Spring Break 2019

In addition to a full month "off" in February to study, Sam got Spring Break approved. My family came down and we had Spring Break in San Antonio.

Before they came down, we decided to go camping at Canyon Lake. The military has cabins, lofts, and other camping spots open and we were offered a bungalow. So right before we went down we loaded our van with junk food and bought some fishing gear. The lake is beautiful...and I didn't get photos of it. But here are the photos I did get of our two night camping trip.

Eating a hot dog dinner.

See all the bungalows behind us?

Expectation

What taking photos with our boys is really like

The bungalow had a queen bed and a bunk bed.

 We went fishing a lot. We also went on a little hike, went to church (in our camping best), and ate a lot of junk. We were hoping to catch a fish to eat, but we didn't get even a nibble. At least a fishing permit is free for military members and children.

Joey ready to catch fish.

Daddy with our supplies.

The river nearby was quite beautiful. We didn't know how to hike down the banks
 where we saw more people fishing.

My parents came Monday night and the next day helped me plant a garden on the side of our house. It was a lot of work pulling out all the weeds and old mulch, but it looks 100% better! We also laid down landscaping fabric.

Me with the first thing I planted at our house: a rose bush.

While my mom and I planted a garden, Sam took a spur-of-the-moment task of ripping out our little fences in our backyard, painting them white, and use them to fence in our patio. It looks so much nicer! And makes it easier to mow and do yard work when your yard isn't so divided. We also took those bricks pictured and made a path in the front yard instead (maybe I'll post a photo, maybe not).

 We also had fun visiting. Here's Eden with her Grandpa.

My sisters Kristy and Heidi came in on Wednesday night. Kristy had really, really bad luck with her car on the way over as it broke down and costed $600 to tow it back and had a heck of a time finding a rental nearby. The only blessing in the ordeal was that Heidi was there with her (they couldn't fit everyone in Heidi's car). 

As fun as it was to have family visit, I realized having the same Spring Break meant awful crowds. Sea World was the busiest I have ever seen it and that's saying something! Kristy and Heidi took their kids to Six Flags while I took my parents and younger ones to said aquatic park. We had fun, but the crowds made it awful at the same time. I also felt bad for Kristy and Heidi with the ridiculous lines they faced.

My dad waiting in line with the three young boys.

My mom, Eden and I saved seats at the Shamu Stadium to see some killer action.

 To accommodate everyone we pulled our kiddos into our room. This is the best time:

Even though I recently went to Ikea in the Houston area, I couldn't help taking my sisters and mom to the brand new Ikea built 35 minutes away from me. Selfie time!

Lastly, we took advantage of this beautiful little field right by my house to take some Blue Bonnet shots. The boys weren't terribly cooperative, but they still turned out cute!

I was surprised how well Eden did while being passed around.

We had a great time! Thank you family for visiting us! And thank you Sam for being a good sport about it!

Houston Trip 2019

All the way back in February, Sam's residency paid for a study course for the upcoming OKAPS exam for all the first year ophthalmology residents. That meant Sam was going to be in Houston for an entire month while I stayed home with all the kiddos (Joey had school). At first I was a little nervous to be by myself, but Sam said he would come home when he could and I would go see him one weekend. Sounded like a plan! Here was my "Sam's going to be gone for a month" stash at the store (cereal, ice cream, corn dogs, frozen pizzas, etc.).

Sam said most of the residents who took this course ended up studying on their own in the hotel rather than attending the course. Sam was no different. Sam actually took it a step further. After attending the course the first day, he never went back. After studying in his hotel room for a few nights, he drove back home, saying he might as well be home. So much for a month without him! We did end up going back to Houston (since there was a nice hotel for us) for a weekend trip.

McDonald's before the Children's Museum

Cute chickadees. My mom has 14 back in Albuquerque.

Making tracks.

Eden loving Daddy holding her.

This boy can never stay still for a photo.

I love this photo so much. The boys loved the water play area.

 We loved the Houston Children's Museum. I think it topped San Antonio's Doseum, which is saying something! My favorite was a section where children learned different trades and careers and had a little city based on those things.

*Ugly sobbing* So sweet!

We enjoyed a yummy Mexican dinner with some of his resident friends and I got to know them a little better.

We checked out the Houston Zoo on Saturday. The weather was very nice, I would love to live in Houston...in February.

Ready to start our adventure.

Joey sporting elephant ears.

They had a couple baby elephants.

Boys liking the lion.

Look at those huge horns!

Capybara.  

Tapir.

Chimp? I need glasses.

Brushing this goat!

Otter.

Boys feeling at home with the monkeys.

 We also checked out Ikea since we were somewhat close. It's always cool, but boy does it take a while to get through!

Joey checking out their beds.

Popping a squat.

We need a hammock in our lives.

 On Sunday we headed to Hermann Park after attending a cute ward (whose boundaries covered an area the size of Albuquerque!). We enjoyed looking at the Japanese Garden and feeding ducks.

Sometimes they are friends!

Eli in his element.

Then last minute we decided to go to the NASA museum. I took a lot of photos but I forgot what everything was...so enjoy!

Real life space rock!

Learning how to grow things off of earth!

Spaceman Jo needs to grow a foot or two.

Then Sam came home with us never to return to Houston. I will say the nights were A W F U L. Getting the boys to sleep was a nightmare in the hotel. I'm glad, as fun as it was, it was short lived!

By the way, Sam scored in the 95 percentile on his test, so he really didn't need to be in Houston. He was the only resident that went home during that month. That's Sam for you!