We left bright and early on Thursday. We left early enough, that both Ashlyn and I slept for the first few hours. I was very worried that Ashlyn was going to get very antsy in the car. She did a great job! She watched a few videos, but as usual she had little interest in them. I sat in the back with her and entertained her. We played with stickers, sang songs, and had fun! It took us about 14 hours to get to Adam and Jane's house. All in all the car trip out there went perfect! We arrived in Texas at 8:30 pm or so. We ate dinner and went to bed! We were beat!!!
On Friday, we woke up and Ashlyn, Jane, and I went to the lake. We let Joey sleep in a bit after he drove for 14 hours. They have a lake nearby that is just beautiful and the water is very warm. I ran while Jane and Ashlyn played with the dog. We went back home and went to lunch with Joey and Adam. That afternoon, we went back to the lake with Joey and Adam. We all had a great time swimming. Ashlyn had a blast. She was like a little fish in there. She didn't want to get out. We barbecued that night. The food was delicious!
On Saturday, we woke up bright and early to go to the zoo. We were hoping to miss some of the heat. The zoo we went to was called the Caldwell Zoo. It was a very nice zoo. They did a great job of making the zoo very shady so the heat was not too bad. Ashlyn had a great time! I think that I have mentioned before that Ashlyn is OBSESSED with birds. They had a bird area that is caged in. You can buy Popsicle sticks with bird seed and the birds come up and eat off of the sticks. Ashlyn LOVED it! I think it was the highlight of the trip for her! After the zoo, we went to an amazing BBQ place. I usually don't like BBQ, but I loved the food there! Joey liked it so much that he went back and got a second sandwich!! We went back to the lake that afternoon and swam again.
On Sunday, we woke up bright and early to head to Dallas. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive. Joey and I wanted to go to IKEA to buy new floors for the main level of our house. It was a drive, but it was worth it to get new flooring! We stopped in Dallas for lunch and had some of the best chicken fried steak ever! For our last dinner, we went to a Mexican place that was very good! We spent Sunday night hanging out with Adam and Jane before going home.
Monday, we woke up early and hit the road. The trip back felt longer, but it was thankfully uneventful. Ashlyn did a wonderful job again. We got home around 9:30 pm. We were very excited to get out of the car!!!
We just had a wonderful trip! Our only complaint was that it was too short! We loved getting to spend time with Adam and Jane. Ashlyn just loves her uncle and aunt so much. I am glad that they got to spend time with her. We had some great food, and basically ate our way through Texas! I am so hooked on Blue Bell ice cream. It is hands down the best in the world!!!! We plan to go out there again some time in the future. We won't be buying flooring, so we will be flying. I can't wait to go back and hopefully spend a little more time out there next time.
There is lots going around our house right now. Joey is going to start installing our new floors tonight. That should keep him VERY busy! The drywall in the basement was finished today. We are hoping to have our basement completely done by 4th of July. There will be lots of work to do with moving furniture, rearranging, painting, etc. I am getting tired just thinking about it! I am running my 2nd 5k tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to that. My mom and Ashlyn are coming to cheer us on. Another big event in the house is that I think we may start potty training in the next few days. Ashlyn is showing lots of signs she is ready. I was waiting until after Texas to start. We went to the store today and she picked out big girl underwear. She was very excited they had Little Mermaid because she is Ashlyn's absolute favorite! More to come next week!
Ashlyn cuddling with Uncle Adam. Look at that smile!
Getting ready to get in the lake
She was looking at the water
Walking on the dock with Aunt Jane
Swimming with Uncle Adam
Playing on the dock
A family pic in the water
Riding on Daddy's shoulders at the zoo
Quick pic with Mom
She loved the view from Dad's shoulders!
Looking at the elephants
She wanted to get through the cage
The penguins. She loved them!
Looking at the fish
Hanging out with Aunt Jane
Holding Mom and Dad's hand
She loves swinging through the air
Feeding the birds
She had such a great time!
Feeding some Koi fish
Group picture outside of the zoo
Eating ice cream on Daddy's lap
This isn't from Texas, but I took it the other night of Ashlyn and her Papa. Isn't it sweet?
