Vacation 2009 was a simple, but good one. We started our vacation on July 18th. What a good day. This was also mine and Jason's 11th anniversary. We picked the boys up at my mom's house and headed out to the lake. We were gonna stop there and turn the a/c on and then on to Dallas on Sunday. We got to the lake with just enough time to eat supper, buy a few groceries for the week and then swim for a little bit. We headed to Dallas the next day. Our mission was to visit the newly opening Lego store in one of the many malls in the Dallas area. Well, we made it. The boys were able to "help" build the 8ft tall Yoda. The guy hadn't finished it when we were leaving, but it was already pretty impressive. He has a small replica and it was cool itself. We met some of our friends there and they also helped with the Yoda project. Anyway, we were planning on taking a look around the Lego store, but we did not want to stand in line for 2 hours just to get in the tiny little store.
The next thing we did was visit the Build A Bear Workshop. The boys love this. You get to take the "skin" of the animal you want then you help fill them up. You have to put a little heart inside and stitch them up. Joel wasn't a huge fan of doing all the little things that they were asking him to do with the heart before placing it in the bear, so it took a little getting used to for him. After the stuffing of the bear, you get to give them a "shower" and pick out their clothes. After dressing them you get to make a birth certificate and then you are done with a new furry friend.
Jason's trip was made when our friend, Jon Townsend, tipped him off to the fact that Darth Vader was just a few stores down and he was REAL!!!!! Just down the way from the Build a Bear Workshop was some kind of a puzzle store, and sure enough, Darth Vader was walking around. So, Jason has seen a soon to be 8ft tall Yoda and then got his picture taken with Darth Vader. Jason could have gone home right then and been the happiest person in the world.
Joel wasn't a fan of the "real" Vader, so it took some conviencing to get him to even be held in the presence of him. Anyway, the single Batman picture was taken with Uncle Trevor in mind.
After the Star Wars mall trip, we went to an outlet mall at Grapevine to do some much needed school shopping. This year EVERYONE get new school clothes. Joel starts pre-K and is very excited about getting all his stuff for that. Anyway, we got a lot of good deals and had a great time. I was able to meet up with my best friend from high school. She was in my wedding, but I haven't seen her since I was pregnant with Joel. It has been almost 5yrs since I have seen her. Anyway, it was very good to see Terry and hopefully it won't be 5yrs before I see her again.
One of the best things about going on vacation is the motel. They love this. As long as they don't go completely crazy, they are allowed to do pretty much anything. We had a pretty good motel and it wasn't all that expensive.
On Monday, we headed to the Dallas World Aquarium. It was awesome. It was a beautiful (not miserably hot and humid) day in Dallas. The aquaruim starts with kind of a rain forest theme. It was great. We met the Townsends there and had a great time. We saw everything under the sun, I mean water. Both boys had a great time. Jeffrey's favorite part was the shark tunnel. We were able to watch the sharks being fed. Joel's favorite part was the "pink flying mingos". Translation, Pink flamingo. As you can see by the pictures, we had a great time and saw lots of underwater creatures.
As you can see, we had a good time at the aquarium. After the aquarium, we went back to the outlet mall and did more shopping. The boys did extremely well considering they don't care for shopping. We were told that the mall is 1 mile if you walk the entire thing. Well we did it. The boys were EXHAUSTED on the way back to the lake.
After Dallas, we spent the rest of the time at the lake. We had a great time swimming, sleeping, reading and just hanging out. We did a few little projects, but nothing major. We made stepping stones for Grandma and Grandpa and Nana. The boys were very proud of these. Then the boys made a sand castle with Daddy. They also made little boats and in full little boy fashion, they threw rocks at them in the water to "blow them up." We were able to catch a few fish and Jason actually caught 2 himself. In the 11yrs that we have been married, he has yet to catch a fish. Well, that streak was broken when he caught a catfish and then a bass. He likes fishing now. I caught an aligator gar and Jason made me pull it onto the doc so he could take a picture of it. Anyway, we ended up the vacation by swinging by to see Grandma and Grandpa. With football season and school starting, it might be a while before we are able to go to Midland for a while.
I did get a suprise while we were at the lake as well. I was able to meet up with another good friend that I haven't seen in like 9 yrs. Tiffne used to be my youth minister when I was in High School and she was a very important person in my life. We were very good friends. She and her family live in Spain as missionaries. They were back in the states for some medical reasons and her parents live in Breckenridge, TX where the lake is. I called her and she and her little family were able to swing by the house and visit for a little bit. It was very good to see her and what all God is doing in their lives and in the lives of the people that they minister to. I didn't get a picture of her husband, but Joel and Tiffne Whitley and their children. Meagan is 7yrs old and Cade and Dylan are 4yr old twins. They are beautiful children and have great parents.
