Splash-tastic!

A few weeks ago my mom and I took the boys to a nearby water park. It was awesome! It's completely kid-friendly with so much to do.

 

This is one of the main hubs of the park, called Splashtown. It's a multi-level maze filled with water slides, stairs, rope climbs, and a giant water-filled bucket poised to dump water on you at any moment. It is SO cool. I can only imagine how cool it seemed thru the eyes of my 4 and 1 year olds. 
 

This is another of the kids' areas, specifically for toddlers

The park also caters to big people, featuring lots of slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river.

Jack had a blast. He never feared going down these slides, all by himself. What a big boy.

Jason was a little more cautious about the slides. But he surprised me, going off on his own, venturing up the stairs into Splashtown.

Note the water behind Jason here- it's basically a geyser that shoots up periodically, as Jason discovered after standing in the exact spot when there wasn't water going, and then- SURprise!- the water splashed up and Jason was trapped between the 3 fountains. He actually thought it was fun.

More fountains to play with...

Jack wrangled a gator!

Mimi with Jason (see that baby in the background drinking from his sippy? Yeah, Jason might have stolen that sippy a few times and had a drink or two. Shh, don't tell)

Me with Jack

This was an obstacle course with lily pads and logs that you jump on to cross the pool. Watch the video below to see footage of the fearless Jack leaping across the perilous lily pads! He's such a little man.

 

What a fun place! My boys were in water heaven. In addition to the slides above, we floated down the lazy river a few times and played in the wave pool. Jack and I also went down one of the adult slides together. It's one of those where you share an inner-tube. He is fearLESS. He wanted to do it again and again. 

We are definitely going back!

Romantic San Antonio

Jon and I dropped the kids off at my parents' house last weekend, and escaped to romantic San Antonio! We spent the weekend feeling as if we had wondered off into another world- an older one with touches of Mexico in it. It was fabulous!

We spent our first night there exploring the famed River Walk, miles of walkways curving along the river beneath the streets of downtown San Antonio.

There are restaurants and shops lining the river. We ate Mexican on our first night; my enchiladas were the best I've ever had, and Jon really enjoyed his fajitas. During our meal, we enjoyed the sounds of live mariachi music.

I made Jon pose next to this "grotto" (as the sign said)

One of the most unexpected pleasures of this trip was us happening upon the "Fiesta Noche Riviera." It was a live music and dance show, on a stage on the river. They performed various dances from Spain, Argentina, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Texas.

Jon and I both really enjoyed watching the Flamenco and the Tango!

As the show came to an end, Mariachi was performed across the bridge.

Me posing between a couple of the dancers. They were amazing. (It's too bad it came out blurry)

The next day, we walked across downtown and saw some beautiful architecture and history. Below is a sculpture of San Antonio's namesake, San (Saint) Antonio De Padua.

Then we ran into this awe-inspiring cathedral. Isn't it gorgeous? The inside was filled with stained glass windows, archways, and ornate art.

Also located inside are the remains of the men who died defending the Alamo, according to the plaque in the below picture.

I told Jon we need a front door like this one-

And speaking of the Alamo, this is part of the courtyard leading up to it. Beautiful, no? (No picture of the front of the Alamo this time around, because I took one a few years ago, kind of kicking myself now)

Jon and I in the Alamo's courtyard. It truly felt as if we'd been transported back in time here. You can feel the history and sacred atmosphere of the grounds here.

We also made a bit of a hike to Market Square- a Mexican themed area filled with shops, restaurants, and a museum. While there, we window-shopped and admired Mexican pottery while grooving to live music. We bought a few souvenirs too.

This sculpture was right outside our hotel and is called "The Torch of Friendship," supposedly welcoming all to San Antonio.

On our second night we splurged and ate at Fogo De Chao, a scrumptious Brazilian steakhouse. They brought countless cuts of meat to our table to choose from, plus- mashed potatoes, fried bananas, and an endless salad bar. I WAS stuffed.

Aren't we the handsome couple? As a bonus for choosing to eat there on Father's Day weekend, they gave us a gift card for a free meal there anytime this summer! Score.

This is the view from our 17th floor balcony. Plenty to see. Truthfully, the balcony was only about 4 feet deep, so I didn't spend too much time out there. Jon thought I was silly.

A view of the river, lined with river tour boats, from our balcony. Also, while at our hotel, we spent part of the afternoon at the pool, which was scenically located outdoors on the 5th floor deck. We had a fun game of "hit the beach ball around the pool" with some fellow poolgoers.

And sadly, the day for our departure back to reality reared its head. But, to comfort ourselves we stopped by the San Marcus outlets on our way home to walk and shop. It just may be the largest outlet mall I've ever seen. And I happened upon this enticing bag which I snagged at 70% off for a steal! (That may have secretly been my favorite part of the trip- don't tell Jon)

Jon and I loved every minute of our trip. We played games like 20 questions and actually talked to each other, during our 4-5 hour car ride (a luxury not typical when little boys are in the backseat). We loved our hotel room, the River Walk, the restaurants, shopping, sightseeing, and in general, just the relaxed feel of the weekend. After asking Jon what his favorite part was, his answer summed it up well as he said "It was all my favorite part!" I couldn't agree more.

A hilarious surprise-

The other afternoon, I was in my bedroom doing something while Jack was in the living room watching tv. Imagine my surprise when I walk into the kitchen and find him here-

He even outfitted himself with Jason's bib. He could hardly contain his excitement and laughed so hard, while saying "Jack baby!" (as in, 'Jack is a baby!'). I busted out laughing, it was so funny. I mean, it was seriously impressive that he maneuvered himself into that chair. He's got quite the sense of humor.

What they're sayin'

The boys have been saying some pretty cute things lately, and I just have to get some of them recorded before I forget!

Jack:

-One night I checked on Jack when he was asleep in bed and heard him singing the lyrics to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"

-That same night, while still asleep, he exlaimed "No Jason! Don't touch that!"

-Which reminds me, one morning when awakened for school and still drowsy, his first words were, "No, Jason, don't!" (FYI, Jason is not in the room. Apparently, Jack is quite worried about his baby brother getting into his things)

-singing "Itsy, Bitsy Spider", "Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes", and the theme song to the Nick Jr. show "Bubble Guppies"

-during his nightly prayer- "bless my tummy no owie" (after getting over a stomach bug, he kept including this line in his prayers)

-"Bye, bye Mommy. I love you." (after putting him in bed for the night)

-"It's time for Bubble Guppies!" (announcing to me it was time for him to watch his fav show)

-As we sat down for dinner, he said, "Time for lunch", so I corrected him and explained how it was time for dinner.  The next morning as he sat down for breakfast he proudly exclaimed, "Time for dinner!"

-when he wants to be picked up and carried he says "Carry you!" (he gets "you" and "me" mixed up alot)

-"Babies are so cute!"

-When his cousin and grandparents visited one day, he excitedly said "It's a birthday party!" (because if your family comes to visit, you must be having a birthday)

Jason:

-"Dah!" (while pointing at the object he wants)

-"Dada" (for Daddy)

-"Mama" (for Mommy)

-"Moh" (for "more" food)

-while waving, he says "Nigh, nigh" (for "night, night" when going to bed)

-in addition to saying new words, he's understanding a ton more. Some examples include: dog, ball, cat, come here, no.... I'm sure there are many, many more but I can't remember them all; but I can definitely tell he's learning more and more. He even impressed me while we read the other day as he pointed to the picture of the dog in the book when I asked him where the dog was. Another time when I told him to go play with the ball, he immediately walked across the room and picked up the ball.

This is one of those posts where I could go on forever and praise their cuteness, but I'll cut it off here. I'll have to do this type of post again in a few months, when they've had more time to come up with adorable phrases. 'Til then.