{special visitors}

We were lucky to have my parents and little brother come down for Spring Break. We had such a fun week! We had time to relax and play and visit and Bart and I even got free babysitting out of the deal. Not bad! Here are some of the highlights:

1. THURSDAY: Picked up family from the airport Thursday evening and just hung out and went to eat at Midway BBQ. That's what we do in Texas. This place has all kinds of wild game mounted on the walls. They even have a Wooley Mammoth. I think it must be an elephant covered in fur. Especially appetizing when you're eating a large side of beef.

2. FRIDAY: My mom and I volunteered at Payton's school for their Rodeo Field Day. I was short on volunteers for our class, so I made her come along! We ran the wagon races. It was mass chaos! The best part was the kindergarten program where they sang "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and said the Texas State Pledge. So funny that Payton knows all about Texas and Utah, not so much! Bart and I went on a date with some other ward couples to the Rodeo. We saw Lady Antebellum perform and had a great time. Thanks to my parents and Derek for flying in to watch the boys!

3. SATURDAY: We drove to San Antonio (a three hour drive). What a cool city. We saw the Alamo, ate at this VeRy authentic mexican restaurant, and walked along the beautiful riverwalk at night. We almost headed home the same day because we couldn't find a hotel. We felt a little like Mary and Joseph. We tried about six different places and finally made a reservation on my mom's ipad. Now that is a handy device. If they had one of those the Christmas story would have been totally different.

4. SUNDAY: We drove back from San Antonio in time for church. I did my Primary thang, and then we came home and had dinner.

5. MONDAY: Recovered for most of the day, then went Shopping at the mall. Derek found some great deals and I learned a thing or two from his shopping skillz. Bart got home from work and we headed, yet again, to the RODEO. Bart scored some really cheap tickets so we could see KID ROCK. No, we didn't stay for the entire thing. We unfortunately missed where he downed a beer, smoked a cigar, and took off his shirt. Bummer. The rodeo, was great and Granpa bought Payton a cowboy hat so he and Levi didn't have to share. Too cute. Just makes me want to move out to the country so my boys can be cowboys. Nothing cuter!

6. TUESDAY: Drove out to Galveston Island. We didn't spend too much time there with it being a bit chilly, but enough for the boys to get really sandy! Hyrum really liked the gritty taste. We also went to Lupe's Tortilla. One of our favorite places to take visitors. 7. WEDNESDAY: While everyone packed up the mood was somber. I hate it when the end comes. I just try to avoid the inevitable! Everyone packed up and we headed to the Houston Zoo for one last hurrah. The one thing we didn't take into account was...spring break. It was craazzzy. We had to replace our plans with something else and went out to eat and went shopping at Marshalls. Not the zoo, but my mom enjoyed it and went home with a couple new outfits! Then tearfully, we dropped them off curbside at the airport. It sure stinks having to say goodbye! Can't wait for their next trip out. Next week work for you guys?