Bluebonnets with my blue eyed babies

Shakes!

Our finale to Spring Break included a trip to Moody Garden's for the pirate exhibit followed by a stop at Mommy's favorite confectionary.  The kids wanted nothing to do with the amazing candy choices and were set on a strawberry and chocolate shake (I am pretty sure that is a genetic trait they inherited from my side of the family).

Kids, Kittens, and Puppies...OH MY!

Well, we drove away from the woods and ended up where dirt, oil, cotton, and wind are a-plenty....the vast plains of West Texas.   My nephew just had surgery so we went up to help watch the kids....little did I know what we were getting into!

They had a new baby kitten that my sister (a vet tech) had been bottle feeding and a new puppy (that my nephew does not yet realize is soon to be his birthday present).  My kids fell in LOVE with their little dog, Spot. 

Before you knew it...we ended up with Spot's sister.  Meet our newest (and possibly favorite) family member, Leia.  Named by Marissa - for Princess Leia from Star Wars. 

I was not even sure the dog could walk for the first few days.  Nate did not leave her side!

 

She did not really enjoy walking on a leash at first but picked up some mad skills before her walk was over!

Now we did do some other really fun things.....

Orange Leaf (my kid's first time),

 

playing at parks, climbing rock walls,

 going on nature hikes,

 but mostly we just loved on Leia!

 Both puppies gained much insightful knowledge as Nate read multiple Curious George books to them.

I am not really sure how my phone ended up taking this motion picture...but this a pretty accurate reflection of our animal adventures.  Oh, I did not mention my sister also ended up "babysitting" 3 of the other bottle fed kittens for a few days while we were there.  Putting 4 kittens with 2 new puppies and 4 kids under the age of 5 is probably some form of animal cruelty!

More Leia love (it was rare that Nate put her down).

 We headed back home, stopping at Grandma and Grandpa's house along the way.  Our cousins were there so they also got to love on Leia!

The big test was how the other dogs would respond. 

Sorry for the poor quailty of pictures but Ziggy and Leia have become fast friends. 

 Chico, in usual Chico fashion wants nothing to do with her. For those of you who do not know, Chico is our chiahuahua that is at least 19 years old - hobbles around on 3 legs, has very few teeth left and can only see out of one eye....she is way too much for him.

So our Spring Break leaves us with a lot of great memories and our new puppy!

Rio Frio Camping Trip 2014

We had an amazing time kicking off Spring Break by camping with some of the members of our self-dubbed village!  

We loaded up and headed to the Rio Frio area and stayed in Criders Cabins (#15).  While the weather was a little cool for my taste, it did not stop anyone from having fun!  

 It was a short "hike" to a "waterfall" that the kids loved.

 We were literally a stone's throw from the river...and throw stones they did!  A never ending competition on who could find the biggest stone or throw the furthest stone ensued.

Andrea created a nature scavenger hunt and the kids had to find beloved treasures. It was a race to the finish, resulting in a tie.

More hiking....

 Someone mentioned sighting of another waterfall, this required more treacherous terrain; resulting in more shenanigans than should be allowed!

Alas, no additional waterfall was sighted.

The kids decorated rocks. 

Then we went to find the largest tree in Texas.  It was incredible.  However, if you ask my kids, the most amazing part of the entire trip was the journey we took to find this tree where they were allowed to ride in the back of the pickup truck.  My, my how childhood has changed!

Meanwhile back at the cabin, evening activities began.  The kids helped set up glow bowling....

 There was the infamous play that never was....

 And stories and s'mores around the campfire!

Everyone giggled until well into the night...and rose early the next day for more of the same adventures.

It was a fabulous trip with new memories to cherish.

Until we meet again, Rio Frio....until we meet again!