Family Pictures 2013

Here's a sneak peak at family pictures we took in May at Festival Hill. These were taken by Kathlyn Dragna. Definitely recommend her if you are looking. 

The Greatest Show on Earth

Two weeks ago we headed to Reliant Stadium for the Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey "Dragons" Circus. This was the kids 1st trip to a circus much less the stadium itself. It was an experience to say the least.

"Pet" Turtles

Both kids got a pet turtle at the Brenham Maifest in 2012. Since then they have made their home in our fish aquarium. Long story short these turtles have outgrown their home and no fishes seem to survive in the same environment, so it was time to find a new home. The week before we left on vacation we told the kids to say goodbye and they agreed to release them into our tank at the house.

Day 7

Day 7 was bittersweet to say the least. We woke up to fairly clear skies and no rain in site. Of course it was our day to check out and head home. If only you could predict mother nature. We were loaded and on the road by 9:00 am. We crossed the Alabama state line at 11:00 am and the Mississippi state line an hour later. By 1:00 pm we crossed the Louisana state line. We stopped for the first time just before Hammond, La. for a potty break and lunch. Our second stop of the trip was in Lake Charles, La. for gas and potty. By 5:30 pm we were officially back in Texas. Our third and final stop was in Beaumont, Tx. for supper and potty. We pulled into our driveway at 8:59 pm, exactly 12 hours (11 hours driving) and 724 miles later. It was a FABULOUS TRIP home. The traffic was manageable with intermitent rain showers and the kids for once controlled their behavior, for the most part.   

The view Sunday morning as we said goodbye.

Dalton was not ready to say goodbye, hence the mad face. Mallory on the other hand was ready to get home but wanted nothing to do with taking a picture. Guess she really was ready to go.

Mallory read to us during the trip home.

Of course Dalton stayed occupied by video games.

Mallory fell asleep shortly after we hit the road.

But after lunch she was full of it.

Then by mid afternoon the car was quiet.



Day 6

Day 6 was our last full day and was a day of hope. We had rescheduled both of our adventures. That morning I called Airboat Adventures to confirm we were still on. We got dressed and headed out only to find rain and more rain. Of course, by the time we got through traffic because apparently everyone leaves on Saturday morning, the skies had opened up and it was a full downpour once again. Our swamp tour was cancelled so we drove around a bit which included a drive-thru of the local airport and bay bridge. We eventually made it back to the resort and let the kids do a little swimming since it was not thundering or lightening. The resort was empty, we practically had the place to ourselves until that afternoon when the new groups arrived for the week. 

Sunrise Saturday morning.

I got a kick out of this...the guy is getting the jet skis out and ready to go with a double red flag which means you can not get into the water and of course more rain was headed in. As you can tell the locals were simply clueless as well when it came to the weather.

Checkout all the seaweed that was pushed in with the rough seas all week. The water reminded me of the Texas Coast.

When more storms hit we headed back up to the room.

We ventured out late afternoon for an early dinner at Margaritaville.

When we got back to the resort the rain had subsided. We originally had plans to take beach photos with a professional on Friday evening. With the weather those did not turnout as we had hoped. I convinced the kids to change clothes quickly, run down take pics and then they could swim and play their hearts out. The following pics by no means are professional however we at least got some and I don't think they turned out to bad.

Dalton was my photographer for our pictures. Thankful to have these shots.