Texas Trip June 2011

Day 1: We flew from SLC to Austin, Texas and thanks to Steve (our world traveler) we used up his sky miles and all flew for free! Steve had business in Austin the first two days, and the rest of the time was family time. We arrived in beautiful (and hot and humid) Austin Sunday, June 5. We settled into our hotel, then met up with Robby (Steve's business friend) and his wife for dinner, which I didn't get a picture of. They are a nice couple with out kids, and I am pretty sure they couldn't wait to get back in their car after having dinner with us and our crazy girls.

Day 2: Steve worked all day while me and the girls hung out at the hotel. That night we went to Rudy's for dinner. Steve also came here for lunch this day. He absolutely loves this barbecue and couldn't wait for us to try it too. It was delicious! We all had a good time except for Miss London. The picture below sums up her night perfectly...
Day 3: Steve worked all day while the girls and I had a little adventure at a close by splash pad, then went back to the hotel for a long nap. When we got up from our nap we were excited to learn the Cooks had arrived. My sister and her two kids drove down from Dallas to spend the rest of the week with us. Yipee!
We went to the Salt Lick for dinner, which is a must when you visit Austin. It is a fabulous barbecue place. We ate as much as we could, then got cobbler too.
The boys; Logan and Steve.
The girls; Ann, Taylor,London, me, Brooklyn. It was a loud and happening restaurant so we fit right in with all the kiddos.

Leaving the restaurant these three were so cute holding hands.
Day 4: We went digging for dinosaur bones at Zilker Park, a huge park in Austin. It reminded me of Central Park or Hyde Park because in the background were the skyscrapers of down town Austin. Even though it was extremely hot, the kids enjoyed digging in the sand and uncovering the dinosaur fossils.




Cute shot of the four kids going through the tunnel of what seems to be the spine of a dinosaur.
Then we went over to another part of the park and played on the huge playground and rode a little train.
After the park we went to eat lunch at the Hula Hut right on Lake Austin. I am sad I didn't take a picture there because it was so cool and so pretty. After lunch we headed over to Allen's Boots to get the little girls some cow-girl boots.
Taylor making sure London has all the right accessories.
Tah-dah! London loves her new red boots.
That night we went downtown again for the bat show. Here are Taylor (sporting her new boots) and London walking to our destination. Austin is home to the largest colony of bats in North America. Thousands and thousands of them live under the South Congress bridge on Lake Austin, and each night at dusk they all come out to hunt for the night. It is quite a sight to behold.
Waiting for the bats...
This all happens in the heart of down town Austin. Hundreds of people come out to watch the event.


Finally the bats came. I have a video of this, but haven't been able to upload it yet. It was wild! There were thousands of them flying right above us.Day 5: We left Austin and drove to San Antonio. We met up with the Sorensen Family, friends from our BYU singles ward where we all met and married. Steve and Dane were high school friends and roommates at Liberty Square while at BYU. We met them for dinner at Henry's Puffy Tacos, a San Antonio original restaurant, then went back to their home for dessert and games. It was lots of fun to catch up with them and their three little girls.
Day 6: Sea World, San Antonio! I found it quite strange there is a Sea World which isn't by the ocean. It was super fun though. Do we look hot in this picture below? We are sitting in the splash zone at the Shamu show hoping to get a little relief. Little did we know, we were about to get soaked!


Introducing Shamu!
Moments later we were soaked! Right in front of us four killer whales dove down head first with their tails up in the air. Then at the exact same time all four of the tails whipped forward and a huge wall of water came rushing our way. I was holding Brooklyn and Steve had London. At first it was silent as we were all shocked at what had just happened. Then Brooklyn just started laughing while at the exact same time London started crying. It was hilarious to witness such opposite reactions. London was ready to go after that, and she is still upset with Shamu for splashing her.
This was my favorite part of Sea World. I love dolphins, and Steve insisted we pay the $6 for a tray of four fish to go feed/touch them. We may or may not have gotten a few more trays to stay there longer. This was awesome!

Uncle Eric joined us in San Antonio, and this is how he got around Sea World because of a hurt foot. The scooter was a big hit with the kids.
There was a fun water park in the middle of Sea World, and thank goodness there was. This is how we cooled down.

Steve, Brooklyn, and London are watching the dolphin show in this picture. And below are two shots of the girls letting us know it was time to go. They must have been really exhausted, because this sort of thing never happens... Sea World was awesome!


Day 7: We went to down town San Antonio to visit the Alamo and River Walk. Both were really neat.
The whole group in front of the Alamo.

Auntie Ann got the three girls matching dresses. So cute! We were asked several times that day if the girls were triplets.

Here is the group sitting down for lunch right on the River Walk.
Steve's long-time friend, Andy, met up with us for lunch. He just happened to move to San Antonio that week, and Steve was as pleased as punch to get to see him.


The River Walk is a must see if you ever make it to San Antonio. Below are Logan and Taylor enjoying a boat ride on the river.
Back at the hotel Auntie Ann painted the girls nails. London later told us this was her favorite thing she did in Texas.
That night we visited the San Antonio Temple.

Visiting the temple was the perfect way to spend our last night in Texas. The next morning we packed up and drove back to the Austin airport and headed home. London and I got to fly first class, thanks to Steve's upgrades for his frequent flights. That was the perfect way to end our vacation! We loved our trip to Texas, and especially spending so much time with the Cooks.