Texas family vacation

Texas Hill Country.  

T and I arrived in San Antonio first.  We picked up the minivan and headed out to find a brewpub for lunch.  After several unsuccessful attempts, we found a place with both ice cold beer and food. Ah, vacation started.

We picked up the rest of the family at the airport upon arrival and headed out to hill country - somewhere between San Antonio and Austin.

Someone fit right in ....

Since it was a month or so ago, and I didn't write anything down, I may not accurately remember all the specifics.  I'll try my best.

The warmest weather was the first few days we were there, so naturally we spent some time at the pool.  The kids loved it ....I think the adults kind of did too, considering the winter we had.

Easter Sunday some of us golfed at a course nearby - Canyon Lake.  The condition of the course and rental clubs were questionable, but it was nice to be out on the course.

Most nights we had games of scratch, and some other normal activities ....like trying to balance a pineapple on your head.

Another nice day came along, so the guys decided to play golf at a nice course, The Bandit, while the gals explored a nearby town, Gruene.

Gruene is the home of the oldest dance hall in Texas.   And a super tasty restaurant, The Gristmill. Did I mention that I ate ALOT of BBQ while in Texas?

After lunch, we explored the town more.  It is clear that everything is bigger in Texas.

T looooves The Bandit.  We went back and played it again later in the week.

A rainy day came along so we decided to head to Austin.  But first we stopped for more BBQ at the world famous The Salt Lick BBQ.

With full bellies, we headed in to Austin.  We checked out the State Capital, both inside and out, where there was a Sea World exhibit.  Cool!  Then we headed over to 6th Street and saw all the music venues.

Another rainy day?  Another city to explore:  San Antonio.  The rain was really coming down, so we headed to lunch along the Riverwalk.  Luckily it let up a bit after lunch, so we headed to The Alamo and spent some more time along the Riverwalk before heading back home.

The last day, T and I golfed The Bandit (where I scored a 95) and the rest of the gang headed to Sea World.

....and that's all folks.  A great vacation in a pretty sweet spot.  There's definitely more to explore in those hills.

Confirmation

After several months of meetings and preparation, T celebrated confirmation at Annunciation.

The service was in the evening, and it ran long.  The kids were amazingly good.  It truly was a celebration ....T and the kids had ice cream afterward :)

kids + indoor waterpark = winter fun

We met up with Jen, Kenny and the boys in WI Dells for a nice winter break weekend.

Before we left, the kids helped frost and decorate cupcakes for Evan's Bday celebration.

Oh, they taste tested them too!  Notice the green and gold frosting choice :)

We arrived in the Dells with enough time for the kids to run around the condo like bananas before heading to the one of the indoor waterparks before dinner.  During the run around time, Sully managed to run head on into an entertainment center and split open his head (which we discovered later and required a trip to urgent care ....where they told us they could put in a stitch, but then wouldn't be able to swim.  Uh, what?  That makes for a lousy waterpark weekend).  So we all soldiered on without the stitch.

The kids played really well together.

Friday night (after urgent care) we had pizza.  Yum.  And played.  The kids were exhausted.  

Saturday it started all over again.  Waterpark until lunch, Sully napped, then back to the waterpark. The Wilderness Resort has a pretty great set up for a winter getaway.  

We learned from Jennifer how to play Jenga.  Harper learned quick and played against T making a super Jenga tower!

Sully went down the water slides more times than anyone else.  We discovered this was because he became an expert at cutting to the front of the line.  While it was funny sometimes, we did talk to him about waiting his turn.  ...he thought that was much less fun.

We celebrated Evan's bday with cupcakes on Saturday night.

All weekend, the kids enjoyed building blanket forts. 

Lots of fun was had by all.  And hopefully we will do it again next year.

The kids certainly had fun together....

Just a random day in March....

this scene takes place alot at our house.....

winter weekend at the cabin

We arrived on Friday in time to grab Friday Fish Fry at Summit Lake.  MMMmmmm.

The weather was good on Saturday.  Lots of winter activities -- sledding, xcountry skiing, snow shoeing, etc.

Sunday the weather was not as nice, so it is good that we played so much on Saturday.

I don't remember all the details, but I'm sure there was wine and lots of games of Scratch.

March wasn't the only month that disappeared....

I am going to try and catch up.

...among other things.

Brevity.

March: the great disappearing month...

I'm not sure what happened.

Wait, now I remember....

After arriving back home from Vegas, we attended an Improv "recital for one of T's friends that took and Improv workshop.  It was a fun time, and interesting to see the students at work!

Then I think we had a lazy weekend with the kids when they returned from vacation.