California days 1 & 2

First stop IN-N-OUT Burger of course! It is minutes away from the airport and always a must! This was the first of 3 stops there. 

On Saturday we were going to hit the zoo and while getting ready I thought "Hey Hollywood and Rodeo Drive" so we whisked the kids through the canyon and over the hills and ended up in Beverly Hills.

Alyssa loved all the palm tree lined streets

 This was Xander's favorite!  Nothing to buy here- seriously WAY too overpriced for reality!

Outside the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood

No star sightings on this day... we saved that for our last day in the airport. 

Meet my new best friend Richard Simmons. He is such a riot! We were on the same plane with him too. He just cracks us up!

Life in Legos

I am really loving my iphone! The latest app that I added kept the kids up way past their bedtime last night since we all wanted to try it out! Here are our results-

McKinney Falls

Hiking in Texas in July? 

No problem if there is a great place to get wet at the end of the hike!

No that is not Lola in the picture. It's Marley, my niece's dog. 

BMX racing

My brother used to manage the local bmx track so of course we had to go and check it out. The kids were estatic when they found out that they could practice one night and ride in a REAL RACE the next night!

They loved it! Despite the 98 degree weather with helmets and gear on they were gung ho and ready to go again and again on practice night.

The next night was 2 qualifying rounds and then the actual race. Unfortunately there were 4 racers and only 3 out of the 4 would progress...Oh boy! Not what a mom wants to hear. The first round went well with Alyssa placing 4th. 

So I was getting thoughts going in my head of how to console her when she didn't make it to the final round. But in the 2nd round Xander crashed and landed on his arm/shoulder. Lissy went around him and down a hill and fell off her bike, but was able to recover and get back in the race. Since Xander needed help he was out and my heart was aching for him. Such saddness! He tried so hard not to cry when he came back and joined our group of spectators (cheerleaders). At one point he got up and walked away. Us trying to console him was just too much. I was proud of the way he handled himself in the face of such dissapointment. Xander recovered his pride and wasn't too hurt so that he could ride in the sportsmanship race and he placed 2nd. Trophies for both and a good night overall!

Alyssa ended up coming in 3rd in the actual race. 

The aforementioned cheerleaders...

Hey- Paul WAS on this vacation! 

Thanks honey for working while we played! 

Like father, like son...

Fishin' for the first time...

Thankfully my brother loves fishing just as much as my dad did! The kids certainly weren't getting any lessons from us! I like to cast and reel the fish in but putting on the worm and taking off the fish are SO not happening!!

The kids jumped at the chance to go fishing! This was their first time and they got lots of bites, but nothing else. 

The next day was much more successful 

when Xander got a big fish. 

Lissy a turtle -OOPS- Thankfully Uncle Richard only got bit once taking the hook out...

They really enjoyed all that fishing had to offer. 

Worms and all!

You know the saying... Everything is bigger in Texas? 

Well that was certainly true for our donut!

 It was delicious, moist and Gigantic! It easily fed about 8 of us. Mmm! 

That was a treat!

Meet the Texas Family

We had such a great time hanging out with my family! 

Richard, my brother, the avid fisherman and bike enthusiast 

Tina, my sister in law- but I always mess up and call her my sister which would make my brother and sister married which is kinda gross to say the least-she is really awesome!

Sean, my nephew, and his wife Laura. We finally got to know Laura a lot better since we only met and saw her at their wedding and a bit later that evening. She is great! So glad that Sean got "a headache" and coudn't work for 2 days while we were there. 

Melanie, my niece and her beau Wesley. Such a cute couple. Oh young love!

and Samantha my adorable littelest niece and most recent and last addition to the Nowlin clan except for grandbabies and dogs!