In early Spring, Kimberly reached out to let me know that they were spending a week in Austin for their Spring Break if we wanted to come down on the weekend to see them. It didn't line up with our Spring Break, but Kevin was able to take a personal day and we took the kids out of school for a long weekend. Even though we've lived in Texas for 11 years, we had never been to Hill Country during the Spring and I was super excited. I love bluebonnets and it had been 2 years since we saw Kimberly and her family, so the timing was perfect.
We met up at Pedernales State Park and it might be my new favorite place in Texas! The water was stunning, the kids loved exploring, and Colby was in heaven trying to fish despite having the wrong bait. I am IN LOVE with the sweet cousin picture!
The girls quickly rekindled their love for each other and Brooke was always holding someone's hand. She really is the sweetest and SO good with younger kids.
It really was so stunning!! There was hardly anyone there, which made the whole place seem more magical.
The water was so clear that Colby could see the fish approach the bait, and turn and swim away, haha.
We hiked down to the river, walked in the riverbed over to a swimming hole, and played in the water until we were all frozen.
Cousin time is the best time! Especially with cousins you haven't seen in two years.
We found a really yummy pizza place nearby and the kids enjoyed playing a few games before totally zoning out and watching a show in the restaurant. It was late by the time we sat down to eat and they were exhausted from such a long day outside.
The next day, we visited Wildseed Farms, which is the nation's largest working flower farm. I have always loved bluebonnets, but I also loved the red poppies which reminded me of the orange California poppies. I bought a bag of seeds to grow at home, so we'll see how I do.
My Texas Babies!! It was so incredibly windy so I didn't even make Colby take off his hat or hood.
I snapped a cute picture of Claire, but Grace was feeling over the pictures already!
A storm was rolling in, hence the moody skies and insane wind.
Kevin, being Kevin...
The we hiked over at Enchanted Rock State Park. It was windy at the base, but as we climbed the ancient dome, the wind became scary. We were nearly at the top, but some of the kids (Brooke, Claire, and Grace) were getting super worried, so Kimberly and I took the girls down. Brooke had been holding Claire and Grace's hands when she first commented to me that THEY were scared. I had Kimberly take their hands so that Brooke didn't feel responsible for them, but then Brooke became kind of upset with me and said that we needed to get down to the bottom. I hadn't realized how scared she was, so I held her hand tight as we walked down with the wind at our backs.
The boys opted to hike the last tiny bit, and although it seemed to take them forever, they did just fine. Colby's hair was pretty epic by the time they made it down :)
We later talked to a volunteer who said he had never seen wind like that in the 8 years he's worked there. He estimated that it was at least 40 mph, so no wonder we were scared!
We found a trail to hike and enjoyed seeing all the beautiful wild flowers along the way. It felt magical seeing wildflowers everywhere you looked!! I'll probably feel disappointed if I ever come here when it's not Spring.
We happened upon Frog Pond, and since Colby was carrying a fishing pole, he decided to try his luck. He didn't catch anything, but he sure enjoyed the adventure.
We enjoyed dinner and live music at Hondo's, then had an evening dip back at the hotel. Kevin found this gem of a place and it was seriously the best!! The ambiance at night with the lights all around the property, the fire pits, jacuzzi, ping pong, and hot cocoa kept my kids begging that we could stay a few more days.
The only bad part was when Colby woke up at 1 AM with an ear ache, but after lots of prayers and a hot shower, he was able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.
We walked Main Street and loved all the little shops. We spent far too long in Rustin' Rob's Gourmet Food Store since they had about 100 samples, but I bought a few things to make up for everything we consumed.
This taxidermied raccoon band was equal parts cool and disturbing, haha.
After the shops, we ventured over to the Lyndon B. Johnson historical sites. They were part of the Texas State Park network, but our favorite thing was the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm. Park Rangers wear historical clothing and actually work the farm. Daily chores include caring for the animals, feeding, milking, gathering eggs (which they let the kids do) and slopping hogs.
These turkeys were insane!! I didn't realize they were quite this big.
We headed home on Monday afternoon so the kids could get back to school, but Kimberly stayed a few days in Hill Country before driving up to our house on Wednesday. Gracie was the first one to get a sleepover with Brookie. Brooke couldn't fall asleep for hours, "not because of Grace, but because she wasn't tired." I think it was because she was sleeping on the opposite side of where she normally sleeps :)
The kids spent hours on the trampoline together, and the fun was multiplied by the dodgeball set Kimmie bought for them.
We had a slow morning on Friday, which was perfect because the kids just wanted to play and I needed to do a bit of yard work! But eventually we headed out to eat at Torchy's and do a little shopping. Brooke come downstairs with her purse and informed me that the girls wanted to use purses just like her. (Brooke wore high tops on the outing, but had taken them off in the car, so she quickly grabbed her softball slides.)
Watching them together has been nothing short of adorable!
Saturday's adventure was Dinosaur Valley State Park. We lucked out because the tracks were visible, all trails were open, and the weather was gorgeous!! I love Spring in Texas.
Another boy found a tiny frog and allowed a few of the kids to hold it as well.
The water was VERY cold, but that didn't stop Colby from laying down in it, haha.
Then we headed to Big Rocks Park, which was totally random and so fun! That is, until Brooke got scratches all over her backside from sliding down the rocks. I shouldn't have let her do that without shorts on!!
We ended the day at Shaneboys for some Hawaiian food. I'd give it a 10/10 for ambiance/family friendly vibe and an 8/10 for the food.
The next day was Easter, which was our last day together and will have it's own post!
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