Our Trip to the Great State of Texas

Recently my parents moved from the beautiful hills of Tennessee to the wide open spaces of Texas and have been begging us to come for a visit ever since, SOOO...here we are!  And here's the run down of our marvelous Texas adventures!

Sunday, Sept. 22nd- We woke a little later than we had planned, then finished packing up and closing up shop and hit the road around 10am. I was not looking forward to Jett's first experience being in his car seat for an 8 hr ride, but we were all pleasantly surprised at how well he actually did. We stopped just a few times, for short, stretching/eating/bathroom breaks, and rolled into Allen, TX around 6pm.  Exhausted and ready to rest, we settled in quickly and explored our surroundings.  The boys couldn't wait to explore the pool and immediately headed in that direction. Scott hung out with them and me, DD, PawPaw, and Jett strolled on over to the nearby park/playground. Jett enjoyed the swings as always and we enjoyed watching him enjoy. As the sun was rapidly setting, we headed back to the apartment to settle in for the night. Our new sleeping arrangements made some changes throughout the night, with Joel joining Scott, the baby and I, inevitably sending Scott to join the boys on the living room floor. Last night was better, so I think we've finally figured out the best sleeping set up.

Monday, Sept 23rd- Ready to get the party started here in TX, and fill our hungry bellies we got ready and headed to Cracker Barrel for some good eats. Jett was more interested in running around the resturant, so daddy quickly choked down his meatloaf and went on the chase. We finished our meals and joined Jett out into the beautiful, sun shiny day. Joel schooled me in a game of checkers, then we were off to our next designation, cousins James & Sarah's house. We spent about an hour chatting with the Schwartz family and meeting some new Texas friends, then headed to check out the local Ikea.  I've heard wonderful things about the place, but had never been to one, so it was a treat to explore the place. I can see why everyone raves about them.  Jett had fallen asleep in the car so Scott, Jo, and Jared decided to chill with him in the AC while me, DD, Jordy, and Joel went in to check the place out. By the time we reached the end, everyone had joined us and was ready for an ice cream cone break. I had a purse scare....my purse was hanging on the cart and the cart was put back with my purse still attached. Not until we had headed downstairs did I remember my purse was not with me, sending Joel racing back up to retrieve it for me, which he did....WHEW!  James had invited the guys to come back to his place later that evening for pizza and the Bronco game, so we returned to the apartment for some pool time. DD and Jared headed to the pool.  The rest of us headed to the park.  Sarah had let us borrow this really cute car/push toy for Jett to ride on our walking trips, and Jett loves it!  So mommy pushed Jett, while Daddy, Jordy, Joel and PawPaw played some basketball.  The day was gorgeous, started out cool, but quickly warmed up in the Texan sun.  While we waited for the guys to play ball, Jett and I did a little swinging and sliding at the park.  After a while, we were pretty warmed up and ready for a cool pool.  And a cool pool we definitely got! The pool was quite chilly, but we all braved the waters. Jett loves water play, so with his lips chattering the entire time, had a blast!
                                  

 

 After a while the guys headed back upstairs to get ready for their night of football entertainment. Me, DD, and Jetty hung out at the pool a bit longer, then followed up the stairs to clean up.  The guys left and the girls (plus the babe) went in search of some yummy dinner.  We found our yummy dinner at Uncle Julios!  Delicious Mexican food!  We had our fill of Margaritas and Quesadillas and Coconut, Caramel Ice Cream...YUM. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing with a Netflix movie.  The guys enjoyed their night also. Oh, and the Bronco's won.

Tuesday, September 24th- Today we woke and quickly formulated a plan for the day.  Our first stop was to Hobby Lobby.  Since I don't have one near me, I wanted to go check the place out.  Oh, how I love that store!! When I hit the Jackpot $$$,,,,I will be headed to Ikea and Hobby Lobby! I picked up a few cute items for my Living room and got lots more decorating ideas.  Jett enjoyed running up and down all the aisles, finding random stuffed animals to snuggle. The purpose of our trip there was really for ME, so I trusted our group of 8 to handle Jett while I shopped, so imagine my shock (and fear) when at one point my 7 "helpers" started to ask each other where Jett was. Our moment of being frantic was THANKFULLY very short as a friendly Hobby Lobby employee came around the corner with Jett in hand wondering if we were missing a cute little boy. Can't take your eyes off of him for ONE second, people! After our adventuresome escapades at HL, we went on over to the "Office" to see where DD and PawPaw spend all their time, and meet the team.  The office is VERY nice/new.  Of course, DD had her area set up very cute and organized. We shook hands and greeted everyone, who were all very friendly and welcoming. We didn't hang around too long, our bellies were telling us it was time for some lunch. Lunch awaited us at Macaroni Grill and it was absolutely AH-MAZING! DELISH!! With very full/happy bellies we headed back to the Apt for a little down time. Once home, I drifted off to a sweet nap while DD led me in a little meditation, we both napped for about an hour.  PawPaw, Scoot, and Jordy hung out and entertained Jett, and Joel and Jared went for a swim. Later that evening me, DD, and Jett ventured off to WalMart to stock up for our time at the Lodge, while the guys hung out at home and PawPaw went in to work for a while. We arrived back home, put groceries away, put Jett to sleep, waited for PawPaw to get home then all sat down and played a new game, "Wits and Wagers"....that was a lot of fun. Team PawPaw & Scott WON!  Then is was time to get some sleep for our trip to the Lodge the next day.

Wednesday, September 25th- After a pretty good night's sleep, we all awoke and began to pack up to head to the GreatWolf Lodge! First, we stopped for a bite to eat at the nearby Whataburger, then made it to the Lodge around 1pm, just in time for some water sliding fun! Everyone had/is having a blast and absolutely loves everything about this hotel!

From the adorable decor/construction, to the Super Fun Waterslides, our comfy/cute accommodations, and more. The guys went from one slide to another, up the stairs, down the slides, over and over again. Me and DD took turns hanging out with Jetty, who was just enthralled by every aspect of his surroundings. He is a natural water baby and loved every minute of being in the water, from the cool pools, baby slides, to the warm Jacuzzi...he was in water park heaven.

We slipped and slid and swam and floated til  about  5pm then headed up to the room for the night. Hungry and exhausted we ate, changed and settled in to the room. Around 6pm we all decided to go to the Arcade for about an hour and play some games. Highlights: Scott and Jared won a hat for Joel (San Antonio Spurs), of which he was extremely grateful. Jett thoroughly enjoyed running around the arcade and looking at all the bright, colorful lights.  FUN was had by all. Around 8pm we went down to the Lobby for the nightly bedtime story by the Grand fireplace and show, all of which Jett had no interest in whatsoever, so we just ran around after him instead. We stopped at the Sweet Snack Shop for some treats then headed up for the night. More fun to be had tomorrow!

Thursday, September 26- Water park time!! Back we go for water fun...from about 9-11:30, we splashed and played, then Scott and I volunteered to go up and bring lunch back down for everyone. We all had a lunch/snack break then it was back to get wet.

Having had our fill for the day, we all slowly trickled back up to the room to shower and get DRY. Jett and I were the last to go up; he had fallen asleep so I decided to just hang downstairs til he woke. Around 5ish, we were all ready for some dinner and headed to one of the hotel restaurants, Camp Critter. Our meal concluded with mixed reviews, but I enjoyed my signature Great Wolf burger.

Next, we met up with the crew who had journeyed on ahead to the Game Room. After our fun there we mosied on over the Snack Shop and got some treats. Got back to the room around 8pm and got in the beds, we were all tired.

Friday, September 27th- Our last day at the GREAT lodge. :-( Much better sleep last night, thank goodness. Everyone, minus PawPaw & DD hit the Loose Moose breakfast buffet...yummy. Then, back up to pack up. We got everything together pretty quickly and headed back down from our 8th (top) floor home to the lobby to settle our bill. Quick pit stops at the gift shop and game room (to redeem our ticket cards), then out to the water park for a last hurrah before we left.

Being it was Friday, the guest traffic had picked up quite a bit, making the lines a little longer and pools a little more crowded. We surely did enjoy having the place practically to ourselves for a couple days at least. We all love the lodge and hope to return someday soon.

We said our final goodbyes or "howls" around 2:30pm. As soon as we got to the apt we unloaded and hit the showers. My mom's friend/co worker/neighbor, Jet, stopped by for a nice visit, then later the boys went down stairs and met her kids, 2 girls and 1 boy, my boys' ages. They are hoping to hang out with him a bit tomorrow. All the guys, including Jetty, headed off toward Dallas to a video game store in search of a new game for the Nintendo system. DD and I went out for a nice treat, a massage! But first, I had decided I finally was going to be brave enough to get the nose piercing I've always wanted. We drove all the way to the shop only to learn nursing mothers could not get piercings, an infection could endanger baby. Bummer, but breastfeeding is more important to me at the moment. So off to Top Feet to relax and de-stress with 60mins of pure bliss...body massage and reflexology. Very nice treat! Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the Taco Cabana. Yumminess!! Love having "girl time" with my mama! Once home we spent the rest of the night hanging out and playing games as a family. Tomorrow is our last full day in TX.

Saturday, September 28th- Last day in TX. We've had lots of fun and I'm so glad we've been able to come.  I'm ready to get back home and back to life as we normally know it. DD and PawPaw had to go in to the office for a while today, so we are hanging out around the apartment for a bit. This morning, me and Jett went to Krogers to pick up a few groceries, some meds for Scoot, and get my coffee fix via Starbucks. Scoot was not feeling well, the boys were sleeping, except for Jared, who was on the computer, and mom was studying. Right after we left, DD realized it was just me and Jett and after a few failed attempts at reaching me on my cell phone, jumped in her car and surprised me in the Dairy section..haha. She was hoping we could hang out in Starbucks together, but Jett was being a little too feisty, so I quickly shopped, grabbed my cup of joe and headed back to try to enjoy my coffee in peace.Out on the patio, I drank my coffee, in semi-peace, with Jett in tow. We all enjoyed some Kroger donuts and got ready for the day. Me, Jett, Daddy, Jordy, and Joel decided to head to the park for awhile.  Today was the first day the sun hasn't been shining, it's overcast, but feels nice...warm with a cool breeze...perfect park weather. I love the little park near DD's...it's just a short walk down the path and the play equipment is very cute, clean, fun!  Jett, of course, prefers the swings, but also enjoyed a couple of slides. Even in a cooler, overcast day, it's easy to work up a sweat quickly. Jordon and Joel cut out early on us and me, Daddy and baby lingered a bit longer. Once back in the apartment it was time for DD and Paw Paw to head to the office for the day. Jett took a short nap, I did some laundry, cooked some pizzas for lunch and the guys played video games. Jared went down the the clubhouse to use the computers and work out, he likes going down there. The rest of the guys went to check on him.

The guys (and Jett for a while) chilled in the clubhouse to watch the LSU game and use the computers. I started packing and tidying up a bit. After a while, I joined everyone downstairs.  Joel and Jett decided to have one last swim and lasted a whole 5mins in the chilly waters before they were yelling, through chattering teeth, for me to go get them towels. We all decided to head upstairs and watch a movie I had rented at Redbox that morning.... Now You See Me...a movie about 5 magicians. It was a pretty good movie. It did rain here and there, pretty good too. We ordered some, not so tasty, take out from a nearby Chinese restaurant and had our last Texas meal. Not being able to watch TV in our downtime was a challenge, but we made up for it by finding some fun songs on the radio and dancing with Jetty. He's always up for a dance party! We stayed up waiting for DD and PawPaw to get back from work as long as we could, then laid down with the baby for bedtime. Not long after we got the baby to sleep DD and PawPaw came home and brought their co-worker/friend Milad with them. Scott was happy to see his friend Milad again, they had met in Corpus Christi. We all enjoyed our late night conversation and even put on our videos from the week to replay our memories there. We all laughed and reminisced. It was  bittersweet time, knowing we'd be leaving in the morning. 

Sunday, September 29th- We woke up to smiling/sad faces, if there is such a thing. We hung out for a short time, looked at some old photo albums and got ready to head out. When everything was packed in the car we said our tearful goodbyes....we hugged long and tight and promised we'd see each other again soon. It is always so so hard to say goodbye, I hate it. We hit the road and made great time, with only a few stops and got home around 6pm. We were happy to see our home secure and our doggies happy to see us. We were relived to be off the road and back into the comfort of our home.  We are so glad we took our trip, we enjoyed every moment having fun with our family, and can only hope and pray we see more fun trips ahead in the near future. 

The Swing

Why can't anything in life just be easy? I think, let me buy Jett a swing since he loves to swing and be outside. So off to Walmart I go. $20 for a swing, not bad. Then my mind switches to Bob Villa mode as I think of any extra items I'll need to actually hang this thing. I'm always dependent on my amateur, McGuyver-like, rig-it-up-with a hope and a prayer skills. So I buy what I think I'll need, although what else I think I'll need is not available at WalMart, of course, there always has to be something you can't get there, that would be too convenient. And you must know this about me, when I set my mind to do something, I can not rest until it is seen through, so any obstacle that gets in my way will be bulldozed with the perseverance of a mountain climber with his eyes on the summit. With visions of my smiling baby swinging in the sunlight swirling in my mind, my daydream will have to wait another day as I plan a trip to the local hardware store for the final pieces. The next day, I find what I need, but wait, those two pieces will need a drill bit a size I don't already have. Okay, let's waltz on over to the lovely drill bit aisle. There it is, and it's $36! Wonderful, who knew that plastic swing I thought was a great deal would cost me over $50. But, dammit, my child must have happiness swinging in the sunlight. So home we go. I grab my drill, like the supermom I am, one day sewing a button the next slinging power tools, you know how it is. But, as usual, life is going to make me work for it. The bit is too big for my drill. I would never use the expression FML, but I can understand where it came from. So here I am, with a $50 swing, and no closer to hanging it then I was when I put it in my shopping cart. I'm not a betting woman, but you better believe my kid will be swinging in the sunlight within the next 24-48 hours. I will win! HGTV & Pinterest, you may think you're funny making everything look so simple and fun, on behalf of all ordinary people, you can suck it.

Update: 24 hours later:

The swing is UP!! Praise the Lord!  

Swing: $20
Tools to hang said swing: $40
Borrowing a Drill from the neighbor: a wee bit of pride
Seeing the smile on your son's face as he swings: Priceless
Having said son fall asleep after a few minutes of pushing: Totally worth it! — feeling accomplished.

Jett's Playdate at the Palmtree Playground

Jett and I have something special in common, we were both born much later than our siblings.  My closest, in age, sibling is 7 years older than me.  Jett's closest, in age, sibling is 10 years older.  The rest our even older than us than that.  I love my siblings dearly, as does Jett, but when there is such an age gap it is easy to feel like an only child, growing up.  Yes, they can be fun to be around; to look up to literally and metaphorically, but the bond can be limited by the vast age difference. I mean it makes sense, no 13 year old wants to pal around with their 1 year old sibling.  This leads to finding friends closer in age to "play" with.  For the most part, Jett stays contently entertained hanging around the homestead, but I've noticed, when we're out, he lights up like a new light bulb when he comes in contact with someone his size!  Poor thing probably didn't even realize those types of people existed. How amazing to realize there is another human being you can see eye to eye (in so many ways), shares the same limited vocabulary, and also enjoys throwing things just as much as you do!  Unfortunately, we live in big kid land, so mama had to reach out and find some pint-size friends for her little buddy. Thanks to the wonderful, social website MeetUp.com, I have been able to connect with other "searching for friends" & "long talks at the beach"- the beach at the Palmtree Playground, that is. The plan was to meet up at the indoor playground for 10am.  We arrived, got our feet sock ready and headed in for some FUN!  The place filled up fast with mommas and babies/toddlers/kids, all ready for a little pre-lunch, pre-nap fellowship.  Jett lit up with a huge smile as he ran in!  Here was a place he could roam free, touch everything, hit (not the kids), throw, run, and explore til he tuckered himself out. And he did!  The highlight of the day was when I sat down and watched him as he walked a ways away from me.  I didn't get up and follow, I just sat there and waited to see what he would do; where he would go.  I wondered how long he would notice his helicopter of a mother wasn't circling above in her usual pattern. I sat like a proud peacock watching her little chick-a-dee fluttering at the edge of the nest for the first time.  He slowly and cautiously walked, inspecting the toys and kids around him.  He looked like such a big, brave boy.  After a couple of minutes, his investigating turned to mission: where's mommy, as quick as a switch being flipped. I could see from where I was sitting on the floor, about a couple yards away, the excitement in his eyes turned to concern as he realized only strangers surrounded him. He didn't cry or look scared, he just looked around in search of the one he was seeking. As quickly as the mission started, he made a 180 and caught my gaze. What happened next is something I'll never forget.  His whole face beamed with happiness, as his eyes and smile expanded at the sight of me, then he ran towards me with laser beam focus, like there was no one else on the planet and jumped in my lap wrapping his little arms around my neck in the biggest, tightest, squeezy hug he's ever given me. As if that wasn't enough to melt me, his hug lingered, I was transformed into a puddle of goo as his warm body pressed up against mine and his arms squeezed my neck, in an impressive choke hold.  I don't think he could've gotten his body any closer and I doubt an F5 could've torn us apart.

He enjoyed being in the presence of the other children, but mainly played by himself.  He spent most of his time throwing and chasing the balls.  He went down the slide, climbed a stair or two, rode a rocking horse, played in a little house and spun a pirate wheel, all of which was extremely interesting but nothing compared to the ball. I noticed he was the only child that took in the sights of the flags hanging from the ceiling, signs on the walls, tall equipment he couldn't reach, and walked toward the exit many times, I wonder if he was ready to go.  We played for almost 2 hrs then headed home.

We made lots of new friends and look forward to more fun times together, as long as we have each other to run too. :-)

The Up Up & Away Birthday Bash....literally

After spending countless hours in thought and effort party planning, supply buying, craft making, and stressing over every detail to see my perfect vision of a party come to realization; it all got dashed to pieces in a matter of seconds. The park required us to "man the shelter" at 11 in the morning, so we were up early packing up everything and finishing up last minute preparations. After loading up two vehicles we headed out. My biggest concern about having an outdoor party was the high heat, little did I know the wind and rain would be my biggest foes; Never did I imagine they would defeat me. Arriving 3 hours prior to party time we got busy setting everything up. Once my beautiful vision was in place the battle of wind vs. party decor quickly ensued. The wind gusts whipped through our shelter and tore through our carefully placed arrangements with the severity of a woman enduring labor contractions. We taped and taped and taped some more, in hopes of somehow cementing my masterpiece in place, but to no avail. There was always some balloon or party hat flying away, centerpiece falling over, and tablecloths flapping in the wind. My sweet parents ran to the rescue every time, even after I had given up on the chase. By party time I was ready for it to be over. As the first guests arrived, so did the rumbles of thunder and strikes of lightning. We braced ourselves for a brief rainstorm, but were not prepared for the hurricane-type weather that came instead. Half my guests quickly made their way to the Carousel, about 20 yds across the park, including my three boys, while the rest of us stayed in the false security of our "shelter". The skies grew black, the winds went into their final transition and the rain fell. What started out as a nice, cool rain shower, turned into my worst nightmare in a matter of a few minutes. As the winds and rain intensity increased our dryness under our shelter rapidly decreased. The vertical downpour became a horizontal torrent. I cringed as everything, and everyone, began to get wet. Then, out of nowhere, the wind and rain turned into a furious beast and blew through the shelter with such force it drenched everything that it also couldn't blow down. Tables, Food, presents, decor, all soaked, including us. All we could do was stand in a helpless, wet huddle and wait for it to end. In the meantime, the birthday boy is screaming, two of my boys are running back to us across an open field with lightening flashing all around them, and my party is blown out onto the grass. Once the worst was over, 30 mins into my 3 hour long party, we threw everything away. Salvaged some food that was covered, but no decor made it through the storm. Against, my strongest desires to pack up and go home, we recouped and tried to make the best out of our time together. The kids played in the muddy lakes of rainwater and the adults embraced their wet dog makeovers. The cake was wet and melted but still tasted great. The sun came out to laugh at mother natures mean sense of humor and we enjoyed the rest of the day. My gracious guests made the party a success just by being there and making the best out of a soggy situation. Thankfully I was wise enough to capture a few shots of my masterpiece before it was ruined. I get sick when I think how I spent all of that time and money on that stuff, for NOTHING. That will be my last park party...my last party (for a while). Will the birthday boy remember this day? No, but we will never forget it. I sat and fed Jett one more time before we left, while my family packed up the cars, and stood up to find Jett had blown out of his diaper onto both me and him. So the party officially ended with me getting shit on, and I think that pretty much sums up my experience with Jett's first birthday party.

My Rainbow Baby Turns ONE!!

~Jett Joseph~

June 8, 2012

Oh my precious boy, my miracle, my heart's desire. So many years I waited for you, prayed for you, hoped for you and tried for you.  Fourteen months ago I held you for the first time, I am so grateful I was given another sweet baby to hold. Little boys only want to be held by their mothers for just a short time, so I am truly cherishing my cuddles with you now.  You are already growing so fast!  You've gone from 7lbs to 25lb, from 21in tall to 37in tall!  You are a big, healthy boy and will be a tall, strong man one day. Everyone you meet can't help but smile and make friends with you, you are so easy to love and adore. Already gone are the days of rolling and crawling, now you run!  You still sleep comfortably between mommy and daddy & breastfeed til your heart's content.  You love playing with your big brothers, chasing your pup-pups and getting into everything.  You love water!...bath, rain, sprinklers, dog water bowl any is right for playing in for you. You love to laugh, you laugh when others laugh.  You love Music!....and to dance to it.  You love to swing and throw balls.  You love your family and we love you.  Enjoying every moment of your gift of a life.

newborn (6 days old)

As The Months Go By...

Family Time with the Schamfam & Schrofam

Scott with his beautiful sister, Katherine

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY! It's been so difficult to plan anything this summer without our parade getting rained on. From Jett's 1st birthday washout, to Joel's canceled birthday celebration at the water park, to our weekend warrior home improvement projects, and, not to disappoint, the rain has yet again ruined our outdoor plans for Katherine's weekend visit. Our day soaking up the sun at the beach may have been called off, but we've managed to pull off an enjoyable and entertaining visit all the while. Friday we arrived at Grandpa's around 11:30am, to huge smiles and warm hugs. Everyone was excited to see each other, most for the first time. Our first meeting with Jacob (6) & Sophia (9). And their first visit with all the boys! J & S are so sweet and friendly, you'd thought we've all known one another for years, a sentiment Sophia even shared with us toward the end of our trip.  They were immediately drawn to Jett, but who isn't? They were/are so good and gentle with him. Jake especially loves to listen to him babble and tries to understand what he's saying. Sophia is 9 going on 19, so eloquent and forthright in her speech, or as the boys would describe her "mature". She's as sweet as she can be (just like her mom) and "Jakers/Bakers/Bacon", as his mom jokingly refers to him, is full of energy and life, with his Tae Kwando moves (to secret to be displayed) and his ghost story telling (only to be heard by ages 10 & up).

We ate some delicious turkey sandwiches for lunch and settled into each others company. Around 3pm we headed out for a little pre-dinnertime fun. We made our way to a local mini golf/go cart place. Janet, Jett, and myself found a shady spot to stand as we cheered on the family go cart race. Kat in car one, followed by Jordon, Joel, Jared, Scott with Sophia, and George with Jacob. It was hot and humid, but lots of fun. 

Afterwards, we headed to the Beau Rivage casino to check out their plush Arcade room, a truly beautiful place. Fun was had by all! George & Janet took out some robots, the kids loaded up on tickets, and I chased Jett around. The boy loves to explore, everywhere we go! I did sneak in a moment at the Scoops gelato shop next door for one, delicious scoop of Almond (with sprinkles) gelato, with Jett as my date, of course. Around 5:30pm we rushed to valet to retrieve our vehicles and get back to Grandpas for dinner. Dinner prep took a little bit longer than expected, but was worth the wait. Grilled burgers and Grandpa's famous Mac & Cheese was on the menu. Everything was delicious. By 9:30pm we were all ready for bed, so we headed back to our Palmetto Suite at the Oak Shade Inn, the perfect place to rest our weary heads. The Inn is quaint, clean, comfy, and charming. Also, located conveniently near two parks, a splash park, and the beach, all of which we will not have time to enjoy on this trip, unfortunately, but plans are already in the works for another visit. It's a great place to get away to, near family, and not too far from home.

The view from my bed

Saturday morning we awoke with plans to head to a nearby water park for the day. Our original plans of taking the boat out to Ship Island were cancelled due to the boat needing repair. We got our swim attire on and loaded into the car. Grandpa called just as we were leaving to tell us to meet them at McElroy's for breakfast, but they would be another 20-30 more minutes, they were still getting ready. We decided to head on over and wait. I was in desperate need of my coffee fix, so we decided to walk to the Hard Rock casino next door to check it out and find some COFFEE. It's a really ROCK'N place! All was well when we entered and the Starbucks sign came in to view. By the time we got our coffees the rain showed up and it poured. We walked back and the rest of the fam had already made it to a table. The food was just okay, pancakes, french toast, eggs, etc. The kids went out to explore the balcony along the dock of the bay and we followed. We unknowingly broke the rules and fed the begging seagulls some leftover beingets. With a high chance of rain all day, it was

decided we'd go back to the Beau Rivage, later that day, and see Funambula, a circus attraction. First, we returned to change into some non-swimming clothes, then chilled at Grandpa's while we waited for show time. The show was a lot of fun, cool acts, loud music. I was surprised how enthralled Jett was by it all, kept him entertained. Jett peed on me, so we missed the last few minutes of the show getting cleaned up in the bathroom. Around 5pm we left and met everyone at Outback for dinner. Dinner was good and I enjoyed chatting with Kat. Trying to fulfill Jett's desperate desire to walk around, Jared and I went outside while those who ordered desserts indulged. Surprise! It was raining. Jett assumed he was at the splash park and proceeded to walk under the water dripping off of the overhang. He smiled, laughed, shivered with a chilled delight, and had a blast as he got soaking wet. We just stood there and laughed with him. Everyone started filing out and chuckled in surprise as they saw Jett enjoying his own water park. What a fun, exhausting, special time we've been having with our sweet family. We're all so blessed to be able to have had this time together. As I lay here recalling the events of the last two days, it's been storming outside for the past two hours. We have one more day planned together and I wish we could have more. Tomorrow morning we'll pack up our items (I feel like I just unpacked), and say goodbye to our suite, for now. Not goodbye, but hopefully, see you again soon. The plan is to head into New Orleans for a day of being tourists in the city. Tonight my prayer is the rain will grant us one day of sun, long enough to enjoy our last moments of family time together. Rain or Shine, we'll cherish them.

Sunday was HOT but sunny!! We packed up and said goodbye to our cozy home away from home around 9am. We stopped to gas up and grab a cup of Joe, then headed to Gramps. Once the fam loaded up we hit the road, New Orleans bound! Once there, we parked and walked, and walked, and walked some more, baking in the Nawlins heat and dripping with sweaty goodness.

Took in the sights, shopped a little, and made our way to Dragos for a little pre-lunch snack. Grandpa finally met his match with his daughter, only oyster loather he hasn't been able to convert with a charbroiled oyster. We soaked up some last few minutes of air conditioning and headed back toward the cars. Next we had a delicious lunch at Coyote Blue in Metairie. Our time there was bittersweet, for we would be parting ways afterward and our time with the Schroeder's would be coming to a close.  We lingered after the meal talking, playing, laughing, not wanting to let go. Finally, it was time to say goodbye. There were long hugs and heartfelt tears, it was hard.

What a blessing this weekend has been to all of us, a time we will remember and hold on to til we meet again and make more fun memories, for in time I'm certain we will.

Fun Times!