Everyone was up early, and ready to get outside. Who doesn't love throwing rocks in the water?
From there, we moved on to fishing! The girls were not sure they wanted to touch the fish they caught, but who can blame them?
I love the puddle jumpers!
We were so proud of Aubrey for riding in the golf cart! I had to get a picture of her, because this took lots of convincing! She was very unsure about it the first few times we took it out, and then she finally decided she wanted to ride, and help drive. I thought the girls both looked so cute with their Daddy!
Aubrey was very proud to be hanging on the monkey bars!
Ryleigh did it for a second, and then her arms started hurting. You can tell by the look on her face!
Swim time! Ryleigh loved it when Rod through her up in the air! I think his arms must of been sore the next day!
Tam and I with Carly
Mom and Dad
Ryleigh and Isabelle playing together
Aubrey had fun digging too!
Zack and Rod
Breanne and Lori
Rod and I
Aubrey and Laci were making "food"
Ryleigh with Carly and Ellee
Group shot of the kids
We finished up the trip with S'mores! Right before we started making them, there was an ambulance that came out to the lake. (A little boy had fallen on a hill.) Aubrey was so worried about it, and so frightened by the sirens, she no longer wanted to be outside. We convinced her to come outside right before we left.
Ryleigh needed no convincing!
Neither did Carly!
Everyone had such a fun time, I think it will probably be a trip we do annually!
Swim Time!
One of my neighbors let us use their community pool! We invited Kate and Carly to join us too. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, which was so nice.
San Antonio Family Trip
Rod and I had been eager to go on a family trip for quite some time. The last couple of years have been a little crazy, so we had to put that idea on hold. In August, we decided to make it happen! We've been on little trips with the girls in the past, but never just with our family. We definitely were due for a family vacation, and it was such a memorable, wonderful trip. The girls were beyond excited! I did find it necessary for the girls to match every single day. I couldn't help myself!
On the road.....
The girls did really well on the road trip. They were getting restless towards the end of the drive, but overall I thought they did great. They were so cute about carrying in their suitcases. They both wanted to pull their own up to our room. It was such a priceless moment.
Such big girls!
Yay! We made it to our room! The first night we spent unloading, ordering room service, and night swimming.
Does that look good or what?
The girls were dressed and ready to swim. As soon as we were done eating, we headed down to the pool!
The pool was so pretty at night. There were blue lights on many of the trees, and lights all around the pool. The girls loved it, and so did we! Bedtimes, naptimes, etc.. all got put on hold. The girls got to stay up late every night, and loved every second of it!
First day!
When we walked out into the hallway each morning, typically the maids had the vacuum out as well as towels, cleaning supplies, etc. The girls would get so frightened by this! They would both say, "I'm scared of the vacuum." (Even though the vacuum wasn't plugged in.) Either Rod and I would each be holding one of them, or I would have one in each arm. They crack me up!
The Alamo
The Alamo was not all that interesting to a 2 year old and 4 year old, but we figured it was all part of the experience.
On the Riverwalk!
We walked and walked on the Riverwalk, till we found Casa del Rio. We had definitely worked up an appetite by the time we got there. The food and atmosphere were both wonderful. Rod knows that Mexican food makes his girls happy!
Back at our hotel for swimming and s'mores! (One of the many things we loved about our hotel!) Aubrey and Ryleigh each took turns cooking their marshmellows with Daddy.
I don't think Aubrey and Ryleigh enjoyed it very much! Ha!
I love these three people so much!
Sea World here we come!!!
We headed straight for the dolphins as soon as we got there. It was the perfect way to start the day! We went during the off season, so it wasn't that crowded at all. Rod was able to walk on to a couple of rides, which was nice.
Aubrey was not a fan of the first show. The people in costumes made her a little uneasy. Afterwards she said, "I don't like this place. I want to go home." Yikes. Her face says it all.
Sesame Place at Sea World
The Sesame Place area really is a neat addition to Sea World. I thought it was such a fun environment for kids. We knew Aubrey was not going to be a fan of all the costumes, but she was terrified of all the characters. I would imagine they looked enormous to her. I had a hard time knowing the best way to handle the situation. I truly thought she would warm up to it, if we kept our distance from them. Ryleigh wasn't afraid, but she wasn't quite sure what to think of them either. She looks so little next to Big Bird!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture!
She was quick to move away after this picture was taken, but she sure did look precious for the photo!
Playing on the playground!
Time for the Shamu Show!
Ryleigh and Aubrey both enjoyed this show quite a bit! It was Aubrey's favorite part of the day.
It made me so happy to see Aubrey smile! We found a show she liked!
Ryleigh crashed quickly after the show was over. (Both of the girls get really rosy cheeks when they are hot, just like Rod!)
We knew Ryleigh was SO TIRED, but we also didn't want her to miss out on the Splash Park. She had a hard time waking up at first, but I think she was happy we did!
Aubrey spent the majority of the time in the stroller. She was very anxious that some of the characters were going to come where she was.We assured her they were not going to be coming to the Splash Park, but she wasn't so sure. Poor girl!
We ended the day with one more stop at the Dolphin Cove. They loved watching the dolphins swim around.
After two busy days in San Antonio, we decided to take a day to sleep in, go out to breakfast, swim, and eat somewhere fun for dinner. It was such a relaxing day. Cracker Barrel got our day started off right! The pancakes were some of the best pancakes I have ever eaten! The waitress found it funny that instead of ordering my meal with hash browns, I substiuted it for mash potatoes and gravy. Probably not a typical breakfast order. When she realized I was pregnant, she thought it made more sense.
Aubrey and I had fun playing with the checkers.
Sweet girls!
The girls loved jumping in the pool over and over again. They were so proud of themselves!
Our hotel had multiple pools, as well as a kiddie pool that was perfect for kids Ryleigh's age.
Such pretty views too!
Mexican food again! I had done some internet searching, and had heard that La Hacienda Los Barrios was a good place to eat. It also had a playground for kids, which definitely was a bonus!
We got to enjoy our meal outside with live music! I loved it!
Second Day of Sea World!
We started off with the Sea Lions!
Ryleigh tried to kiss as many stuffed animals as she could in the gift shop. She was so adorable, so I tried not to panic about all the germs!
Family Photo!
The Sea Lion Show was really cute!
Aubrey knew what to expect at Sesame Place this time, so that helped quite a bit! We took them both to the playground for some play time! It took Aubrey sometime to feel comfortable leaving the stroller. The poor girl kept looking up above to make sure none were making their way down.
After being there about 15 minutes, she took the plunge, and got out to play. I was so proud of her!
The last show we went to was the Sesame Street Show. We figured we could just leave if they didn't like it, but they both loved it! In fact when Aubrey saw Zoe walking around she said, "She's so pretty." (She still wanted to keep her distance though)
Notice the hand in Aubrey's mouth? Her nervous habit!
We ended our time at Sea World with ice cream. Rod and Aubrey were two happy people!
Ryleigh was asleep, so she missed out!
One last trip to Dolphin Cove.....
You would not believe how much stuff we packed for the week. I wanted to make sure the girls had options of things to do while we were in the hotel. It was a pain to pack, but it was worth the effort!
Ryleigh's bed!
Morning Hair!
Aubrey's bed!
I love these moments......
Goodbye San Antonio! This trip is always going to hold a special place in my heart. It was such great family time for all of us. I am sad it's over. Despite some of Aubrey's fears at the time, she now looks at some of the videos and says that she wants to give Zoe a hug next time she sees her. She says things like, "She's so pretty. I want to give her a hug next time.." etc.. I guess we will have to see! I am glad that she feels that way! I know that creating some of these memories as a family are so important. I am glad we had the opportunity to go and share in the experience together.
Hello Longview!
The girls were so, so excited to be in Longview. We had to pull over at one point so the girls could run around, but overall they tolerated the drive well.
Swinging time!
Aubrey and Ryleigh loved having another little girl to play with for the day. (Candice and Jose's niece)
My attempt at getting a photo of all of them looking failed!
Another major bonus of being in Longview, is feeding the ducks in the pond!
The pink ladies!
I love this picture of Ryleigh! She looks so adorable in her pink towel!
I couldn't resist taking a picture of the girls after church. They looked so cute!
Group shot!
After a week of traveling, we headed back home. It was the perfect way to end our vacation!
August ended with a roommate reunion! Remember this house? We weren't sure we were going to get to see our old house, since it was a gated community. The guard was really nice, and let us through to get a quick pic! I have lots of fun memories here. Not only do I have lots of fun roommate memories, but Rod and I played hide and seek here, had lots of deep, late conversations here, and this was the last place I lived before getting married! It's hard to believe it's been nine years..........
Love you girls!
