Everything IS bigger in Texas...

I just got back from a week-long trip to visit my sister and her family who live in Texas. It was perfect weather while we were there so we spent a lot of time outside at the park, playing on the trampoline, swimming in the pool, and enjoying the sun. My sister has eight kids so Abbie and Leah had a great time playing with all their cousins and we had fun just watching them interact and running them around town. It was fun to just hang out with my sister all day doing the mom thing and seeing how she manages a big family. It made me realize that my life is pretty easy right now comparatively and that I should enjoy it while I can. Here's a bunch of pictures from our week...

Her youngest three and my kids at the park

Testing out the water at their neighborhood pool, it was a little colder than we thought it would be but the kids still had fun

At a fun children's museum geared towards young kids, Abbie and Leah had a blast at this place playing cymbals...

and a zylophone in their music room. They also had a painting area where kids could paint on a real Volkswagon Beetle (or boring paper on easels), an area for building blocks and dominoes, a big space ship they could climb in, and a grocery store area with real boxes of food (empty) and mini-shopping carts and a working cash register. It was pretty cool!

Leah bonded with a few of her boy cousins,

.
Played with legos,

.

And learned to hunt for bugs. She's going to be a regular tomboy!
They also had fun coloring with markers and crayons,

.

Jumping on the trampoline,

.

.

And hiding in the laundry cabinent!

We even found Quacky's (Leah's favorite stuffed animal) long lost mother!

.

The whole family, all together on our last night there.

Thanks for letting us come visit: J, A, J, T, A, J, T, A, T, and A! We had a great time and we can't wait to see you in July at the family reunion!