Houston: Day 4

Today was just as packed as yesterday! This time we headed to the gulf coast, specifically to Kemha Boardwalk. It's this fun little boardwalk with rides, shopping and dining. By the time we got two babies and a toddler out the door, we made it to the boardwalk in time for lunch so we ate first then did some of the rides. Mom and Dad opted out of the rides. They chose a shady place to sit, and we all split off from there. I rode the Boardwalk Bullet with Krystle and Kate. It looked like a nice, old, rickety roller coaster. It was totally deceiving! It was fast!!! I was gripping my seat bar the whole ride. It's been awhile since I've been on a roller coaster, but it was worth it. Now I couldn't do a ride without having Jonas join me on one too. I know he won't remember these things, but I want him to know he's always been included. We chose to get on the train. By the time we got off, everyone else was ready to grab some ice cream and move on to our next stop.

Our next stop was Battleship Texas. This was an actual battleship that has since been decommissioned. It sailed during WWI and WWII. It was really cool to board a battleship with my dad. It was fun to hear some of his navy stories as he pointed out things he remembered about his own ship, the USS Tripoli. We all wandered around the ship listening to Papa reminisce before heading across the way to the San Jacinto monument.

Papa's little captain...

Papa's little sailor.

If Papa was serving on this ship, he would have been stationed in the towers behind us.

Kate, Nolan and Nichole

Nolan, Nichole, Alisha, Jonas, Kate, Papa, Krystle, and Camden

After touring the ship, we went to the San Jacinto monument. This monument was built to commemorate the place where Texas won it's independence from Mexico (thus paving the way for the Gadsen purchase). Again, because my dad is such a history buff, this was a must-see stop. It was actually pretty cool. Dad, Jonas and I rode to the top of the monument to look out. We could see the battleship as well as other surrounding harbors. On the bottom floor was a small museum commemorating some of those early Texans who made its independence possible. Once we were finished at the monument, we headed home. This time we were a little more tired and unfortunately, a little sunburnt too! Poor Jonas got his first little burn...but I'm sure it won't be his last.

Dad up at the top

View from the top

Dad with one of his heroes, Sam Houston.

Houston: Day 3

Luckily, we had time to rest yesterday because we were off and running early today! Today we headed to Waco, TX. There is a show on HGTV called Fixer Upper that Nichole and Krystle are obsessed with (ok...obsessed may be a little strong, but they definitely love it!). It's a show about this couple who renovate old homes for people who want to purchase them. I actually watched a couple episodes (to see what the hype is all about) and it's a pretty good show. The couple is really funny, and they are quite talented in what they do. In any case, they operate out of Waco and the wife built a store where she sells her home decor stuff. Nichole couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to the store, which was fine with Dad because Waco has a Dr. Pepper museum and a Texas Ranger museum. It was a win-win for everyone. By the time we got there, there was a line a block long to get into the store. I'm not kidding! Nichole warned us this would be the case (and why she wanted to get there as early as we did), but I didn't believe her until I saw it! Mom and Dad weren't terribly thrilled about waiting for an hour in line to get into a crowded store to wait another half hour or more to check out, so Mom, Dad, Jonas and I walked over to the Dr. Pepper museum that was only 2 blocks away. Another win-win situation! I actually enjoyed going through the museum with Mom and Dad. Mom has always drank Dr. Pepper. When we were kids, we would gauge her mood on how many Dr. Pepper's she would drink a day. Let's just say I'm sure that Dr. Pepper saved our lives some days.

This is the era my parents remember - "I'm a Pepper"

After we perused the museum, we headed back to the Magnolia Market where Nichole and Krystle were still waiting! At least they were almost inside. It was actually a pretty nice day so Mom and Dad found a shady spot in the back of the market by the silos where a little garden had been planted. The market also had a playground and several food trucks in the back. It was actually a pretty little spot. Mom and Dad helped watch Jonas while I helped wrangle Nolan and assisted Nichole and Krystle in battling their way through the store. It was a nice store. There were several home decor items that I liked, but nothing I felt I couldn't find in Utah or have Jeff make. It was lunch time before they finally bought the items they wanted. We took advantage of the food trucks and enjoyed some pizza (pie...because it was 3.14...national pie day) before we left the market to head to the Texas Ranger museum.

The Texas Ranger museum was actually pretty interesting. My dad is a huge history buff and, for whatever reason, he has zeroed in on the history of Texas. I think it's because Texas has always been a pretty independent and proud state. Both my mom and Nichole were born in Texas too. In any case, the Rangers have a very long history in Texas and they are a proud, independent group of men and women. They actually took part in shaping this state. It was quite an informative walk through the museum. Once we finished up there, we headed home to relax for a few hours before bed and before waking up to do it again!