On Going to the Big D (and I do mean Dallas)

Mom and I drove from Hot Springs and camping last Thursday to Dallas.
Boys Love Maps

We got to visit with my grandma, aunt and uncle, and sweet cousins…

Making friends with “cousin kitty” Rosie
Hang out with friends at the mall,
Explore to the Dallas World Aquarium,

 

Ride the DART to Fair Park to see a few dinosaurs,

I got to cash in on my Christmas present from my sexy-man…
I got to hear (and see) 
Juanes (five rows back from the stage!)

Video taken by my honeyCamisa Negra by Juanes

I chalk it up to the best concert I’ve seen since James Taylor.
(And my man gets major props for being brave enough to let me see this Colombiano hearthrob in person…)

& then on the drive home a stop at IKEA for breakfast!
(Again, I had no camera with me so “Gracias” to mami and Scott for the pics.)

On Spring Break (part 2)

Camping at Lake Catherine in Hot Springs with sweet friends was 
the first “real” part of our Spring Break.
Playing around at the Mid-America Museum

Can you spot my frozen kid? (Can’t keep them out of the water.)

Sweet when they are sleeping

Boating on Lake Catherine

Luna Moth Newly Emerged

Spring -Sprung
When is our next camping trip??

A special thanks to my mom for all the pictures.  I forgot my camera and my phone battery decided to play dead for the trip.  Thanks, mom!
Part 3 Tomorrow!

On Super Surprises

I left for the airport on Thursday thinking I was going to the windy city to tag along on a work trip for my hubby.   I was honestly dreading the wind and COLD temperatures (even went and bought long undies.)   We arrived at the Dallas airport to make the connecting flight and I looked up and saw the gate said “San Diego” instead of “Chicago.”  ???? That’s when he whipped out a jersey that said “THE BIG 40!”… (WHAT?)

Me & My Cali Buds Tailgating

We got to tailgate with my best bud and her hubby and watch the Chargers win!

Misty Del Mar Morning

I didn’t miss the snow a bit, and loved hearing the waves crash on the beach at night (with the windows open!) cappuccinos on the patio,  facials, massages…. Scott spoils me and might regret it now!

Poinsettias In Bloom
 Can’t believe he pulled one over on me. 
My Sweet Man
I think 40 is going to be fine. 

Fall Fun

My kids go to a year-round school, so we are lucky to have a wonderful thing called “Fall Break!” The last week in September to- first week in October we have the entire week off to enjoy life and each other’s company.   This year Scott couldn’t get time off from work and so I took the kids and my mom to the beach with a friend (who’s hubby couldn’t take off either.)  

I’ll admit I was nervous.

  1.  She has four girls all around my kids’ ages, but they didn’t really know each other so I wasn’t sure how they would get along.  
  2. Being in a condo with 7 kids and 3 adults was a little scary by itself.  
  3. I had never been on a vacation without Scott (well, one that was just for fun anyway and not to help mom move or to work.)  

But…

We had so much fun! 

That time is perfect for getting good deals and great weather,

One view from the condo

The kids loved each other,

In the Mouth

Friends

 We saw dolphins every day,

So Cute!

Showing off for the tourists

We only had one trip to the emergency room (due to a friend as big as Flipper-but with sharper teeth,)
  & we had to learn to be still
and relax a little. 

I don’t know about them, but I’m planning our next trip together already!

“Resting” in Vicksburg

On Fun in the Windy City

Navy Pier 
Last week was spent in the windy city, Chicago!  It ended up being a fantastic summer vacation.  
The natives were complaining about the 87 degree weather and we were in heaven 
coming from over 100’s in Arkansas. 

We watched fireworks from Navy Pier (quite on accident.)  We’d walked down to check out the pier about 3 or 4, and found out when we thought about going back for a nap that the pier was closed to anyone else due to crowd control.  Anyway, we stayed and had a great time people-watching and the fireworks show was nice.  This year the city cut the show to 15 minutes due to budget cuts, I guess in the past it’s been an hour long.

Tips if you go:

  • Buy rail passes for the week at the airport (adults price was around $28, kids over 6 were $20 or so and the youngest was free.)  The O’Hare airport has a train that runs right into it, so you can ride into the city without having to get a cab.  It worked well, we were staying close to Navy Pier, so we had one transfer, but it was fine even with kids and luggage. 
  • Wear good shoes!  (You’ll be doing A LOT of walking!) 
  •  Rent bikes (almost anywhere) and you’ll have a blast.  (There are many bike trails and Chicago has so many beautiful things to see that are easy to get to by bike.  They even have segway and bike tours!) 
  Can you believe this is in the middle of the city?
  • Get a membership to your local museum before you go.  (We do this every year and just on this trip we saved over $200 in entrance fees, I think it was only $75 to join our museum as a family.  We also belong to our local Art Museum and Zoo as a family, and many of those are reciprocal.) 
 Museum of Science & Technology
  • Take lots of pictures! (I have too many, why I haven’t posted sooner.)
  • Make sure you have bathing suits or change of clothes for kids in your bag. (I didn’t on a few occasions and from the number of fountains in Chicago you can imagine…)

  • Scavenger Hunts! (Chicago has a great website for the city with scavenger hunts for various areas.  Lots of fun! Also has calendars with events. 

  • Be prepared to wait for pizza.  (Chicago deep dish takes an hour to bake so you’ll wait two hours for pizza.  You can call ahead to some famous places and they will put your name and what you want down on the list. )

  • Explore!