Staycation

Since we live so close to my parents, it can be tough to set aside real time to dedicate to spending with them in the same way we would if we were to come down here on a vacation to visit. So this weekend, we spent a good two days down there for a staycation. It was good times:

Saturday - They took us to this crazy place called Amazing Jakes which is essentially a large portion of the mall which is sectioned off and is full of games/rides and all you can eat food. It is not really the kind of place I would normally want to go to, but the kids really did have a great time. About half-way through, they discovered some machines that spit out tickets and from there on out, it was a quest for more tickets (which were later exchanged for awesome trinkets such as "sticky hands" and spider rings.

Sunday - After going to my parents ward for church and then having a HUGE nap, we all packed up and went to the Dallas Arboretum where they had an orchestra playing for about an hour and then an outdoor screening of E.T. The Extra-terrestrial. The kids loved that too and I have to say, for me, the highlight was watching Jessica walk around handing out free watermelon to pretty much the entire crowd.

Monday - We slept in, had homemade pancakes, played a few games and headed home.

It truly was a great time.

After arriving home, I spent the day in true TX fashion fighting fireants, poison ivy and wasps. Hurray! I did get all the hedge trimmings (three nights work worth) shredded up and bagged/piled, the lawn mowed, swimming with the kids and that is it. Seriously, trimming the hedges around here is a major project. They are on all 4 sides of the house, 3 sides of the shop, and in between the house/shop. Sheesh!