Jon and Jake - Days 1&2

Now  that we have the boys -- what shall we do with them?

Well, we know that they have to eat and that "we" will require some down time during their stay so I guess food and quiet entertainment is in order.

We make a stop at Half Price Books hoping to discover the next book in the series they are reading, but no luck on that front.  Instead they wander around until they find books they are interested in and we also discover a Big Bang Theory game to purchase.  Yep, a successful trip.  Jon had requested a stop at the Lego store in the mall so that is our next destination.

Upon arriving there, the boys spot tall mechanical sculptures that grab their curiosity until they discover where the power source is.  They are successful in this endeavor as well.

I am not able to stop at the mall without a peek at the turtles so in order to humor Gammy, that is our next little side trip.  Gotta love the little guys -- oh, and my grands too.

Once I have my turtle fix, we are off to the Lego store with a brief hand dip in the fountain.  Apparently I am not the only one who loves fountains -- or is it just that kids love water and any opportunity to put a part of their body into it?  Unless of course I am asking them to shower.  Then it is a chore.

We spend a short amount of time in the Lego store as it does not really have the items that Jon is interested in.  I need to find a place here in Dallas that does so that when he comes to visit we can go there and spend quite a bit of time.

I am hungry and we need to buy groceries so I make Central Market the final destination.  We select lunch and relax while eating.  We actually sit there for such a long time visiting that I no longer want to buy groceries and we go home.  I know, what a wimp I am.  It was a great time with them though.

After a small rest at home, we decide to go to Cane Rosso for dinner.  The new location near White Rock makes it a much simpler venture out than it used to be.  It turns out to be happy hour and we get both pizzas for the price of one --- yay!  They boys enjoy watching the pizzas made while laughing and giggling with each other.  There is a fountain feature outside and, yep, hands in water again.

On the way home, Mister stops at a small park for the boys to burn off some energy.  It is overlooking the lake and Mister and I watch the parrots in the trees as they boys play.  Jacob had Jon swinging so fast in the tire swing that it made me dizzy just watching.  They climbed and played and laughed the whole time.  I don't think you ever get too old for playgrounds.  Time to head home and call it a day as we have planned to go to the Summer Adventures at Fair Park tomorrow.

It is a new day and we are up and going before it gets too hot.  The Summer Adventures at Fair Park includes not only unlimited rides, but also admission to the Children's Aquarium and the Discovery Butterfly House.  First stop:  the aquarium.  This is getting to be a regular stop with the grands, but no matter what age -- they all seem to love it.  From touch tanks to feeding stingrays, they are both eager to learn.  We are fortunate to be there early and have some one on one time with the staff.

At the stingray tank, one staff member has discovered a tooth in the tank and shows it to the boys.  Even Grandpa and I are fascinated by it.

Then it is time to touch and play with the stingrays themselves.  What a great opportunity this is.

We wander through the tanks and spot our little babies from a previous trip.  They are getting so much bigger, but mama is still on high alert.

It is time to ride.  The park is open now and we are up, up, and away.  Literally.  The Texas Star takes us 212 feet up to a great overlook of the city.

Now to let the boys loose.  They are told that they can ride whatever they want as many times as they want and they took that to heart.

I think they are crazy.  Mister and I both opted out of this one.  They choose to ride this one several times.  Ugh.

I will let the pictures talk for themselves here.

He almost made it before the water came on.  As you can tell, we have no lines to deal with and everything is clean and well done.  This is a great event here in Dallas.  We even have opportunities for relaxation while waiting to ride the park's newest permanent ride, the Top of Texas Tower.  There is not a line, we just have to wait for it to come back down.

Ah, it is our turn now.  The tower is 500 feet tall and has an incredible view.  The only place higher in Dallas is Reunion Tower, which is in a perpetual state of closed.

Mister is able to get some great shots of the city and especially the cotton bowl.  What a great ride and it is air conditioned as well.  Nice relief.  I can see many state fair attendees lining up for this one in September.  This was the perfect time to experience it.  No lines, no rush, no noise.  Excellent.  Yep, that is the Texas Star that we were in earlier.  Makes it look small now.

Dallas skyline through the window.  Not ideal, but not horrible either.

They boys and I find a karaoke spot and give our best effort to Amazing Grace.  Towards the end I have to giggle as I hear Mister providing backgrounds.  At the very end, Jon does the same thing and then blushes incredibly even though he hits it perfect.  Yep, there is a bubble house too.  They made two trips through this one.




Yes, even though the pictures do not show it, Gammy and Grandpa rode several of the rides.  Grandpa rode many more than I, but then he is much braver.

We find a great little niche to sit in and enjoy the shade while the boys run amok.  Yep, we just let them go to ride to their hearts content after we had made the entire round with them once.

After a short time, Jon comes and asks if Grandpa will give the Viper a go with him.  Being the saint that he is, he says yes.

I watch them start out and then retreat back to our little alcove with my cold water and nice adirondack chair.

The boys then take off again for another round of rides.  When Jon returns, he is done.  Yep, he rode until he made himself queasy.  And I can't stop giggly at him.  Self inflicted.

We decide that it is time to walk over to the Butterfly House before returning home.  Mister and I have not been here before either and I am really excited to see it.  Jon decides to miss this stop and waits in the lobby with his head down.  From the moment we open the doors into the greenhouse, we are surrounded by beautiful butterflies.  Oh my, it is incredible.  Jacob appears to have the magic touch as one takes a ride on his finger.

I cannot believe how many are in here and how many varieties.  Mister and I lose track of the number, we just keep spotting different ones and showing them to each other.  It seems as though they are just waiting for a picture to be snapped before taking flight.  I could literally sit in here for hours watching them.  We catch a couple performing a mating ritual -- very cool.

Outside

Inside

As is said, they like Jacob.  We spot one of the beautiful Blue Morphos and after getting a picture, I help Jacob slowly approach it.  The butterfly takes flight but when I turn around, it has landed on Jacob.  How cool it that?  This has been a great day but as with all good things, it must end.  We are beat and oh so hot.  Even the boys just want to lay down somewhere cool.




One of the requests that Jacob had for this visit was to cook each evening and I decided that it was best to do this with desserts.  Tonight we are making White Chocolate Mousse Party Horns made with puff pasty.  They may look a little funky, but they taste magnificent and the boys learned a lot in working with them.  So did I and would like to try making them again sometime.

We even made one for Uncle Scott who has been working like crazy the past week.  Aunt Cassie is in Florida again so he is on his own.

Such a fun day!  What shall we do tomorrow?