We had planned on going to Texas in January but a great deal on plane tickets offered us the opportunity to go a little earlier and we jumped at the chance! It was Sister's first time to fly and she proved herself to be a great little traveler like her big bro. Although we had quite a bit to haul through the airport Sister was happy atop the carseat propped on the stroller and got quite a few comments from passers by. I have to admit she did look like a princess on a rolling throne! Here's a few "selfies" from the plane:
The hotel we stayed at was great and we got a 2 room suite so we had plenty of room. Here is Sister making herself comfortable before bedtime.
Everyone slept well and woke up fresh and ready for breakfast in the lobby
with Grandma and Grandpa and ....
TEXAS WAFFLES! YUM! They were delicious and such a fun treat each morning. Grandpa Chuck made them for us and we ate them up naming the cities as we munched. Peanut liked to eat the panhandle best!
Our first outing the day after we arrived was to the Houston Zoo. It's such a neat Zoo and they have quite a few animals we don't see at our Zoos back home. Here is Peanut touching a red panda's pelt as Sister looks at the real one behind the glass nearby.
This was such a cool feature where we got to actually crawl inside the fish tank!
I thought I had us weather appropriate but we would have all been fine in shorts and tee shirts. It was nice to extend the warm weather a bit as I knew we'd be in for the beginning of a cold winter when we got home. Although as I type this 2 days before Thanksgiving it is sunny and in the 40's, that's warm for this time of year for sure!
Our zoos here do not have elephants so it was a big treat to get to see several of them here!
Don't mind those lemurs about to jump on Bubba...
And here he is...ta da! The long awaited Mandril. This is by far Peanuts favorite animal and he has mandril clothing, posters, toys, and now has seen him up close and in the flesh! Thanks to Grandpa Chuck for the great picture here!
And speaking of Grandpa Chuck...this ape below resembles him quite a bit don't you think?
Every monkey loves bananas, and mine happened to really enjoy the chocolate and sprinkled covered ones we got for our treat that day!
Not messy at all...I just give her some napkins and try not to watch, ha ha...
Back at Grandma Sharons a few days later we had fun just relaxing on the floor playing.
and of course we hit the game room for a little pool. Peanuts come a long way from just rolling the balls with his hands.
And Sissy was determined to join the game of course. She doesn't miss a beat.
I love this picture. Mom knows how curious Peanut is so when a music box fell off a shelf and broke she saved the inside mechanism for him to see how it worked. Just the ceramic covering broke so he could still wind up knob and watch the way it made music. He is so fascinated with it and has it in his room now.
Mom usually has some glass shelves filled with all sorts of beautiful potted plants by her window, but when the grandkids come the toys come out! Lots of books and puzzles and household odds and ends. They could sit on the floor and play for hours. Smile.
Sissy loved taking off and putting on the top to this pringles can and having pretend tea with the tea pot.
More fun at home...
When I asked Peanut on our last day what his favorite part of the trip was, he said,"Just playing at Grandma Sharon's (and Grandpa Chuck's) house."
I couldn't agree more.
Thank you Mom and Dad for the fun time and we made so many special memories. We love you so much and are looking forward to next time! Have a great week friends and family and stayed tuned for part 2 of our Texas adventure that includes our NASA trip!
