TEXAS--what an awesome state you are!

We got home last night from an AWESOME trip to Houston, Texas! it seems that everything is not bigger in TX but better! What a great time we had! We spent four fun-filled days at Jimmy's sister's home and were warmly hosted by Louise and her husband, Mike and their three children, Megan, Janelle and Michael. There was never a dull moment . . . we started off our first evening there with birthday cake for Luke, then the next day toured the Blue Bell Creamery, a mini-horse farm at a monestary, and picnicked at a roadside park with a beautiful stream where some of our people got wetter than others and Noah's shoe made a trip down the stream and Jimmy spent quite a bit of time trying to rescue it, which I will say he did successfully. We made it to the Cotton Gin museum where he wore a plastic bag over his foot in his shoe which peaked the curiosity of the nice lady at the museum. She couldn't quite figure out why he had a bag on his foot--too funny! Janelle is really into GeoCache-ing--which is a nation-wide scavenger hunt of sorts using a GPS--we had not heard of this craze until she told us about it at Christmas-time. We really like this "game" and found three caches while there. Of course, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was good as was the concert by Dierks Bently--what a hottie! he cut his curls off and is super cute now! By far the best part of the trip was just being with the cousins. They live in a subdivision with a park about a block away so everyone just rides bikes and scooters back and forth--now worries! so cool. Asa has a twice-skinned knee to prove that he was very busy on the bike! We had birthday cake for Noah right before we left and then ended our Texas trip at a boot store for Noah's new boots for his birthday which was yesterday. We ate dinner with the Abadies and Marty and her family at Cracker Barrel in Lafayette on our way back. Noah was serenade by us with "Happy Birthday" and then two Shriner's clowns came over and did the same. As one clown put it, "A bit of public embarassment builds character." and embarrassed he was. You know he's 12 now! Thanks to Louise and her family for an awesome time! Noah said it best, "this was the best vacation ever!" We can't wait to go back.