Everything is Bigger in Texas!

It really is so eye opening to be able to live in different parts of the country and embrace what each area has to offer. I'm loving it! They all have their uniqueness and things that I find interesting...it's kind of fun to take note. So indulge me as I ramble a bit...

Compared to Illinois, there's a whole new wild life surrounding our house. So far we've seen screech owls, a hawk (that flew right into our big back window), geckos, lizards, opossums and I almost stepped on this little guy. Guess he decided to come hang out on our back porch after a big rain storm.

It's already August and we still have about 2 more months of the HUMIDity & HEAT. We are surviving, and I would really have to say it's not as bad as I'd predicted it would be. Some days I think it's actually been hotter in Utah than here. Really, only the last few weeks have been consistently around 104 or so. The humidity isn't too terrible either. I was born and raised in the desert of Utah, so I can usually tell when there's even a little humidity in the air. Most days here, I don't even notice it. On the other hand...yesterday was one of the hotter days. It got up to 108, so maybe I'm speaking too soon.

Here in TEXAS, they know the true meaning of a frontage road. It took a little getting used to, but I love how easy it is to get on and off the freeways. And speaking of their freeways....the overpasses here are SKY HIGH...seriously. Sometimes my fear of heights kicks in as we're going over them and I hold on in the car with white knuckles, until we are a safer distance to the ground. Not sure if I'll get use to that one or not. :)

Traffic lights. I just had to take a picture of this. It took a few weeks of driving around for me to get used the lights being turned sideways. Guess Texas just has to be different. Anybody know the reason why? We sure haven't figured it out yet.

There are so many different little bbq places, which both Stephen and I love. We are suckers for some good bbq and we've come to the right place. Although we soon realized that there isn't enough time in the world to try them all....and everybody has their favorite place to recommend. So far we've tried a few different places and loved them all. It will be hard to pick a favorite.

Everyone is so friendly down here. Whether it is out and about doing errands or taking a walk around the neighborhood. We get stopped so many times. People saying hello and asking all sorts of questions about Andrew. One day our next door neighbor was driving away and she stopped and got out of her car to chat....much different then Chicago.

So far we have really loved it out here and have felt right at home in the great state of Texas! It's always hard to move, leave friends, make changes and start over.  But each time I know I grow and learn so much.

Exploring

We've been exploring a lot of fun new places since we've moved. Texas has a lot to offer and our bucket list of things to do while we are here keeps getting longer and longer and longer. Hopefully we can squeeze in as much as we can.

Grapevine Lake.
We decided we needed to get away one Saturday and went to explore a nearby lake. We were anxious to find a way to cool off on a sweltering hot Saturday. The lake was beautiful and did its job in finding some relief. Stephen and I loved seeing the sailboats and Andrew, of course, loved splashing in the water. All in all a great relaxing Saturday. 

Our attempt at a group picture

We loved watching the sailboats go by

Dallas Temple.

When we found out we were heading to Texas, I was glad to know that we'd be close to a temple. It's nice that it's only 30 min away. I love spending time there. I also loved the fact that it's almost exactly like the Chicago temple. Just felt right at home. 

Beautiful Morning at the Temple

Dallas Temple

The city.

I've ventured into the city a handful times already. Of course we've just been to the children's hospital for doctors appointments. So not the most exciting of trips. But I would have to say the traffic out here is not as bad as Chicago..at least for me. 

Had to take this for my brother. He works at Amegy Bank a big bank in 

Texas. I spotted it on my way home from downtown last week.

For the past month or so, I can actually get around town for the most part without the GPS...if I'm going to my usual spots grocery store, the bank, doctor appointments, Target, Costco, church...etc. It took me many months to be able to do this in Chicago...my GPS is my best friend when finding new places and exploring a new city. Although, my first trip to walmart here, I was just following the GPS and came in the back way. I was very surpised to see this! The Dallas Cowboy's Stadium right across the street.

That place is HUGE! I knew we lived close, but sure didn't realize it was just 3 miles from my house.
Just a side note...don't go to walmart when there is an event going on at the stadium.

Andrew's been exploring all over our house too. Every time I set him down, he rolls right onto his tummy and goes to explore. We LOVE this!

He wiggled around the floor so much he worked his way right out of his pants!

The dishwasher is the perfect height.

He hasn't figured out how to go into reverse and gets frustrated when he can't get out.

Now, this is usually how most of our pictures turn out. He's just too fast for me.

Family Pictures

We were so lucky to have some family pictures taken, before we moved. Our good friend Camille is so talented and I'm grateful she was able to fit us in before we left! I'm finally getting around to getting a few printed up to display in our home. So I thought I'd share, just a few of our favorites!

We Are So Lucky

We've now been here in Texas just 6 weeks. In some ways it feels like we just left Chicago and in other ways it feels like we've been here in Dallas much longer then just 6 weeks. It's been great to get unpacked, settled and organized. We have been so fortunate to be able to move into Stephen's grandma's old home. Because of this we've got family right on our street. His two Aunts live right next door to us. They have been so wonderful and have helped with our transition so much. They've shown us around the city, helped with the move and unpacking and taken us to their favorite spots out here. We've felt right at home.  And let's just say someone is getting lots and lots of love and attention and it's not Stephen and I.  We are getting spoiled and are so lucky to have family close by!

Aunt Janet, Uncle Chuck and Aunt PJ with Andrew

Bites...

When we first told people we were moving to Texas, a lot responded by first talking about the heat and second they'd always mention something about the BUGS. In the past, both Stephen and I have visited various parts of Texas a few different times and thought we knew what we we're getting ourselves into. Now we really we laugh at ourselves, because we had no idea.
At night we will be watching T.V. or laying in our bed reading and there will be a loud tapping at the window. What is that sound you may ask? Oh right...that would just be the BUGS attracted by the light hitting the window. Both Stephen and I have all sort of bites around our ankles and last week, Stephen accidentally stepped into a hill of fire ants as he was getting Andrew out of the car. You might say...a little "trial by fire". Ha ha ha.

It would be one thing if they were just outside and stayed outside, but they aren't. We've found many little 6-legged friends inside our home too. The worst for me are the cockroaches. I seem to scream every time I see them...without fail. They are just so BIG. I don't know if I'll ever get use to these critters.

Andrew sure has had his run with the Texas bugs. The worst part about it is they found him while he was sleeping in his bed. He'd wake up and have not just 1 or 2 new bites, but 6-7 bites all over his face, hands and arms The worst was when he had some type of allergic reaction and his eye was swollen. I felt so bad.
One lady at the store thought he had the chicken pox. Really? Would I take my child out into a public place if he had the chicken pox? It's a mystery as to what's been biting him. We can't seem to figure it out and I've been cleaning like a mad women sanitizing this place from ceiling to floor trying to get rid of everything. I'm hoping we can figure something out soon and things will be better.

Not the best pic. but just look at those bites!

I think we counted 15 bite on just his one hand. Crazy!

Our 4th of July

We loved celebrating the 4th of July Texas style. We made the drive down to Houston to see my little brother Matt and his family. It was nice to get away and spent the entire week down there with them playing and hanging out with his cute family. We had a great holiday! It's too hot down here, so not many parades were going on. Instead, we relaxed, went swimming skyped with family in Utah and found some of the best snowcones EVER! Also, we learned that Texas does fireworks like crazy. The saying that "everything's bigger in Texas" came to life that night by way of fireworks with them going off way into the night. My brother also pulled out the smoker and introduced us to his famous smoked ribs and chicken. Delish! Gotta love Texas.

YUM!

The kids got brave and stayed outside the entire time we did fireworks....well, almost...until they heard the firecrackers going off. But they were brave enough for the good 'ole sparklers.

Saturday we decided to hop in the car and head to the beach. We had a wonderful time. Andrew loved playing in the sand and splashing in the water. It was a great beach and so shallow we could walk out 50 feet and still the water would only be up to our waste.

Not quite sure about the sand at first

My brother and his family at the Beach

Stephen and Andrew playing in the waves

This kid LOVES watermelon!

Andrew and his cousin Parker
Best Buddies

Helmets & Haircuts

In the final few doctor's appointments before we left Chicago, we met with Andrew's cranial/facial doctor...a.k.a..."The Helmet Dr." for our 2 month appointment. After they did a scan on his head, we were excited to hear that he had made a lot of progress and was within the normal range. Wahooo!!!This meant that he was no longer in need of the helmet. We seriously couldn't believe it. Most babies wear it for 3-6 months. Andrew only had it for 2 1/2 months. With having a shunt, it's pretty hard to really get any change and makes it very unpredictable. The doctor wasn't sure with his case exactly how long he'd need it. Looks like we got pretty lucky as they rarely see kids in it for that short amount of time, let alone kids with a shunt. Guess we timed it right and he had a few growth spurts. It's not perfect by any means, but it does look a whole lot better. We decided that we'd let him go a few more weeks until the helmet needed a new fitting. After we got to the Texas, it sure didn't last very long as we were worried about him getting overheated too easily.

THE BEFORE...

THE AFTER...

In celebration of no more helmet and after his bath one night, I had a to do something crazy with that hair. While underneath that big blue helmet, it seemed to grow so long on top and has turned a nice shade of blonde.  It almost looked like he was wearing a toupee. A few weeks later we decided to give it a trim.  So after lunch one day, I busted out my scissors and went to work. Not to shabby for a true first haircut for me with such a wiggly little boy.
Little giggles and full of smiles.

I decided that short hair was the way to go in this humid Texas heat and chopped off about 10 inches of hair myself. It feels so nice! I'm loving the short hair...should have done it a long time ago!

Andrew and I found a fun swing at the park right by our house

Bath Time

This little fishy LOVES his baths.

Every time he hears the water running in the tub he heads straight for the bathroom....and there is no stopping him. I can't catch him to even get his clothes off. He loves splashing and throwing his toys into the tub.  His new favorite trick is to grab the washcloth and swing it like a little lasso. (must be the Texan coming out of him :) By the end I'm just as wet as he is. It's funny because every time he hears water...whether it's the kitchen sink or I'm throwing some clothes into the washer, he thinks he get to play. Such a silly boy!

Just love that little bum

Poor little guy just hates getting out and throws a fit every time. What a mean mom I am, to grab the camera and snap a picture. He sure makes me laugh!

On Our Way...

After a fun filled Memorial Day weekend, we hit the road and decided we'd better get on our way. We made a lot of stops on the 16 hour car ride down and stretched it out over 3 days, which made it nice. The longest stretch we did was only 5 hours in the car. But I will admit, by day three Andrew was completely done. Done with being in his carseat, done with taking naps in the car, done with changing diapers in the backseat, and done with using the stroller as a make-shift high chair. He would just start to cry as soon and we got our keys out or started opening the door to the car. Poor kid.
The first day, we timed it just right to stop and have lunch in St. Louis.

You can't visit St. Louis and not see the famous Gateway Arch. Right? So we grabbed some tickets and headed to the top for a senic view of the city and the Mississippi River.

After a few hours of relaxing and playing we hopped back into the car and headed to our next destination...Memphis, Tennessee. The farther south we drove, the thicker the accent. Memphis was definitely a place where we felt like we were from the North. A lot of "yes ma'am" "yes sir" "reckon, I'd..." and "ain't gonna..." were heard.

We stayed in a nice hotel, right downtown and close to Beale Street. That evening, we decided to take the trolly down a few block to Beale Street and check out the sights. If you don't know what Beale street is, it is in the heart of downtown Memphis and where they claim is the "Home of the Blues". It has all sorts of blues clubs and resturaunts that line the street. With saxaphone players serenading, people singing and others doing acrabatic shows all up and down the street. It's pretty amazing. We found a fun spot and enjoyed the best BBQ ribs and catfish we'd ever had.

Here comes the Trolly

With the sun setting in the background, you can't see all the neon lights. The street was starting to come to life after dinner. But we had a little one who needed to get to bed!

Andrew and Daddy on Beale Street

The next day was kind of our "play day." We got up early and drove just 2 hours to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Just a little ways outside of this touristy city was the Ouachita National Park. Stephen and I LOVE the outdoors and have truly missed the mountains in Utah. These mountains, were nothing compaired to the rockies...but we'll take what we can get.

We wanted to spend the day here, but didn't have anything really planned out. So we literally drove up and talked to the forest rangers about what there is to do. They told us about a great hike and different activities we could do on Ouachita Lake close by. So That's exactly what we did.

Beautiful hike overlooking the lake, but most of
the huge trees were destroyed in a recent tornado

We decided to rent a boat from the marina for a few hours and cruise around the lake. We realized this lake was enormous and reminded me the size of Lake Powell with houseboats and everything. We felt like we were the only ones on it and the water was beautiful and warm. Too bad we didn't have any waterskii's.

Andrew loved the boat!

No waterskiing....but still had to jump in for a swim in the lake!

Having fun on the boat

We didn't spend much time in Hot Springs, just drove down the famous "Bathhouse Row." There are a ton of natural hot spring bathhouses that line the downtown streets. They are known for their healing waters and spas. I guess even President Roosevelt, back in the day would go there often. He claimed the natural waters helped with the effects of polio. Speaking of president's....we later learned this was where former President Bill Clinton grew up and went to high school. Who knew! Hot Springs, Arkansas is a pretty big touristy spot, if you know what I mean.

One of the many bathhouses

Our last day, we made the final drive into the great state of TEXAS! We knew exactly when we had crossed the boarder into Texas. There was Texan pride everywhere with flags and stars. Stephen and I just looked at each other and had to laugh! I guess we'd better get used to it. :)

We drove right through downtown and passed by good 'ol AT&T (Stephen's new office.) We are excited to finally be here and start this new adventure in life.