New Faces, Same Field

First tournament for Synergy of the spring season in Raytown.  The girls are still trying to get their new team figured out but they played hard and never gave up.  They are still all smiles after their third game. 

Rushing Back for Kickoff

When we woke up in Springfield we knew we would have to get ready and head back home.  Ella had two soccer friendlies against teams from Jefferson City.  No one was quite ready to leave though and Dana offered a big breakfast so Ella decided to stay and eat and miss her first game.  It was nice to spend a little more time with the Lowes.  
We made good time on the way back home and to Jefferson City so Ella actually made it to the second half of her first game.  It was the first time Ella's new team had all played together.  They struggled a little but worked hard and showed a lot of improvement playing as a team by the end of the second game.  
After the game Ella asked if we could stop by Central Dairy for some ice-cream.  It turns out a lot of other families on Ella's team had the same idea.  The girls were all excited to see each other again and enjoy a treat and a lot of laughs! 

S'more Family Time

On our way back from Spring Break we made some stops to see the Lowes since it had been a long time since our last visit.  First, we stopped in Fayetteville to see Hannah.  We met her at Hammontree's Grilled Cheese which is a gourmet grilled cheese restaurant and one of the "must go" places in Fayetteville.  We had to wait a while for a table but it gave us more time to spend with Hannah.  It was nice to catch up and hear how her semester is going and her plans for the summer.  As for the grilled cheese, we all ordered different sandwiches and we all thought they were yummy.   
After our visit with Hannah, we headed to Springfield to spend time with the rest of the family.  We enjoyed seeing everyone and having another night of s'mores around the campfire.  Dana got out the fire pit and we all enjoyed some treats and time together.  

Relaxing at the Resort

After four days full of driving and activities we decided our last day should be full of relaxation!  We slept in Thursday morning and then hit the pool.  The hotel had a beautiful lazy river that we enjoyed, an activity pool with basketball goals, and a large water slide.  The kids and John had fun playing and I mixed playing with reading and soaking up the sun.  

Later that afternoon John and Sam hit the hotel's golf course.  Ella and I were going to try out the family soccer but the family soccer turned into kids soccer while parents watched.  It was Ella and a large group of boys.  She never would have done that a year ago, so I was proud.  She did get a little frustrated that the boys didn't really want to pass to "the girl" but had a good time. After soccer she and I had ice-cream, shopped a little and headed back to the pool while we waited for the boys to finish golfing.  Sam made it back in time for s'mores (this time outside at the fire pit).  

After their treats, we cleaned up and went to dinner at the resort.  As we were heading back to our room we walked by family movie night.  They had home playing while everyone sat on blankets on the lawn and enjoyed free popcorn.  The kids decided to stay for the movie and John and I were able to get some peace and quiet.  It was a nice relaxing end to our Spring Break. 

View of the lazy river.

Ella heading down the slide. 

Sam likes his marshmallows super toasty! 

Waiting for the soccer to start.

Remembering the Alamo and Strolling the Riverwalk

Our next Spring Break destination was San Antonio.  When we arrived in town we started with the things you must do when visiting San Antonio, the Alamo and the river walk.  John and I really enjoyed the Alamo.  I did not remember a lot about its' history from my school days and there were many wonderful resources there from which to learn.  John preferred reading the large time line located outside the building while I preferred listening to the people who worked there and brought the history to life.  The kids were not as excited about learning all the history but maybe when they learn about it in school it will help that they have visited.  

Many people had told us how great the riverwalk was but I must say we were less than impressed.  It is a collection of restaurants on the small river with boats constantly driving by full of tourists with guides telling poorly written jokes.  The most annoying part was that at each restaurant you passed they had someone outside trying to solicit your business.  Having to say no thank you over and over again was very annoying.  We did not stay long before heading to find our hotel.  

The hotel was a much different experience and we loved it!  We stayed at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort.  It was located in town but you would never know it the way the property was nestled back into the woods.  It was a beautiful place.  The first day we took advantage of some of the amenities.  The kids had s'mores inside at one of the fireplaces, we swung in the hammocks and the swings, John and Sam played tetherball and the kids rode bikes while John and I walked the nature trail.  It was a peaceful and relaxing way to end our day of sightseeing and travel.  

Keeping it Weird

Our next Spring Break destination was Austin, Texas.  We decided our first stop would be the University of Texas.  We were surprised to see that it was located right off of I-35.  It is situated downtown and traffic was backed up on a weekday.  I can not imagine what it must be like when the Longhorns are playing.  It took some navigating to find a spot to park on campus but we managed to get a spot near the football stadium.  A lady at the team store told us the best gate to go to, to get a view of the field.  We headed that direction and were able to see most of the stadium.  It was definitely large! We then began our search for the basketball arena.  I must say from the outside we were less than impressed.  It was a very unassuming and ugly brown building.  We opted to not even take a picture.  

After our visit to campus we drove by the state capitol which is nearby.  Our hotel was right downtown so we went there to make our next plan.  We stayed in a Hampton Inn and Suites.  We had a great room with views of both the football stadium and the capitol.  It was definitely the funkiest Hampton we have ever stayed in but we loved it.  It lived up to the Keep Austin Weird slogan with it's graffiti wall in the lobby, trendy light fixtures and rotating guitar.  

We were all getting hungry for supper so we decided to head toward the food truck area of town.  Christy had recommended a doughnut food truck and we knew we wanted to stop there.  The traffic was crazy but we finally made it to the food trucks.  We stopped for a picture with the Austin mural and began deciding what to eat.  There was a food truck called Torchy's Tacos that looked like something we would all like.  The food was delicious.  All the salsas we had in Austin and San Antonio put the kind we get at restaurants here in Missouri to shame.  After some tacos we headed to try the doughnuts. They were huge and really could have been a meal in themselves.  Ella and I shared one with fresh strawberries and cream cheese frosting that was delicious.  John had a cinnamon and sugar doughnut and Sam had one with maple syrup icing and slices of bacon.  He loved it! 

With our bellies full we headed back to the hotel.  The traffic was much better on the return trip and we spent the rest of the evening playing a family game of Uno.  It lasted forever but was full of many laughs and a great way to wind down after our long day. 

The next morning we had a few things we wanted to do before leaving Austin.  Our first stop was a local graffiti park.  Anyone is welcome to paint on the walls there.  We had been told they sold paint there unfortunately they weren't selling it when we arrived.  We managed to find a few cans with some paint left but couldn't really paint too much.  It was neat to see though.  John wanted to see Lake Travis so we drove there next and saw the golf course where we had watched the PGA players play the weekend before on television.  Our last stop in Austin was Lupe Tortilla.  Lauren highly recommended we go there and after eating it we understand why.  Their fajitas were delicious!   With our stomachs full once again we headed further south to San Antonio. 

Sam outside Texas Stadium

Ella painting at the graffiti park. 

Getting their picture with the Austin mural. 

There was a little building near the food truck park where you could eat your dinner. 

Ella with her Gourdoughs doughnut. 

Wandering Waco

We woke up Tuesday morning ready to take on Waco, Texas.  After consulting trip advisor we learned there was a suspension bridge near our hotel that was a must see.  It crosses the Brazos River and at one time was the longest suspension bridge in the world.  It has some great statues out front, views of the city and river and signs where we learned some fun historical facts.  From the bridge we could see McLane Stadium, home of the Baylor Bears football team.  That would be our next destination.

     We drove a little around Baylor campus and then headed to the stadium.  It is a beautiful stadium right on the river.  We also headed over to see the basketball arena.  Since we had luck going in to see the arena at OSU we thought we would give it another try.  Someone let us in a door and when we asked about going on the court he said, "I guess," so we did.  It was fun to take some more pictures from the actual floor.  

     Our next stop was the main reason I wanted to stop in Waco, the silos.  Our family all enjoys watching Fixer Upper on HGTV.  Ella and I especially love it and when I saw we would be going through Waco I knew we had to go there.   For a random Tuesday morning it was much more crowded than I expected.  The shop was full of many great treasures!  Ella found a vase she liked that John surprised her by buying and I found a rustic cake stand that I thought would look perfect on our buffet. 

    The property the silos sit on is set up as a destination, not just a store.  You can walk through a small garden, pet some goats, play ball with the balls they provide on a large lawn area or stop by one of the food trucks and eat lunch at a picnic table.  They have really set it up as a place your whole family can visit.  While it would have been great to run into Chip or Joanna I am sure they can not visit the store during regular hours or they would be mobbed by fans.  I am glad we stopped by and saw what we have been watching them build on the show.  It definitely gave us a new perspective on Waco though.  From the show it seemed like a small, rural town but it definitely has more of a big city feel.  We enjoyed visiting though and are glad we made the stop. 

Statues in front of the suspension bridge. 

They wanted a silly photo too! 

John and the kids playing on the lawn at the silos while I finished shopping. 

Success! 

Ella on the suspension bridge. 

Magnolia store at the silos. 

Court side at Baylor. 

Sam posing with a statue of RG 3 outside McLane Stadium. 

Beauty and Brains

After leaving Stillwater, Oklahoma we headed south to Dallas.  We knew we could not drive through Dallas without a stop at the Arboretum.  Two years ago on Spring Break we were greeted with beds and beds of beautiful tulips.  This year though the weather has been warmer and most of the tulip beds were past their prime.  Fortunately, we were able to see the azaleas in bloom which was such a wonderful treat!  
Two years later Sam was much more patient as John and I walked around enjoying the beauty.  He even pointed out things that he liked and took a few pictures of his own.  Ella though was still of the opinion that the beautiful landscaping was boring and couldn't wait to get to the children's science center.   Both kids really enjoyed the science center again and were able to learn a lot as they experimented with the many different things available to them.  It was well worth the stop again!  We finished the day off with dinner at Fireside Pies.  Their wood oven pizza's did not disappoint and were the perfect end to our late afternoon/early evening in Dallas.  They filled our stomachs as we headed south to stay the night in Waco. 

One of the few beds with the tulips still in bloom. 

Experimenting together

The two Samuels deep in thought. 

Azaleas! 

Stopping in Stillwater

We started off our Spring Break by heading to Stillwater, Oklahoma.  It was not far off our path for our trip to Austin and San Antonio.  We thought it would be fun to see the OSU campus and get Sam his picture taken in front of their arenas.  We arrived fairly late that night and the kids were hungry for dinner.  We decided to try out Eskimo Joe's, which is supposed to be the go to place in Stillwater and it did not disappoint.  We have heard this place is packed on game days.  On Easter Sunday at eight at night not so much but we still enjoyed getting to see it.  The food was good and the service was great.  Plus, we got our Eskimo Joes souvenir cups!
The night before we had located the OSU football stadium so after breakfast we headed in that direction.  We took some pictures outside the stadium and were taking some pictures with a cowboy statue when I noticed the building attached to the football stadium said Gallagher Iba Arena.  I thought it was odd that the buildings would be connected so I asked a man in an OSU polo in the parking lot.  He said yes, that the basketball team played there and that we were welcome to walk in and see it.  This surprised us all but we thought we would give it a try.  He was right, we were able to walk right on the floor of the basketball arena and out to a viewing area of the football field.  We were impressed that they granted visitors such access.  The kids felt very special!  
On our way out of town we had to stop and take pictures with a giant transformer at a local business.  The kids had spotted it the night before and made sure we didn't forget to stop by before we left Stillwater.  Stillwater seemed like a great college town and one that would be fun to return to someday. 

Getting ready to enjoy a meal at Eskimo Joe's. 

Photo op with Pistol Pete.

Right down on the court! 

An "Eggs"tra Special Easter

This year we not only celebrated Easter we got to celebrate Savannah turning one year old.  Brian and Lauren hosted Easter this year.  The weather was not real cooperative for an egg hunt but otherwise it was a great day.  We had lunch and got to watch Savannah devour her cake.  Halfway through her cake she stopped even using her hands and began just sticking her face down in the cake.  She almost either ate or spilled the whole cake! 
We also had a great lunch, got to catch up with everyone and have an indoor egg hunt.  I think everyone enjoyed their time together.