Texas Day Trip #1: Ellinger/La Grange

One of our family New Year's Resolutions for 2013 is to get out and explore Texas!  We decided that we were going to start taking Day/Weekend Trips about once a month to explore different towns in Texas!  One thing I can say about Texas is that every town whether big or small really tries to make itself unique in one way or another!  We drove about 2 1/2 hours to the hill country to the small towns of Ellinger and La Grange today.  In Ellinger we stopped at a Czech Bakery called Hruska's.  It is a huge gas station that also has (like the sticker says), a grill, bakery and fun gifts!  We were told that they had amazing cheeseburgers and kolaches so that's what we ordered...cheeseburgers and kolaches!  They didn't disappoint!!  SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!  We went back and got an extra half doz. of kolaches to take home!  The cherry cream cheese and chocolate cream cheese were to DIE for!  We also got  poppyseed, prune, apple and apricot kolaches!  YUM!!

After our yummy lunch we drove a few miles up the road to the town of La Grange.  We didn't stop in the town square (yeah you heard right...I DID NOT stop to shop!) because we wanted to spend more time at this place...Monument Hill.

Monument Hill State Park is located on top of these huge (for Texas) bluffs.  Here are the kiddos with the mighty Colorado River flowing in the background.  This is looking towards Austin, which is just a few more miles up the road!    Lily Belle is pretty serious about her thumb here and could care less about what is going on around her!

Another scenic view of the river without the kiddos!

This is a picture of La Grange...if you look closely you can see one of the main buildings in their town square (not the trailers :) )!

The house that the Kreische Family lived in...not spooky at all!!

The sign says it all...Texans love their brew!!

Classy couple!!!

Nursing Break!  Couldn't tell could ya!!  I don't know why I decided to post this picture...it was just so peaceful and quiet sitting there!     

And this is what I got to look at while I was nursing!  Without going into tons of Texas history, Monument Hill also includes a tomb of men that were killed during the Texas Revolution!  Hence the name...Monument Hill!

A well fed baby is a truly happy baby!!!

My sweet girl!!!

I just can't get enough!  I'm sure she's thinking the opposite though!!!

They had a little swing set for the kiddos (they were the flat plastic swings) and Caleb wasn't prepared for his Dad's push...and got pushed right off of the swing!  You could hear Caleb's scream throughout the entire park!  It really wasn't that bad...oh my little drama king!!

2nd attempt...much better!

So fun!!

As you can tell by Lily Belle's face, we had such a great day today spending time together and traveling around the great state of Texas!  We are looking forward to our next adventure of good food and fun! Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS 2012!!!

I have a few videos that I am trying to post with a great story...stay tuned and Enjoy!!!

We love being able to travel up to spend Christmas/New Years with our families in SLC and Stanley!  This year was so much fun...we really enjoyed getting out into the elements and enjoying the cold weather (mostly because we knew we would be back in Texas with the A/C on in a few weeks)!  70 degrees today y'all!!  Adam and I got to get out and snow shoe a bit (in between Lily Belle's busy nursing schedule) and walked in to Redfish Lake this year!  There really wasn't anyone else out on the trail and I really can't describe how peaceful and quiet it was out there...once we stopped walking and just sat for a bit, it was soooooooo quiet!  So different from the summertime when the lake is PACKED with people, boats, us, etc.  

Where we were at, the lake was completely frozen, so I thought I would try my luck and lay down on the ice!  I'm still here so obviously it didn't break!!  

If there is one thing we can get Caleb to do out in the snow (other than whine or just walk) it is make a snow angel!  Caleb loves himself a good ol' snow angel!  

Caleb wore that same beanie the first time he went to Stanley...and it fit him then!  I just LOVE those bright blue eyes!

We also got a chance to visit mine and Ad's GMA's this trip (sorry GMA Colson we didn't get a pic)!  I know GMA Great loved being able to snuggle with Lily Belle!  I left to go and get some lunch and came back to GMA needing the support of a few pillows!  My baby is not small...or light for that matter!

I also got Caleb away from his cousin Chelsea (my 1st cousin, his 2nd...she's 4 BTW)  to give GMA and snuggle!  He loved visiting his extended family and playing with all of their games and toys!

The Christmas outfits were extra cute this year!  Now knowing that Lily Belle was going to be so large by Christmas time (and that it was about 80 degrees in December when she wore the dress for the 1st time) we only got a few hours in it!  I actually had to change her into a onesie during church it was just too hot!!

Christmas Eve Jammie Time!!

Santa's Loot!!  Caleb also got a new bicycle that Santa delivered to his Lake Jackson home!

What Santa brought Lily Belle...she went bananas!!

Who doesn't LOVE that face!!!

Lily Belle loved having another girl around!  McKinlee got many giggles out of our girl!

Putting Lily Belle in holiday outfits has been so much fun! 

Dad helped get this smile here!  PRICELESS!!

Fun with my babies...a trip to the Jetty!

 I am trying to get Lily Belle into all of her cute outfits before she grows out of them!  This is one of the ones that I had to make sure she wore one more time!  I was trying to get her to smile, but she wasn't having it!!  Someone's got a case of the Saturdays!!

 I think she is done with the picture taking!!

 Today was more of the same!  Lily Belle's Aunt Jan got her this dress and it is just so fun!  The old ladies at church always ask me where I find her clothes!  It's a good thing I have family members that have great taste!!

 Still no smiles from her!

 This kiddo had enough smiles for the both of them!

 Ummmm...not so much here...

 BAM!  Thanks Caleb for helping me out!!!

We decided to drive down to Surfside and take a walk out on the jetty!  Adam has been there a couple of times and said that there were dolphins...and yes, there were!

 There are also tons of fisherman out on the jetty and they don't love the dolphins...but we had so much fun spotting them!  There was a pod just right in front of us!  Caleb was going crazy!

I didn't get any pics of them jumping, but they were doing that too!  I seriously wish I would've brought  a camp chair to sit in...I could've sat and watched all day!  It was also a beautiful day here in Texas...you can't complain with these winters!  PERFECT!

Just a little pose before heading back!!

I'm going to try and do more videos!  This one is of our little bird!  She just squawks and squawks ALL of the time!  I have been meaning to try to tape her and finally got a good one!  She just loves to talk! (I think she learns it from her brother)!!  Enjoy!