Last month, we flew south to visit our friends Ted, Caroline, Mae, and Ewan. And their dog Casper! Dan and Ted went to college together, and we all lived in Seattle together at the same time (minus the kids!) so we have a lot of fun memories together. And, thankfully, we've kept the visits regular in the past few years so we keep making more memories together, too.
We spent the first few days in Houston, checking out their favorite day-to-day spots, as well as the Houston Rodeo!
^^we had so much fun checking out their local park, rec center, and pool! willa was so excited to swim, but as soon as she jumped in she exclaimed, "mom! my swim cap and ear plug!!!??!?!" yep. i forgot the necessities for ear tube prevention. #momfail. thankfully, willa was a great sport about it and had a ton of fun playing with her head above water.^^
^^dinner at goode co. taqueria. such good fish tacos! and a fantastic, laid-back, taqueria vibe. i heard the margaritas were divine, too.^^
^^RODEO! willa rode way more rides with mae than she ever would have solo (positive peer pressure!). meanwhile, cameron was disappointed to discover he was too short for most of the rides. the ice cream seemed to help him cheer up!^^
^^there was a cute "farm experience" where kids got to plant pretend crops, feed chickens, collect eggs, milk cows, etc. then they received money for their work and a snack. and then they rode ponies! we thought willa might be a bit nervous about getting on a pony for the first time, but she was so excited! cam too. he was happy he didn't have sit this one out!^^
^^after our lunch break (not pictured: delicious BBQ but a failed attempt to find a single vegetable in the food tents...), we spent some time inside admiring animals (longhorns!) but everyone was a bit worn out. it was time to head home for rest time.^^
^^for our last dinner in houston, we headed to punk's simple southern food. we ate on the patio which overlooked a miniature park/green space. the thing to do was clearly to bring your kids and let them run wild while you enjoyed your dinner. we happily participated, but i think the kids might have enjoyed things more when we all were playing after dinner. it was delicious food and a lovely evening all around.^^
We had so much fun in Houston, but were excited for our next stop: "The Ranch." Pictures coming in another post!