Dance Family: Texas: Week 2 (and some of 3)

On our second Wednesday there we decided to go to Dallas to see 2 of our cousins. We had hoped we'd be able to see them on the weekend, but they couldn't do Saturday and we couldn't do Sunday. Michelle figured out the only time we'd be able to go was if we left that day. So we packed up our things and drove a couple hours to our cousins' house. Richard was out of town, and Doug stayed at Michelle's house because he needed to work. It was so fun to see them. We got there in time for dinner and then slept there that night. The next morning we went to a bouncy house, which the kids loved. Then we went out to lunch to Pei Wei, which I thought was really good. And then we headed back to Michelle's house.

Coleman wishing this ride would actually move :)

There was a train that the kids could ride as much as they wanted. They all loved it.

Jack and Landon, my cousin Brittany's son. It was fun to meet her 2 boys. Her older one was at school while we went to the bouncy place, but the kids loved playing with him the night before.

Michelle actually convinced Coleman to go on the slide. I wasn't wearing any socks, so I wasn't allowed and he usually refuses to go on them. Once he realized it was just a slide, he was moreo kay going down it.

Kenna.

Jackson

Nati went down the slide with Coleman too.

Max and Kallie. It was so fun to meet Max too. He's just a couple months younger than Colie. He was pretty nervous about all the bouncy stuff too. He had fun riding down the slides with Kallie, but didn't want to do it by himself.

Max again.

Jordan, Jackson, and Kenna wanted their picture with the giant gorilla.

Nati and Max.

On Friday we went on a hike to Hamilton Pool. It's a natural pool. It had e. coli so we had to be careful not to touch the water. I was kind of grossed out by the fact e. coli was in the water :) But none of us got it even though we were walking in puddles.

Kenzie. Anytime she wears her crocs in dirt or rocks or sand or anything that is small she gets stuff in her shoe and has to get it out. It drives her crazy that it's in there. It kind of drives me crazy to always have to help her take it out, unless there's a nice place for her to sit and do it herself :)

Michelle.

Coleman was my walking buddy. It was really pretty hike.

He started posing like this for pictures. I'm not sure why...

Michelle and all the kids except Kenzie and Colie are on the rocks.

Doug and Kenzie

Doug and Kenzie walking through the little space in the rocks.

Jackson.

Jack and Kenna.

Michelle.

Cute Nati.

On Saturday we went to San Antonio to see the Alamo and the river walk. Doug had the camera for this trip... My pockets weren't big enough for the camera :)

Nati, Shell, Kenzie, Kenna, Colie, me.

All of us again, with Richard though this time.

Us walking around the Alamo.

Jack and Kenna

Kenna, Jordan, Kenzie, Nati

Kenzie on a cannon.

This picture makes me laugh :) Jordan's has a funny face and Nati's smiling so cute in the background.

Another funny one :)

There's a river that runs though the town and there's a lot of restaurants around it and boats in it. It felt like we were in Italy. Or at least what I think Italy would look like, since I've never been :)

Michelle and me.

The kids were getting tired of walking.

Nati helping me push Coleman. He's pretty particular about who pushes him. If anyone else tries to he yells "mommy push" over and over again and sometimes cries. He doesn't mind if other people help me though.

The cute kids. I'm not sure why Jordan has a grumpy face.

The kids again...

and again... I like looking at their different facial expression in each picture. Jordan was full of them that day :)

Silly faces.

There were horses pulling carriages. The kids thought that was pretty cool.

After getting some ice cream we walked back through the Alamo to find a bathroom. We also found this log that the kids thought looked like a great place for a rest.

Napping Kenzie :)

Colie didn't like laying down very much.

Sleeping Jordan.

Mackenzie loves listening and singing to music in the car. She is always asking me to turn it louder and to turn on certain songs if we're listening to a cd. But on the way home, it must have been to loud for her and so she plugged her ears :) She didn't want to look at me for a picture though.

But I snuck one between my seat and my headrest :)

I tried to get a picture of Jordan and Jackson and Kenzie put her hand up.

Then Colie did it. :)

Nati's preschool teacher was so nice and let Kenzie go to preschool with her. Kenzie loved it!

Nati all ready for preschool.

The kids were playing the piano all the time. Except nap time. We had a no piano during nap time rule. But other than that someone was almost always playing. Michelle printed off a bunch of Christmas songs and they loved playing them.

Richard found some bunny's while doing yard work in his neighbor's yard (I think...) He caught them and put them in a basket. The kids were so excited. Kenna wanted to keep them forever. But Richard had her let them go before we left for Florida at the end of the week. Both bunnies ended up dying while we were away. Probably because it was freezing at night :(

We went to a fun place called Rolly Polly. It's a gymnastics place and also has some other things. The kids loved it!

Michelle about to do a flip.

Michelle mid-flip :) I did one a little later and was so dizzy afterwards.

Nati about to rope swing.

Kenzie on the roller coaster.

Colie loved this!

Jordan, Shell, Nati, Jackson.

Colie.

Jackson swinging.

Kenzie after landing from the bar swing.

Colie swinging on the bar.

They loved playing in the foam blocks pit.

At the end they let the kids ride on the zip line. This is Nati.

Jordan had been wanting to do it the whole time.

Jackson.

The worker (who I think owns the place) was throwing the kids in the air into the foam blocks. This is Jackson.

Kenzie.

Kenzie being thrown.

Colie bouncing on the ball. He loved doing this.

Nati, Kenzie, Jack watching tv on Michelle's bed.

Nati and Kenzie. I thought we should have gotten a picture of Doug and Richard like this too :)

Jack and Jordan both ended up with fevers that day. They both went to sleep around 5:30 or 6. Jack woke up for a little bit arounf 7, but went to bed when the other kids went to bed. Jordan woke up once in the night around 4. He asked me when it was going to be morning. It kind of seemed like he'd been awake for awhile, probably waiting to hear his cousins getting up. The next day though, they were both doing great.

Kenzie got a hold of my camera... I deleted most of the pictures she took, but I kept these one:

Michelle.

Bentley. When we were first arrived at Michelle's house Kenzie saw Bentley and kept commenting on how he used to be big, but now he's smaller. But she really just grew a lot since she last saw him. She wasn't even 2 then. She was so scared of him then. When they lived in Oregon, they'd bring him up here when they'd come visit and he'd stay at my parents' house. Kenzie would want me to hold her whenever we got there. Even after they would go back home (and after they moved to Texas) she would still want me to carry her inside or hold her as soon as we got inside because she was afraid of him :)

Jack and Kenna playing school.

Coleman.

Jordan and Nati jumping on the trampoline.

Nati and Jordan again. The kids loved jumping. They did almost every day it was warm outside (we had a lot of cloudy/cold days while we there... we were hoping for it to be in the 70s the whole time so we were a bit disappointed) Coleman loved jumping too, but he hated whenever anyone else would jump while he was on it. He would scream. By the end of the trip he was doing a lot better with the others jumping as long as they were jumping softly and not too close to him.