We finally took a vacation. A real vacation. The kind where you fly 2300 miles away and do all the touristy types of things. What an adventure!!!
To begin our trip, we dropped Oliver, the dog, off at Grandma and Papa's house (that would be my parents) to spend time with them and their two beagles, Marco and Maya. After a "why am I still here" incident and a few days warming up to the idea of playing with dogs, he settled in and actually started being a dog.
Our trip really began when we boarded the plane, the very first people on mind you. They were still cleaning when they had us board! Eli absolutely loved the plane trip. He giggled during take off and the landing and was great through the whole thing. He was strapped into his
car seat so couldn't go anywhere even if he wanted to.
The first thing we noticed about being in Texas,
besides the major
construction IN the airport causing some confusion on our part, was the heat. It was 7pm by the time we made it outside and holy heck on wheels. It was STILL 95+ degrees out. We were hot and sweaty by the time we made it in the car (you know how it goes, loading luggage and putting in
car seats to pass my high car seat standards: if it moves
at all, it's too much). After grabbing something to eat, we headed to my brother's house in Magnolia. We drove. And drove. And drove. Houston is like Seattle. It just keeps going, and going, and going. Only bigger. Eli took to the "pretty car" in Uncle Daryl's garage. The pretty car is his 1970 Ford
Galaxie. It's really cute, Eli loved it then I got to tell him that it used to be his Great-Grandpa's car, but that it was Daryl's now. Eli's response? "
Ohhhhhhh," with very wide eyes. Every time we have set foot in the garage, he comments on the pretty car. Cute!
Day One: On our first full day in town, we headed south to
NASA's Johnson Space Center and went to the space museum. We did a tram ride that took us to the Rocket Center and Mission Control. It was amazing seeing the actual mission control where every space mission has been through since the 1980s. While we were there, they had live footage from mission control for the
International Space Station.
Unfortunately, they were in another room that we were not allowed in. Still, it was amazing! Eli really enjoyed the tram ride, or the
Choo-
Choo as seen from the eyes of a two-year old. It was very hot this day (100* when we arrived!), so after the tram ride, and visiting the rockets, we spent some more time inside, then headed back out to the car. By the time we got home, and had some dinner, it was already time for Eli to go to bed. It was a busy, but fun day!
Day Two: We decided that it was time to have a relaxing, non-touristy day and let Eli do a little catching up on rest and have some fun playing. We went to the mall and walked around for a bit, played at the park for a few minutes, yes, I am not kidding when I say a few minutes here. We walked there, about 2 blocks away, played for maybe 15-20 minutes, then headed back. During our trip, the Houston area had record setting heat - you can only imagine what it was like for our little family from Seattle! We were hot and sticky! After slathering the sunblock on and making sure we had plenty of water handy, we went out and endured it for as long as we could - without pushing it! Eli loved the slides and throwing rocks in the water at the park. It was great letting Eli catch up a little on sleep. Thank goodness for a nap!
Day Three: Downtown Aquarium here we come!
OK, we went! Upon seeing it from the freeway, my initial thought was, "Are you serious? It's one measly little building. We're going to be in and out in a matter of minutes." However, when you walk up to it, it was much larger and exciting in person! To be honest, it didn't take too long to walk through the whole thing, the Seattle Aquarium is much larger, but I think I have to say, this one was so much better! I haven't been in our
aquarium since they finished the updating and whatever else they did, but this aquarium was completely decked out, decorated, and made you feel like you were really part of the exhibit. We loved it! In addition to fish and the typical aquarium type things, there were a few birds and even white tigers. Eli
loved this exhibit! After scoping out the aquarium and having lunch at the Aquarium Restaurant, we went out did the only ride Eli would go on, the Shark Voyage. This consisted of boarding a train and riding it through a shark tunnel (wow! What a thrill! Sharks were all around us) and through shark infested waters (robotic sharks). It was a little
cheezy, but watching the excitement through our child's eyes was totally worth it! Eli loved it. By this point we had spent as much time outside as we dared and headed back to the car. Eli actually fell asleep in the car (an amazing feat in itself these days) and even continued napping when we got home.
Day Four: Fossils, shells, gems and science, oh my! This day brought us to the
Houston Museum of Natural History. There was so much to see and do here, a person could go broke! We decided that because of Eli's lack of napping and considerate amount of running we've been making him do since arriving in Houston we would not do any of the extra things - that and they were horribly expensive! As it was, we were bombarded with 3 floors of exhibits to meander through. The favorites of a two-year-old you ask? The dinosaurs and any of the animals. At one
point he was blowing kisses to the zebras and attacking lionesses. "
Toooooooo funny" as he liked to put it. After napping upon arrival back at the house, another trip to the park was in store. We managed to stay out roughly the same amount of time as before - maybe a tad longer as there was a slight breeze, shade, and slightly milder
temperatures (when I say slight, I mean slight. At one point late in the afternoon, it was only 97*).
Keep your eyes out for more to come on the remainder of the trip! One can only write so much at a time. Pictures will come eventually too!!
