Kemah Boardwalk

Oh how the boardwalk has changed since Stephen and I got married. We used to go down there for a low key dinner and now it is a vacation destination with hotels and several amusement rides. The weather has been so awesome that we have spent our last two Sunday afternoons on the boardwalk. Last weekend we forgot that it was Mardi Gras and, of course, this weekend was the start of Spring Break. I have never seen so many people there in all my life. We let Cole do a little roaming and some strolling. He really enjoyed people watching the most.

Watching the rides

Playing in the rocks

Can I go on the carousel?

Cruising the boardwalk for babes

Feeding the catfish

Running wild

Cole and Mommy by the fountain

Armand Bayou Nature Center

A few weeks back Stephen and I took Cole to the nature center in Clear Lake. It has a hawk exhibit, alligator pond, bird sanctuary, farm house, barn, and nature trails. It will be a perfect place for a birthday party when Cole gets a little older. It has a party room that is connected to a snake exhibit. Every little boy's dream, right? Here are a few pics from our family outing.

Walking down the path...yes I am wearing gold flats...doesn't everyone wear sparkly flats while on a nature hike

"Do not feed the animals."

Checking out the garden

Cole just dropped his Elmo Phone. Daddy to the rescue....

In a bird blind scouting dove

Just another day at the beach...

As the weather begins to warm up, we have made a few trips to the park on the water. Here are a few pics of our most recent trip.

Winter Fun

It sure has been a cold winter this year. We haven't had any snow, but we did have some sleet and ice last week. Here are a few pics of some of our winter outings.

This is after church. He can never make it until Noon. This day he decided to nap right on the table at the restaurant.
At Barnes and Noble...of all the books in the store, he grabbed this one. Notice it has an MP3 player on it. He loved the buttons.
Cole and Jake at church in their Sunday School class. Last week Cole was moved up into the walker class so they are no longer in the same class. Cole loves his cousin. He always gives him kisses and hugs. Jake will be in the walker class before too long and they will be united.

Last Friday we had a "Snow Day." Mommy and Daddy stayed home with me. We went to the park in the afternoon once the ice melted off the roads, but...It was too cold to get out of the car at the park, so we watched the seagulls from the back seat.

Happy New Year

The new in the New Year has begun to wear off and I am in need of a blog update. January flew by. I spent a lot of time up at school. My students had a business competition January 29th and I spent three nights a week every week in January at school from 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Dad did a great job taking care of Cole...packing his bag, making his lunch, getting him squeaky clean, putting him too bed, etc. My students did great, so all our hard work paid off. I am taking 17 students to Fort Worth for State Competition from March 2-5. Hopefully, one or more will make it to Nationals, then we'll be headed to D.C.

New Year's traffic in La Porte is ridiculous.

Are you kidding me?

Happy New Year!

Cole and Cousin Jake playing on New Year's Day.

Uncle John and the boys

Christmas 2010

I decided that I better update the blog before Christmas becomes a blur. We pretty much ran back and forth between my parent's house and my in-law's house. My brother's 29th b-day was Christmas Eve. We went down to Kemah for our annual Landry's lunch. Stephen gave me my Christmas gift early so I brought my new camera and got some great candid pictures of Cole. That evening we went to church, then my mom's house, then Stephen's grandma's house. Cole didn't make it to bed until 10:00 pm. He was exhausted. Christmas morning Cole and daddy opened their gifts and then we went to Stephen's parent's for breakfast, my parent's for lunch, and then back to my in-law's for dinner. Having both sets of parents in the same city has both positives and negatives. At least we get to spend every holiday with both families, but, on the other hand, we have to spend a good portion of our day driving all around town. Here are some of the 1,079 pictures I took between Dec. 23, 24, 25, 31, and Jan. 1. I'll post some New Year's pictures later.

"I love Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn"

New York here we come. Stephen and I headed out on Thursday for the Big Apple. Cole spent the weekend in shared custody between both sets of grandparents. We arrived in LaGuardia about 5:30 p.m. after a layover in Chicago. SWA doesn't have a direct flight (I will have to talk to The Chad about that...). We met Marisa at her office building and then headed to the bus station. Normally Marisa would walk, but it was a tad chilly and Stephen and I had luggage in tow so we cabbed it. After arriving via bus in Secaucus, NJ we met up with Allan and headed to dinner at a little Irish Pub. After dinner they took us to a park that had an awesome view of the city. Here are the pics from their favorite lookout spot. Dinner in NJ

Looking towards the city

We also drove into Hoboken so I could see Carlos Bakery; the location of one of my favorite shows on TLC.

On Friday we got up early and headed into the city with Marisa. She had to work, so Stephen and I went sightseeing while she was at work. We took the bus into the city, walked to the Empire State Building, cabbed it to Columbus Circle, walked to Central Park, The Plaza and FAO Schwarz...all before meeting Marisa for lunch at The Burger Spot. After lunch we cabbed it to Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree and did a little window shopping.

Bus Stop in Secaucus

Empire State Building

Central Park

Rockefeller Plaza

Later Friday afternoon, we met up with Allan in Times Square. That place is a mad house. We tried to have dinner there once Marisa got off work, but we ended up in an Italian restaurant in NJ instead. It was great...home cookin, friendly, family owned and operated establishment.

Times Square

Grand Central Station

Saturday we headed to see Lady Liberty, Ground Zero, and the Financial District. We were headed to Chinatown for lunch and ended up in Brooklyn..one wrong turn and we were on the Brooklyn Bridge...at least there is no toll for that one. We were going to eat a Grimaldi's but the line was down the block, so we ate at Ignazio's instead. It was delicious. After lunch the boys headed to the Staten Island Ferry and Marisa and I went to see West Side Story. The musical was awesome. I'm glad we had a chance to see it. We did end up in Chinatown for dinner and did a little purse shopping after. Stephen had never been into a secret back room. It was definitely a little shady.

Lady Liberty Ground Zero


Stephen and Allan in the Financial District
Taken during Stephen and Allan's Sunset Cruise

Sunday we went to Rutherford for breakfast and then to see Marisa's grandma. She lives in a beautiful old home in an adorable picturesque town. After our visit we headed to Liberty Island to get an up close shot of Lady Liberty. After the park, we went to Yankee Stadium and then in town to Serendipity. There was a three hour wait so we ended up at Patsy's and had pizza...again. After lunch Marisa and I made a quick run in and out of Bloomie's then we were off to the airport.

Allen, Grandma O'D, Marisa

The Bronx
Serendipity

We had such a fun time. Speacial thanks to our tour guides. Love you guys... Can't wait to come and visit again...maybe in warmer months...I was freezing, even with my long johns, sweater, big coat, hat, scarf, and gloves.