Warning: This post may be extra long due to such a busy, but fun weekend!We started off the weekend on Saturday morning by meeting Marme', Pops, Rachel, Rex, Jax, Crystal, Jake and Madeline at "The Egg and I" for breakfast to celebrate Father's Day. We had a great breakfast and Camden and Claire had fun playing with their cousins. Everyone always has fun when we're all together, especially the kiddos.
Then, we were off to Dallas for a fun weekend! When we arrived, it was lunchtime and we stopped in at one of our favorite restaurants, Pappadeaux, to enjoy some great seafood! After filling our tummies, we went to the hotel to check in. Carlyle was in desperate need of a nap and Camden and Claire were BEGGING to go swimming. So, Jeremy took the girls swimming, Carlyle took a short nap and I unpacked and tried to relax a bit before making our way to Grapevine Mills later that afternoon. As soon as we walked in the mall, the girls spotted a shop that was selling Pillow Pals. They had seen commercials for Pillow Pets and I didn't realize until
after we had bought them each one, that this was NOT the same thing. But, they didn't notice or seem to care. Camden picked a pink bunny and Claire chose a penguin. They really are cute and very soft. We continued to walk around and found a candy store. The girls were in heaven with all the different kinds of candy!
Then, we found the carousel. The girls rode it twice, once with me and once with Jeremy. I think Carlyle enjoyed her first time on a carousel.
We finally made our way to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. They had a pretend crocodile out front that would open its mouth and kids were trying to throw coins in as he opened. Camden and Claire love all the animals, sounds and entertainment! And, they are always on the lookout for the person making balloon animals. Of course, they each had to have one and chose the exact same thing. A red ladybug that fit on their wrist. Carlyle did so good, considering the fact that she was running on fumes. She had only had about an hour and a half nap all day. After dinner, it was time for baths. Carlyle didn't get to bed until 9:00pm, two hours after her normal bedtime. Once I laid her down, she was out!! On the other hand, Camden and Claire didn't get in bed until around 10:30pm. Talk about wired!! I guess the chocolate and Dr. Pepper weren't such a good idea:)
Sunday morning we ate a quick breakfast at McDonald's and headed to the Ft. Worth Zoo. All the girls could talk about was riding the train. After seeing a few animals, we did come upon the Train Depot and bought our tickets. It was a bit jerky, but overall a fun experience. I have to admit, that I have never been to another zoo other than the Tyler Zoo. The Ft. Worth Zoo is HUGE and there are so many different animals. We saw the flamingos, gorillas, rhinos, kangaroos, tons of fish and reptiles (which were NOT my favorite), zebras...and the list goes on and on. We probably missed alot, too. Camden and Claire started complaining about 30 minutes after we got there of being hot and tired. They said they "just couldn't walk anymore". Jeremy took turns carrying them, but that got really old. We finally broke down and rented a double stroller for $9.00. They never complained again, although their complaints turned to whines about "wanting to go back to the hotel and swim". Ugh....talk about frustrating. Honestly, Carlyle was the BEST behaved the entire trip!! We finally got tired of listening to their complaints (and YES, it was HOT), however, this was
supposed to be a fun trip and my patience was wearing very thin. So, we loaded up and went back to the hotel. Poor Carlyle was worn out. She fell asleep in the stroller about 20 minutes before we got to the car and stayed asleep as I transferred her from the stroller to the car seat. What a trooper!!
Jeremy once again took the girls swimming and I laid down with Carlyle for a siesta. After swimming and naps, we got dressed and went to the Trail Dust Steakhouse for dinner. We had never been before but I read that there was a two-story slide inside for the kids. I thought it would be fun. Immediately, they wanted to slide, however, I didn't know that they were supposed to wear socks. They didn't have any socks so Jeremy slid down with the girls first. After that, Camden was hooked. We ordered drinks and an appetizer and Jeremy rushed back to the hotel to grab Camden and Claire some socks. What a good Daddy!! Good thing our hotel was only about 5 minutes away. I'm so glad that he got the socks...Camden stayed on the slide the entire time we were there! They also had a dance floor and the girls enjoyed showing off their dance skills. Even Carlyle enjoyed dancing with her Daddy! What great entertainment!!!
When we got back to the hotel, it was early enough that I thought we all could go for a quick swim. Carlyle hadn't had a chance to enjoy the pool and I thought it would be fun! Camden and Claire had so much fun. In fact, we probably would have stayed alot longer, but Carlyle was getting fussy and was needing to eat and get in bed. Camden and Claire love the water. They are going to be little fish by the end of the summer!!
This morning we got dressed, packed all our luggage and loaded everything and everyone in the car. Camden and Claire had been waiting all weekend to have dessert with their American Girl babies. Uncle Jeremy sent the girls some dresses and I thought our trip to the American Girl Store would be the perfect place for them to wear their new outfits. Thanks Uncle Jeremy for the cute dresses! We stopped by the Galleria to shop/look around, went to eat at Uncle Julios's for lunch and then made our way back to the American Girl store. We first did some shopping. Since Carlyle hadn't gotten anything this whole trip, we decided to get her an American Girl Bitty Baby of her very own. Camden and Claire picked out two outfits for their baby dolls...a cheerleader outfit, complete with a headband and shoes and a swimsuit with sandals and a beach towel. Of course, Claire got exactly what Camden got, which is probably better. No fighting when they have the same thing. After our purchase, we went upstairs to order dessert. They got their babies highchairs and even brought a baby over for Carlyle to sit with. Daddy helped her to "feed" the baby and she had fun playing her her "friend". Camden and Claire ordered "Lollipop Brownies", complete with chocolate and sprinkles, Daddy ordered a Cookies and Cream milkshake and I ordered chocolate chip cookies and milk. The lollipop brownies were so cute. They came out on sticks that were stuck in pink and white sugar! They were very yummy, too!! Carlyle saw my cookies and went crazy. As I was eating one, she grabbed it and had a death grip on it. I finally decided to let her chew on it and she wasn't going to let go. She had never tasted anything so good before!!! We finally got a family picture before we left. I had been meaning to get one all weekend and the timing just never worked out.
We finally made it home this afternoon and Carlyle has loved playing with her new baby. Camden and Claire have been dressing their babies up, giving them baths and taking them on trips. It's so fun to see them pretend play together. Their imaginations really run wild sometimes!
We had a great weekend getaway with the family! Now it's back to reality, routines and schedules (which isn't a bad thing)...and back to my own BED!! YEAH!
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