Our vacation was pretty packed, especially compared to what we are used to in our everyday lives. We had something planned almost every day.
First, on our blessed agenda, MyLove and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! MyLove and I dropped off Carmelita at Mom's and had a little celebration with the boys. We took the kids to Chick-fil-A and then saw Kung Fu Panda with them. It was a lot of fun and we all loved the movie. We dropped the boys off at my mom's, nursed Carmelita, and ate great sushi for dinner.Then we got some Tapioca tea. So yummy! We picked up Carmelita and headed home while the boys spent the night.
After sleeping in so peacefully the next morning, we hung out at home then went to pick up the boys and went shopping at Academy.
Forbidden Gardens: we visited the Forbidden Gardens in Katy and really had a great time. It is amazing. On our tour, there was a couple who had actually been to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and they had a slew of knowledge and interesting tidbits to share.
Here are some of the thousands of terra-cotta soldiers replicated at the Gardens.
MyLove posing like the chariot driver.
Carmelita loving her wrap. Behind us are the thousands of soldiers lined just the way they were discovered.
Each face was different representing real soldiers. Even the armor matched that of the soldiers!
MyLove, Carmelita, Martini and Ethan.
Martini playing the battle drum. It was so loud.
Ethan playing the battle drum. They loved this drum.
Ethan going at it!
The kids and me in front of a chariot and real weapons.
MyLove and Martini by a massive shield.
The kids and I are in front of the Emperor's wife's seat that was carried on the shoulder of men. On the bottom left of the picture is her luggage!
Father's Day: We had breakfast with MyLove's dad (below). For my dad, MyLove, Jimmy and Uncle Daniel played golf with my dad and then I made them some enchiladas for them afterward.
For MyLove, we had homemade waffles and served him on our best China ware. We also got him a grill. It is a Chargriller Duo; complete with a grill for charcoal and a grill for gas grilling. He loves it and grills yummy things for us on it!
Rainforest Cafe: After the Forbidden Gardens, we went to the Katy Mills Mall and ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The kids just loved the "rainstorms" and moving animals there. The food was yummy and the kids' pizzas were awesome; an unexpected surprise. We then took advantage of some awesome sales at a couple of stores in the mall.
Carmelita sleeping at the Rainforest Cafe. She was so tired and slept through all the noise!
Stephanie's 8th Birthday: The kids had a great time with their cousins celebrating Stephanie's 8th birthday. Mary and Craig generously held the party at Build-A-Bear and allotted $25 to each of 10 cousins! Martini chose a panda bear and named him Po after Kung Fu Panda, and Ethan chose a monkey and named him Monkey.
Galveston: We did various things in Galveston. We rented a neat bike and we all rode up and down the seawall for about an hour. We even went through the McDonald's drive-thru! Right after this picture was taken, I handed our digital camera to MyLove and then immediate knocked it out of his hand with my elbow. The camera broke on the concrete seawall! So much for more pictures!
We then went to our campspot at Galveston Island State Park and were in the midst of setting up our brand new, 10-person tent when a storm flew in at a pace I've never seen before (it wasn't supposed to even hit that night. It was forecasted for the next day). There was lightning, thunder and it started to pour. Thankfully, there was a precious, elderly couple (who happened to be precious believers) who were watching our desperation and invited us into their RV before the downpour. The gentleman helped MyLove do as much as he could and then they housed and took care of my kids and me for the next three hours. MyLove and the gentleman went back out and pushed out tons of water and used towels to finally dry it out. MyLove worked so hard.
Tired and worn out, we made our way inside our temporary abode and tried to get settled. It became so hot and muggy after the rain, but it was a bit cooler because of the rain. Finally, we all laid down and the kids conked out. We were exhausted. MyLove then started having a coughing attack. He was having drainage and being out there, I think, irritated his sinuses. He could not stop coughing. It took about thirty minutes and then had found rest.
About an hour or two later, Ethan woke up suddenly. He was confused and not knowing where he was. He had to pee. I told him in a firm voice to wait just a second so I could unzip the tent so he could pee outside. I knew it was a matter of seconds. I picked him up, but it was too late. He peed on his blanket and all over me.
We took off our peepee clothes and put on the minimum (it was so hot) and threw everything in a corner.
Literally two hours later (4AM) Carmelita woke up coughing uncontrollably and vomited on my shirt and our sheet and on herself (she had some congestion too). I almost started crying, I was so tired and exhausted. I stripped her down, wiped her off, and laid her down. I wiped up as much of the vomit as I could then MyLove, (trying to help in any way he could, seeing how desperate I was) laid a towel on top of it. I couldn't find another clean shirt, and I was so hot. MyLove gave me one of his big shirts and we all went back to sleep again. I prayed for sleep.
I opened my eyes to the sun and my ears were welcomed by the soothing sounds of the water on the beach. We laid there for quite some time just enjoying the sounds and the nice breeze flowing through the tent. We spent a few hours playing on the beach and talking with a lovely German lady with her two grandkids, Cokie and Hans! She spoke German, Spanish, Catalan and was learning English! She was so pleasant and it encouraged and rejuvenated our hearts toward the mission field and how much we love foreigners.
We packed up, ate lunch, visited the Lone Star Flight Museum and stopped by Moody Gardens (but didn't do anything because it was late and prices were expensive) where we played with and touched the ice wall they had on display for the Titanic exhibit. We drove home, unpacked, did laundry and got ready for our next adventure.
Dallas: We spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Dallas. My cousin Tim and his wife, Becky, were so gracious in hosting us. The kids grew accustomed to their two poodles and we watched movies and ate great food. They also got us tickets to Six Flags and we let the boys go on as many rides as they could. We adults got to take turns joining them while the others would watch Carmelita. It was so much fun.
Thank you Lord for our family, for my hubby of seven years!!! for his great job that allows vacation for two weeks! for wonderful memories (even though some are hard at the time ;-) and for Your love and the love that we have for eachother. Everything is more enjoyable when you have the joy of the Lord in your life and everything is fulfilling because of Jesus. We have purpose and true satisfaction. Not emptiness.
Thank you, Lord. You are so good to us!
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