A Week in Houston

We got there late Saturday night, August 1st. It was so good to know we were going to be (mostly) out of the car for a whole week. This was the first time I'd seen my parents home/apartment that they're in. And actually they've recently moved again, so we'll have to go back next year :). It was great to be there though and listen to my dad conduct family scripture study and prayers like he did every single day that I can remember. He is a great man. My mom always makes her home so lovely and welcoming and is always so happy to see us all. I love my parents so much and I love that my kids can get to know their grandparents. Kenny only got to stay that one night. We went to church the next morning and then I took him to the airport. I was so sad to see him go. 

Honestly I can't even tell you how many hours the kids spent catching lizards. At one point I think they had 10 in a big bug-catching jar. Eva, Tyler, Leighton, and Brynlee were the main lizard catchers. They were outside all the time. They tried to catch the squirrels too, but it never worked ;). Glad they found something to keep them busy AND outside. On Monday we went to La Porte, TX to play at the beach! We had such a fun time but holy cow it was hot! The sand literally burned your feet if you walked on it without shoes. It was crazy. My kids and I all got sunburned even though i put sunscreen on us. My cousin Charlotte came with her kids too which was SO fun to see them. I just love her.

 Funnest grandma in the world. Seriously.

 L to R: Cami, Steph, Charlotte, me, Sarah. 

 Our whole group! Minus Cami (who took the picture) and Max, whom she was holding.

 One night my mom pulled out some glow sticks and they had fun waving them around like crazy.

The rest of the week we did a whole lot of swimming and a few different pools! My kids are not very good swimmers, as we haven't had a lot of opportunities to swim. Even when we go "swimming" it's mostly just playing around at the lake, and they can always touch the ground. So it was an adjustment for them, mostly just for the girls. Tyler felt pretty comfortable. But the others all wanted to wear floaties. After many days Brynlee finally took them off. With her I think it was more of a confidence thing. But anyway, it was fun to watch them experience that and slowly get more comfortable in the water.

One night we went to Ben and Charlotte Allosp's for dinner. It was a blast. Her mom, my aunt Jana, was also in town. Oh I love spending time with them. Such a great family and our kids got along really well, especially Brynlee and Troy (below). Charlotte is a great example to me.

 Above: crafting with Grandma. Below: watching a movie all together.

 Unfortunately for us, and the rest of Houston, we had to go shopping a few times to get stuff for the wedding. It was quite an ordeal! So many children. The picture above was actually when we were shoe shopping and Steph got a call that some stranger had Dean, her youngest. Thank goodness he had memorized her cell phone number! It was a great reminder to me to teach that to all of my kids, area code included! I made up a little jingle with my phone number, but not the area code. So we'll have to work on that. This picture below was really funny. Poor Tyler, (Cami's husband) he was the only man there with what looked like sister-wives, no doubt! 1 man, 3 women and 10 kids out to eat at a restaurant. Now that's one big, happy family! :)

I was so glad we got to spend some time down there in Houston! I only wish I had Kenny with me the whole trip because I was exhausted and we were only halfway down with our trip at this point! But quality time with my sisters, and for my kids to have that with their cousins--that's just so important to me, so it was definitely worth all the work, money, and sacrifice.