Sunny days in the big "T"

Let's hear it for summer vacations!

Last night we got back from visiting my parents for a week and a half down in Texas - or "Hot Texas" as Sam calls it. It was definitely worth the 13 hour drive!! Good thing the kids are good little travelors, and let's hear it for portable DVD players!!! How did my parents survive road trips without it??? The "Are we there yet?" and "How much longer?" questions are so easily answered: "Just 6 movies and we'll be there!"
Mom and Dad have a pool, so of course most of our days were spent swimming - how else could we survive the Texas heat!!! My kids don't get to see my parents enough, so it was really fun to spend so much time with them. My sister Kari and her family live only about 45 minutes away from my parents so they stayed at my parents house most of the time as well. It was a full, crazy house, but so much fun! I loved watching the cousins play and spend time together. Kari's kids are older than mine, her youngest is Sam's age, so they were such great helpers with my crazy boys and were so sweet to my kids. Here are just a few highlights from the trip:

• Sam getting to spend the night with her cousins Jordan and Paige and doing make-overs
• Sam going to Libby Lou's and having her hair, nails, and make-up done
• Gavin and Kaden getting to spend their 3rd birthday at Grandma and Grandpas
• Shopping at Sam Moon's (definitely a tradition)
• Grandpa park hopping with the boys and taking them to get an ice wizard afterward (their favorite park is the dragon park where they would "pick the dragon's nose")
• Spending some time with my cousin Davey who I haven't seen in years. You are awesome!
• Spending time on my uncle Ron's boat and wake-boarding for the first time - and of course experiencing the thrill of many, many wipe-outs! Tons of fun, thanks so much Ron!
• Mother/Daughter bonding at the Movies - Mamma Mia is awesome!
• Swimming in the pool with grandma
• Eating frozen custard at the Double Dip - Yummy!
• Watching my dad slalom ski
  
• Enjoying much needed family time!

10 days seems like a lot of time, but it goes by way too fast and we just didn't have time to fit everything in, as usual. I'm sure I would say the same thing if we had spent a whole month down there. It was so much fun, and a vacation we all needed. My kids are already asking when we are going back. Looking at the mess around me from this last trip, I think I need a little vacation from my vacation to get organized before we can start heading out again. :) Thanks so much mom and dad, we had such a wonderful time. It was so great to get to see everybody! We love you!!!