Dallas Trip!

The first weekend in October we finally were able to make a trip to Dallas again! I love that city and miss so many things about it, even though I am very happy with the life we are making here in Houston. Nick had to work Wednesday and Thursday so I was left to go with the girls alone. Thankfully, Nick's mom (Mamaw) was able to go with me so I had another adult to help. We were going to Nick's cousin's wedding on Saturday so of course she wanted to go too. Thursday I took the girls to Pee Wee School like usual but I let their teachers know that I would be picking them up before their nap time at school so hopefully they would nap in the car. I ran some errands and came home and packed the car. We loaded up, grabbed some lunch then picked up Sloane and Stella. They were happy and excited and talked for a bit then thankfully slept for about an hour or so before traffic stopped on the freeway. We literally sat for about 10 minutes then started going again but it slowed us down a good 30-45 minutes. We made a pit-stop in Fairfield (I'm pretty sure that was the name of the town)where there was a Sonic with a nice playground that the girls loved running around in. After about 30 or so minutes there we got back in the car for the rest of the drive. Luckily Mamaw had gotten a few new toys and was good at keeping them busy for the next hour or so. We got downtown and found our hotel very easily. Got checked in and then left again to meet my friend Sherry and her family at Chuy's, one of both of our families favorites! Let me tell you about Sherry. She and I taught together my second year in Forney. We were next door neighbors and quickly found out we had A LOT in common. She was already married to a great guy named Trey and they lived in a great house there in Forney. We bonded so much that year but decided that I had to move closer to my boyfriend at the time so we only taught that one year together. I wish sometimes that I would have stayed in Forney but then I would have never met Hillary, who led me to Nick and we all know how wonderful that introduction has turned out. :)Anyway, Sherry now has 2 adorable kiddos, Chloe and Jack. Chloe is 4 and just the cutest thing ever. She talks and looks a lot like our niece Madison at that age. The girls have not stopped asking to go see her again! And Jack is just this precious little blonde curly haired cutie! He turned 2 in May and was great about sharing his toys and his sister and Mommy with us for the weekend. :) Sherry has been such a great friend through all these years and inspires me to be a better Christian, wife and mom! Love all the times we get to spend together, even if they are limited.

Back to the trip, so we went to Chuy's and starting catching up right away and then Nick met us there. The girls and I hadn't seen him much that week so we were all so glad to see him! We took some pics with the Clemens' then said good-bye but hoped to see them again the next day. We went back to the hotel and got pack n plays set up and babies changed for bed. Luckily the room was a suite with a living room area and then a separate bedroom. Can I get an Amen from all the mommies?? It's super hard to sleep with a toddler 2 feet away so these kinds of rooms are awesome!! After we put the girls to bed Nick and I discussed the plans for the next day and he decided that he would play golf with some of the guys in his family and I would see if Sherry wanted to go to the Dallas Arboretum. I am SSOOO glad we went. If you live in Dallas or are visiting in October, you have to go see the pumpkins there!! Hands down, best pumpkin patch I have ever seen. Pumpkins everywhere and all different kinds. In piles, on trees, made into houses, along the sidewalks, everywhere!! Sherry said she heard something like 50,000! I wouldn't doubt it at all. Had a blast and I hope next year we can visit Dallas again so Nick can go with us too.

That night Heather, the bride, invited us to her girls dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I was leery to take the girls just because they hadn't napped well and I knew they would be cranky and I didn't know how they would eat and I wasn't going to have Nick there to help. I love any help I can get and Mamaw is great but when you are traveling with twin toddlers and pushing them to the limits, you kind of just want your "right hand" with you. But he went with the guys and did that thing and we did the girls thing and it turned out great! The girls actually stayed seated for a good part of it and we were able to get out of there without too much mess or meltdowns. Day 3, Saturday, was rainy and cold so I texted Sherry asking her about the Galleria. Nick needed to go to Nordstrom and I remembered her mentioning an indoor playground. She said it was only 5 minutes from her house and we should stop by on the way. (She moved from Forney into Dallas a couple years ago but I had never seen their house yet) The girls loved playing in Chloe's room and I loved getting to chat with Sherry and get the house tour. I wish she would come help me decorate my house! She had everything ready for fall and the house was just beautiful! I remember her telling me that the Master bedroom closet was one of the things that sold them on the house and I see why, Amazing! Makes me want to redo ours! After chatting there a bit, we headed to Galleria where the girls played in the cutest little indoor play area. There were tons of kids but they all played surprisingly well. We did a little shopping and got lunch then headed back to the hotel for nap. We all rested up then got ready for the wedding. Oh another highlight was that the girls took their first showers there too. There was no bathtub and at first I kind of panicked, how am I going to bathe them?? But then I saw that the shower head was the removable hose kind so I could get it down on their level and not spray them in the face the whole time. They loved it! They took one Friday night and on Saturday after naps when we mentioned taking one again that day they immediately ran to the bathroom and were ready to get in.

Heather and Mike's wedding was very pretty and the girls behaved very nicely. Sloane had a nice poopy diaper that got on her tights but other than that the night was great! They lasted till about 9 then it was time to go. Headed back to "Dallas" (what the girls called the hotel) and we all crashed.

Sunday was time to say Bye to everyone and head home. We made a quick stop at the Dallas World Aquarium because we had driven by it all weekend and I knew the girls would love it. And they did! Isn't that a cool picture of the shark swimming right over our heads?? Daddy wanted In and Out Burger before we left so we stopped there for lunch before heading home. I really wish they had one of those in Houston! Maybe soon...

The girls fell asleep before we were even out of Dallas and slept almost to Madisonville! YEAH! We stopped at Buckee's with every other person in TX and the girls hugged the "fever" then we were on the way again. We were all so glad to be home and sleep in our own beds Sunday night after our super fun weekend! We sadly didn't get to see the Parnell's, Donnell's, or my friend Holly or Britt but hopefully we can make a trip up again soon. Maybe after the holidays and things slow down again. Our October and November calendar is already pretty full. If you read this far, good for you!! ;)