The Millers in Texas

The Miller Family made it down to visit us last month, and even though their trip down and back didn't go quite as well as hoped, and the weather wasn't always the best while they were here, we had a great time seeing them all! We went around to most of Corpus Christi's tourist sites, hit the beach, did some wind beaten, seagull chasing picnicking, and did our best to enjoy the outdoors in spite of the rain!

Checked out the Texas State Aquarium... even though most of the fish had died in an accident the week before... at least there were otters and other things to see.

"Enjoyed" a nice cool breeze from the top of the aquarium.

Splashed in the cold water of the bay and tried to not get sucked in.

Shot down enemy planes at the USS Lexington museum.

Helped launch fighter jets off the deck of the Blue Ghost.

Went for a walk down North Beach.

Climbed the dunes.

Waited out the rain drops at Port Aransas.

Tried to hide the food from the attack of the seagulls.

Lost Mo to the sand.

Fought off the wind long enough to get the fire started.

Found sea life on the beach at Mustang Island State Park.

Got a little sandy.

Despite it all, we had a few great times! And the great thing is we'll see them all again in a few weeks when we make the annual trip to Missouri!

Five Years Old (Last Month)

Better late than never, I suppose.  I doubt we've ever missed a birthday on the blog, so I figured I'd better post a few pictures, even though Adam's birthday was in April.  He turned the big 5 and he's getting bigger by the day.  We had to sign him up for kindergarten the other day, much to his mother's dismay, but it had to be done eventually.  He's like a fish in swimming lessons and a speed racer on the base paths in T-ball.  Though he often drives his mother and baby brother crazy, we don't know what we'd do without him around here.  So here he was on his 5th birthday last month:

Plants vs. Zombies on the cake... he has quite an obsession with iPad games.

 

And some Mario stuff, of course.

 

So it was a Happy, Happy Birthday for big Adam Michael!

Easter Egg Hunt Extravaganza!

We went up to Rockport again for the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Fulton Mansion!  The boys and visiting Cousin Brooke were dressed in their Easter best and ready to fight to the death for some plastic eggs filled with candy and small prizes! What could be better?  When the whistle blew, kids of all ages punched and kicked and threw each other to the ground, scrambling for eggs, and seeing who could fill their basket to the fullest.  It was a great time had by all!  Here they were before it all went down:

The handsome devil...

The Easter Ham.

Oh... my...

Brookie B looking B-eautiful.

Watch out! He's swinging the bucket!

Let's get some eggs!!

Ohhh... I can't wait any longer...

Getting his game face on!

What?!?! I will not be sharing my eggs!

The "Too Cool for This" look...

The "Try to Look Sad and Not Smile" look...

The "Normal Paul" look... wah, wah, wah...

Got some eggs with Granny G!

We beat the crowd and beat the rain!

Silly rabbits...

Enough candy to last at least a day! Hooray for Easter!

Just a Walk in the Park

We found a new park to check out the other day, up in Port Aransas over the ferry.  It was supposed to have alligators in the water, but we unfortunately did not find any (or maybe fortunately, depending on how you look at it).  There was a long wooden walkway that took us on quite a hike to get to this observation tower, but when we got to the end it was flooded over, so we never made it.  Oh well... it was a nice day, and other than a little whining from the youngest two, we had a good time.

Even Farrah came along, because it was a perfect trail for dog walking... only all the signs read, "No Pets." Oh well, wait in the car, Farrah.

Nice, Nolan.  Real nice.

Group hug! Group hug! No... group choke!

A Triumphant Return to the Capitol

We left the east coast and our nation's capitol in the fall of 2011, but it's hard to believe it's been that long ago.  Back then, Paul was only 4 year old, so as much as he enjoyed us hauling him around to all of the museums and sites, he probably doesn't remember a whole lot about it.  So for Spring Break, Becky wanted to take him with her to visit Uncle Ted, Aunt Rachel, and new cousin Nick for the first time.  They hit up the usual sites down at the National Mall, checked out some old dinosaur bones, and otherwise had a great time.

 

 

Standing proud beneath the Washington Monument. 

 

How lucky can one kid get?  In town for a few days and just in time to see an exhibit about the greatest dinosaur that ever lived (according to Paul).

Here they are with the Spinosaurus (not actual size, as Paul pointed out).

 

Hanging out with Cousin Nick for the first time!

Hopefully we'll get to go back and visit again soon!