Spring Break Getaway Pt. 2

On our second day we went to Lufkin. We ate some delicious Texas barbecue at Stringer's Lufkin Bar B Q. After lunch we went to the Ellen Trout Zoo, it was such a nice zoo with beautiful plants and some animals we had never seen before. Have you ever heard of a Malayan Tapir? We had not - they are very interesting looking. The zoo had peacocks that roamed freely and our 17 month old would follow them around saying "quack, quack". We even letterboxed at the zoo!

Once back at the house the boys wanted to get in the hot tub - it was their first experience and now they want one at our house! For dinner we had a cookout with the older boys (the little guy was worn out from the outing, so he had an early dinner and went to bed), they loved the fire pit where they roasted hot dog and marshmallows. What a great day!

Spring Break Getaway Pt. 1

Today is day one of our little trip. Our first stop was for letterboxing in a Pioneer Village which was a bonus because the boys (and the parents) enjoyed the history lesson. I think I finally have our 8 year old convinced to watch Little House on the Prairie with me when we get home (especially since he found out that his daddy watched it as a boy).

We got back in the car and continued on our way. The boys watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (thanks Meredith for the recommendation) and everything was smooth sailing until 10 minutes before we arrived at our destination - at which point "sickness" happened all over the 8 year old. Too much movie combined with light shining through the East Texas Pines equals car sickness. Poor guy.

After we arrived and he had a quick shower he was feeling much better so we went exploring. This house is so awesome - just what we wanted for our time away. The owners have chickens and a rooster in the adjacent property that they let the boys feed. These city boys have never seen chickens up close before so they thought it was cool.

Before dinner we had a minor glitch - the water went out in the whole town - oops! When our hosts brought us water for drinking they also brought us eggs from their chickens. Fresh eggs - we have never had them before - she said there is a huge difference between fresh and store bought. I am looking forward to finding out in the morning.

And the water issue - it is back on - so all is right in our little corner of the world.

Hodgepodge

I know my last two posts have been those of the random kind - sorry. I will try to be more focused after today. As I type, this is going on at my feet.

Silly boys, but they are having the greatest time! We are listening to the CD from the book Noodles from Scratch. I bought this book and its accessories for my almost 8 year old several years ago and it is still a favorite around here. Side note-- the alternative names for the boys were not working for me, so I'm going back to identifying them by their ages. Welcome to my world of indecisiveness.

On Friday, my sweet friend Lainie brought me a food gift and it made my day!! She is famous for her Bran Muffins (also for her Tiger Butter) and she brought me the mix so we could make them for breakfast Saturday morning. So that morning, I filled the Muffin pan and then set up a "mix -in" bar (kind of like Marble Slab or Cold Stone but much healthier) and everyone decided what they wanted in their muffins. Even my pickiest eater loved them - give them a try!

Saturday and Sunday the weather was sunny and 70 degrees. Beautiful weather, but a little disappointing because usually February is our last chance to get snow for the season. We have been praying for snow, but it does not look like it is going to happen again this year. The last real snow, where we could build a snowman was February 2004. I guess we will have to hold out hope for next year.

Since it was such a pretty day we decided to go Letterboxing after church. I know I have said this before, but it is worth repeating, if you have not done this activity with your family, you should really check into it. Let me know if you and your family decide to try it.

After finding three letterboxes, we decided to take the boys for ice cream. I decided that our 15 month old really needed a healthier choice, so Jeremy went into a convenience store to by some Teddy Grahams and a water. A few minutes later he came out with this because they were out of Teddy Grahams.

It made me laugh because he was thinking they do not have Teddy Grahams, so I will get something in the cookie family. I on the other hand, would have picked gold fish or something in the cracker family. (Just teasing ya honey!) But I think our little guy was very happy with his daddy's choice. What do you think?

There are several people in the bloggy world who are on a mission trip with Compassion International. I have only been on one mission trip in my life and it was to San Antiono. Some day I dream of going somewhere where I can make a difference, but until then I ask you to join with me in prayer for these bloggers as well as for the lives they will touch. You can click on the button below to read their blogs, as they will be updating them while on their journey. Thanks!



Lastly, Jennifer at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman was very sweet to give me a blog award (thanks!). If you have children in preschool or elementary school, you should really check out Jennifer's site. She has the greatest ideas for crafts to do with your children - they are fun and easy! So in bloggy fashion, I would like to pass this award on to my two favorite relatives, well not my relatives but they are related - anyway... This award is for His Girl and Sing 4 Joy, they are bloggy friends of mine who always have so many kind words to share with others. Check out their blogs, you will be blessed by both of these ladies.

So I will leave you with one last random thought. Is it driving anyone else crazy that Bloggers spell check is not working?!!

Letterboxing

On Jan. 5th our family enjoyed an afternoon of Letterboxing (if you have not read Amber's post on it, you can here.) I knew the boys would love it because our oldest loves to take paper and make it look like an old treasure map. He then will take his brother on adventures to find the treasure. But Jeremy and I enjoyed it as well - it was nice to just get outside and explore.

On our first day of letterboxing we found four different boxes. I personally enjoyed the history on the locations that were included with the clues. We are hoping to go again this weekend - it is a great family activity. I highly recommend it!

Following clues

Finding a box

Taking a break from Letterboxing to play with the Marshmallow Shooters (thanks Uncle Blaine and Aunt Lesli - they are so fun!!)

Sweet Boy

They all fell asleep on the way home!