We kicked off summer right! As soon as Tanner was out of school, we headed straight for Dallas for our longest vacation ever – nearly 2 weeks straight!
To the land rich with family and friends, scrumptious Tex Mex, endless children’s places to explore, oh yes, we were ready!
Yet we should have known we were in for it when Rylee did nothing but this on the way down!
Some kids, you would hope, for eventually tire out, take a minute to catch their breadth, but they haven’t met Rylee. She was mad, angry, and not afraid to voice it for HOURS straight! One day… we hope she puts those lungs to good use!
According to Kenneth, he would never ever put Rylee to bed if it meant her screaming like that. It’s seriously the most torturous sound to hear!
Family
Some of my favorite memories are always seeing my kids playing with the uncles –
Uncle Kenneth indoctrinating Tanner in the world of Minecraft
Uncle Austin’s endless enthusiasm and fun spirit –amidst the tackles and hugs – he jumps right in for a game of ring around the rosey.
And hearing these two girls giggle, giggle, and giggle! Eliana and Brooke really bonded this trip and she was calling her Brookie-Cookie!
And when it was time to say good-bye, poor Eliana was so sad!
And lots of cousin craziness and fun! 
To think these two used to play together all day while mommy worked. How did I ever get so lucky?!?
Playing games with Grammy and Grandpa
Brooke taking center stage singing songs, followed by Tanner doing a line by line, song by song reenactment of his 1st grade musical!
Grandpa sharing stories about the crazy rains and floods – which led to an in-depth conversation and videos about sinkholes. Tanner was fascinated!
And enjoying some games around the table with the entire family…they’re such good sports even if I always win ;)
We also enjoyed going out to eat – not something we venture with ALL of us. But Bucca di Beppo was a great choice! 
Dallas World Aquarium
In all the years I had lived in Dallas, I never ever went to the DWA. It was so fun! The first portion was a jungle rainforest – where we saw all sorts of reptiles, birds, monkeys!
There’s a narrow path that leads you through the rainforest – which meant no double Bob stroller, but YES to lots of selfies with Rylee.
As soon as I would out her down, she’d take off running, weaving in and out of large groups of people making it near impossible to catch.
Love these smiles next to the huge waterfall!
Avery and Benson are so cute together!
Anytime Brooke wore shorts, she held them up HIGH when she walked. She was so goofy – and decidedly did NOT approve of me taking a picture of it!
Monkey see, monkey do! The huge lizard was sticking out their tongue, and so they did too!
And Quincy got really into it, lol!
We saw a HUGE 20+ crocodile inside the glass and the closer we go, the more terrified Brooke was! Quincy, on the other hand, always loved to ham it up, if she’s in the right mood :)
Posing next to the itty bitty alligator.
Tanner studied turtles, tortoises, and sea turtles in school and became fascinated with them. He was so happy to see so many here!!!
The sting rays trying to have Tanner’s finger for lunch!
All the kids were so fascinated with them!
All except for Brooke. There’s always drama with this one…lol!
Pointing out one more HUGE sea turle!
Hands down, our FAVORITE part was getting to see this big, fat, manatee! Up above, we saw a duck standing on top of him, and Tanner was trying to convince me it was a huge shark or whale or something, but I though it was just a stone.
Then we walk below and see this big fella. He hadn’t moved in forever, but just as we started taking a few pics, he decided he wanted to say hello. It was pretty magical!!!
The glowing, iridescent jellies are always my favorite!
Brooke LOVES mermaids, and it seems like sea horses always go along with those magical creatures. So she was pretty ecstatic when she saw them!
These crabs were huge! And *almost* made us hungry for seafood for lunch.
We thought it would be the perfect “Kodak” moment to take a picture of these two sitting together, but they had other ideas:
Benson wanted to cry, and Rylee wanted to jump right in – they had inverted bubbles that were highly deceiving!
Rylee was amazed at the tunnel of fish! Except when Chelsea tried to snap a picture, more fun to HONK my nose!
Or flub my cheeks!
For Tanner, he LOVEd, LOVEd. LOVEd the tunnel of sharks. He named several of them – from saw shark to hammerhead sharks to sawshark.
I love this pic on one going right over his head, like it wanted to eat him for lunch!
And while Tanner was chasing them down, Brooke was running in terror when they came too close. The only reason I got this second pic was cause she hadn’t yet turned around.
Then we saw some huge, ugly fish in this aquarium and decided it was time for some more fun pics :)
And last, the flamingos- the brightest, most brilliantly colored ones we’ve seen! Brooke thought it was so funny they were standing on only 1 leg and hear she is giving it a try!
2 adults, 6 kids. Some fun mixed with a whole lotta crazy!
After finishing up our morning at the Dallas World Aquarium, we headed to West End to grab a bite to eat! Traversing downtown with a handful of kids is an experience they’ll never forget – from the Elvis impersonator serenading us or homeless persons asking for money. My kids forgot how to walk as they just stared!
Perot Museum of Nature & Science
One of my new favorite destination spots! This museum is awesome, high-tech, and so interactive. And empty! We went in the afternoon to avoid all the field trips and since kids in Dallas are still in school – we had the entire place to ourselves.
My brave eagle and beautiful butterfly
Just getting ready for some fun!
Rylee was in heaven! She had been pretty whiny the entire trip, but had a huge smile on her face the entire time. This girl – loves sensory overloads!
Peek-a-boo!
These two are nearly inseparable now that summer is here!
And nothing brings a smile to my face faster than seeing them all joyfully play along. Letting the youngest one lead the way!
In another year…he’ll be too big to play here :(
Busily, happily playing together over an oven campfire
Brooke was concocting a yummy salad,
And Tanner…part child, part eagle!
Rylee flipping the meat on the open fire…or hiding out every chance she got (no surprise here)!
Then they headed outside for some open sand play. Sand is definitely a love-hate sorta thing, but they were SO happy!
And in typical Rylee fashion, escaped up the stairs and ran back and forth endlessly.
Tanner’s absolute favorite thing to do is race! In the sports hall, he got to race T-rex and Tylosaurus dinosaurs. And I even got Brook and Rylee to race against me too.
Saying good-bye, these two held hands entirely on their own. Parent WIN!
And just as we were leaving, we discovered the outdoor play land with a few inches of water.
I wanted to say no, but instead stuck my feet in the water and decided to join them. It FELT SO GOOD!!!
And a few days later, we got to go to the Perot Museum again – perks of having a membership!
This time we explored the other halls – the DINOSAURS!
Tanner was ecstatic when he saw this huge sea turtle that dates back 80 millions ago to the age of the dinosaurs.
Brooke was slightly terrified but nothing can capture their amazement as they saw life-size dinosaur fossils. And even though Brooke was half terrorized and wanted to run away, she let me snap one pic.
We also listened to a scientist show us fossil remains from several dinosaurs teeth, some where still razor sharp!
Then we played with puzzles and had some fun!
In the geology hall, we got to experience an earthquake as the floor beneath us shook. Then go into a drilling rig stimulator that took us 6,500 feet beneath the Earths surface.
And then my phone died, the story of my life on this trip!
Dallas Arboretum
I have so many great memories taking Tanner here on the days off of work for Toddler Tuesdays – petting zoos, kindermusic, and probably my favorite is fall with 1000s of pumpkins – turned in to villages, stacks, mazes to explore.
And now, it got even better when the expanded a new Children’s Adventure Garden. An outdoor wonderland overlooking White Rock – it’s absolutely positively beautiful and one of my fave places to take the kids!
Even if I look terrified…don’t mind me :)
Every spot and corner is picture perfect. Brooke just chillin.
Just hangin out – literally! waiting for our friends
Water! This was one happy girl that never ever stayed still!
Brooke’s beautiful smile!
That smile quickly turned upside down when she climbed a rock and couldn’t get down.
What do you do with a slide just your size? Run straight down—of course!
My little monkeys climbing in the tree house – only a see through net to hold them up nearly 3 stories high.
These two are adorable! When we took a break for a snack, we found them dancing with each other. Besties for life!
And our favorite area to explore – water works! 
Except Rylee kept thinking she needs to climb on up and sit in the water…
Crank and turn and fill and eventually….SPLASH!
The race is on….
Thanks to my friend Ruth for joining us on the adventure and sharing her membership with us :)
Gina’s Wedding Reception
My cousin Gina got married! WE got to meet her husband, Mackenzie, and see how crazy in love they are.
The reception was so fun! Lots of yummy food – ice cream!
My pretty mom. And Tanner’s favorite – blue ice cream. Not that you can tell :)
But then my kids realized they could go straight for all the toppings! Sugar crush!!!
So fun seeing Brendan and Alisha together!
Brendan’s girlfriend Alisha caught the bouquet -- which she claims was entirely for Quincy. We can only hope this is a SIGN that they’ll be the next to tie the knot! Love her!!
And everyone dances! Lots and lots of dancing.
Does it get any cuter than this! Tanner was so adorable bringing Rylee out on the dance floor with him!
Brooke watched and smiled and watched people dance for over an hour.
Finally, with the help of a friend Alisha, she gave it a try.
Thanks Alisha for showing her some moves. Once she got started, she couldn’t stop! This video is so cute -- makes me smile so big!
Time for some air guitar!
And Collin was looking extra snazzy in his dressy whites! First time seeing him all dressed up!
And even my Dad and Mom joined us!
But Benson was smart – he went straight for the goods while we were all preoccupied on the dance floor.
The reception was in the afternoon, but we celebrated all night long with a BBQ at Steven’s girlfiend Jill’s home. And next time, Uncle Collin will be given fair warning that Tanner must have goggles on when it’s time to jump in – right?!?!
Birthday!
My birthday happened to fall on Memorial Day this year – one year older and wiser too. Ruth invited us over for dinner – and went all out cooking some amazing ribs and Cafe Rio Pork.
We played Settler’s, she baked yummy cobbler – if it weren’t for the array of kids running around I would have sworn we were back in time 8 years :)
As they sang, she showered me with balloons, bubbles, and a HUGE poster sized card everyone had signed. Thanks Ruth for making my birthday so magical!!
Earlier that week we went to brunch, got pedicures, and talked just like old times. That’s when you know found a good friend :)
Friends
Thankfully, we got to spend lots of time hanging out with some dear friends.
Ruth invited us to Kaycee pool, another novelty I wish we would have had when we lived there!
Neither of these girls wanted their pics taken so I gave up!
What I wish I would have captured was a video of Rylee’s jumping straight into the water! Once she started, she couldn’t stop!! She LOVES the water. She climb out the stairs, stand on the edge, jump straight in, go under water for a second, then I’d catch her! She was so happy! And so hard to keep from jumping when I wasn’t ready!! And then there’s the one instance I was on the other side of the pool…a little scary. Water Baby!!!
Rylee quickly became a fan of NACHO cheese!
Tanner and Brynlee where near impossible to keep track off – jumping off in the deep end, going down the big slides, and of course, racing chasing each other.
More fun! Most the days we were there it rained! To burn a little extra energy – we went to Jump Street! Turns out everyone had the same idea – so busy!
Tanner re-united with his crush Brynlee. On the way over to her house, he told me, "I have a secret about Brynlee...but I can't tell you!" Except that was before the Six Flags incident where he pushed her into a muddy pond...we'll have to see if he can ever be redeemed.
Theater size screen + wall for lounging = mesmerized!
Brynlee captured this pic all by herself!
And who needs toys when you have a box!?!
Getting to say hello and good-bye to Marilouise was a little bittersweet! She was one of the first married coupled friends we met in Lake Highlands – had our baby boys just a few months apart – and has always been a parent I admire. Yet off to NY she goes for medical school residency! Hopefully it won’t be long til our paths cross again!
And it took a few attempts, but we got a chance to re-create this photo from my baby shower YEARS earlier!
We also did a great job of exhausting ourselves! All the in between moments, running around town, stuck in traffic, where spent like this!
This little boy sure did miss his Daddy – he talked to him for over an hour – filling him in on all the days happenings and then adding/making up some crazy adventures. His imagination runs wild!
Road trip!
The drive home was pretty epic! I agreed to take my two aging grandparents -- one with Alzheimer's and another with broken hearing aids. Our brand new car DVD player only worked for 5 minutes. Rylee screamed the time hysterically unless I was holding her hand (which was NOT comfortable!), and a poodle that kept getting stuck underneath the seats, and my poor Nana -- I must have had the same convo with Nana 100 times! Driving through the wide open fields of Oklahoma and Kansas – Where are we? Do you live out here? How long does it take you to drive to a grocery store? Or church? Right as I finish one she'd be onto another. While her memory has faded, her perceptiveness has only sharpened. When it comes to nagging, crazy, whining kids -- Nana hasn't lost her touch. "You guys listen to your mum!" She is so gentle and kind, yet has a sharpness that reels them in. Oh -- seeing her with my kids reminds me of my old childhood, the Nana that I love so dearly.
Home sweet home!
We had a great time! But between a baby that never ever wanted to leave my side (morning, noon, and yes, all night long!), the sassiest ill-behaved kids (who were old enough to know better)…And then…Rylee got a stomach bug! I was done! Ready to be back home. Do absolutely nothing for the rest of summer. So…if I ever get the idea to venture away from home for 2 weeks with small children, please stop me. My nerves will thank you :)
