{8} Brazo Bend SP

I'm sure you're beginning to wonder if our vacation ever really ended. I figured the more blog posts I can stretch it into the longer it will be that I have to come back to real life. . . . .something like that.  We really had a nice time. Thanks again Poc and Nana!

Well, the week had come to an end, we packed up and waited for Poc and Nana to come back from dropping Auntie off at the airport before we got on the road.  We decided to stop by Brazo Bend State Park on our way home.  They had a nice little visitors center and a baby alligator we could see/touch/learn about.

Kelsey's "you actually think I'm going to touch that?" look.

 They had a display of alligator/crocodile sculls to compare. You pushed the button and their mouths opened.  The kids had fun playing.

They also had a big "touch table" they had some neat stuff, turtle, armadillo shells, horns, snake skins etc etc.

 We drove around the park and stopped at a lake.  There is a path all around and we were told a Mother alligator lived nearby and could often be spotted carrying her babied on her back.  We decided to not put off the remainder of our drive home any longer and opted not searching.  We did walk out to the fishing dock and saw a couple alligators close by.

 We carefully disobeyed the warnings and had the girls turn their backs to the alligator for a picture.  There were rowdy teenage boys around who would have been a much more delicious lunch than these sweet things :)

We figured we'd seen enough and headed home.  I may or may not already planning another trip to the beach again soon. 

Freeport {7} strange souvenirs

Michael's sister is currently living in Japan teaching English.  We were very excited to learn she would be visiting the states and was planning to come to Texas with her daughter and the rest of us.  Of course she brought souvenirs for the cousins.  The little ones got cute toy bags and the older ones got doughnut making kits.

We opened the box and found color coded packets and a plastic compartmentalized container. Autie would translate the instructions and we'd help the kids follow the directions. Each packet contained a power that we mixed with water then like play-dough formed into a ball and pushed into the doughnut shaped form and let it sit where it then hardened while me mixed the next batch up. and then proceeded to frost and add sprinkles or 'crunchies'.

A bit strange, yes. But, Apparently these boxes are readily available in Japan.

 The 'dough' is pressed into the form here:

 Rylee did an excellent job decorating. They do look like doughnuts.

The  taste resembled a doughnut too.

 no complaints from the kids.  Rylee even tried to lick the frosting off her arm. lol.

Well, if making a memory was the mission, consider it accomplished. We can't wait for the next powder to food concoction we can mix up the next time we're together! :) Thanks for taking the time to bring and do something unique.

Freeport {6}

Remember how I didn't pull the actual camera out all week? I only took pictures on my phone (love that thing) So, I had to "steal" all the "official" photos taken that week. Here's one of the whole gang. We were short one brother and one brother-in-law. pretty good if you asked me.

Then a couple of the grand kids doing what they do best: playing and enjoying one another.

Remember how these 4 were all born in 2012? cute little toddlers....

Freeport {5} video

Could my children be more different? Here's a couple video clips from our time at the beach. Rylee loved to 'jump' over the waves and then see if she could out-run them to the shore. Kelsey was a scardy pants. Seeing her say "'cuz" is one of my favorite things. You can't really hear her over the wind but its funny. Then they had these silly little spinning cup things at a park we went to - One could get rather dizzy which equates to endless entertainment. Rylee was pretty skeptical, Kelsey practically set up camp. (possibly to show her sister up) And of course she really didn't want me to hold her hand as she walked away, I might have stepped back if she hadn't already eaten dirt after flying off the one slide that didn't have a buffer zone ending. . . . seriously her mouth was full of dirt and wood chips were stuck in her teeth. Anyway, enjoy:

Freeport {4} Eat, Sleep, Swim Repeat

 The next few days were pretty similar - play at a park, go for a walk, fly a kite, take a nap, read on the deck, dig in the sand, splash in the water, boogie board, play some games.

 

 Someone grew a tail, and was was ecstatic about it.

 This one HATED the water.  It was cold, I can't say I blame her too much.  She spent most of the time in sand or wrapped up in a blanket/towel. This did make her a bit more cuddly. One afternoon she cuddled up under me on the blanket to shade herself from the wind and mumbled "Beach Hou-ssse"  In-Ssside" "Ssso, C-Oold" haha. poor girl.  We made her stay on the beach.

 Rylee tried to empty the ocean, one bucket at a time.

 And of course a drip sand castle had to be made. Michael's Mother recognized his handiwork immediately.

 the drying towels on the deck made for a great hide and seek spot.

 Yea, we play lots of games when we get together.  I found the giant stack against the wall a bit comical. There were only a few multiples and we played most (never enough time for all), and I think they all got back to their rightful homes.:)

Freeport {3} Fishing & Crabbing

Fishing and Crabbing were high on Michael's priority list for the week. He made several phone calls to friends with experience to ensure success. Day 3 we headed to the docks to try our hand on some poles.

 

 We brought a few sand toys with us, and mostly just sat and watched the kids play.

 This also happend to be the day that Frozen came out on video. Miss Rylee was thrilled to snuggle with her own Elsa doll and watch the show her Uncle so generously got for them.

 Dad snuck out with Poc to try to catch some crab, apparently evening is the best time to go. It was kindof starting to get late and I wondered what they could be doing, it was dark afterall! Come to find out, they had so much fun catching the crab they went into town to get more crab nets! haha!

The look on their faces as they came inside was priceless.  Ecstatic would be an understatement. haha.

 Apparently the further south the crab live, the 'cooler' their color.

 They received much joy teasing and playing with their catch of the day. But playtime was over and it was time to cook 'em up!

 We saved up the meat over the couple times they went out and they made crab cakes.  Tasty! I stand by my previous statement that eating crab is a lot of work for little meat (and these guys were kinda small). Again, all about the experience! :)

 One thing that was less pleasant this trip was Kelsey sleeping unrestrained.  That girl got up A LOT, when she should have been sleeping.  And she thought it would be a good idea to sleep in our bed.  Silly girl, Adults only on the mattress! We tried all sorts of things but soon just figured when we came to bed we'd move her back to where we thought she should sleep. Most of the time that meant pull her out from under the bed. seriously. that's her little leg there, the rest of her body and head is under the bed. Sometimes it would help if the big throw pillows were on top of her. I can't explain it. Silly girl.

Freeport {2} Flight Museum/Ferry

Confession: I wasn't 100% certain I'd be getting in the ocean this trip. It (was) March remember? That doesn't exactly scream bathwater beaches that I prefer out of the gulf of Mexico. Couple that with cold air and we had to find other plans for the day.

We headed up the coast a bit to Galveston to the Lone Star Flight Museum.  Lots of old aircraft.

 Kelsey is pretty obsessed with her back pack. The obsession was magnetized this week.  Daily access could be a contributing factor. :)

 There was one plane staged with repairs being made (they had a lot of damage from hurricane Ike and some planes looked like they were still being rebuilt).  Rylee made a comment about using glue to put it back together. haha.

 The pigtails on the kids kill me.  Coupled with Michael admitting how cute Kelsey's blonde hair is in them, that may be all we see from her for a while :) At least until she rips them out. :/

I kind of love this picture.  And the easy of talking selfies on my new phone :)

 After the museum and a tasty sea food lunch, we headed for a ferry ride.  We drove on the ferry to float to an island then turn around and go back. Its all about the experience. As we 'sailed away' we were able to reminisce for a moment about our honeymoon on a cruise ship. . . . perhaps a bit more luxurious. :)

 Kelsey slept in the car but the rest of us got out and walked around enjoying the ride and the view.

 We quickly headed to the back of the ferry where lots of seagulls were congregating.  Apparently its a thing to bring food on board to feed said birds. If you were patient they'd fly right up and take it from your hand.  Kinda funny.

 Cousins hanging out after lunch:

 That night we celebrated the girls birthday's (as well as Nana and an Uncles). Rylee took too long making her wish and Kelsey tried to help her blow out her half of the candles.  Good thing they re-light :)

Such was their opportunity for chocolate cake. ;)