Texas

The day after school let out (May 27), Danny, Jonas and I flew to Texas to spend a week with Krystle and her boys while Jordan went on a week-long scout adventure. The whole reason for going was to help Krystle while Jordan was away, but I'm pretty sure all we did was add to the chaos! Let's just say Jonas is not used to having other little people around. There was definitely a learning curve on how to share and be nice. I am happy to report that by the end of the week Jonas was doing much better in both categories; however, Krystle and I were beyond done with being the referee! Still, it was nice to be able to visit with Krystle and meet my new little nephew, Lincoln. We tried to make the week fun even though Krystle and I were living on little to no sleep.

The first couple days were pretty chill. We flew in around noon on Saturday (May 27) and joined Krystle and Jordan for a comical Costco run (I'm not sure the people in Houston have seen families with more than one kid before! We were like a freak show. Haha!) before getting to their house to relax for the rest of the day.

How do you pass time in the airport? Ride the escalators!

Airplane!

Texas bound!

Two tired boys.

Cruising around Costco

Little Lincoln. Double fist bumps!

Jonas and Camden

Nolan and Danny

Sunday (May 28) was much the same. We had squirt bottle games, made cookies, built forts, and did a quick drive to the temple.

Monday (May 29) was Memorial Day. We celebrated by taking the kids to Bucees (a really LARGE convenience store/gas station) for slushies (and the novelty of the establishment) then let the kids get wet in the neighborhood splash pad. Danny was soaked in a matter of minutes, but Jonas kept a healthy distance from the water. We ended the day with some good old fashioned Texas BBQ!

Who doesn't love a toy store in the middle of a "gas station"?

Jonas finally got a little more brave towards the end.

Tuesday (May 30) I spent the morning with Nolan, Danny and Jonas at Urban Air. Camden had a quick surgery to put tubes in his ears that morning so he stayed home with Krystle and Lincoln. The boys had a blast jumping, climbing and tumbling their way around. I was actually pretty impressed at how well Jonas kept up with the older boys. That evening we went back to the splash pad. This time Jonas actually got in the water. He had fun with the balls we brought to play with while they splashed around.

Wednesday (May 31) we decided to mix things up a bit. We grabbed some pizza and took the kids to another splash pad to cool off. It was a little more crowded so Jonas didn't venture out too much, but Danny seemed to enjoy himself. I know he enjoyed a reprieve from the hot, humid weather! After splashing around, we grabbed some shaved ice at Bahama Bucks (a chain that originated in Texas, but was in Arizona when I was growing up too). That evening, after the little boys went to bed, I took Danny to K1 Speedway, an indoor racing facility. Danny has been a HUGE help with the boys this week. It was nice to be able to have him cuddle with Lincoln while we managed the older boys or have him hang out with Nolan or just anything else we asked him to do. He definitely deserved a night out...and we couldn't have picked a better spot for my car-loving, adventure-taking son. He had a blast speeding around the raceway.

Thursday (June 1) we took all the kids to a small children's museum in a neighboring town. It was a little too juvenile for Danny but he still had fun helping the littles work around the exhibits. We spent a couple hours there. Jonas loved interacting with the various displays. After another picnic lunch, we loaded the boys back in the van and headed to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. I think, more than anything, Krystle and I were looking forward to the drive because we knew all the boys would fall asleep...and they did! Once we were there, we explored their visitors center then got a large scoop of ice cream before going home for the evening.

The last two days (Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3) were much more low-key. Camden was still healing from his surgery and Lincoln had some shots earlier in the week so we decided to just stay home for the most part. Friday morning, Krystle had to run some errands. While we were out, we dropped by Shipley's Donuts to grab a donut for National Donut Day (there are certain national holidays that I am unwilling to skip...this was one of them!). I am so glad there isn't a Shipley's Donuts in Utah. I would probably go up a few dress sizes! That afternoon, I took the boys back to the splash pad so Krystle could get a little nap with Lincoln. Since it was our last evening, we braved the semi-rainy night to get burgers at the Shack. There was a new location that opened by Krystle's house. It is definitely not the dive the original location was, but it still held the Shack charm...and it still had delicious burgers.

Saturday Krystle and I spent the morning cleaning her house. We let the boys have a popcorn picnic movie in the front room to keep them occupied. Once the house was cleaned, lunch was consumed and we were packed, it was off to the airport. It was sad to say good-bye, but we knew we would see them the following weekend. I enjoyed getting to spend more time with my nephews, even if it was a little exhausting.

Homeward bound

My pro traveler! He always falls asleep!