Xmas - Part 2

Finally at the farm, it was time for R&R (with a few minor chores).  Eric took to paddle boarding...

while me and the little one fished.  Caught several small 1/2 lb bass, but nothing large enough to eat.

The weather was gorgeous!  Ashlyn would go on long jogs or study outside while the youngest practiced driving.  She is a teenager now, you know.

Our son bought him a cowboy hat, so I had fun taking pictures of him with my new phone for his snapchat account.

I love the quality of the photos!  He's a great model, too.  These pics could be the next cover of Texas Monthly.

Every evening, the kids would watch the sunset from atop the hay bales.  Sometimes, it also involved yoga...

or other balance positions.

This one was just for fun.

To keep our exercise routines up, we decided to drive into Taylor one afternoon to walk their park. Our son felt challenged to climb this wall.

Click the video to see how well he did.

With five wonderful days in San Gabriel and two in Shiner, it was time to fly home.  Ashlyn still had premier status with United from all her globe travels, so she and a companion (we picked Luke) were upgraded to first class!  

And since the seat next to him wasn't occupied either, he had a place to set his hat.  Ha ha.

Xmas - Part 1

We had the whole family with us this year as we traveled to OKC and Texas.  With the kids being older (and taller), driving for 2 days is a bit uncomfortable.  So we opted to fly...I like how the youngest two took advantage of the massage chairs in the airport.

When we arrived at mom's house, she surprised us with all my aunts & uncles coming over, even cousin Bill!

We then decided to try a bit of polka dancing at Czech Hall.  More cousins came...Julie and Rick (along with his girls Cara and Hannah).  So much fun!

A trip to OKC wouldn't be complete without visiting the land in Piedmont...

having my annual beer with Aunt Marilyn, then burning off a few calories at the park.

I can't believe I never got a picture of Mom and Mike, their beautiful home, or their delicious food they always cook for us.  The short visit then put us on the road to Texas where we met Halie's family.  Here's the cousins... oldest to youngest.

Then one more time but in order of tallest to shortest.  Mine are the bookends!! 

Then back on the road for what else, kolaches!  Like we don't get enough of those already.

And yet one more stop for something unique to Texas.

Will we ever make it to the farm???  A simple 5 hr. car ride took 10 hours.  We still hadn't stopped for groceries.

Teenager!

She's finally a teenager!  This girl has only been talking about it since the day after her 12th birthday.  

She started her morning with breakfast at our usual place.  She wore her "birthday crown" everywhere, by the way.

Her lunch choice was Outback so she could get their kids mac & cheese, although she technically shouldn't order from the kids menu anymore.  

After lunch, it was time for her "Rite of Passage".

First, the blindfold... The goal is to know she can trust us.  But when her dad guides her into the bushes then into the truck, and her sister let her trip over yard lights, not to mention push her in the grass, I'm not sure she'll ever trust her family.

Next, Luke threw a pie in her face...  

At least it was only a paper plate filled with whipped cream.

Last, the task was to eat or drink something she wasn't expecting. Ashlyn made one of her "plant based" smoothie concoctions... kale juice, banana, and kombucha.  The result...no one liked it but Ashlyn.

After she got cleaned up, it was time for the party.  Her cake was not as difficult this year as in year's past.  The request was a pumpkin cake with pumpkin & cream cheese icing and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.

We lit the 13 candles, sang, and she blew them all out on her first attempt.

She read every card out loud and loved them all!  Thank you for thinking of her and sending these.

One last picture of her cards.  Luke is playing with her merchandise in the background.  Not pictured on the other side of the table is her dad, also playing with her stuff while eating her popcorn. 

 Happy birthday, sweet girl!

8-Mile Hike

After Thanksgiving, our priest invited Luke and Ashlyn on an 8-mile hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  She was feeling a little sick, so I took her place.  

You could barely see the trail with all the leaves, so I'm glad Father Jim knew where he was going.  Or at least, that the Holy Spirit would guide us out!

Also on the hike was Krish, a guy who converted to Christianity from Hindu.  He was really interesting to talk with.  His story of conversion was perfect for those hour-long stretches in the woods.  He is the only one in his family who is Christian, and he converted because the faith makes so much sense and in-line with natural law.  It was a neat perspective, and it made me appreciate our Catholic church even more.

After the hike, Father Jim grilled steaks for us along with crackers and cheese.  It was perfect after the big Thanksgiving meal the day before.

NYC - Part 2

The next morning, we hopped on the subway and headed toward Central Park.  Breakfast was at a place called Sarabeth's, and it was really popular with the locals.  They have 5 locations, and it was perfect for the day's itinerary.

The little one got a pumpkin waffle with hot chocolate.  I had coffee and a granola/yogurt parfait.  This place was recommended to me, and I'm glad we tried it.  So good.  

Our main agenda was the Natural Museum of History.  The entrance was one of the iconic scenes from the movie "Night at the Museum".  

Several dinosaur exhibits were on display.

Photo quality wasn't the best inside, but we managed to get a few that turned out okay.

She loved the African exhibit, especially her favorite giraffes.

And the Easter Island exhibit that's also featured in the film.

The museum is next to Central Park, so we spent the rest of the day walking in, out, around, and through this precious green space where you can still hear the sirens and sounds of NY's bustling city.

Here's one of my favorite pictures from the weekend...

The little one enjoyed leading us, because she knew how to get us out. 

She said Central Park was her favorite place of the whole trip.  I have to agree.  We just sat on park benches and big rocks, soaking in the last few rays of daylight before the sun set.

The temperature was dropping quickly, too, so we bundled up and enjoyed the scenery just a bit longer.

As we headed back to catch the subway, we passed by this building.  She didn't know what it was or why I was taking a picture.  Ha ha.  Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and now Jimmy Fallon...TV legends on the Tonight Show.  

NYC - Part 1

Our youngest is turning 13 this year, which means a trip to NYC with mom.  Three kids, three trips!  Each child wanted to see something different, which has made it more fun for me. 

Her trip to the Big Apple began by navigating the public transit system to get to our apartment.  She rode the subway system like a pro!

We stayed at a friend's place in Upper Manhattan, right along Wall Street.  It was a cute place, and saved us about $300 a night!  She had the kitchen full of snacks for us, too!

Since we were in the financial district, I took her on a quick walk to show some iconic sites like the New York Stock Exchange and the bull.

We were only in NYC for two full days, so we got up early the next morning to hit all her highlights.  After looking unsuccessfully for a bagel bakery, we settled for Starbucks.

We took the subway into midtown, then walked to the Museum of Mathematics.  

It was a little more juvenile than she wanted, but it was still fun.  She rode a square-wheeled tricycle....

Powered a magnetic car...

Twisted strings by twirling in a chair...

And used her brainpower to solve tricky wooden puzzles.

The most advanced math at her level was the display of fractals.  This is the concept of never-ending patterns of the same shape, but different scales, like in a mirror maze. 

After the Museum of Math, we decided to walk down Broadway towards our Times Square.  When we passed the Empire State Building she said, "It doesn't look that tall."  Ha ha.  I went to the top with child #2, and yes, it's tall!

We saw a pizza place and decided to grab a bite.  Something about a NY-style pizza heated in a brick oven that you just can beat!

At Times Square, she liked seeing all the TVs on buildings and the people walking around.  No Naked Cowboy or Toys R Us store, though.  That was the experience here with child #1.

Another item on her Must-do list was a Broadway Musical.  She picked "Come From Away", a play about 9/11 from the perspective of passengers who on a flight from Paris to Dallas that morning, but were diverted to land on an island in Newfoundland, Canada in a town called Gander.

This small town of 12,000 people were host to nearly 6,700 travelers and 17 animals from 38 planes who were forced to land due to the terror attacks in the US.  Passengers were not allowed to access their luggage or pets during the 4-day grounding.

The play was AMAZING!  It made you laugh, cry, feel humbled, and hopeful.  Great choice!  We had front-row seats, like only 12" from the stage, and sat next to residents of Newfoundland who flew down just to see this play and visit the 9/11 Memorial.  They had their country's flags with them, so the cast kept coming stage forward to our area throughout the play and giving a special acknowledgement with a nod, gesture, or song dedication.  

We wrapped up the evening with an over-the-top decorated Christmas-themed restaurant called Rolf's.  

Our little one loved the atmosphere, but wasn't a fan of their ham, sausage, potatoes, and sauerkraut.  Basically, she doesn't like German food, and this was a German restaurant.  I thought it was delicious!