85 Hours With The Davis 4

Ran and Papa came to town, and we tried to fill every minute. Don't worry we blocked out a couple of hours for sleep and personal hygiene. We had a really good time as we always do.

Within an hour of their arrival we were eating at our favorite Mexican resteraunt with authentic mariachis. Oh yeah, we party hard.

Though our mariachi friends speak no English and Holland speaks no Spanish, they communicated through the language of music and dance. That is until Holland broke into "The Robot".

Holland loves her Ran. She designated Ran's seat, right next to her, and heaven help Grey if he tried to sit there.

I believe this is some form of cooking.

Even the baseballs are bigger in Texas.
We got to take in an Astros game against the Yankees. It was a terrible series for the Astros, but we got to see the least painful loss.

Christmas card 2008

We got to the game early enough for Mac and Myron to watch the Yankees do some batting practice.

During batting practice, one of the Yankees threw a ball up into the stands, and it bounced around the seats where Mac proceeded to dive into after it. He got the ball. Of course he trampled some small children and there's an elderly lady with his footprint on her back, but the most important thing is he got the ball.

The money shot.

He put the baseball down long enough to take this picture.

I'm not saying we needed the bail bondsman. I'm just saying it was reassuring to know there was one nearby, just in case the elderly lady decided to press charges, after all.

We drove down to Galveston one day and went to eat at The Rainforest Cafe. They have a shuttle from the parking lot to the front door. Mac convinced the driver to drive down by the seawall aways so we could get a better view of the water. Considering gas prices I was impressed the guy agreed.

From our Rainforest shuttle.

No, that is not me between Mac and Grey, and that was soooo 1st grade of you.

Why yes, I think it would look great next to Myron's deer head in his office.

Holland is wary of the mechanical animals. They made her very nervous. Raise your hand if this surprises you.

Volcanoooooooooooooooooo

(That's a fancy way to say,"this dessert costs $12.99, suckerrrrrrr.")

Hmmmm why does Myron have all of the spoons?

At the aquarium, Grey and Ran apply peer pressure to get Mac to touch whatever is floating in that tank.

Followed up by church on Sunday and some shopping, Ran and Papa headed back to Missisippi. Just imagine what we could have done with 96 hours.....

How To Use A Snow Shovel In Southeast Texas

Missouri snow shovel = Texas mulch shovel

All The Way From Missouri

Our friends, Ryan and Audrey from Joplin, Mo were visiting family in Tyler, TX and made the trip from Tyler to Houston (we're talking 4 or so hours) in torrential rain, the only kind of rain we get in southeast Texas. We went to an Astros game and the Astros won which was a nice change from their latest streak. Anyway, we got to catch up with them in between foul balls dropping all around us. I asked Audrey 3 or 4 million questions about her and everything going on in Joplin. Mac and I will always have a soft spot for Joplin. We were blessed with a great church and amazing friends. And our baby girl was born there. God used that time there to teach us so much. Even now I get a little misty-eyed when I remember our life there.
This is a bit of a departure from my usual writing style. I don't usually get this sentimental, but the people there made such an impact on us, and I am so grateful for those 3 1/2 years.

Audrey, A Hunk Of Burning Love, Ryan

Alright, I'm back to my usual.

Happy Father's Day! (um...yesterday)

The Davis 4 on Holiday

Well, we are back from our "holiday" in San Antonio. I like using the word "holiday". It's so European and really suits our cosmopolitan lifestyle. (no need to comment on that.) Besides, the word vacation, to me, implies relaxation, leisurely strolls, and coming home refreshed and rejuvenated and that just isn't us. We always return home exhausted, sunburned, and I usually have some sort of minor injury. This year I brought home a souvenir bruised and blistered foot possibly from the 2 to 3,000 miles we walked. But we had a great time! This is only the 2nd time I've been back to San Antonio since we lived there 10 years ago, before kids, which truly is a lifetime ago. We hit Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Sea World, The Alamo, The Riverwalk (walking and riding the boat), The Rivercenter Mall, and the hotel pool. Hmmmm that's all the same things we did before we had kids. Maybe we haven't grown up after all.





Holiday tip: Make sure portable DVD player is in proper working condition before you leave the house or be prepared to answer the question, "Are we almost there, yet?" 1.2 million times.

Welcome to Six Flags Fiesta Texas.

This is the 3rd largest wooden roller coaster on the planet. I like to think of it as a free spinal adjustment. There is a reason why they don't make wooden roller coasters anymore. I don't recommend it for anyone with an intact spinal column.

Mac found us a great deal (plug hotwire.com) on a hotel on the Riverwalk. As Mac checked in, the kids and I waited in the lobby where the music called to Holland as it so often does, and she had to dance.

Sea World

We spent a 1 day at Sea World riding the rides and watching the shows. Then we spent half of the next day at the water park there. We had so much fun, but Mac had a life-changing moment when I introduced him to Dippin Dots. We were considering renting the Dippin Dots cart and having it follow us around the park.

One of our favorite rides, The Steel Eel. Grey rode it 5 times and would have gone again if the park hadn't closed.

Enjoying the 4D pirate show

The best part of our Sea World experience was Dinner with Shamu. We got to eat dinner right next to the Killer Whale tank. They swam around making noises more appropriate for after dinner than during dinner, but what are you going to do? The kids, all 3, got a kick out of it.

Since I don't remember the whale's actual names, I will refer to all the whales as Shamu.

We got to get pretty close to the whales. That's Mac's hand pointing to Shamu #1. Honestly, that's as close as I want to get to anything with the word "killer" as part of its name.

Shamu #2

Shamu #2

Old San Francisco

One of our favorite restaurants when we lived in San Antonio was the Old San Francisco Steak House. If you visited us when we lived in S.A., there's a 99.9% chance we took you here to eat and you probably paid for it. Thanks again.

Here is Mac cutting the cheese. (That was for the 8 and younger audience.)

The piano's melodies called to Holland and once again, she must dance.

Grey eating like a wild animal, not one of my prouder moments.

Holland had a minor meltdown over the fact that her water glass was made of glass. Seriously.

The "almost" really nice father/son picture.

Totally over the glass debacle.

Grey enjoying escargot. We had to avoid the word "snail" around Holland. I think it's pretty clear why.

The hostess actually swings on this swing and kicks the bell on the ceiling. It's more entertaining than it sounds. Anyway, the kids got a chance to try out the swing. Grey gets on and starts swinging for the ceiling right away.

Holland was content to just sit on the swing and let the girl call her "Holly."

My children standing with a girl in a saloon costume on top of a bar with a swing. Maybe we'll skip this restaurant next visit.

Remember The Alamo And Don't Forget The Riverwalk, Either

We walked a lot on the Riverwalk, well, 3 of us did, anyway.






The Alamo, at night.

Grey, Davy Crockett, Mac

The Alamo, in the daylight.

That's all, folks!