On the beach. Galveston Beach.

Our time at the beach was wonderful.  We filled each day with a little adventure and then a lot of time at the beach and the pool.  Gabe is a little fish so he was in heaven.  He's seriously the cutest thing ever just sitting in the water letting the waves run over him.  He's a tricky little guy, always trying to scoot out a little farther than necessary.
 

At the pool

One of our delicious dinners on the ocean.

Our sweet boy checking out the surf.

Is it time to go back to the beach yet? 

Houston Day 4

“The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.”

 - Plato

 

 

Our last day in Houston was spent at Gabe's 'happy place,'  The Children's Museum of Houston.  Gabe was eagerly asking to get out and for his buggy the second we drove by.  He remembered my promise that we would come back and he was ready to play. 

 

There are about a million different reasons The Children's Museum of Houston is ranked number 1 in the nation (again).  Every single activity there turns playing into learning.  The 5 hours we spent there were full of Gabe learning.  Learning how to better use his large motor muscles, better defining his fine motor skills, acquiring endless knowledge about spatial relationships, gravity, pulleys and how things like telephones, catapults and toilets work. 

 

 

 A play-by-play of Gabe's favorite exhibit: learning about gravity and vacuums.

 

 

 

After 5 hours I was ready to go home, Gabe on the other hand was not.  He cried as we left asking "play one more time?"  I can say with 100% certainty that every visit to Houston will include a visit to Gabe's personal Disneyworld happiest place on earth. 

Houston Day 3

As luck would have it, the Tuesday we were in Houston fell on our church's Preschool Play Date day.  I was so excited!  Excitement grew when we realized the play date was at the zoo!  We planned on going to the zoo anyways, but it's always so much better with friends.

 

We started off in the reptile house.  Gabe could've cared less about the reptiles but loved the tunnel you could crawl through between exhibits.  Last year fall he still wasn't sure enough of himself to go through it but this visit.  He rocked it!  Gabe loved the tunnel and we hung back a little bit longer to give him a few more tries.  I love when my little boy accomplishes something new!

 

The weather was perfect!  High 60's and lots of sunshine led to a day full of meandering the exhibits and watching the animals.  It was just cool enough that most of the animals were out and full of energy. 

Gabe asked to sit on the turtle! 

After the zoo we needed to stop by HEB to pick up some diapers.  How I didn't pack enough is beyond me, but Gabe was excited when we arrived there.  HEB has the best shopping carts.  They have fairly large cars on top of them and Gabe was ridiculously excited to ride in one.  This grocery cart is absolutely perfect for Gabe.  Big enough that he can sit in it easily and not let his high tone effect him but small enough that I can manueuver it through the store.  Take note groceries of north-east Ohio... carts like these would make my life so much easier.  No pushing a buggy and pulling a grocery cart all through the store!

After picking Matt up from work came one of the highlights of the trip: dinner with our friends from church.  Eating chili surrounded by good friends and all of our crazy kids was the perfect ending to the day.  The food was delicious (best peach cobbler I've ever had!) but the company, that's what made the night great.  It was so nice to share a meal with friends, laughing until I was nearly crying and recounting all that's happened since we left.  Listening to the men talk about their intense and mutual love of Mexican and BBQ was also hilarious.  I'm pretty sure Mexican food is Matt's mistress[smile]. 

Our trip in Houston was winding down but we were having so much fun it seemed impossible that we'd been gone for almost 3 months.