A Good Time in NB

After our Schlitter-adventure, we officially began our time in New Braunfels at my parents' house. Our first morning there we went fishing at Landa Park. I think this was our first fishing trip to catch absolutely. nothing. Chance learned from his dad that this is why it is "called fishing, not catching", but I just call it boring! Apparently, I only enjoy fishing if it is successful :) But, the greatest successes of the morning were just enjoying being together at the park, chasing ducks, and playing at the playground. On second thought, our time at Landa Park was not boring at all! It was a great time to make memories at a place that has entertained all generations of our family.





That night, we ate dinner with my Oma. Since our anniversary was coming up, somehow Chance and I ended up recreating our wedding cake sharing with brownies. Love how thrilled our kids look with the whole thing :)



After Annie went to bed, we had an early 4th of July (really just an excuse to do fireworks) celebration on my parents' driveway. Cade has discovered the joy of fire, and really enjoyed lighting the used fireworks on fire to extend the fun. I do not understand these things, but I do love the beam on his face as he waited the black cats to go off.



The next morning, Chance and my parents set up one of the highlights of Cade's visits to Oma and Opa's house... the little blow up pool. He has played in this pool since he was Annie's age, and every summer we think that he has outgrown it, and every summer he asks when we can play in it. I think what he loves most is the water balloons that my mom spends tons of time filling and he spends seconds exploding, and the fact that my dad continues to patiently wear a green colander as a hat and it is hilarious every single summer. Unfortunately, Annie did not share her brother's love of the backyard pool, probably due to its freezing cold temperature and her terrible fear of people that wear things (hats, visors, and apparently, cookware) on their heads.



Little girl was much happier on the swing!



That afternoon, I took Annie to the Children's Museum. I've mentioned before on this blog how great the NB Children's Museum is, and it certainly did not disappoint this time. Annie had a great time! She explored the toddler area and LOVED the grocery store. Our little girl that does not eat meat filled her cart with 2 whole chickens, sausage links, and steak.



We capped off our NB trip with a birthday party for one of my (distant) cousins down at the river. The setting was so pretty that it *almost* made me want to float the river someday. It was so fun to see aunts, uncles, and cousins that we usually only see at our Christmas reunion. Cade was suddenly fascinated by the river and wanted to get in. We packed his and Chance's swimsuits on a whim, and I was glad we did! Notice the progression in these pics... first asking Daddy if they could get in the river, then wading in, then getting out pretty far! I'm so glad Chance will do these things with Cade!



I love this last picture of my cousin Tommy showing Chance and Cade a big fish near the bank.

Annie had her own fun out of the water. She hung out with Oma and Opa, played with bean bags, and took a ride in a little car with my cousin Melanie's son, Payton. He is not much older than Annie, but could drive fairly well! I can just imagine Melanie and me chasing after these two in a real car someday! Annie also met the newest member of the family, 2 month old Rowan.



This family is from my Opa's side, and they all enjoy a little project now and then. As in... why buy a slip and slide when you could make one? And why stick with the standard length, when you could make it longer? Ramona and Jim (a doctor and a dentist, keep in mind), the parents of the birthday boy (Ryan, who turned 17), consulted with their nephew Randy (another dentist) to design and construct a 100 foot slip and slide that ended in a pool propped against a tree and was "enhanced" with baby shampoo and cooking oil for a major slip factor. Sounds flawless! The littlest kids weren't heavy enough to slide all the way down, but Randy (who is known for his fearlessness/recklessness), had no trouble. We didn't stay long enough to see Ryan's friends enjoy the fun, but my parents said that they had a great time! I really love the picture of Randy going down the slide. He is being videoed by Ramona (his Aunt), watched by Uncle Willie (my Opa's brother and the closet person we still have to Opa), and hosed down by his older cousin Gary. This family sure knows how to help each other out!



And that concluded our New Braunfels trip! It was so great to see so many family members. And it was great to come home after being gone almost a week!