Spring Break

Spring Break started on Saturday with a trip to San Antonio to see The Lorax for Taylor's birthday.  We all loved the movie.  We decided we wanted to head to Houston for a simple and cheap getaway, but before we could head out, we had to go give talks in the branch in our stake because they don't have enough members.  It was a fun assignment.  The kids especially enjoyed it because a member of the branch presidency gave 2 candy bars to each kid after church.  It was also amazing to see how, no matter how big or small, our church is the same wherever you go.  

On Monday, we leisurely packed up to head to Houston.  After making an emergency trip to the office to help a patient, we were finally headed on our way.  We got there in the evening and just settled in.  As I was taking trash out, I found a snail on the garage.  I quickly called for the kids to come out to see.  

After much coaxing and some showing, the kids finally got enough courage to touch and pick up the snail.

It's definitely one of the "highlights" of Texas ... the amount of creatures you can find.  Although I definitely like snails more than other creatures we find here.

The kids LOVED watching the snail and were delighted when he pooed and slid away leaving a slime trail.

We initially planned some grand adventures, but we decided quiet and relaxation was what we needed.  We did head to another movie on Wednesday ... The Secret World of Arietty.  We also had one day doing nothing per Taylor's request.  She told us she was sick and tired of being in the car and wanted one day just at home.  I think we all enjoyed that day of doing absolutely nothing.  

Tommy's Favorite Pasttime

Can you guess what it is?

That's right ... playing Halo.  It's definitely a good stress reliever for him.  

Another Favorite

He loves puzzles, and he also loves games.  If we're not doing another puzzle, then he's begging me to get another game down for him.  Connect Four is one of his favorites.  Fortunately, he's content to play it by himself in his own way, and it entertains him for a long time.  

Dinostars: A Musical Variety Show

If you want to see a play guaranteed to be cute ... have it performed by kindergartners. In music, Payden has been working on this musical for a few months.  She was super excited to be singing about dinosaurs ... it's crazy how both her and Taylor's plays this year were about some of our families favorite things.  

Tom headed with the other kids to find seats while I took Payden to her teacher.  I helped her don a white shirt and her hat and snapped a picture before I left.  I was also able to meet the mom of her best friend from school ... Krista.  Her teacher has told me that she and Krista are inseparable.  If they aren't by each other at lunch, one of them will convince some to move over for them.  Every time.  

She loves to pose for pictures.  

Finally it was time for the kindergartners to come on stage.  

The principal welcoming us and asking us to clear the aisles for the kids.  

While the teachers organized the kids, Payden quickly found us and waved at us.  Because I started taking pictures, she couldn't resist posing for me.  Silly girl!

Even on stage, Payden is right by her best friend ... Krista is the little girl on the front row in the black hat.  

Finally it was time to begin.  The show was basically American Idol meets Flintstones, so down the aisles came the judges ... Judge Samplestone, Judge Turlandosaurus, and Judge Zumrock.

Each judge was introduced with Judge Zumrock being the Simon Cowell of the group.

Then the kids sang "Dinostars!" about being the next Dinostar.

Then we got to hear 4 songs, each followed by the judges critiquing and scoring each song.  First up was "The Raptor's Rap" ...  

Followed by "Micropachycephalosaurus" (very cute coming out of kindergartners' mouths) ...

Followed by "Dinosaur Two-Step" ...

And lastly, "Dinosaur Rock."

After yet another scathing review from Judge Zumrock, Barney's cousin came on the stage and scared the judge away.

Finally, the kids finished off singing "Dinostars" yet again.

So cute.  So fun.  We loved seeing Payden up there performing and singing and dancing her little heart out.  Good job, Payden!!

... and for Picking Wildflowers

It's one of the best things about Texas ... the annual Texas wildflower season each March.  It's only just begun, but I had this idea that we could pick some flowers, dry them, and then do some craft later on with the dried flowers.  The kids loved the idea, so we combined picture taking with wildflower picking.  

Payden was in heaven ... pink and purple and yellow and red flowers ... right up this little girly girl's alley!!

Tom stayed in the car and let us do the picking.

Declan needed a reminder that we do not cross the road by ourselves and without looking.  He loved picking the flowers, but went a little crazy with his picking.  

As always, Shelby was slow and methodical finding just the right flower to pick.

Taylor actually moved at a normal pace instead of her normal fast pace.  Unfortunately for her, she's like her mom and is allergic to being outside.  She was itching the most by the time we were done.  

The only downfall to this idea was having a bunch of wildflowers in the car with us as we drove around.  I think we were all sneezing by the time we got home, but we had a wonderful day and are looking forward to making Texas wildflower crafts someday.

A Sunday Drive for Pictures ...

After many rainy days, we finally had a gorgeous day.  I have been meaning to take pictures of Gonzales for months, but haven't for a variety of reasons.  We're hoping to make large prints of some of the pictures to cover our bare walls at the office.  So on Sunday after church and naps, we went on an afternoon drive to take pictures.  Here they are:

Gonzales Memorial Museum
Inside, you can see the "Come and Take It" cannon, which started the Texas Revolution.

Old Jail Museum
Apparently this jail is haunted. We haven't taken a tour yet.

Gonzales County Courthouse
Tons of small towns in Texas have these in the center of town.  They are generally tallest  buildings in town (and nothing else comes close).

Confederate Square Memorial
In honor of the Texas Confederate soldiers who died in the war.

This sundial is in Confederate Square.  I thought it was really cool.

The Randall-Rather Building
Built in 1896 and was the 3rd cotton exchange in the US.  Apparently there is a ghost in the ballroom.  

This is on the wall of one of the many antique stores in town.  If you know Tom, you know he LOVES Coke and all things Coke-related.  

These are our neighbors ... everywhere.  We are in cattle country and chicken country, so everywhere we go are pastures for cattle or chicken houses.  

I love this fence.  Very rustic looking.  Because of all those animals, there are fences everywhere you go.  Even when you think you're in the middle of nowhere, it's actually somebodies property and it's surrounded by a fence to keep their animals in.  

There must have been a carcass nearby ... all of those birds are vultures.  They're even sitting on the fence.  That's the most I have ever seen together.  They are very evil looking birds.  

Cactus is everywhere, but they are cactus bushes.  

2 important flags for the people of Gonzales ... the Texas flag and the Come-and-Take-It flag.  

Because we live in an historical town, these stones are everywhere documenting important places and moments in Texas history.  We've stopped to read a few, but we should definitely stop more often.

The Sam Houston Oak
After the Alamo fell and the Mexican Army was marching toward Gonzales,  the city of Gonzales was burned to the ground and Sam Houston led his army and the people of Gonzales here for a short while before marching onwards.

Our country life ... big trees, wildflowers, green fields, cattle ... definitely a change from living in the city.