Mini Vacation in Houston, TX

 

We had originally planned on going to Lego Land in California this summer.  Then decided we would wait one more year for Cody to grow just a little.  I know he will want to go on all the rides with his brother, but may not be big enough.

We opted to do a couple of mini vacations and stay-cations instead.   So, this past weekend we headed off the Houston, TX. 

                      

One of our customers- the J.W. Marriott- gave us a weekend voucher for their hotel.  Can we say Yaaa Hooo!  What could be better than a free weekend stay at an awesome hotel!?  That would be the free breakfast they indulged us with.  Nice!

The view from our room was – well, a girls dream view!

That’s right- the Galleria Mall is right across the street!  SWEET!

 

The boys love staying at hotels.  It is really the only time we (ok- “I”) let them bounce on the beds and get a little silly and have pillow fights. 

 

 

They had so much fun.  Then of course there was – ta da- room service.   You know- the “magic phone” calls for the food and it arrives, and you don’t even have to get out of bed.  Dad does that, when he answers the door and lets the yummy food into the room.

 

And of course you must always swim in the pool- on the 5th floor.  That sort of un-nerved me.  The 5th floor, really?  I think I would have felt better about it if we weren't on the 3rd floor.  I kept thinking about how heavy water is, what would happen if, and exactly where is our room in comparison to the pool…you know what I mean.  But room service did make it better.

 

 

 

 

Since we were in Houston, we hit up a bakery supply store and of course we had to check out the NASA Space Center.   This week is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing!  What perfect timing!

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The boys loved the Star Wars section!  I mean, come on- who wouldn’t?  And then- there he was!  Anakin- I mean Darth Vader!  Actually, I believe my first words upon seeing him was “GASP!  Anakin! sigh”  The boys reminded me that he was now Darth Vader…but to me he will always be sigh… Anakin…sigh.

There was the usual NASA stuff, rovers, space modules, interactive computer screens and so much more.

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Then there it was.  The play land!  AAAAAAHHHHHH, did you hear the angels singing?  (It was in Dolby surround sound *wink*)

The boys played there for what (to me) seemed like hours- twice.  Thank goodness for Facebook Mobil~

 

We had a really fun time at NASA.  I also found out that space men really like McDonalds! He didn’t even get out of his space suit to grab some fries to go. 

 

So, if you are ever in Houston, you should definitely stay at the J.W. Marriott on Westheimer.  (now my favorite street in all of Houston- food …shopping-it’s all there!)  

And also check out NASA Space Center too.

4th of July Memorial

 

 

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July.  This 4th we celebrated the life of my FIL- Pablo San Martin Sr.  My wonderful MIL has been grieving for almost 6 years and has finally decided to move on with her life.  My FIL’s wishes were to be cremated and to be scattered in his beloved Hill Country.   We got everyone together for the celebration.  There were tears and laughter, story telling and a sense of peace all around us.

    

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

After the memorial, we headed to our cousins place on the Frio River.  Since we haven’t had much rain, it was a little low-but the boys had a great time splashing around. 

        

Now everyone always asks “Why do you take so many pictures of Cody?” 

Here is the reason why:  Ian is almost 10 now. 

Apparently around this age boys develop a fear of the camera.  I believe it comes from a pre-puberty gene forming called the – “I’m too cool for this anymore”-gene.  He used to LOVE having his picture taken!  Talk about supermodel!  He loved the camera.  I have disks and external hard drives full of Ian doing EVERYTHING.  But now…sadly- not so much.

Here are some examples of what I am talking about.

Cody- he loves the camera.

Ian- not so much…

I had to beg him to move his hand.

 

Then just when I finally get Ian to cooperate…Cody will do silly things in the pictures.  See-just like this.

I had to bribe Ian for this picture.  No really!  I told him he could load his gun and go shoot some cans. 

When in the Hill Country- you must shoot your gun!  They have a ton of fun shooting their guns.  The second anyone mentions going to the Hill Country- the boys start grabbing their guns and heading for the car. 

 

 

My BIL Roberto is a master marksman – and showed the boys a few pointers.

 

Here is another example of how silly Cody can be.

Here- he doesn’t see the camera pointed in his direction…

 

And here- well, you see what I mean.

Yup. All they need is their guns…and Nintendo DS. 

As you can see in these next photos…Cody can’t seem to put his DS down.  No, not even to roast a marshmallow.  What a talented guy!

Now if could only use this talent for good.  Hmmm- maybe like cleaning his room?  I know, wishful thinking.

We had a great time with family and friends! 

We celebrate our Freedom & Independence today in so many ways! 

A special Thanks for all who have served in our military-we appreciate all you do for us!

 

A day at the Park!

 

My youngest sister came for a visit a couple of weeks ago.  While she was here we went to a great park close to the house.  Live Oak Park in Live Oak, TX. 

The boys love to come to this park. This is a fun park with 2 playground  areas, a frisbee golf course, a basketball court , ducks, turtles and a small lake to fish at. 

The boys were glad to have their cousin Ephraim with them- it evened out the boy/girl ratio.  At least for a little bit.

 

Cody of course is too much like me for his own good.  He is quite the ham when it comes to taking pictures.

Ian is of course just like his Dad and sometimes has to be “paid off” to do a photo opt. 

 

It was a little hot out, but we had a great time.  We went back to my sisters house to cool down.  The kids had a great time playing the Wii while we caught our breath. 

Happy Times….Happy Times!