It was only a 2 hour drive from Stephenville to Frisco, but, as a sign of just how on-the-go we've been, Nellie conked out immediately. Blessedly, the car ran great!
We arrived in Frisco at my aunt's house just before her kids got home from school. You see, my Aunt Amanda is actually four years younger than me. She also has five kids, four of which match up perfectly with my kids. Nellie and Emmie are only 4 days apart! And speaking of "actually," it's actually both Emmie and Nellie's favorite word.
I adore Amanda. I've been trying to convince her to move to Seattle for years. Two years ago, however, her parents (my grandparents) moved right next to her, so my plans were thwarted. While that stinks for me, it made our visit extra special; not only did I get to spend time with Amanda and have my kids connect with her kids, we also got to spend a few days with Grandpa Bunker and Grandma 'Lis.
That night, Grandpa and Grandma treated us all to an authentic Texas BBQ dinner.
The place was incredibly noisy (not necessarily a bad place to take 10 kids if you don't want to be a spectacle), and the food was fantastic.
Nellie decided she was a big fan of Grandpa Bunker. She's a wise girl.
Of all my kids, Aubree was probably the biggest fan. She commented, "We've got to get one of these in Washington!" But all the kids agreed that their favorite part was the free desserts: soft serve ice cream, peach cobbler, and banana pudding. Triple yum! We were all so full afterwards that we pretty much rolled out.
Aubree spent the nights at Amanda's, but the rest of the kids and I stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They had two beautiful guest rooms for us. With Aubree holding down the fort at Amanda's, the adults gathered after the kids went to bed to play games. Growing up, we always loved playing games with my grandparents, so it was wonderful to walk that path again.
Thursday morning we all gathered for a big breakfast of eggs and bacon.
Then Amanda and I loaded up our ten kids and drove to downtown Dallas to visit the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
The museum was incredible! So many of their exhibits were hands-on, meaningful, and engaging. Everyone really enjoyed the interactive topographical map. As they moved the sand around, it immediately changed to topography colors. Super cool!
When they built the museum, you could tell they really tried to maximize the space and impact. For example, these stairs were musical!
Amanda brought her stroller, and Nellie decided that was the #1 place she wanted to be. She's hop out briefly to participate in an activity, but then would scurry back to find a place in the stroller. Funny little bunny.
This is the view from the top floor of the museum. Not too shabby!
One of the kids' favorite spots was the robotics exhibit. The boys probably spent an hour driving and coding the robots.
While the boys were engaged in the robots, the big girls, Aubree, Grace, and Ruby, discovered a hands-on science lab. They completed two different labs, one about DNA and the other about bones. They looked pretty sharp in their lab coats, gloves, and goggles.
Emmie was most excited to play outside on the frogs, so when we were done inside, we spent a little bit of time hopping on the fun frogs. We would have spent longer, but it was a little chilly.
I should note that not long after we arrived, Ruby decided she would be Aubree's special pal. She stuck right by Aubree's side the entire time we were there.
We made it back in time to get ready for Taco Thursday. My Uncle Brian stopped by with his two kids in time for dessert (Texas sheet cake and Blue Bell ice-cream). His wife stayed home, but she gets a full pass because she was 10 days overdue with their 3rd child. Yiiiiikes!
Graham and Faye became quick buddies. Nellie latched on to the idea of a brand new baby girl and kept wanting to go visit the new baby. Unfortunately, the baby didn't make her debut during our time in Frisco.
When I put Nellie to bed on Thursday night, she was so, so sad (mostly a result of being overtired). "I just want to go home," she sobbed, "I want my daaaaaadyyyyyy!" I pulled out my phone to Facetime Mark hoping that might help, but as soon as his face appeared, her sobs only intensified. It was heart-breaking to hear her so upset. With cuddles and laughter, we got her to calm down, and once she put her head on her pillow, she was asleep in moments.
The next morning she woke up quite chipper, exclaiming, "I want to go see Emmie's Nana!" Phew.
Breakfast Friday morning was a special treat; Grandpa made an enormous batch of aebleskivvers. Yuuummmmyyyyy!
We'd originally planned more adventures for Friday, but the kids really just wanted to play. So, we scrapped our original plans and let the kids spend the morning moving at their own pace and playing how they wished. I got loads of laundry done, Amanda's little guy got in a nap, and everyone seemed very happy.
In the afternoon, we visited Hope Park, which supposedly is one of the top 50 playgrounds in the USA. It really was pretty spectacular. We happened to hit Dallas on an unseasonably cool week (much better than the last time we were in Texas during a record hot week!), and the park was almost empty. Amanda explained, "This weather is too cold for Friscoans. Everyone is choosing indoor activities."
Nellie and Emmie played together for most of our time in the park, but Nellie, my little social butterfly, kept finding other little girls with whom to play. She's make a couple new friends, then try to introduce them to Emmie. Emmie wasn't interested in extra playmates. Amanda described her as a solitary cat. In that case, Nellie was definitely an excited, eager puppy.
The big kids played and made up a number of games (including "avoid the lava" and "sardines") and soon had most of the kids on the playground joining in with them. It was funny to see random kids running around yelling, "Have you seen Aubree!?"
Friday evening, the girls arranged a talent show. All the kids participated (some more willingly than others). The highlight of the show a big surprise: Aubree had spent the previous two days teaching Grace and Ruby to play the ukulele! Grace played "Riptide" and Ruby played "Hallelujah." Now both of those girls are begging for their own ukuleles.
Their performing efforts were rewarded with cupcakes and more ice cream. Have I mentioned yet how spoiled we've been by our dear friends and family on this trip?! We are overwhelmed with gratitude.
Our stop in Frisco was the longest of any of our stops thus far (and it really was lovely to not have to pack up and leave after just a day or two), but it still seemed far too short. None of us wanted to leave or say good-bye on Saturday morning. We kept trying to figure out ways to see them all again soon.
I can't adequately express how glad I am that I was able to spend those few days with my grandparents and with Amanda and her family. I really do wish they lived next door! There may have been a few tears shed when they gave us their traditional kick-off as we left.
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