Happy Halloween

Texas 2010 - The Last Day and Trip Home

Our last day in Texas consisted of taking it easy and just enjoying the company of Jacob, Jason, and Erin one last day.

Monday morning came and we all stared the day very early at 5:30am. Our flight out of Austin left at 8:20 and landed in Branson at 10:00. Our flight out of Branson to Des Moines left at 2:00. Yep that is right we had a layover that lasted about 4 hours. Surprisingly, the kids did great on both plane rides and in the airport.

Now I don't know if any of you out there reading our blog have ever been in the Branson airport but it is not very big at all. This is a picture of the whole airport.So you might wonder what you do to occupy an almost two year old for 4 hours in a small airport. Well, you feed them, read to them, let them run around, and you do a lot of this

Colin also made good use of the floor in the only restaurant at the airport.

All-in-all we had a great stay in Austin. Thanks Ferrera's for allowing us to invade your home for almost 10 days.

I will end my posts about our trip with a couple pictures of downtown Austin.

Texas 2010 - Day 8

On Saturday we headed west of Austin to a park that had a hiking trail that led to a waterfall. It was really neat to see and once again the kids loved being able to play in the water.

Texas 2010 - Day 7

Friday, we went to a splash pad near downtown Austin. The kiddos had a blast, but I am positive that Makenna had the most fun while we were there.

Texas 2010 - Day 6

Thursday was spent mostly relaxing, letting the kiddos enjoy playing with each other, and a major shopping trip for my mom and sister. Here are a couple pics of the kiddos playing.

Texas 2010 - Day 5

Wednesday came and Jared had to leave us so he could get back to work. We went to a small book store where they were having a birthday party and story time for the Olivia the Pig. (It was the 10 year birthday of her book) The kiddos had a great time and they all left with a new book. (courtesy of their Nana)

Wednesday evening we went out to eat at a fabulous Italian restaurant called Canoli Joes. It was buffet style dinning with all the pasta and pizza you could ever want to eat. The dessert was by far the best part with way too many choices and the best apple crisp I have ever had. I ended up with a dessert plate that looked like this

.....and yes I ate it all.

After supper we headed back downtown to the Austin Children's museum. On Wednesday night the museum is only one dollar to get in. The Jacob and Makenna had a blast running from one center to the next. Needless to say this was a big hit and well worth the dollar.

Texas 2010 - Day 4

Tuesday mid-morning we went to a nearby park where Jared, Makenna and I got canoe down the river.

Tuesday evening Jared and I were able to slip away for a bit. We headed to the bookstore where we enjoyed each others company while looking through some books. It was a great way to end Jared's last day in Texas.

Texas 2010 - Day 3

On Monday we made the short drive to a pumpkin patch just west of Austin. While we were there we enjoyed a hay rack ride, goats, kittens, pumpkins, a train ride for the kids, wildflowers, and pumpkin ice cream.

That evening Erin, Jason, Jared, and I were able to go out on a date while my parents watched the kiddos. We went to a very tasty Mexican Restaurant and enjoyed some time away from the kiddos.