Texas Trip - Day 3 & 4: Dr. Nate, Swimming, Playing, Stockyards, Lunch, and Date Night

We started our day by going to Nate's work to have him give the kids eye exams.  It was a busy day and we had to wait a little while, but it was worth it.  Dr. Steenblik did a great job with each of the kids.  He gave them all a clean bill of health and said that none of them need glasses.  Which he also said that was pretty rare for us to have all kids with good eyesight given that Tony and I are both near sighted.  So, yah for us!

After seeing Dr. Steenblik, we stopped at Costco nearby for gas, lunch, and a little shopping.  
After lunch we went back to Nate and Amy's house to meet up with the rest of the family.  We decided to take the kids and Tony to the neighbor's pool, which Amy and I went and got a pedicure.  

The pedicure place was just around the corner from the pool.  It was a nice place, and we had a good time getting our toes done.   Once we were done, we went back to the pool and picked up Tony and the kids to go back to their house.  

We then picked up some chicken for dinner and ate as a family.  After dinner, the kids enjoyed hanging out with each other while we watched some soccer. 

The next morning, we all went to the Stock Yards.  We walked through all the stores and let the kids pick out souvenirs.  Josh is the only one that didn't find anything that he wanted.  But we got Tyler a knife, Megan a mirror keychain, and Allie a stuffed doggie.  I found myself a Fort Worth t-shirt.  I was pretty happy about that.  

After shopping we found a spot to watch the long-horned cattle, horses, and cowboys go down the road.  It was pretty hot, so they didn't have many cattle and they all went by quickly.

We then walked back to the cars and went to a Mexican Restaurant for lunch.  They had open seating on their patio, so we sat there.  It was still really hot, but they had fans and kept our waters full.  The food was super good, and we all had a great time eating lunch together.  We definitely want to go back their next time.

After lunch we went back to the house to hang out at the house before getting ready for a double date with Nate and Amy.  Tony went and picked up pizza for the kids and then us adults went out to dinner.  We went to a yummy country restaurant; it was very Texan and super yummy.  We then decided to go walk around some stores after dinner before getting some ice cream.  It was good and we saw sister missionaries there.  After that we decided to go back to the house.  It was a great day and we all had tons of fun.  

Texas Trip - Day 2: Driving to Fort Worth & Swimming

After eating breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and started towards Texas.  Josh did really well at sleeping in the car this trip.  He had been battling a cough for a few weeks, so the extra sleep was good for him.

We stopped in some small town for lunch.  We ate at the gas station that had a Sonic and Godfather's pizza.  So, we had pizza and shakes for lunch.  Yummy stuff.  

We then drove the rest of the way to Fort Worth, TX.  We got to Nate and Amy's house, and they had a yummy hotdog dinner all ready for us.  

After eating dinner, we all got ready to go swimming at a friend in their wards house.  

Matt was feeding their cat for the week, so the owners said we could use their pool.  Super nice of them.

The pool was super fun, and the kids all had the most amazing time.  It was still really hot, so the pool felt amazing.  

After we were done swimming, we stopped at a shaved ice place, and it was supper yummy.  We all loved our treat, and it was the perfect way to end our swimming fun.  

 

Texas Trip - Day 1: SLC to Alburquerque

We got up early and finished packing the car before heading out of town.  We drove to Spanish Fork before picking up some breakfast and continuing on our journey.  

We then drove a few more house before stopping for lunch at a local diner in some random small town.  It was warm in the restaurant, but it was better than outside.  

We all had yummy food.  Tony got a Navaho Taco and really liked it.  We all tried it too, and it was good.  After eating lunch, we got back into the car and drove the rest of the way to Albuquerque. 

We checked into our hotel and got into our room.  We checked out the pool and the kids were excited to swim.  

Tyler didn't want to swim, and Tony and I wanted to go to Costco to get gas and walk around, so Tyler stayed and watched the other kids while they swam.  Tony and I found some good deals at Costco, and we were happy about that.  

After we got back, we helped the girls get ready for bed and then once they were all showered and relaxing, Tony and I went to the grocery store to pick up some ice cream to take back to the hotel for us all to share.  It was a perfect way to end our first day of our vacation.  

Family Day at the Cabin

We were all able to go up to the cabin again, this time with Tony.  We went four-wheeling, played the Nintendo, ate a yummy lunch, and enjoyed hanging out with each other.  The weather was nice and cooler than the valley.  We all had a great time and can't wait to go back.

Random Summer Fun

Tyler's car needed a new alternator and some new belts, so Tony ordered the parts and the tools he needed and him and Tyler took on the task of fixing his car.  It only took a couple of hours, and they did a great job.  The car is now running great, and Tyler got to learn a little more about how to fix up a car.  

I snapped a picture of Allie playing with her toys in her room.  I just love seeing her use her imagination and playing with her toys.  I know she is growing up quickly so it's nice to see her still be a little kid.  

Our Primary had a Birthday Party for all the kids in the Primary and their families.  They had pizza and cupcakes with lots of fun games and even gift bags for each of the kids.  We all had a good time having fun with our ward family.

Graham's Birthday Party Fun

Graham turned six years old and wanted to celebrate with Allie and Megan.  

We started the fun by meeting Sherri, Rich, and Graham at the aquarium.  

The kids all had a great time looking at all the sea life, animals, and other fun things at the aquarium.  It isn't very big, so we got done within two hours.  

Once we were done looking at everything, Rich bought the kiddos some ice cream.  They all really liked that.

When they were all done, we drove to Grandma Kim's house where the girls swam with Graham in her pool.  They all had so much fun. 

Once Tony got done with work, he brought the boys over to swim and eat.  Sherri bought us all yummy pizza for dinner. The kids played a little longer before Graham opened his presents and then we sang to Graham and ate cake.  It was a fun afternoon celebrating Graham and spending time with family.

Day at the Cabin

I decided to take the kids up to the cabin.  My mom was already up there, so we met her there to spend the day.  Tony had to work, so it was just me and the kids.  

We did lots of four-wheeling, the girls rowed on the pond, I played Dr. Mario, Tyler used his knife to cut up a stick, kids played the Wii, and we had a yummy lunch.  It was still super-hot there, but not as hot as the valley.