Time with Miss Elena

Upon leaving Billings, I took Miss Elena back home with me.  Rhiana and Kyle were taking a much-needed vacation together down to Las Vegas and I was happy to have this little sweetheart all to myself.  Well, I guess not really all to  myself as I had to share with Mister.

She was such a champ with me on the plane and settled down on my chest and went sound asleep.  When she awakened, the gentleman next to us had a puppy in a carrier under the seat in front of us and showed it to Elena.  She got to peek for a few minutes and then was content to let the puppy sleep.  Arriving in Dallas, she was all smiles for Grandpa and very happy to get to the house and settle in.  The next morning -- she and Grandpa were happily having breakfast and letting me sleep in.

We asked ourselves: so now we have this little person -- what shall we do with her?  We have heard about the new Giants of the Savannah exhibit at the Dallas Zoo and figured that was a great place to start.  We decided ahead of time to only go a few places:  the Savannah and the Children's Zoo.  Just outside the Savannah is the Gorilla habitat so we stop and check it out first.  Elena just stood and stared for a long time at the gorilla. She was mesmerized.

Next, onto the Savannah --- one of the displays is a giraffe exhibit where you can interact with and actually feed the animals.  Elena called them "raffes" and was fascinated with them.  There was a baby one that she really liked but couldn't reach.

Grandpa bought her some lettuce to feed and she laughed and giggled as the big black tongue snaked out to grab the food.

She REALLY liked the giraffes and did not want to leave.

Moving over to the Children's Zoo, we stopped in with the birds and let her interact with them for awhile before allowing her to just climb on the playground equipment.  It has been a great day and we have had oh so much fun with this little princess.

The sunshine greets us the next day helping us to make plans.  We decide to try a photo shoot over at the Dallas Arboretum.  I purchased the cutest Easter dress while I was in Billings and brought it back to Texas with me.

She was such a little charm and oh so fascinated with all the gardens.  She was also the perfect model and did whatever we asked.  Several people stopped us and commented as to how wonderful she was being for us.  It really is best to just let the pictures speak for themselves.

She finally got tired of it all --- don't you agree?

Jen and family decided to come up and spend a day while Elena was here so that she could have time with her cousins as well.  Of course, first things first -- She and Grandpa had to make pancake "faces".



Once the cousins arrived, it was definitely play time.  It was so cute to watch her with all her "boys" playing.  She was so funny and loved being with them.

We brainstormed for ideas of something to do and decided on the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park.

The kids all had such a good time seeing and learning about the water creatures there.  It was a great day spent with family.  Good memories for all.

Park day!  We started out after breakfast for a morning filled with swings and climbing.

When we got back to the house, we noticed how big our little peach tree had gotten and decided to take a picture of it to compare with the one we took when it was planted.  Check out the little person in the background.  She thought the hill between our house and the neighbors was just the perfect running hill and went up and down so many times.

Bath time and then bed.  I couldn't believe our time together was over already, but mom had called and wanted her back.  Drat.

It was such a great time with Elena and will be remembered forever.

In this picture, we were booking our flight back.  I had lots of help and was conflicted between enjoying this with her and hating what I was doing.  I did not want to give her back.

Treasured time.

A Trip North For Work and To Steal A Granddaughter

I made a trip north to work in the office and have a few minutes with grands and kids.  I so look forward to these trips.  It is tax time though, and I do not ever look forward to that.  While there, I stayed with Matt and grabbed a few pics of my little ones.  Oh, I wish I could spend each and every day near them.

Fun in San Antonio

Rebekah's soccer team is playing in a tournament in San Antonio giving us the opportunity to combine a family even with  a fun weekend.  Love these moments.  Once we arrive at Jen's hotel, we are soon off to the games.  Bekah is certainly becoming a great soccer player and it is so fun to watch her.  

Mister is getting as many action shots as he can and learning about soccer all at the same time.  When we first met, he had only watched soccer on television and once you attend a live game it makes everything different.  The things that look oh so easy with the pros actually require a ton of cooperation, timing, and skill in addition to one heck of a lot of running.  I love soccer and this takes me back to when my own children were playing.  Oh my -- days where I watched 3 games at once standing on corners of fields so that I could see all directions.  

One of the fun parts of visiting new places is obviously trying new restaurants.  San Antonio is no exception to this and we locate Papoulis Greek Grill.  Yes, this absolutely tasted as good as it looks.

It is time to find the hotel and crash --- tomorrow is a history day.  See ya then.

Everyone knows that if you are going to San Antonio, you have to check out the Alamo and we are no exception to that rule.  Every time I visit here, I am moved by the story and feel the reverence that lives in this building.  We wander the grounds for awhile and listen in on a few of the tour guides as they make their way around the property.

Our history lesson continues at the San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest, continuously operating church in Texas.  It is 280 years old and is also the oldest original building church in the state as well.  It is a magnificent building and I am astounded by the number of patrons it has.  Each weekend, over 5,000 people participate in the masses held here.  Truly Amazing.

We decide to drive the San Antonio Mission Trail and explore the old missions in the area.  After the Alamo, there are four more very close by.

First up:  Mission Concepcion.  Even though it was dedicated in 1755. it is still a beautiful church and looks very close to how it did back then.  It is the oldest unrestored stone church in  America.




The chapel is beautiful in its simplicity and in various places we can still see the al fresco artwork.

Continuing along the route, we come to Mission San Jose.  Founded in 1720 and almost fully restored, it has the nickname "Queen of the Missions" and rightfully so.  What an amazing place.  It is the largest of the missions and very ornately decorated.  While I prefer simplicity, I understand that many love the ornate designs on the older churches.  Just look at the work around this window.  Oh my.  Think of what it  must have taken just to accomplish that.  It boggles the mind.  One of the walls still shows the original painting that was done on the building.  When the restoration is complete, it will be back to what it was then.  Imagine traveling through this vast area and coming across something this colorful --- some might have thought it was a mirage.

Our fourth mission to explore is Mission San Juan Capistrano, not to be confused with the one in California that the swallows love.  This mission has an interesting history in that it was originally founded in 1716 in east Texas and then in 1731 it was moved here.  Read that again.  It was moved here in 1731.  Wow.  How on earth did they do that?  I am in awe.

Our final stop is at Mission Espada, founded in 1690 and making it the oldest mission in Texas.

Now this one exudes simplicty.  I love it.  It has a very small chapel and the bells still ring to announce meetings.  What a delight.  I try and try to picture what it must have been like back then -- not just the work, but the sociality and genuine working together for the better of all within the walls.
There are still people living here today and so many of the areas are off limits to view.  What a great history to be a part of.

There are a few local microbreweries here and Mister wants to check them out.  First up is Blue Star Brewing located in a group of warehouse buildings.  Their selection is good and Mister is pleased with the taste as well.  Next door is Blue Star Bike Shop, a small cycling shop that we peek into and find amazing old bikes, rentals, and some very expensive racing/road cycles.  I think Mister is drooling.  After dinner, we call it a day.  My mind is reeling from the information poured into it today --- time to let it rest.

This morning we are at the Riverwalk.  We ride the tour boats and then walk along the banks until we reach the old Pearl Brewing Co.  Oh my -- these building are incredible.  Just look at the stable!!!  And you thought the Budweiser Clydesdales had it good.  This was in 1894.   We stop in at The New Pearl for a taste and some lunch before we have to start our drive back to Dallas.  What a fun trip this has been.

One last stop on the way home at Freetail Brewing for a quick sampler and we are on the road.  I can't wait to return to San Antonio.  I love it here -- although it is a very large city -- I know, I know this is coming from a lady who lives in the DFW Metroplex, but that seems small compared to here.  See ya later.

Winter Project and SNOW

What to do -- what to do -- what to do??  Oh --- how about a puzzle?  We spent almost a month working on this killer Christmas gift from Mister's mom.  It literally took up the ENTIRE dining room table.

While we were putting the last few pieces in, guess what it was doing outside?  Yep -- 6 inches of snow.  Wow.

Jared's Sixth Birthday

I absolutely cannot believe how old my grands are getting.  Goodness.  First Raef and now, Jared is 6.  We went down to Temple to play and have fun together on his special day.



I think a snowman birthday in Texas is very appropriate don't you? We got him a bug house so that he can watch the bugs he loves to catch for awhile before letting them loose back into the yard to be hunted and caught again.  I have never met anyone who loves bugs more than Jared does.

It was a fun day and I am so glad that Mister and I got to be a part of it.