Sushi Date

Sushi cooking class has been our date night bucket list for years now.  We finally made it happen!  We learned a lot, it tasted yummy, and I think we can try it by ourselves sometime.

I love date nights, especially when Chad and I get to experience something new together!

Vance in Vegas

For Christmas one of Vance's presents was a solo trip to Vegas.  He was a little nervous about flying by himself but had "the best trip ever!"

I think his favorite part was the multiply trips to Gravady.  It is an indoor trampoline park this is pretty awesome.  They went like three times in five days.  I can only imagine how sweaty and stinky they were!

Uncle David took Vance, Brayden, and Colton to ride the NYNY roller coaster.

With the Mathewson crew there is bound to be a basketball game or two (or five) on an given weekend.  Vance got to cheer on Tristan!

Vance's one request was going to Count's Kustoms.  They redo old cars on the TV show called "Counting Cars."  Vance has become pretty obsessed with old cars and really wanted to go see their showroom.  All of the cousins checked it out too and said it was pretty cool.

When the other kids had school, Aunt Amy took Vance and Colton to GameWorks where they geeked out with video games.

They followed that up with lunch at Café Rio. 

On his last day, Colton had to go to school so he said his goodbyes in the morning.

Luckily for him Aunt Leslie had a fun day planned.  She took him to the Golden Knight's practice arena.

They also went to breakfast at The Cracked Egg, snapped a photo at the iconic Vegas sign, got some froyo, and went to the Shelby car museum.  Aunt Leslie rocks!

His last activity was hiking Lone Mountain with Grandpa Waldron.  You can always count on Grandpa for an adventure!

I missed my boy while he was gone and loved the sweet note he left me on the fridge.

I'm so grateful to have such awesome family who made this trip so memorable for Vance.  Family time is the best!!!

Hello Houston

Our family took a quick trip to Houston with my parents for the weekend.  It was a much needed getaway and we had a great time exploring a new city together.

First up was lunch in Downtown Houston.  We went to Finn Hall which is basically an upscale food court full of yummy options.

 The next stop was the Downtown Aquarium.  It was okay, not great, but worth going since it was a part of the City Passes we bought.

 The little boys were certain they needed a stuffed animal from the giftshop.  They love their white tigers that are like the ones at the aquarium.  They very creatively names them "White Tiger."  Haha!

 Keller's one request for the trip was to tour the Houston Astros stadium.  It was an awesome tour! We got to all the different levels of the stadium, the press box, the dugout, the field, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.  Keller listened intently and loved every minute of it.

 He had a quiet respect for all the memorabilia and tributes to players past and present. 

 Sutton deemed himself the official elevator-button-pusher.  He would squeeze in front of the tour guide and she kindly instructed him on what buttons to push.  Who can resist that sweet smile?!

 I love that Keller envisioned himself hitting a homerun behind homeplate.  The boy has big dreams!

 After the tour we headed to the house we rented on Airbnb.  It turned out to be quite the experience.  Chad used the code to walk in and in the entry was an open suitcase with clothes on the floor and stuff on the dining table.  Upon closer inspection it appeared whoever was staying at this house was definitely having a good time...haha!  

I called the host and after a little digging on both of our ends we figured out the problem.  She has multiple houses and accidentally sent another reservation the address and check-in info to the house we had reserved.  We just stayed at the other house and all was well.  However it was a little stressful (and a tiny bit scary) while we sorted out the situation.

Thankfully it didn't take us long to get settled into the new place. 

 My mom and dad picked up the accommodations as well as surprising us with matching shirts for NASA.  You rock Mom and Dad!

 Sutton is obsessed with games lately so before we called it a night we played his new favorite - Sleeping Queens.

 The next morning we started the day with a chilly trip to the Houston Zoo.  Fun trivia fact - the Houston Zoo is the second most visited zoo in the country.  It did not disappoint!  It was the best trip to the zoo I've ever had.  Almost every animal was active and the habitats were so well done.

 The highlight of the trip was playing with the jaguar.  No one was near the habitat but us and she was SOOO playful.  The boys and Chad took turns running and she would follow and switch directions with them.  It was pretty cool!

 The next stop was the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

 The surprising crowd pleaser was the giant pendulum.  The boys loved watching it swing back and forth and slowly watch it knock the wood pieces down.

 This museum is no joke and is home to some of the most complete dinosaurs in the country: the most notable being a triceratops.

We were pooped after the museum so we went back to the house and we all took a little nap. It was perfection!  

Once we felt more rested we headed to Kemah Boardwalk.  The boys loved taking turns picking the rides.  There were plenty of rides to keep them entertained and the lines were short which made it all even more enjoyable. 

 My parents are the cutest!

 Sutton LOVED the double-decker carousel.  He giggled and smiled with delight each time his horse went up and down.

Keller's pick was the hynospin.  It was a mellow ride but Sutton wasn't sure.  I believe in pushing the kiddos a little out of their comfort zone so we told him he had to try it once and if he didn't want to go on any other rides the rest of the night we would respect his decision.  He was not a fan and cried a little but was fine by the end :)

 Then we made the same deal with Keller about the swinging boat ride that Vance chose.  During the middle of the ride he said, "I don't like the stomach feeling!"  

 Keller and Sutton were relieved when it was Sutton's choice next.  

 They had a cute little train that took you all along the boardwalk.  It was a good way to see all the boardwalk had to offer without walking around for a half hour.

 Vance has gotten to the age where he loves thrill rides.  Luckily for him Grandpa and Dad are happy to go on them with him.

 Grandma and I happily chaperone Sutton and Keller.

 I told the boys my favorite ride was the ferris wheel because that's where I get to kiss Daddy.  They made us sit across from each other so I told Sutton he better pucker up!

 Halfway through the ride they let us switch sides and then Keller made sexy faces at us.

 But I got my kisses from Chad and was a happy girl!

 The final and most anticipated stop was NASA.   It was just as interesting as we had hoped!  Of course the visit started with a photo op -

We took a tram tour to the astronaut training center.  I have to admit that part was a little underwhelming.  They didn't give you enough time to read the signs so you didn't really know what you were looking at. 

  However the tram tour stopped at Rocket Park which was fascinating.  It houses the Saturn V rocket which is MASSIVE!!!  You really can hardly fathom the size of this thing and the fact that identical rockets launched people into space is unbelievable.

 There lots of interactive displays which kept the kids interested.  We learned so much we didn't know about space exploration.

  The trip was a blast (pun intended)!!!  It reminded Chad and I how important it is to experience new places as a family and we can't wait to plan our next family vacation.