Bigger in Texas?

We went to George Bush Park over the weekend. It's about half an hour from where we live. Josh loved it, but I wasn't a big fan of the creatures that were there. I thought my mom would enjoy the picture of the spider since she loves them so much. : ) We actually saw many--too many--but the camera was focusing on the background instead of the spiders on their huge webs, so this is the best one we have. We couldn't believe how big the snail was. Yes, that is a snail, not a small turtle! Maybe everything is bigger here in Texas. And we doubted! There was a dog running in the park that ran right in front of the snake without realizing it. A few more inches and.....well, good thing the dog was fast.

Startling Moves

Both to Josh's chagrin and amusement, I startle quite easily, and last night was one such occasion. After putting Eli to bed, I thought I heard some movement, so I went in to check on him, and that's when I screamed. There he was in his crib staring at me, similar to the picture below.

Sure, you say, he looks perfectly fine. Why scream? Well, I was expecting a sleepy baby who was lying on his back with his head in the opposite direction. He managed to do a 180, roll himself over, and prop himself up on his arms. He seemed quite eager to crawl himself right out of the crib. Normally the scene would have been suprising but fine, but in the dark, when I was expecting something else, it was very startling to see a face staring back at me like that. After all, remember, I am a girl who startles easily. Of course, my screaming then startled Eli because he started to cry. Poor guy! I guess he is no longer content to stay on his back when in his crib. He is quickly telling us that he is eager to move.

Astros Game

On Friday we took Eli to his first baseball game. We met up with Mike and Marci Freeman at Minute Maid Park for a game between the Houston Astros and the Arizona Diamondbacks. I'm afraid the game wasn't too exciting since the Astros were slaughtered (the final score was 12-2), but the atmosphere of the baseball game was still fun, and of course, it's always nice to be with friends.

After the game, they had Friday night fireworks, which were almost as good as the 4th of July. Eli was awestruck by the loud noises and bright lights. Truly, the noise was probably too loud (we tried covering his ears, but he didn't like it). Obviously we kept him up past his bedtime. Still, I think he had a good time. After all, he just loves going out and being with people.

1) 2)

1) Mike Freeman with his daughter, Ella

2) Outside Minute Maid Park

3) 4)

3) Past his bedtime or bored with the game?

4) Awed by the fireworks

Josh's Birthday

I said I was behind, and this proves it. Josh's birthday was on the 26th of July, which was just a few days after we got back from our trip. He turned the big 30. Of course, I can only tease him for a year because I will soon follow.

In the morning, we went to the Houston Temple, which is about 45 minutes North of where we live. I had thought about getting a babysitter for Eli, but because we extended our trip, it just didn't happen. We ended up just walking around the temple with Eli. It was still nice even though we didn't go in, but it was definitely hot, especially when compared to the Northwest.

For lunch, we went to Josh's favorite Mexican restaurant, which is nearby the temple. He likes it because you can get really good fajitas for two at a great price--$13.25. Believe me, we are stuffed by the time we finish.

Because we were still exhausted from our trip (time zone changes), Josh just wanted to rest, so I let him nap for the afternoon. Later in the evening, we went swimming. I was going to take him out to dinner for Greek food, which he loves but rarely gets, but we were too full from lunch. We did, however, open gifts and have birthday cake--angel food cake with cream filling and homemade blueberry sauce (made from the bluberries we picked in Washington). Yummy!

So, we didn't do anything big, but we did enjoy each other's company. Priceless!