We took our mid-winter break in Texas, again, this year. We had to pull Vincent out of school 2 days, but one of those days was a half day, and they mostly just celebrated Valentine's Day. The day we were leaving, Vincent and I went to school to drop off his Valentine's cards to his classmates and teachers.
So, here's a review of our trip:
We bought two new games for the boys' Leapsters, and didn't tell them about it until we got on the plane. That kept them busy for a while.
We got in around dinner time, so we had a later dinner at Whataburger (a first for David, myself and the kids). We got settled in at the house, then David and Don went back out to pick Tiffany up at a different airport.
Day two, we pretty much took things easy. The boys were excited to see their grandparents and aunt. Since it was Valentine's Day, Nana started our day off by making us all pancakes and sausage. We gave the boys a few small gifts, and Vincent spent the day making Valentine's cards for everyone. PopPop and Tiffany took the boys to the pool in the afternoon while David, Alice, and I went grocery shopping for dinner fixings. David and Don were planning on making Valentine's dinner for everyone. They stayed home in the late afternoon, watching the boys and making dinner, while the ladies went for a pedicure.
Day three was our Innerspace Caverns adventure! Back in the 60's, while working on I-35, the workers discovered these caverns. There's a huge sign off the highway for it, and our boys have been asking about them the last two years. We finally checked it out.
Tiffany had made plans to see a friend downtown that evening, so Alice drove her into Austin. They had dinner together, and I had dinner with the Hunt men and boys at La Playa Mexican restaurant. We had to wait a long time, and Vincent complained of a stomach ache, but it all turned out well. Vincent even ate his whole meal.
Day four, I'd have to say, was probably the best for David and I. The rest of the days, were all great, but this one especially. First of all, the sun came out and the temperature went up. We ventured into Austin, where we remembered that there's a farmers' market on Saturdays! We picked up a little onesie for 'Penguin', aka Baby #3...And, here's a pic of my belly, too.
We then got a refreshing beverage at a nearby coffee spot, and enjoyed the sunshine on their patio deck.
Of course, we had to visit the South Congress area. We were surprised with how busy it was in the area. The next day was the Austin Marathon, and apparently, all the participants had the same idea as us of having lunch in South Congress. We managed to find a nice parking spot a few blocks away, but the burger joint we planned on going to was so packed, there was a line out the door, around the corner, and down the street! So, we walked the 1/3 mile to our old standby: formerly Izzo's Tacos, now called Mellizo's (name change due to threatened lawsuit brought on by an out-of-state chain with similar name). Same great menu and food, though. Well, I was a bit full from my milkshake earlier, so I had garlic fries, but David had a couple of (yummy) tacos. We followed that with a Gourdough's donut. Ours was a fatty with cream cheese and toffee bits on top.
On our way back to the car, we stumbled into two places. One was a mix-use space, that we thought was an antique shop. Turns out they had some, but not what we thought at all. Still, a cool space. Next door was a "car museum." Basically, some tycoon has a huge collection of cars and keeps some of them in this garage, which he opens up to the public 2 times a month for oohing and ahhhing at. One of his detail guys give people a tour of the cars for $2 a person. We was going to let us in free, but I'd say it was worth our $4.
Check it out...
Jeff Gordon's first winning Nascar car.
One of the three Ghostbusters prop cars...
There were many other amazing vehicles, including a car from the 1930s that had never been repainted. It was in mint condition.
That night, we went to BBQ at a place in Round Rock called Rudy's. David and I drove by earlier in the day, so we stopped in to see what it was like. We thought it looked fun, so that's where we celebrated David and Tiffany's recent birthdays (both Feb.10). The food was really good.
Since we were all "rookies", they gave us a sample of some of the meat. Tyler was so excited for the samples, and even more excited when he tasted them. He couldn't seem to get enough! And, both boys loved the white bread they gave us.
OH MY GOSH! I almost forgot! David, Alice and Tiffany all got up early and ran in a 5K that morning. David's time was better than he expected, while the ladies both ran very well, too.
The last day, Tiffany headed out soon after breakfast. Vincent had requested that we eat at home all day. He's such a home-body, that kid. David and Don took the boys out so I could pack up. They went to a playground, looked a koi fish, and played a little bocce. We mostly spent the remainder of our day hanging around the house. The weather was very nice, so we ate lunch on the back patio, soaking up the sun. Tyler took a nap before we headed out for the airport.
The trip home went pretty smoothly, until we got off the plane. On our way to baggage claim, Tyler puked in the middle of the terminal. I guess, better than on the plane. We changed the kids into their jammies at Master Park, which made for an easier transition into the house, since they both passed out on the ride home.
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