Our Texas Trip

We recently got back from a fun family trip! It was the kids and my first trip back since we moved to Virginia, and it was so good to be in the great state of Texas :)

Eli and Maddie had been on a plane, but were tiny, and it was Aiden's first time to fly. We had to get up super early to make our flight, but the excitement of flying and seeing family made for a smooth morning. The kids did great! They each got a new backpack and headphones for the trip, and I made sure they had their Yoto players, sticker books {the Usborne Build Your Own are our favorite!}, coloring books, and games to keep them busy. The snacks {and extra skittle treats for takeoff and landing} also helped pass the time and make things fun.

My parents picked us up at the airport because we were borrowing a car from them, but we stayed the first half of the trip with Mike's parents. To say we had some happy grandparents was an understatement!

Eli had been asking for weeks about Granny's train room...

The first full day, I spent at the office, which wasn't much of a "work" day at all haha. I didn't get a single photo, but I got to catch up with so many work colleagues, including my boss, and I left with my tank full. I am still so grateful for my job and my ability to stay connected from 1,300 miles away. The kids and Mike got to spend the day at Hawaiian Waters with grandparents and cousins, and I don't think they missed me once haha. We also got to play lots of Uno with Granny and Grumpz!

Another fun thing we got to do was make cookies with Grumpz! Well, it was more like Grumpz made the cookies, and then the kids decorated them, but everyone was happy with the arrangement. We loved getting to spend the day with cousins, reminiscent of our Thursday play days at Granny's house when we lived in Texas.

Grumpz quickly realized he had a little shadow everywhere he went :) 

Eli has been asking to go to an aquarium for months, and so we thought we could visit the Dallas World Aquarium while we were in town. It wasn't exactly what we were expecting, which was a little disappointing {definitely more birds and reptiles than fish}. And I only got one photo, but we still had a fun day with family. 

My parents hosted a BBQ get-together at their house so that I can see a couple of my aunts and uncle, as well as celebrate my dad's birthday. It was good to catch up with my aunts, and it's always special when we can celebrate with my parents in person.

We got to visit Woodcreek on Sunday morning, and then we had lunch with Mike's family. We then moved over to my parents' house for the rest of the trip. Mike and I got to sneak away for a little mini anniversary getaway, which was so nice to spend time together sans kids. We got to enjoy some a fun date night with the Lilleys and Russells, our own good conversations over yummy food, see the Oppenheimer movie, and just enjoy some time just the two of us. The kids hardly noticed we were gone haha. They enjoyed fun time at the park and the Crayola Experience.

Celebrating 12 years!

We got to go the Perot Museum too! They had a Pixar exhibit, and since the kids are loving many of the Pixar movies, we thought it would be fun for them to see. Plus, it's just an overall fun museum for kids!

Building robots

Animating

Earthquake simulator!

Racing a cheetah haha

At least Maddie and Grandma look like they're going fast!

Maddie really bonded with my parents' dogs Sophie and Bella. She always wanted to know where they were, and wanted to feed and pet them. She got to give them a fun peanut butter treat, and she giggled the whole time! Haha. And the dogs got used to the barrage of kiddos, wanting to be where they were too! 

Our last fun adventure was a trip to a fun splash park! We started at the fun playground, and just when it started to get too warm, we cooled off in the water. It was a great morning!

We are so thankful for our time in Texas with family and friends. The time went by so quickly, and we wish we could have spent more time, but we were also thankful to be home in Virginia. We hope that we will have another opportunity to visit again soon!