Family Weekend Getaway

With summer coming to an end and a trip to see great grandparents on the agenda, we decided to take a quick family getaway.  The boys knew we were going somewhere but they didn't find out where until right before we left.  I made them some travel bags that had pictures of all the things we were going to do on the outside.

Our first stop was Legoland.  They took us on a tour of the factory and showed us how Legos are made.

 The mini-city was my favorite part!

 Here is our hotel made of Legos. How cool!

 The boys got to make their own Lego race cars then test them out on a track.

 After a few rides, a 4D movie, and seeing more Legos than we have ever seen we headed to the Gaylord Texan.

 One of the highlights of our stay was the new water park that opened recently.  We spent many hours on the lazy river.  Connor even made a trip down the water slide.

 My little navigator was VERY impressed with this touch screen map.  As soon as you selected where you wanted to go it would instantly give you directions on how to get there from your current location.

We made a few friends during are stay as well. :)

 The next morning we started our day with a delicious breakfast buffet right on the river walk.

After one more trip to the pool we headed over to Bill and Debra's house to celebrate Pawpaw's birthday.  Here are Nannie and Pawpaw with all 7 of their great grandchildren.

 Cole's family lives not far from the house I lived in as a baby.

I tried to snap a few pictures without anyone noticing. :)

 No trip through Waco is complete without a stop at Baylor. 

 Sic 'em Bears!

 We have covered almost every inch of campus with them, but this was their first time to sit up next to Judge Baylor.

Great weekend had by all!

Dauphin Island Beach 2013

It all started with a few "wouldn't that be fun" conversations which lead to full out planning mode and within the next 24 hours Kaci and I had booked our families a trip to Dauphin Island, Alabama.  We had fun planning out all the details and counted down the days until it was time to go.  VERY early Saturday morning we loaded up the boys in the car and headed East.  Baby George stayed with his grandparents so it was just these three amigos for the week.  

We packed plenty of toys, movies, and snacks to make the 9 hour drive a little more enjoyable.  Amazingly they all did great!

Later that afternoon we finally made it to our condo.  It was perfect for our two families.  The boys quickly made themselves at home.

We didn't waste any time getting down to the beach.

 

Connor and Carson were thrilled to get their toes in the sand.

The next morning we made a special breakfast for Cole and John to celebrate Father's Day.  What better place to celebrate than the beach!

For dinner that night we tried out one of the local restaurants that everyone recommended.  These two had so much fun together.  We joked that they are the boy version of Kaci and me. 

Most of our days started with the beach.

Our condo had direct access to the beach which was perfect with 3 boys in tow.

Dauphin Island is a 16-mile island that you can access by going across a 3 mile bridge.  It was very quiet and peaceful.  For the most part we felt like we had the beach to ourselves!  

Connor could not get enough of the water and waves.

I can still hear his sweet giggle every time a wave would come crashing over him.

William loved playing in the water too. 

Carson liked the water, but preferred the sand.  Most days you could find him building sand castles or digging holes.

He had the best time!

The part that surprised me the most about our trip was that Carson literally took a nap every morning at the beach.  He would play for a few hours then go cover up in towels and be out in no time.  He was definitely in relaxation mode. :)

 

Some unwelcome visitors started showing themselves towards the end of the trip.  We found crabs, jellyfish, sting rays, and even a few sharks!!  After these started appearing I tended to enjoy hanging out under the umbrella more than swimming in the water. :)

Sweet memories were made with all these boys together.

Mid week we took the ferry over to Gulf Shores.  It took about 20 minutes to get there.  All three boys were amazed that we drove our car on the "boat." 

Gulf Shores offered lots of family fun activities for us to do.

We found a place that had go carts and every kid ride you could think of.

We ended our afternoon with dinner at The Hangout which was an adventure in itself.  All while you eat there are back to back activities going on.  Foam parties, sand pit, concerts, and several outside games provided lots of entertainment for our little ones.  They even had a few dance parties!

Part of Cole and John's Father's Day present was a fishing trip.  While they were away fishing we took the boys to the local aquarium.

Then we headed to Mobile for some ice cream and a little shopping.

We pulled back to the island just in time to pick up Cole and John.  Captain Dana gave all of us our own shirts.  I think he felt bad that they only caught 3 fish that day.  Apparently a few sharks we jumping up and stealing their fish right off the hook!

Kaci and I spent a little time on the tennis court.  Connor was thrilled when we let him have a turn.

After dinner one evening we headed down to the beach to try and get a few family photos.  We got a few cute ones.

Some of my favorite pictures where when we told the boys they were done and free to play. Pure happiness!

After a week at the beach it was time to pack up and head home.  To break up the drive we stopped for breakfast in New Orleans.

Of course Cafe Du Monde was our place of choice.  Two thumbs up for beignets and chocolate milk all in one morning.

We spent a few hours exploring the French Quarter.

Then had a early lunch at Mena's.

It was finally time to hit the road and head back to Texas.

We had a great week and are so thankful for all the time we had together as a family.