Belt

 Jason won his division at a grappling tournament before we left for Houston. Tonight he earned his next stripe on his belt. He is feeling pretty awesome. 

Cats and Dogs

I came downstairs this afternoon to see Paige dressed in cat ears, boots, pirate pants, and a fur vest. She was in the chair having been "stabbed" by a sword. She told me that she was playing swashbuckler. 

Oh-kay. 

We also got our doggie back from the boarding center today. We missed her. She got lots of love and some silly attention in the form of a headwrap. The kids said she looked like a Russian grandmother. Perhaps she is Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother. 

 

The Way Home

Today was the journey home. Our flight wasn't until the afternoon so we tried to find ways to spend our time on the way to the airport. We stopped by the Heritage Society Museum at Sam Houston Park. There were many historic homes surrounding it, including this beautiful chapel, a large plantation home with a hitching post, and a log cabin from 1823. Not to mention that the park itself is very pretty.

Inside the museum was an exhibit about the Alley Theater which is 75 years old this month. Some costumes and props from their plays were included like this real Model T car. 

There was also an exhibit displayed like a general store from 1817. All the items inside were from that time period. It was so interesting to see the vintage products, toys, and even the authentic old-fashioned cash register. It really was like stepping back in time.

We found a playground to spend some time on before having to return to the car and drive to the airport. 

The first flight was fine. We were a little separated but it wasn't an issue. Thank goodness for the comfy couches and snacks at the USO for us to spend 3 hours in during a layover. 

We made it home at night. It was so nice to be in our beds again. Everyone is pretty bushed (and grumpy) after a week out of town. 

Kemah Boardwalk

In the evening we went to the Kemah Boardwalk. 

As we entered we could see a roller coaster that Paige really wanted to go on. Jason took her and I took the others on another ride. Daddy got some fun pictures of him and our littlest. 

The rest of us had to wait in line FOREVER to get to the ride. I'm talking over 45 minutes in the heat. The boardwalk was packed with people, probably due to a Friday night. I'm not sure you can see in the picture but the lines were so long and intertwined that I hoped we were in the correct queue.

We went on the Hypnospin and then met up with Paige and Jason. Brendan was "peopled out" and went to wait by the car rather than ride any more rides. 

Jason and Eva went to get funnel cake (the only thing that Eva had requested this whole trip). I got to go on one more spinning ride with the two youngest and then went to find Dad and Eva. Their line must've been long as well because when we finally met back up by the funnel cake, they hadn't even gotten to the front yet. And when they did, they were informed that the vendor was all out. :( 

We were all pretty much DONE with crowds and lines and waiting. Tempers were short and so we were happy to go back to the AirBnB despite having gone on only 3 rides in as many hours. It was getting dark anyway. Goodbye Boardwalk. 

 

Houston Space Center

 Today we went first to the Houston Space Center. It was pretty amazing. Outside was a space shuttle that you got to tour. We saved that for last since it was on the way out.

On the first floor was an exhibit of space/science in popular culture. We saw robots, Star Trek and Star Wars memorabilia, the Delores from Back to the Future, an "alien" and more. 

We took a picture with an astronaut (kind of) and saw a gallery of space shuttle crew photos from years past.  It was sobering when you realized that all the ones with a symbol on the picture had passed away while working for NASA, like those people on the Challenger. There was also an exhibit to spacesuits and other tools used in space. Here's Eva with some EVA tools (extra vehicular activity).

Farther on in, we got to touch and actual moon rock and see the American flag that went to the moon on two separate missions.

This is the actual gas consider that an Apollo 13 astronaut had to fix with duct tape. Actually we saw a bit of duct tape on other stuff in the Space Center. It's handy stuff apparently. 

The displays of the moon landing and other space exploration were pretty cool, as were the other displays of stars and other planetary bodies.

The coolest part was touring the space shuttle. We got to see the cockpit and the cargo bay. The line was long so we couldn't stay as long as we wanted to, but we got a picture in a an actual space shuttle. 

Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show

 

In the afternoon we went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. It just so happened to be in town the very week we would be there and we knew we HAD to go. It is the largest rodeo in North America. 

First we went to part of the horse show. We were able to see some of the junior participants. 

While deciding what to see next we happened up Mutton Bushing where kids ages 4-8 could sign up to ride on a bucking sheep across the area and try not to fall off. The one who stayed on the longest won a belt buckle. It was SO rodeo. The announcer was the funniest. She gave all the sheep fun names like Justin Baa-ber and Greased Lanolin. She would introduce the kids as they put on their helmets and were set atop a wooly sheep. The gate was pulled and the sheep would run like crazy toward the other end. There were some pretty spectacular tumbles. One time the announcer said a line that cracked us all up, "Lost a shoe, face full of dirt, lifetime of memories".

After the show, Brendan wanted to touch the sheep to see what the wool felt like. 

Later a llama and alpaca parade came by. They all had silly outfits on. 

The pig races were close by so we went in. The pigs would race for an Oreo at the end. Aside from the races, we got to see a little pig jump into a pool and swim across. It was adorable. 

It began to rain so we didn't get to ride any rides. Instead we went inside to the exhibits and cattle show. There were some very big, and actually quite pretty, cows and bulls. 

Brendan found out about one peril of a cattle show. He had to find a stick to try to scrape off the manure he stepped in.