Leaving Harlingen....and sadly, Pops

Our visit to Harlingen went by quickly and we were sad to have to leave Pops, but are thankful and feel blessed to have been able to visit for as long as we did.  The kids just love Pops and I know Nico, especially misses him!  You always can tell when we are expecting to see Pops, because will be wearing not only his Green Lantern shirt, but also his Green Lantern underwear (shhh...don't tell him, I told you)!   Thanks for being such a wonderful Grandpa Pops!  The kids and I love you dearly!

Ignore Nico's dirty looking face...he actually got bit by Pettie again at Gigi's just a day or two before we left to go to Pops and it really bruised him up. This is picture was taken the first day we got there.

Natalee's Birthday Party in Harlingen

Natalee, being the princess that she is, of course was given a birthday party while visiting Pops and Mops!  She was unfortunately a bit on the cranky side, thus had a hard time appreciating or being excited about the presents or even the HUGE Hello Kitty balloon Pops surprised her with, but the next day she realized how cool this BIG balloon was and was very excited about it!  She also loved her presents including a super cute Minnie Mouse outfit, Daisy Duck, and an Ariel Barbie doll for the bath.   Nico was so excited about throwing Natalee another party! After he and Pops went bowling they went shopping for presents where Nico helped to pick them out as well as the cake!  He and Pops did such a good job!

Bass Pro Shop

I never thought I would do or say this, but one of the days we were in Harlingen, we spent the day and actually had fun, at the Bass Pro Shop! Outdoor type activities like camping, fishing and hunting are not really our kind of thing, but the excursion was somewhat entertaining for me and quite fun for the kids.  They loved looking at the large aquarium, the stuffed animals (and no, not the toys...freaked/disgusted me out), Nico got to play a little shooting game at a pretend shooting range and we had a tasty lunch.  Later in the week, Pops and Nico came back by themselves to do some bowling...Nico said he needed to teach Pops how to bowl! 

Bunny Fiasco of 2014 and Great Weather in RGV

Ok, since we have now been back from Texas for slightly over a month, I  guess I better get to finishing up these blogs!

Our next rondeveux was to head to the Rio Grande Valley!  Gigi drove the kids and I half way to meet Pops to trade us off.  On way there I discovered we had forgotten Natalee's very special Bunny! Thank goodness for 4G and Google, because after lots of searching and phone calls while Gigi kept driving, I found a little store in Corpus Christi who sold more Bunnies!  Pops did not really understand at first why in the world we were taking a 20 min detour directly into Corpus, but after  he saw Natalee's sweet reaction to her new Bunny, he completely understood!

 

We had a great time in Harlingen with Pops and Mops!  It did feel a little strange without Ninny there, especially since we stayed in her apartment, but at the same time, it felt really right and that I knew she would have been so happy that the kids and I were there in her place.  When we first arrived the kids opened their Christmas presents...Nico got a LeapFrog LeapPad and Natalee got a talking Hello Kitty, which she now adores and talks to constantly, and a sweet Hello Kitty tea party set!

 

 

The weather was incredible while we were there, and it was such a blessing to be able to let the kids play outside!  We were able to take them to the park, let them play in the back yard or even in the front yard! 

The kids love feeding the fish in the coy pond behind Pop's office...but boy does it make me nervous with Natalee! 

Nico and Pops played "golf" (daddy and Nico's version of playing golf) in the front yard....Pops hits the balls and Nico chases after them....then Nico throws them back and, yes, then Pops, chases after them.  Pops thought he was going to tire Nico out, but I think it was the other way around!

 

Natalee and Pops at the Coy Pond in the backyard

 

 Playing "golf" in front of the house with Pops!

 

Pops and the kiddos at the park

 

Houston Children's Museum and a Little Stomping Grounds

One of the days we were in Houston for a our nice 3 week long visit to Texas, we headed over to the Houston Children's Museum with our wonderful and sweet friend Tara.  The kids had so much fun!  Nico is now old enough to play in some of the older areas that involve more climbing and Natalee is understands how to do some pretend play and had so much fun in the little kids' city, particularly in the grocery store. Here are some pictures from our fun day!

 

 

On a different day Gigi and I took the kids to the indoor playground in Sugar Land, the Stomping Grounds!  This place is great and I wish we had one of these close to us.  I have brought Nico here many times in the past to play when we have come to visit, but this time Natalee was all of mastering the big play area!  She followed her brother all around and wanted to do everything he was doing...she wanted nothing to do with the baby area!  And Nico was an incredible big brother, waiting for her, helping up climb up onto the difficult area and directing her in which way to proceed!  They make such a good team!