Basking in the Sun...

It was so fun. One of my dear friends from Abilene moved around the time we did to Kingwood, TX (close to Houston). So when I knew we were coming back to the area to visit grandparents, I called Karen to see if we could meet up and see each other's new additions: Ellie and Phoebe. She mentioned going to this place called Lupe's Tortilla Factory (?). Anyway, at first I was like...just Little Tike toys for a playground. Then I saw the sand, and thought "Oh, that is cool." Anyway, it turned out to BE REALLY COOL. My girls literally played in that sand for two hours, while I enjoyed a beautiful day eating amazing Mexican food and enjoying sweet fellowship with my mom and dear friend, Karen. I so wish we had the weather and restaurant here. I could so enjoy a strawberry margaritas and watch the girls play until their hearts were content...at least once a week. Of course, if you go...bring an extra pair of clothes. They were so dirty afterwards.

One day while we were in Galveston, it was especially beautiful. Ellie woke up early from her afternoon nap, and I had already been on the porch studying my Esther study. So I just brought her out with me. She had so much fun playing on the blanket with her toys. Isn't she a doll?


Here is Mollie joining us later. She thought Ellie needed a duckie.

Man, do I love the weather in Texas. I would take a 107 degree day in Wichita Falls vs. the cold days here. This summer my resolution is not to stay indoors at all. You will finding me hitting the parks and the pool everyday, all day.

Ice House, Gingerbread House, and Magic House

I wanted to share some of the fun things the girls and I have been doing together. It was just funny that this particular series of pictures all have to do with places that have "house" at the end. First, I have several pictures from the Magic "House" in St. Louis, MO. They recently added a new wing and I had been dying to check it out. Carlie being out of school for President's Day gave us the perfect opportunity. BTW-- if you come to visit us and bring the kiddos we can definitely go there. For 4 hours of AMAZING entertainment, the cost was only $12. Then next are some fun pictures of Aunt Niese and the girls decorating a gingerbread "house." Then last is our trip to the Ice "House" at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville during Christmas break...so a little bit older.
First, the Magic House--

They have a whole "Waterworks" section. It is one of Mollie's favorite spots. They can splash, make rivers/waterfalls...and get especially wet in the process.

This is Carlie in a life-size bubble. I can't believe I was able to catch it on camera since the bubble popped shortly after.
This was my favorite part of the new wing at the Magic House...a CSI division. They let the kids crawl through air duct tunnels, use black lights, search out clues...so realistic. The magnifying glass cracked me up.

Here is Carlie pretending to be the President...perhaps one day. :) I can't describe how realistic this room was. On the left they had a courtroom and then on the right a room for the legislative branch. SO COOL!

This was taken in their "Once Upon a Time" exhibit. Here Carlie and Mollie are pretending to be cobblers. It was so fun. You could really pound on the nails in the shoes.

Here is Ellie at the Magic House...completely clueless, but loving every minute of it. She didn't sleep a wink...way too much excitement around.

This was super cool. I know I keep saying that. Anyway, you dropped the ball at the top and as it rolled down it played beautiful music. I bet they did that a thousand times.

This was a neat exhibit. Each letter in the alphabet had a small toy representing the letter. You may can see the red "W"agon.

This is the GINGERBREAD HOUSE WORKSHOP at Grandma and Grandpa Walters' house. I love seeing how much Carlie is concentrating on putting the candy in just the right spot.

This was a fun day at the church where we made gingerbread houses.

Here we are at the ICE HOUSE at the Gaylord Hotel in Nashville. This is Mollie before she got really COLD, and wanted out of there. ;)

The beauty of Christ's birth captured in ice!

Aunt Lanie chases Carlie in Whoville

So there you have it.

Hurricane Ike...

The girls and I went to Galveston, Texas to visit Mammy and Papa (aka my parents) this past weekend. Some of you may remember praying for my parents when Hurricane Ike hit early in Sept '08. The visit was shocking!!! I had been anxious to see the damage and the progress made since Hurricane Ike. Thankfully, my parent's home sustained minor damage compared to their neighbors about 15 minutes away.

Here is a view from their back porch. The flood waters completely demolished the downstairs and men are still digging trash up from the canals. Their garage was on the first floor. So basically lawn equipment, tools, boat supplies...were washed away...leaving tons of mud/trash but nothing too major. Besides some minor repairs that are still left to be done...you can see that most of the neighborhood has gone back to normal...at least on Tiki Island.

We took the ferry though to Bolavear (sp?) and the devastation was SHOCKING! The next several pictures are from there. The landscaping was dead having been under the salt water for too long...homes completely gone...boats tipped over...neighborhoods completely whipped out. People just left and haven't returned. The crews coming in to remove the trash are completely overwhelmed. These pictures were taken just two days ago...several months after Hurricane Ike actually hit. It broke my heart. Homes that were worth literally 1/2 million dollars...worthless. Imagine if your home even survived, who would want to live there? To hear that my parents months before had actually considered relocating to that area was scary.

It humbled me and reminded me what it means to be a good neighbor. No one should have to go through that kind of devastation alone. Galveston is still trying to heal and you can see it even in the smallest ways. The Lutheran church my parents attend had the entire classroom wing washed out...they now only attend church service in the chapel until it can be rebuilt. I asked if they had a microwave to heat Ellie's bottle. "It washed away" replied the girl. Oh, the things we worry about. The things we spend are money on...What a slippery slope we truly live on.