Big Summer Vacation #1: (Brooks and Harrisons Pizza Dinner / Galveston Beach / Car and Camera Drama / Jenifer and James Fun / Star Spangled Salute (with Puffy, too) / Alex and Erich Visits / Fun at the Beach House with the Matthews) / Tapestry Water Park / Swimming and Dinner with the Joslins / Big Summer Vacation #2: (Farm Fun with Grandma and Papa / Nanny's House) / X and A - 1 year Anniversary / Dinner with the Taylors
July was an insanely busy, but a very fun month!
Friday, July 1st - We packed up the car with some lunch and snacks provided by the Brooks family (Melinda's Aunt Patti and Uncle Gary) and headed to Galveston Island (1 1/2 hours away from their house). It was very hot and we had some problems with our feet burning on the sand as we walked to and from the car. Other than that, we had an awesome time with X and A playing in the ocean, building sand castles and checking out the sea life that washes up on the shore (or lives there). We were covered in sand and seem to have brought much of it back into the car. We stopped by Alex's apartment (our 24-year-old son living in downtown Houston) intending to change into clean clothes, but it was getting too close to time for bad Houston traffic and so we just dropped Jack off and headed back to our "home base" for the week (Patti and Gary's house). That night we got to eat with the Harrisons (more relatives) and, since Alex drove Jack back to the house, Alex was able to join us. We took some great pictures with our favorite camera.
Saturday, July 2nd - Where is our favorite camera? Melinda evidently left it in.... OK... it was I (Jack) who was responsible for it and probably left it at the restaurant. A quick call to the restaurant left us very sad. They said that they did not see it, but we were free to come check later that morning when they opened. Gary and Jack decided to go look over the restaurant, but first needed to stop by a car wash and get the Lexus clean to get all the Galveston sand out of it.
RELEVANT SIDE NOTE: For the prior few weeks the car had been showing an "Engine Trouble" light and we occasionally had some problems with the car dying at stop signs and lights and even when going very slow (low RPMs). This is NOT good when on a stop-and-go freeway (like in Houston) and all power goes out including the power steering! Jack had tried to get it fixed before the trip, but the car shops that we trust were too booked up before the holiday. As an aside, we have a small crack in the Lexus key (which is exceptionally expensive to replace since it has a transponder built in it). Not a problem since we know how to keep it from falling apart.
Now...back to the car wash....
Remember that key that had the crack that WE knew how to nurse? The car wash guys completely SHATTERED it! It is hard to explain, but basically all was left was a sharp metal part of the key in the ignition and the transponder (with no housing) was sitting on the dash. The guy that moved the car out of the car wash literally ran off.
Long story, somewhat shorter - Gary and I (Jack) had to drive all over north Houston with the razor-sharp key (that often had to be turned since the car kept dying), got a new key made and found the camera in the restaurant under the chairs where we sat. [BTW, after returning from the vacation, we immediately got the car fixed - both oxygen sensors and related computer hardware had died.]
Now where were we going before all this happened? Oh, yeah, to see Jennifer and James (and their kids Owen and Warren). We obviously left much later than we had anticipated, but at least we had a new key and, more importantly, our camera!
We had a great time with our oldest and dearest "couple" friends. All four kids played in their swimming pool, the sand box (like Galveston Beach was not enough sand for one vacation) and we ate some more awesome pizza.
We headed back to home base very satisfied after a very rough start to the day!
Sunday, July 3rd - We relaxed and recovered with Gary and Patty. X and A got to drive a battery-powered mini-car around the cul-de-sac as we all cringed (hoping to stop the mini-car from being smashed into our real cars). X did a much better job of handling and controlling the speed, but we are reminded why A and other 2-year-olds are NOT given drivers' licenses - he was wacko! They both had a blast and thought they were so big.
That evening we got to go with Gary and Patty to the "Star Spangled Salute" concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (in The Woodlands). This was the event that we had planned the whole vacation around. Since Melinda used to be the marketing director there for 10 years, we were able to get some nice box seats. The event included some games and activities for the kids in the plaza, but culminated in a great concert by the Houston Symphony.
Before the concert, we got to eat out with Erich (our 21-year-old son), who came down from Austin to perform as Puffy the Pine Cone (The Woodlands mascot) at the event. The kids got pictures with Puffy and someday we will revel the secret that it was really Erich. Of course Puffy never talks and would never admit it. X and A adore both Alex and Erich and sometimes refer to them as their older brothers (which we hope will be the case some day!) Alex and Erich are fully supportive of us adopting and also really love them back.
While the kids were a bit antsy leading up to the actual symphony performance, once it got started and the accompanying light show kicked off, they seemed to have a blast dancing around to the music. The long trip was worth it to see them enjoy this. It was everything we could have hoped for and more!
We head to home base and sleep hard because July 4th is going to be a big day as well.
Monday, July 4th - We pack everything up and leave home base at the Brooks pretty early so we can spend the next day and night at Aunt Carolyn ("Cita") and Uncle Guy ("Pop") Matthews beach house in Beach City.
When we arrive, X and A get to play with Carter and Cally (daughters of Melinda's cousin Heather and her husband Paul). Later we all get to go out on the boat and the kids get to "drive" it with brackish water spraying their faces. Brackish water was a new term to us and is where the salt water from the ocean meets the fresh water from the rivers and tributaries. X thought he was on top of the world and for several days talked about Pop letting him drive the boat. Pop also asked him back to go fishing with him which made a lasting impression. We will have to come back for that experience when X gets a little older.
The beach house has an amazing view and we had to take advantage of playing in the shallow water a few times as well as playing with the "Slip-N-Slide," the baby pool and huge "sand box" area. While the cousins headed back later in the day, we all spent the night in Pop and Cita's completely rebuilt house (that was wiped away down to the foundation after Hurricane Ike a few years earlier).
Tuesday, July 5th - Even though we could not see ANY fireworks this Independence Day vacation (due to extreme drought that caused fire bans all over the State of Texas), we had an incredible several days and were ready to head home. We broke up the long ride by stopping at our favorite family rest stop on I-45, BUC-EE'S (http://www.bucees.com/) where the kids had fun with all the animatronic characters and gigantic gift shop. Oddly enough, Melinda ran into an old Delta Delta Delta sorority sister there that she had been keeping up with on Facebook and who was very eager to meet the kids in person. Its a small world!
Finally we arrive home a bit travel-weary, but very happy!
Saturday, July 9th - After the big vacation, we kept it simple for a few days and just did all the kids appointments - until Saturday, that is. Irving Bible Church (NOT where we go to church, but where we go for foster care / adoption training and meetings called "Tapestry") had a big swim day at a local water park. Sadly A was feeling ill, so X and myself (Jack) went by ourselves.
X ran in to the water park and went nuts over the water slides! I actually thought he would be scared of the slides since they were so high (he is not a big fan of heights), but that we certainly not the case. He would run up the four stories of steps and get back in the short lines. Since this was "private party," there was never more than 3 or 4 kids in line on any given water feature.
While X swims reasonably well at home in our pool, it was a little harder to land in rushing water at the end of the slide (with a huge splash) and then get over to the side, so initially we both had to slide down at the same time (there were two slides side by side and I took the faster one), then I would quickly recover from the splashdown and get over his slide to pull him up from his splash down. After the 4th or 5th time, I just let him run up the stairs himself and I just waited with the waterproof camera we bought so I could get some pictures of this fun water play day. He must have done that slide 20 or more times that day.
X went on every single other water feature in the water park (it was the perfect size for us), but he kept coming back to the big slides all the way until they were closing the park and sending everyone home.
Sunday, July 10th - As a thank you for taking care of Speedy the Turtle while we were on vacation (which only consists of throwing 10 little food pellets in the tank), we had the Joslins back over for swimming and dinner. It was really just an excuse to have them over. Always a good visit and very fun for the boys!
Wednesday, July 13th - Saturday, July 16th - Big Summer Vacation #2. We went to Grandma and Papa's farm and Nanny's house. We did all the usual things, but were not as rushed as normal. Friends came over to both places and Melinda and Jack got to rest a little.
Sunday, July 17th - We go to our favorite drive-in movie theater in Ennis (Galaxy Drive-In) for a bit of "just the Nelson's family time."
Tuesday, July 26th - It was 365 days ago that X and A came into our lives. Melinda and Jack quietly celebrate with a "Happy Dance."
Saturday, July 30th - Another drive-in movie. While the first half of the month was all go-go-go, the second half has been much more calm and we needed a little time outside of the house.
Sunday, July 31st - Dinner and swimming with the Taylors at our house. Is there such a thing as too much splashing in the pool? The kids certainly don't think so. The adults have a nice chat while the kids run in circles playing and swimming for hours.
It was certainly a whirlwind of a month. Next month still has some summer plans in it, but also has X going back to school, but this time in Kindergarten!
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