A week ago this morning, The Bose-Hamilton-McKenzie gang all headed to Houston via Omaha and Chicago. This was the first time Mason, Anna and Isaac got the opportunity to ride on a commercial airplane. They loved every minute of it and were surprisingly all great little vacationers. It was a very long day of travel, but Southwest came through with free drinks to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. And they adults all said, "Cheers to that!"
Our first day in Houston was spent at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. My oh my did it live up to being bigger in Texas. This place was huge!
Mason picked up some milking techniques from Papa the pro.
In the afternoon, the babies slept and the big kids relaxed by the pool.
Friday night, my Aunt was brave enough to watch the all kiddos in a hotel room so that the rest of us could have an adult night out. First we enjoyed a classic dinner at the Armadillo Palace.
Then we took in the Rodeo and Little Big Town concert at the NRG Astrodome. The place was so massive they were able to display a very impressive indoor fireworks show.
The second day was spent at the Children's Museum. The kids ate it up.
Outside of the museum, Isaac and Jentry got to run the ninja course and meet a real American Ninja Warrior. Isaac won the contest by hanging for more than 3 minutes. Way to go Isaac!
Saturday afternoon, Dad and Nathan got a private tour of Houston from the air. My cousin Amy's husband, Mark, has his private pilot license and loves to fly any chance he can get. He fits right into this family like a feather on a bird.
The last night in Houston, Aunt Cindy invited us to her condo's party room. We all gathered for some fabulous Mexican food and attempted to capture all the fabulous faces in a group selfie.
What a crew!
Sunday morning began with a 3:30 am wake-up call and a 7:00 am flight back to reality. The kids handled much better than me.
While boarding our second flight in Dallas, we heard a voice from behind us say, "Is that Jentry?" We turned around to see Jentry's classmate, Laurel, and her family. What are the odds? Their teacher was jealous that they both got to go to Texas without her.
There were definitely some moments during our journey that I was second guessing the entire vacation. For example, when our first flight was delayed because Mason was incorrectly listed as a seated passenger, or when I was listed as the sole driver of our rental car in the crazy Houston traffic, or when mom was in tears because she couldn't get into the room she didn't even want or when we were trying to keep track of and feed 8 children ages 8 and under. However, it was so great to see my aunt, cousins and their beautiful families. I wish we were all closer. They went above and beyond with their generous hospitality that made our experience one that we will cherish for years to come.
