she said it was ugly and walked off to find herself a souvenir.  

A Full Spring Schedule

Typically when Spring rolls around we sign Savannah up for soccer... no questions asked. This year we were torn between t-ball and soccer. Whenever we asked her to tell us which one she wanted to play, she could never give us an answer. She wanted to do both. I wasn't sure if that was even possible, but after a few phone calls, it turns out she didn't have to choose. So, long story short... Savannah is playing both soccer and t-ball. She is on the same soccer team she has been for the last two years, the Hot Shots. This year for t-ball she is playing on the Cubs. So far I am pretty impressed with her team and her coach. I think that she is going to come away from this t-ball season knowing a lot about the game and hopefully with noticeable improvements to how she plays. This past Saturday was the first game day (for both sports) of the season. I was a little worried about how it was going to go, having back to back games and lugging around a baby. Luckily, both Savannah and Ryder handled our morning spent out at the fields very well. If every Saturday goes this well (I'm not fooling myself, I am sure there will be one or two that are chaotic), then I will be a happy mommy.

Soccer breakdown... Savannah did alright. Still timid, still doesn't understand (or just won't) take the ball from other kids. There were a couple times where she managed to get control of the ball and dribble in the direction of the goal. I was far more happy with the fact that she got knocked down pretty hard by one of the boys on the other team and she just got right back up and kept running. I thought for sure she was going to come off the field crying... turns out Savannah is a lot tougher than one might think.

T-ball breakdown... She got a hit (first swing) each time she came up to bat. She only got to field a few balls and could use some improvement on her throwing. She gets it though... you can tell that the skill is there and with the right coaching and practice she really could do well. Most importantly, she had fun! She had a smile on her face the whole time. Whenever she would catch mine or Eric's eye, she would give us a thumbs up and a huge smile.

Louisiana

The weekend following Spring Break we headed to Louisiana to see one of Eric's cousins get married. I always get excited when we get to go down that way for a few ways. I love that side of Eric's family... they are always a good time. Plus, there is guaranteed to be good food... always.

Friday night we went to the rehearsal dinner, which just so happened to be my favorite, a crawfish boil! Savannah wouldn't touch them, Ryder made a silly face when I let him have a bite, Eric and I handled a box or two. I already can't wait to go back.

Misc. pictures from the weekend... Savannah swimming with her cousin Hazel, Ryder playing with Eric's cousin Tiffany and her husband, the beautiful bride walking down the isle, Ryder with his cousin Madison and Cole.

Savannah and Hazel spent most of the reception tearing up the dance floor. The two of them were so funny out there... twirling and dipping each other and then politely clapping when the song would end. Silly little girls.

Insta-Friday

Spring Break edition of insta-Friday! I'm going to warn you, I took A LOT of pictures this past week. Here's a look at our adventures through the lens on my iphone.

Mommy/daughter leopard print nails. I was surprised how east these were to do. Nail polish pens are the greatest things ever!

Last weekend we went to cousin JJ's bday party... monster theme, very cute. Savannah was glued to her cousin Cheridan and Ryder sat contently on his Didad's lap.

Ryder and Didad (his great grandfather). Love the color splash app. Never gets old.

Savannah is getting so much better on her bike. Hopefully the training wheels will be coming off soon. Maybe not though... she goes back and forth. Not quite brave enough yet.

Road trip to Mississippi... passing the time with some color wonder markers.

Mississippi Gulf Coast. It was a beautiful day.

Merry-go-round at the Hattiesburg Zoo. Probably the coolest part of the zoo. There were maybe 10 animals in the entire zoo... they all looked so sad... I can't even fully guarantee that they were all alive and well. For sure not the greatest zoo I have ever been to.

Park time with the kids. Laurel, Mississippi had some pretty parks.

Keeping busy in the hotel room. Savannah loves to tickle her brother.

The infamous pack and play. Savannah hated it as a baby... would not sleep in it, EVER. Ryder actually has slept pretty well in it. He adjusted pretty easily to hotel sleeping.

The Lauren Rogers Museum in Laurel, MS. Very, very, very cool. Eric laughed when I told him that I wanted to go... I'm glad I didn't listen to him and took the kids. Savannah had a blast. I am so so thankful that she is the type of kid that can calmly look at art and enjoy it. She had questions about the painting and wanted to know which one was my favorite in each room. The museum actually had these cool scavenger hunt cards for the kids to carry around through the museum while they looked at the exhibits. She was so excited each time she found one of the items on the list.

Ryder LOVES honeydew. Who would have thought??

The Wisteria House in Laurel, MS. Savannah loved it because it was purple. All the houses in the historic area of Laurel were so beautiful.

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