Last Sunday we were invited over for dessert with a new family that moved into the subdivision.  The kids got along well and then we came back and had our last game night with the Beans.  We had a good time seeing them all.  They left on Monday and then we began packing for our Houston trip.

On Tuesday, we went to the beach.  We didn't have a hotel on the beach like we wanted, but our hotel had a shuttle that took us to the beach which was nice.  I bid on a hotel on Priceline and so we got a super nice hotel for a really reasonable price.  The kids had fun, although I had wished it were a little warmer.  The kids all had fun boogie boarding, even little Emma.  Then we went swimming and took a shuttle back to the hotel and ordered pizza.

On Tuesday, we went to Nasa and bought City Passes so we could go to many of the attractions in Houston for almost half the price..  I enjoyed the tour of Mission Control, and the kids loved playing with all of the science gadgets in the main area.  We stayed there for about 7 hours and then we went to the Kemah boardwalk and the kids went on some amusement rides.  Emma went on some really scary rides that even Errolyn wouldn't go on, and she had a blast.  I was amazed.  I started hemorrhaging a little from all of the walking which worried me since my baby has dropped early.  Then we went to Mom and Dads and talked a little and put the kids to bed.

On Wednesday, we went to the Children's Museum and it is by far the best Children's Museum of the many we've taken the kids to.  There was so much to do!  It was also way crowded which was not fun.  Cameron and Errolyn mostly stuck together, Mike chased around Logan, and I was lucky to be with Emma.  She didn't run from toy to toy to toy like the other kids, but found something she really liked and stayed there for an hour playing.  She stayed in the play kitchen/ waitress area for over an hour serving parents fake food, making food, and washing fake dishes.  She loved it and she was so cute serving all of the parents.  She also stayed in the ambulance car for a while driving and trying to save the dummy with the medical gadgets in the ambulance.  I was glad she stayed in places fairly long so I could sit down for longer periods of time.  The three older kids got filmed and were on the Houston news that night for a new balloon toy which was cool.

I was getting more concerned by my hemorrhaging and called my doctor.  She told me I needed to stop walking around and monitor myself to see if the bleeding got worse so I'd know if I needed to go to the hospital.  So, when we went to the Museum of Natural Science Mike got a wheel chair for me so I wouldn't have to walk.  The museum brought back old memories for me since I had been there so many times when I was a youth and young adult.  I think the dinosaur and gem exhibits are better in Houston than the other museums I've been to.  We went to Mom and Dad's and Kevin was there again.  We mostly talked and Mom read the kids a lot of books which they loved.

On Friday, we went to the Aquarium.  It was smaller than expected but I loved seeing the white tiger since its my favorite animal.  It walked and moved a lot and I could have watched it all day.  Then we fed and touched the sting rays.  The girls were too afraid to touch the sting rays, but I touched them and the boys all touched and fed them.  Then I decided I had probably already had too much walking and sat down the rest of the time while the kids went on the amusement rides outside for a while.  While I was waiting I saw a really cool large green eel that I'm sure people would mistake for the Lockness Monster if it were a little larger.  Then we went to Janet's and wished Lizzy a happy birthday.  We met Mom and Dad at Los Tres for dinner.  We watched a neat wedding video that Mom had made for Mike and I and then the kids went down to the lake to run around and get their energy out.  Mike and Cameron also went to play Ultimate with Kevin and his friends.

On Saturday, we packed up and headed to Janet's church for James' baptism.  I led the music, Mike prayed and assisted in the confirmation, and the kids all sang a special musical number.  Afterwards, I asked Mike and my Dad for a blessing since I was worried about the baby.  I felt comforted during the blessing.  Then we went over to Janet's for some great barbeque and talking.  We stayed several hours and then started the drive back home.

Now I'm in bed rest mode until my hemorrhaging stops completely.  But, I'm glad we had a fun family vacation and that the kids have some good memories.