Spring Break
This week was Spring Break and we made sure to stay busy. On Monday we chilled around the house and got lots of sleep. We are still adjusting to Day Light Saving time.
Then, on Tuesday we spent a marathon day at the dentist. Everyone (except Xavier) had their teeth cleaned and checked. Loyd was so relaxed during his exam that he nearly fell asleep in the dentist chair. They couldn't believe how calm and well behaved Rebekah and Loyd were for their check-ups.
On Wednesday we played at the park until the kids were good and tired.
Thursday was our big adventure day. We packed a picnic lunch and headed for Brazos Bend state park. It about an hour a way through some pretty county. It was a nice drive out. We even saw some bluebonnets beginning to peak out in the fields. At the state park we were able to enjoy a nice picnic area and a wooden playground set. Then we took an easy 1.2 mile hike around one of the lakes and were able to see a lot of American alligators. During our hike we counted 16 alligators along the trail. One was sunning right on the trail in front of us. I'm glad Loyd was strapped into a stroller and Xavier was secured in the backpack. I have a feeling they would have tired to pet those alligators like a pet dog. Bekah remained true to her roll as child and complained and cried about the hike for nearly the whole way. She wined that it was too long and she couldn't walk all that way. She cried and sat down a few times stating that her legs couldn't carry her another step. She tried her best to convince us to turn around. It was very tragic. By the time we neared the end of the loop she declared she couldn't walk another step. Slowly she trudged out of the forest and back into the picnic area clearing. She spotted the playground and then magically found enough energy to happily run up the hill and play with her brothers for another hour. It was a Spring Break miracle. :) It was a fun day at Brazos Bend.
On top of the observation tower. We hiked up 4 stories worth of stairs for this great view. A giant black spider plopped down on Xavier's hat, bu he wasn't a sissy about it. We shook it off and he didn't even care.
A picture of one of the 16 alligators we spotted along the trail.
Beautiful scenery, lots of close alligator encounters, some colorful birds, and what do the kids think is the coolest thing on their hike? Spotting this tiny one inch baby turtle walking across the trail. There were squeals of delights. Requests to pick it up and bring it home. And, an enthusiastic, "Oh Turtle! Oh Look! Turtle!" from Xavier's high perch on Daddy's back. We see turtles every week at the park. They have a big beautiful turtle pond at League City park filled with dozens of turtles.
The only other thing to excite such an interest in Xavier were the black ducks in the water. Each time a black duck was spotted it was accompanied by a, "Quack, quack, quack," from Xavier. I think he speaks duck. One day I hope he speaks English with the same fluency he speaks water foul.
Check out the size of this tree trunk! That must have been a massive, old tree before it died.
The kids playing in the picnic area. It had a nice open grassy area and lots of picnic tables. It was a really nice set up.
Playing on the playground. The best part of the state park for the kids. This is the actual location of our Spring Break miracle. :)
Friday we spent recovering from our long day out on Thursday and got the swimming pool out for the kids to splash around in. It's been really warm this week. So, we thought we would take advantage of all of this 80 degree weather and play in our swim suits for a bit. Finally, on Saturday we celebrated St. Patrick's Day with gusto. Everyone wore green to avoid pinching and we enjoyed a corned beef and roast cabbage feast. Complete with green mint pie. Yum!
It's been a fun week and a great taste of summer. I just hope going back to school on Monday won't be too hard since we've had so much fun sleeping in and staying up late this week.
Wish us luck tomorrow morning!
Then, on Tuesday we spent a marathon day at the dentist. Everyone (except Xavier) had their teeth cleaned and checked. Loyd was so relaxed during his exam that he nearly fell asleep in the dentist chair. They couldn't believe how calm and well behaved Rebekah and Loyd were for their check-ups.
On Wednesday we played at the park until the kids were good and tired.
Thursday was our big adventure day. We packed a picnic lunch and headed for Brazos Bend state park. It about an hour a way through some pretty county. It was a nice drive out. We even saw some bluebonnets beginning to peak out in the fields. At the state park we were able to enjoy a nice picnic area and a wooden playground set. Then we took an easy 1.2 mile hike around one of the lakes and were able to see a lot of American alligators. During our hike we counted 16 alligators along the trail. One was sunning right on the trail in front of us. I'm glad Loyd was strapped into a stroller and Xavier was secured in the backpack. I have a feeling they would have tired to pet those alligators like a pet dog. Bekah remained true to her roll as child and complained and cried about the hike for nearly the whole way. She wined that it was too long and she couldn't walk all that way. She cried and sat down a few times stating that her legs couldn't carry her another step. She tried her best to convince us to turn around. It was very tragic. By the time we neared the end of the loop she declared she couldn't walk another step. Slowly she trudged out of the forest and back into the picnic area clearing. She spotted the playground and then magically found enough energy to happily run up the hill and play with her brothers for another hour. It was a Spring Break miracle. :) It was a fun day at Brazos Bend.
On top of the observation tower. We hiked up 4 stories worth of stairs for this great view. A giant black spider plopped down on Xavier's hat, bu he wasn't a sissy about it. We shook it off and he didn't even care.
A picture of one of the 16 alligators we spotted along the trail.
Beautiful scenery, lots of close alligator encounters, some colorful birds, and what do the kids think is the coolest thing on their hike? Spotting this tiny one inch baby turtle walking across the trail. There were squeals of delights. Requests to pick it up and bring it home. And, an enthusiastic, "Oh Turtle! Oh Look! Turtle!" from Xavier's high perch on Daddy's back. We see turtles every week at the park. They have a big beautiful turtle pond at League City park filled with dozens of turtles. The only other thing to excite such an interest in Xavier were the black ducks in the water. Each time a black duck was spotted it was accompanied by a, "Quack, quack, quack," from Xavier. I think he speaks duck. One day I hope he speaks English with the same fluency he speaks water foul.
Check out the size of this tree trunk! That must have been a massive, old tree before it died.
The kids playing in the picnic area. It had a nice open grassy area and lots of picnic tables. It was a really nice set up.
Playing on the playground. The best part of the state park for the kids. This is the actual location of our Spring Break miracle. :)Friday we spent recovering from our long day out on Thursday and got the swimming pool out for the kids to splash around in. It's been really warm this week. So, we thought we would take advantage of all of this 80 degree weather and play in our swim suits for a bit. Finally, on Saturday we celebrated St. Patrick's Day with gusto. Everyone wore green to avoid pinching and we enjoyed a corned beef and roast cabbage feast. Complete with green mint pie. Yum!
It's been a fun week and a great taste of summer. I just hope going back to school on Monday won't be too hard since we've had so much fun sleeping in and staying up late this week.
Wish us luck tomorrow morning!
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