They lived.
Swimming in the public fountain. Where are we Europe? The kids loved it and it cooled them off. Win/win!!
This photo pretty much sums up their relationship. We will smile while we fight so Mom thinks we are not fighting. I am so onto you two!
So sad this is blurry but it catches the passionate baby kiss! Jozsie sure loves his Mama.
The found shoes! Phew. Those bad boys were brand new. Ty and I were both relieved when we scrounged these up after the party was all over.
Ward Breakfast at the park. Perfect location with the splash pad nearby.
This thrilled look on Sadie's face is what happens when you pour a cup of water in your Papa's back shorts pocket. She was so happy to be teasing him. He took it like a Papa.
The school across the street from Nana and Papas house got a GaGa Ball court. We had a lot of fun learning a new game and getting beaten by Uncle Hank. Turns out he has mad GaGa Ball skills. The boys had just learned this game up at Scout Camp and were more than happy to teach their family a new game.
Greased Watermelon in the pool kinda fun. Only in Texas!
Ally and Papa took a selfie. This may be my favorite photo of the two of them. Don't they look like they are having a good time?
Onto the Children's Museum. It was hot, it was fun and luckily there was water to cool us off.
Fun treehouse with these monkey ropes. My children make cute little monkeys!
I was so done by this point of the garden tour. Hot, headache, hungry...not my best moment. The kids were still hanging in there though. They are far more resilient than parents.
This is just too much cuteness in one photo. I think my computer screen may brake from too much cute.
Sunday afternoon walk to the duck pond. Nearly lost a few digits to the black swan there. It is a spirited fowl if I have ever come across one.
And another one.
Jozsie doesn't know what to think. He was happy once he got to his little soccer ball prize.
Poor Tyler and his swollen swimming pool eyes. He needed a little beauty treatment to help him get to sleep. Chlorine doesn't agree with this boy.
Ty had been waiting all week for the chocolate dipped strawberries. We squeezed them in with no minutes to spare. Walked out the door with chocolate on our lips. It was a yummy way to leave the great state of Texas. These kids always have a great time with their Pollan grandparents.
Journal: Dallas Trip July 3-8
We are on the plane heading for home and I am trying to remember all the fun things we managed to pack into our week in Dallas. We did so many fun things in such a short amount of time. It really is better if I write each day as it comes and not try to remember back a whole week. We arrived in Dallas on Wednesday evening late. Sadie and Jozsie were already sleeping for hours when we finally got in. Hollie had to wake up to come and pick us up. We chatted on the way home from the airport and were pretty quick to climb into beds. The kids didn’t even do a late night swim, I thought they might. Luckily our flight there went smoothly and all was good in the flying world. It is ridiculous how much easier it is to fly with the kids now they are all big. We did have to pack into backpacks to avoid paying extra fees on Frontier Airlines but we managed to fit what we needed into one backpack each. I was fairly impressed with how well we did. More impressive still is we managed to fit all the gifts Nanna gave us in our packs on the way back home. That was a more challenging task.
Sadie was so excited to finally find her cousins. They beat us to Dallas by a few days, Hollie wanted some time with Laura and Phil before we got there, I thought that was a good idea but apparently Sadie thought that was a terrible idea. She complained a lot about our late arrival to this family get together. The kids were wet and swimming within minutes of waking on our first morning in Dallas. Sadie did a great job with the pool and listening to rules about whom she could swim with and when. My kids did a good job at not leaving doors open and such to keep Hollie’s little ones safe. It is a full time job keeping the littles ones safe when there is an open pool around. We went through bottles of sun block and even more bug spray. Lots of mosquitoes this year in Dallas. I probably have twenty bites on my ankles alone.
We cleaned up and got our fourth of July gear on to head to the Addison Kaboom Town Festival. We arrived early, very early. They were still actually getting things set up and ready when we came through the gates ready to tear the place up. We found the idea blanket spot and saved our places on the fireworks field and headed to a bit of shade to sit on our lawn chairs for oh about six hours until the party really got going. With plenty of time to kill we walked around to see what they had to offer. I told the kids they could each spend $20 on whatever they wanted at Kaboom Town. Tyler was quick to get his money into action. He and Hollie took a ride on a crazy Gyrosphere. It was surprisingly a man powered ride which spun in all directions at one time. Wild, dizzying to watch and totally unnerving. At one point I thought Tyler was going to pass out his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. Hollie we knew was alive and well with all the terrified screams coming out of her. Tyler on the other hand initially was laughing but soon became quiet and then silent. They did both live through the ride and no one else volunteered to be the next victims. I don’t know how those workers can stand in that hot sun all evening and not pass out from head exhaustion. They were pushing the ride with their brute strength. Heaven help them get an education and rise above that position in life. Poor kids. Next on the list was the bungee trampoline. Sadie was game for this ride as well. Tyler bit the hook and spent a few more of his bucks on the trampoline as well. He kind of got a dud ride as he was hooked up too tight and couldn’t really get any good jumps off. He did manage a few front and back flips but we’ve had better bungee experiences. Sadie on the other hand caught the heart of her trampoline guy and he gave her a really fun ride. She was thrilled when she got off and grinning from ear to ear. She went straight for the bounce house after the bungee ride and spent a long time hopping around with the other little folk in there. We all stood around and cheered her on which thrilled her to no end. She is quick to try and please her cousins. She is lucky to have such nice cousins who adore doting on her cuteness. Carter took a particular liking to Jozsie and well the feeling was mutual. Those two made a cute pair. You could often find Jozsie happily balanced on Carter’s hip or hugging on his neck. Watch out though if it is meal time because Jozsie turns into a tornado. It was impressive the mess that boy makes when he is eating. He wants no help, he wants control of the fork/spoon and he has no qualms with being sticky or covered in half chewed food. What a boy. The funniest was while we were eating our picnic dinner waiting for the fireworks Laura had made us a gourmet meal. We had watermelon, orzo pasta salad, cheese cubes, chips, grapes, hummus and various veggies to dip, chips, etc. Tons of choices. Well Hollie was trying her best to get some food into Jozsie and at one point he dumped pasta all over her, spilled the hummus and there was juice box fluid flying around. It was seriously amusing. Amber and I sat back laughing, not helping which wasn’t very helpful but sometimes it is nice to realize I am on the other end of things. Laura was trying to help but I think Jozsie may have a few extra arms he pulls out while he is eating. It sees impossible for such a mess to be created by one so small. Poor Hollie. It didn’t get any better when the funnel cake covered in powdered sugar showed up at the same time as the cotton candy. Yes, Jozsie did help himself to cotton candy. Steer clear. The kids had a great time swimming in a city fountain while waiting for fireworks to start. Ally brought her suit and Tyler just jumped in with his shorts on. You don’t dry off as quickly in Dallas as in Utah though. He was damp for the rest of the evening, thankfully it was warm enough it didn’t matter. They also had a fun airshow that flew around while we listened to concerts on the grass. The planes were really neat as they did cool maneuvers and tricks. They even had a glider with sparklers flying out the tail end of the wings. Pretty slick! The city of Addison pulled out all stops and had live bands playing during the fireworks. The show went on for a good ten minutes. Tyler and I even had time to run to the bathroom, since he had to go right as the fireworks started and get back with time to enjoy a lot of the show. We couldn’t find Tylers shoes anywhere for a good thirty minutes. Luckily when the fireworks ended and people shifted around we were able to locate them. As a way to get the crowd to disperse more gradually they had hired an after party band to play after the fireworks ended so we hung out and danced around a bit. Chris and Amber were there with us and Nanny had gone to see Jane in Houston for the weekend so we were able to stay out late and party for a while. The kids loved dancing to the music in the park, well Carter tolerated it. He and Chris dance at about the same speed. Knees barely bobbing to the music. I had to help Carter loosen up a little bit. We were hot and tired but had luckily gotten there early so we had close parking spots and getting home was no trouble. We thoroughly enjoyed our night in Addison.
July 4th- We slept in late on the fourth. So tired from the activities of the night before. When we woke we were scavenging around for something to eat on when Phil told us there was a ward breakfast at a park nearby. Well what were we waiting for? It only took us forty minutes to pack up but we did eventually get into the car and headed to the park. We got word there was a splash pad there so Ally and Sadie came geared up for fun in their swim suits. We got there in time to catch the tail end of the food. It was a nice cool morning and we enjoyed eating our breakfast under the shade of a large Dallas tree. Pancakes, bacon and sausage. A fruit table full of pancake toppings quickly filled up our plates. The girls downed their food quickly and headed off to play on the splash pad. Hollie made an airport run to pick up Jozsef as he was able to fly in for a few days of family fun and World Cup Viewing. Phil’s calling is in the Single Adults Ward right now and they don’t get to their home ward very often. We did see a few familiar faces though and Hollie, Phil and Laura enjoyed chatting with old friends. Hollie made it back with Jozsef and they were able to catch the caboose of the party. We had saved them a plate of food just as they were clearing off tables. We stayed at the park till it was nearly lunch time. As we were getting ready to clear out Phil wandered over to the splash pad and wondered out loud if his two sweet grand daughters would be able to get an old man like him wet. Oh boy did he ask the right, or maybe wrong question. Those two little ladies had the time of their life drenching their Papa. They quickly found red Silo cups and were dousing him with water. Sadie even went as far as to fill his back pockets with cups full of water. The squeals of joy and delight were heard for miles around. His cell phone somehow managed to live through the whole ordeal and continues working.
We got home from breakfast and were ready for lunch. Instead of eating we just jumped in the pool for a swim. The kids were happy to swim and play for a few hours so we skipped lunch and went for linner a little later in the day. Sadie got better and better at her swimming skills as the week went on. It is fun to see her watch the older kids and try to figure out what they are doing. We had a little grill of burgers and hot dogs out on the patio for dinner.
We swam till we had sun stroke and came in to rest. Some of us went to see a movie after dinner. We saw Maleficent. I had seen it before but Ally had not. Carter and Tyler stayed home and babysat Sadie and Jozsie. They had the whole house under control when we got back. Way to go boys. I just love that movie. Such a good show. Of course after the movie we had to eat ice cream. Lots of Blue Bell ice cream gets consumed whenever we go to Dallas.
July 5 - Saturday: Of course there was swimming in Nana’s pool. We also decided going to see the Children’s Gardens at the Dallas Arboretum would be a good idea. We really enjoyed the gardens. We brought a bag of snacks and ate our fill in the shade by a picnic table. It was fun to see all the hands on exhibits they have put together. We especially enjoyed anything that squirted water, blew air or misted us with a fine dewey cool water. Lets just say it was Dallas and it was July. By the time we left we were all soaking wet either from being squirted or from the heat and humidity. We will have to go again in let’s say October or April.
We just had enough time between the gardens and the play to sneak in a trip to Spring Creek BBQ. That was a crowd pleaser for sure. Ally got a giant plate of mac and cheese. That’s my girl.
I had been online before we left for Dallas and found they had a Shakespeare in the Park going while we were there. We got tickets online and took my kids with us. Hollie’s littles stayed home with a babysitter. It was so much fun to sit out on the lawn and watch a little Much Ado About Nothing. The players did a fabulous job. I was very pleased with the evenings entertainment. We even splurged and bought fresh squished lemonades. This has become a new household favorite. You cut the ends off a lemon, slice it into about eight or ten pieces and then squish the lemon in the bottom of a cup. Throw in a couple spoons of sugar and a little strawberry flavoring, ice and water. Best lemonade you will ever drink. Also works wonders with a lime and cherry flavoring. Yum. I could not believe how easy her recipe was and how delicious the lemonade tasted.
July 6-Sunday -Ty requested cinnamon toast for breakfast today. It is always a Texas favorite. We went to church down the street. It is always fun to go and say hi to the home ward. Chris and Amber came over for dinner and laundry. We went on down to the duck pond to feed the swan and turtles. Spent a good portion of the evening working on a puzzle which we did finally finish. No lost pieces, phew! The evening ended with a Bear Tale by Papa. The kids loved it! We had more ice cream, well tried to, the freezer had been left open so we had melted ice cream. Still good.
July 7 -Monday - More cinnamon toast for breakfast. Ty can’t get enough of that stuff. We had a grant celebration for Nanny’s 91st birthday party. The cousins and second cousins all came out. We met Clint’s wife Shay for the first time. We spent time working on another puzzle and finished it. We got another Bear tale from Papa to round off the evening. He sure can make himself crack up. Hollie made a book for Nanny’s birthday. It was a collection of photos from her 90th birthday party. She gave us a copy. It is really awesome to have such a great photographer/record keeper in the family. Jozsef flew home but not until after watching lots of world cup action. It has been fun having someone around to answer all of our soccer questions. The kids also went fishing with Phil today just down the street. We got there, Ty had to go to the bathroom so I took him back home. Drove back to the lake and fished for a few minutes. It was hot so it didn’t take long for everyone to finish up. We did catch a couple fish though. Lucky they were quick to bite.
July 8 - Tuesday -We ate more melted ice cream today. Hopefully we haven’t ruined everything in Nana’s freezer while we have been here and obviously terrible at closing the freezer. I received breakfast in bed. I guess you know you have overslept when your family so gently wakes you with a tray of food. The boys and I met Phil at the mall and went to see the movie How To Train Your Dragon 2. It was awesome. The boys said better than Frozen, Ally refused to see it because the advertisement claimed it would be better than Frozen. That was just to insulting for her to bare. The boys got to shop at their favorite Chinese store. Throwing knives, throwing stars and awesome swords keep this place at the top of their list. Carter also found a glass dragon which was fitting since we were seeing a dragon movie. Phil took the boys to Five Guys for lunch. I had to get the car back to the house for Hollie to catch her flight. We made chocolate dipped strawberries as we were heading out the door and ate leftover chocolate cake for dinner. It was delicious. Then we ate more dinner at the airport before we boarded our plane. We had a fabulous time but it is always nice to get home.
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