Project 16 to 16: Day 13

For day 13, I wanted to hit the lighter side of things when examining our Wonder Boy. And honestly, this is something that tickles my funny bone on a daily basis.

BATH TIME!

Yes, I'm serious. Bath time. Or, more specifically, shower time.

Not a day goes by that the Boy doesn't put up a fuss when we tell him it's time to get clean. We get the stereotypical exasperated sigh, usually accompanied by an eye roll, and the ever constant question "Do I have to...". Every. Single. Time. *sigh*

But once he's in the shower, he steps into another world! We don't really know what is going on in there - some kind of one man play is the best we can guestimate - and it's probably best that we DON'T know what is happening. Even when we warn him to "be quick about it," his showers rarely run less than 20 - 30 minutes as he sings and chats and who knows what else the time away. And while I am so pleased he is squeaky clean, it's something that makes me shake my head and giggle just a little every day.


In our look back to 2013, we see they Boy and his dad on the hiking trail - one of our favorite places to be! This particular snap was taken on Good Friday that year when we visited the Huntsville State Park.

If you were to ask Wonder Boy straight up, he would tell you that he doesn't enjoy hiking. But his actions on the trail usually speak louder than those words.I find there is something really wonderful about unplugging and spending time outside. And while he may not want to leave his screens behind, he always seem to relax and have fun once we are out and about. I hope that, as he matures, he will understand that these trips are the kinds of memories that feed our souls.

And who knows, maybe one day, he'll drag a reluctant teen of his own on the trail as well.

Project 16 to 16: Day 12

Day 12 has been a pretty sedate day around here. The first grading period is over for the boy and as such, he came home with only a few minor assignments for this weekend. So we have taken the opportunity to sit back and relax most of the day.

Just before we called it a day today, I caught Wonder Boy and his boy snuggled up on the couch with the grey blankie. They both love this blanket. It's soft and comforting. Sometimes, when they've been cuddling under the blankie and the Boy has to get up, he'll swaddle Wonder Mutt in the cover to keep him warm and toasty until he can return.


In our look back to 2012, we see the boy again working out his creative juices, this time by putting together a Harry Potter Lego set. That year, he spent his spring break working on all of the Harry Potter Lego sets he had received for Christmas. By the time spring break was over, he had all of Diagon Alley put together!

He doesn't spend much time with his Legos any more, but we kept some of his favorite sets and we hope to share them with his children some day.

Spring Break '16

This year the University didn't give us as much time off as last year, so we had to table plans for a long trip until this summer. However, that didn't stop us from trying to cram in as much fun as possible for our spring break this year.

For the first couple of days, Wonder Boy got to enjoy some quiet time with the dogs while we were stuck at work. He was a great help around the house and I know the dogs enjoyed the extra cuddle time with their favorite teenager.

When we were finally ALL done with work and school, we started off our break with a trip to Buescher State Park in Smithville, TX for a family hike. We were a little disappointed to find out that many of the trails were closed due to damage from wild fires last fall, but we still managed to find a couple of trails that were still open and enjoyed breaking our hiking shoes back in. The areas of the park that were open were quite beautiful and maybe one day we'll come back once all of the trails have re-opened. However, for this day, it made for a much shorter hike than planned.

SO ... we changed out of our hiking clothes, donned some comfy shorts, and took off on a side trip to La Grange, TX. While there we were able to hit up a few of our favorite antique shops and a really awesome gourmet kitchen shop called Le Petite Gourmet Shoppe. While there we picked up some supplies we couldn't find at home and even got a recommendation on where to get a tasty lunch - Reba's Pizza & Deli. And it did not disappoint!


The next day, we stuck close to home to take care of some much needed yard work. I know, you can't exactly call moving a yard of bull rock and a half pallet of St. Augustine grass "spring break fun," but it was work that needed to be done and the yard looks so much better after our efforts.

To reward ourselves after a day of manual labor, the following day, we ventured over to the Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade, TX. A cold front moved through the night before, so while we were swatting mosquitoes and wearing shorts while in La Grange on Thursday, come Saturday we were in jeans and jackets all day long. It really made for a nice day! It wasn't so cold that it was uncomfortable to be outside and since it is rare that it is actually cold in March, we enjoyed the fresh spring air while enjoying the festival. I always enjoy the bird show and this show was no exception. There is just something about owls that always draws me in. We also had some tasty treats, got to see some fun shops, and pretty much just strolled the grounds all day long! Wonder Dad and I both got pulled on stage for various performances, but by far my favorite performers were the jugglers. We saw 2 different jugglers and both were funny and fun! Even Wonder Boy enjoyed their sense of humor and was in awe once the fire entered their acts. I really hope we can go again next year!

We rounded out our spring break with a rest day at home for a movie marathon. And while it was not the grand adventure we had the year before, this spring break was a much needed time of renewal for us all. Wonder Boy is quickly closing out his 8th grade year. He's got some tests coming up and some pretty big projects too. Wonder Dad and I are about to start our busy time of the year, so it was so nice to slow down for a few days. We got to get out and explore some. We got some work done around the house. And we did it all together as a family.

Color me one happy momma!

Road Trip - Part 4

Our last day was spent much like the first day - trying to make our way back across the great state of Texas. And like we did on Day 1, we planned a fun little caving adventure to break up the trip.

This time, we visited the Cave Without a Name in Boerne, TX.

We have been able to visit about a half dozen caves around Texas and I just have to tell you that this cave, the Cave Without a Name, was one of my most favorite experiences. I think maybe only the Longhorn Cavern northwest of Austin tops the Cave Without a Name in my book.


The tour was not as long as some of the others we have visited, but for some reason I just felt like we were closer to the formations. While touching is a strict no-no, everything in that room feels like it is right in your face. And for some reason, that just made the whole experience seem more personal.

We learned that the owners occasionally host musical events inside the cave. I would truly LOVE to experience a concert of this nature at some point. I'm going to have to keep an eye on their calendar of events for the next opportunity.

All in all, it was another great stop in a whirlwind adventure that I will carry in my memory for many years to come!

Road Trip - Part 3

Day 3 of our Spring Break Adventure didn't go quite like we had planned.

We had PLANNED a second day of exploring Big Bend. But a huge storm over night and continued rain off and on all day forced us to consider other options. In the end, that's pretty much what we did - we explored other options.

To start off the day, we drove from the tiny West Texas town of Alpine to the even smaller West Texas town of Marfa. Marfa was a pretty little town, but it is definitely one of those places that rolls up the sidewalks except on major holidays. We were a bit taken aback by how many things were closed. Even finding a place for lunch was a challenge - though the place we ended up had some of the best, fresh food I've ever enjoyed.

After lunch, we hit the road in search of more to see and do. And to that end, we wound our way to Fort Davis. Fort Davis was an unexpected and most pleasant surprise! It's a truly pretty little town with a lot to see and do. Our first stop was at the Davis Mountains State Park. We got really lucky and the weather cleared off a bit allowing us to get in a short, but enjoyable 3 mile hike through the park.


After all that hiking, we made our way back to town and strolled up and down the town square taking in the fun shops and storefronts surrounding it. The one thing that struck me as we ducked in and out of each place was the friendliness of the Fort Davis locals. We were welcome in each spot and made to feel right at home.

When our legs became weary from the walk, we hopped back in the car and headed back to Alpine, where we did some exploring as well. We spent some time in a couple of really lovely art galleries and some local artisan shops. Then we topped off the day with a tasty dinner and a soak in the hotel hot tub.

So while the day was not as planned, we ended up getting to visit areas we had noy planned on our itinerary. I also added a few places to my "must see if we ever come back here" list, most notably the McDonald's Observatory. Due to the weather, it was not an option for this particular visit, but I hope one day to head back in that direction in order to check it out.

Road Trip - Part 2

Day 2 of our Spring Break '15 Adventure we finally made it to Big Bend National Park as planned!

Day 1 of our trip was rainy and we worried we were not going to be able to spend the day outside hiking as we had hoped. But the weather cleared just enough to make it work. It stayed grey and cloudy all day, but that worked to our advantage as there is not a lot of shade in this arid part of Texas.

I have to tell you, as much as I enjoyed each and every adventure on this vacation, hiking Big Bend was the highlight of the trip for me! I spent the whole day in awe of the raw, natural beauty all around me. If it were not such a long drive to the park, I would go back monthly for as long as my car holds out.


We chose a mountain trail day hike called the Pinnacles trail. We parked at the Chisos Mountain Basin Lodge located in the park and started climbing from there. We covered about 8 miles of trail round trip and climbed to an elevation of about 7,000 ft above sea level. We had been hoping to make it all the way to the top of Emory Peak, but the Pinnacles trail proved to be enough of an effort for our first day of hiking.

Signs along the trail kept warning us about the presence of bears and mountain lions. We never saw any such beasts, but we did see a deer (mule deer are native to the region) and a Mexican Jay.

I would really love to stay at the Chisos Mountain Basin Lodge if we ever get the opportunity to return. To be able to just BE in that environment would really be a treat.

Road Trip - Part 1

I am not at all sure how it happened, but this year for Spring Break Wonder Dad and I managed to wrangle a couple of days off (at the same time) so we could embark on a family adventure!

For those that don't know, distance in Texas is not measured in miles - it's measured in hours. And we have played out about every tourist attraction within a 2 or 3 hour radius from home. So for this family expedition, we decided to broaden that radius to include just about any spot within the great state of Texas. In the end, we chose a location to which no member of the family had yet had the chance to visit - Big Bend National Park.

However, getting to Big Bend from home is no small feat, so we decided to take a leisurely path and planned several stops on our way out West.

Our first big stop was at about the half-way point for day 1 at the Caves of Sonora.


The caves turned out to be just about the perfect spot on our trip to stop, take a break from the car, and stretch our legs. Things were hopping and we had to hang around a bit before our tour started, but it gave us plenty of opportunity to check out the peacocks hanging around the grounds.

The grounds were fun, but of course, the highlight of the stop was the trek through the caves themselves. We took the "Crystal Palace Tour" which covered almost 2 miles of cave passages, taking us to a depth of 155 feet below the surface.

Unlike some of the cave tours we have taken in the past, this was a really warm cave. They told us that the air temperature was about 75F, but with the humidity nearing 100%, it felt more like 85F. It was MUCH cooler outside, but it did make for a nice walk.

If we ever come this way again, we'll have to try the "Discovery Challenge Tour" which takes you off trail passageways and even includes a rappel fifty feet into a chasm dubbed "the Devil's Pit." That's a weekend-only tour and not available on the Wednesday afternoon we came through. But it definitely sounds like fun!

After this sweet little stop, we pushed hard to make it to Alpine, TX where we made home base for our adventures over the rest of our trip (more on that in the next post).

Construction Update

Well ... thanks to a nagging cough that just wouldn't quit, Wonder Boy got an extra day of spring break. The cough is beginning to die down though, so it will be back to school tomorrow for sure. But for today at least, spring break stretches on.

And like he did over much of the break, Wonder Boy spent his free time working on his Lego version of the Harry Potter world. You've already seen Olivander's Wand shop. And to that, he has now added Borgin and Burke's, Gringot's Bank, and a towered bridge found on the grounds of Hogwarts itself!



Next we've discussed bringing out some older sets and completing the grounds of Hogwarts. Those will have to wait until after homework is done or for the weekends though, because this little vacation is quickly coming to an end for us all.

I have to admit ... I have really enjoyed the break. I think Wonder Boy has as well.

building a great spring break

WOO HOO for Wonder Boy! Spring Break has arrived! No school. No homework. Even soccer and judo are taking some time off for the week.

But what to do with all of this extra time?

Unfortunately Wonder Dad and Wonder Mom both have to work commitments this week.

But Wonder Boy is not one to let something like work for mom and dad get in the way of thoroughly enjoying his time off. We went through his closet and found a yet unopened Lego box from Christmas. One with THREE new buildings to construct - one for each day that Mom and Dad know they have to work. Feels like kismet, no?



Here is building one, completed on the afternoon of Spring Break Monday. For those who enjoy the Harry Potter series, you might recognize Olivander's wand shop. Still to come this week are Borgin & Burkes as well as Gringots! I'm really looking forward to my Lego-sized stroll through Diagon Alley when all 3 structures are completed.