Nontraditional

We have enjoyed a very lovely and quiet Memorial Day this year. I think since we have been on the road so frequently the holiday actually snuck up on us and was here before we could make any plans to get out of town again. Since we all three just reunited at home again on Thursday night, I think the long relaxing weekend was just what we needed.

Ben and Belle started the day at the pool bright and early. After a quick, and sweaty, jog I met them there and we enjoyed the water and sun until nap time. We decided to be "true" San Antonians and spent the afternoon at Brackenridge Park. We had a picnic near the river and rode the train around the park. Afterwards, we made a brief stop at the Quarry for a little shopping. (A holiday would just not be complete with out it!)

Memorial Day reminds me of baseball double-headers and visiting the cemetery so our quiet weekend was very nontraditional and pretty unpatriotic. We are so grateful for those who have and continue to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and will remember them in our prayers this evening. Because of their and their families sacrifices, we can enjoy a sunny day as a family playing at the park and creating memories.

On a side note, Belle has had a set of "dirty dogs" that she adores playing in the bathtub with. Lately, they have been getting pretty sad and we mentioned to her that it was probably time to get rid of them. She could not bare to throw them away so she suggested we send them back to the factory so they could get cleaned up and then we could buy them again, all shiny and new. She asked me for a box and some tape and she packaged them up carefully all by herself. She wrote a note and placed it inside and then literally kissed and kissed the box telling them (Charky, Spot, Clifford and Brown Dog) not to worry and she would miss them so! Off they go to the "factory!"

The Happiest Vacation on Earth

My sister Tara had a vision of the entire Christensen family spending a few days together this Spring and what better place to create memories, than The Happiest Place on Earth?! The day before we left, Belle emptied her piggy bank and we made a quick stop at the Disney Store where she cashed in her pennies for some Disney Bucks to spend in the park. She was thrilled to carry her own money in her purse and had no idea what she would very soon be experiencing.
Early Thursday morning Ben, Isabelle and I boarded our plane with the final destination being Orlando, FL. Our flights were quick and easy and Jelly even napped on the way so that she would be full of energy for her first of many late nights. Once in Florida, we grabbed a quick taxi and arrived at our resort just moments behind my parents and Tara who had driven up from Miami, FL. Belle was so excited to be on vacation and mostly to see her favorite people! We settled into our rooms while Chris, Colleen and Max arrived and we then headed to Downtown Disney to spend the evening. Belle and Max were beside themselves with joy and could not believe all of the fun stuff to do already. They were clueless about what was in store for them at Magic Kingdom in the morning. We ate dinner and rode our first carousel before Alee and Nick arrived and we retired to bed before our first big day at the park.

Friday we started our day early on the monorail traveling to Magic Kingdom. Once inside the gates, the magic began. Mickey, Minnie and the entire Disney crew were already singing and dancing with fireworks and confetti in front of the castle and it was barely 9:00am. We began our tour in Adventure Land with our first ride being Aladdin's Magic Carpets. From there we hit close to every ride throughout the day missing only Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain since Belle didn't quiet meet the height requirement. Some of Jelly's favorites were Dumbo, Buzz Lightyear, Goofy's Barnstormer and the Disney Speedway. Ben enjoyed Donald's PhilHarMagic and I especially loved Small World. We ate lunch at the Pinocchio House and watched the Dreams Come True Parade. We met Princesses in Fantasy Land and danced the Hokey Pokey in Frontier Land. It was in the mid 90's with lots of sun and humidity, so we all dripped with sweat all day and were relieved once the sun finally went down. Before we could leave the park for the day, Jelly found a Mickey & Minnie balloon and spent her first Disney Bucks of the trip! As soon as we were out of the gates, Belle was asleep in Ben's arms and it appears that her pants were exhausted too from a long day as they are all but off in the picture I snapped.

Saturday morning came early and Ben and I were grateful that we had put Belle's bed in Grammie and Grandpa's room. They kindly took Belle and Max down to the pool to eat breakfast while the rest of us slept a little bit longer. We then decided to put our swimsuits on and enjoyed a few hours in the water before making our way back to Magic Kingdom again. It was nice to relax at the resort pool and take our time after a busy day. Once inside the park again, we hit all of our favorite rides as well as took some time to see some of the shows we missed the first round. At lunchtime we dined with Winnie the Pooh and Friends in the Crystal Palace and Belle marched with them in a parade around the restaurant. Belle spent some time in the gift shop picking out the perfect souvenirs and came home with some Mickey ears and a stuffed Pluto which she paid for in full with her own money. We were especially excited for the Spectro Magic Parade that night and found the perfect viewing spot right in front of the castle. Belle was in awe of all of the lights and characters and fought to stay awake long enough to see Tinker Belle fly through the sky during the firework show as the park closed. This time, she was asleep in the stroller even before we escaped the front gates and never came to until the following morning. Another wonderfully busy and magical day at Disney World.

With all of the fun, we hardly noticed Grandpa mixing up all sorts of medicines and drugs throughout the day and trying to keep the side-effects of liver-disease in control. He was a great sport and felt really quite well on the vacation. I guess Mickey Mouse really can make all your dreams come true!

Sunday morning, Mothers Day, we ate brunch around the pool and swam for a few hours before packing our bags for home. Belle was so sad to leave all of the magic and especially sad to leave all of her extended family members. Thankfully, she was exhausted and slept right through the hour-plus of time we sat on the plane with a broken part before take-off and was pleasant as we ran through IAH to make our connection. We finally arrived home, without all of our luggage, late Sunday night tired and glad to get into our own beds. It was a vacation to remember and I think we all agree that Disney World truly is...The Happiest Place on Earth!

Take me out to the ballgame...

We had not seen Ben's Grandpa Frank for far too long, so a few weekends ago we made a plan and pointed the car north towards Austin for the day. It was a beautiful spring day and the 90 minute drive was pleasant and quick through the hill country. We called Ben's sister, Katrina, in Houston and she and her good friend Gordon met us for a little bit of fun. We of course had to stop at the State Capitol for a few minutes before heading farther north for the day. I had explained to Belle what the capitol was and my great love for the work housed there on the drive up so she was very enthused to tour the grounds and check out the historical building. She kept asking, is the government going to be there today? After a brief stop downtown, we drove to Grandpa Frank's cute little apartment and picked him up for dinner. He suggested Cheddars and we all enjoyed a bite to eat before the ball game. When Ben and I lived in Austin we loved going to the Dell Diamond and decided it would be fun to once again cheer for the Round Rock Express. The Minor's League is so easy to love with big fans, cheap seats and great baseball and we were once again not disappointed. A dear friend of my brother Chris' whom played baseball with him at Vanderbilt happens to play for the Express currently, so it was fun to have a familiar face to cheer for. Belle yelled GO MATT KATA, even when he wasn't on the field!

With a toddler and a senior citizen in our company, we didn't survive to see the last out of the night, but we did make it nearly to the 7th inning stretch! We dropped Grandpa off late and tired and were so glad we were able to spend a few hours with him. It was a very fun and busy Saturday and Isabelle had been singing take me out to the ballgame ever since.

Uno, dos, tres

Today was Isabelle's 3-year well check at her pediatrician. We are pleased to report that she is thriving and developing just as she should be and is even advanced in many areas, like her non-stop verbal skills! She is in the 50% for weight and almost 75% for height so she is slightly long and getting lean! Unfortunately I confirmed to her this morning that there were no shots needed at the 3-year visit but I was wrongly informed. She did receive her immunizations and was brave and happy to have her clothes back on and her sticker from the nurse. We do need to continue visiting her ENT as her ear tubes are still needed and currently in place and her Cardiologist needs to be visited again soon as well to check on her holey-heart, but overall she is silly and healthy and just like a three year old should be!

Isabelle has obviously been influenced by both of her jogging parents and all of her running extended family. After participating both on the side-lines as well as in the jogging stroller for several races she honestly believes that the day starts only after your morning exercise! My mom and I laughed when we were shopping a few weeks ago and Belle shrieked with excitement as she found my very own running shorts! Of course Grammie had to buy them for her and she is so proud to wear them outside while she "exercises." I mostly love her skinny little 3 year old legs that hang out of them! What a fun age to be!!!

Easter at Bastrop State Park

We decided to continue with the Christensen tradition of camping over Easter weekend and headed north to Bastrop State Park. This was Jelly's first camping trip and she was so excited especially to meet Alee and Nick as well as Grammie and Grandpa at the park. We were threatened by rain all day Saturday but enjoyed the day with multiple egg hunts, games, yummy foil dinners and the beautiful scenery of the Texas Hill Country. After pitching the tent, Belle and I decided that the back of the Acadia looked much more comfortable and left Ben to sleep alone under the stars. Jelly slept remarkably well for being in a mummy bag just inches from her tossing mom all night and didn't make a peep until 7:00am.


Unfortunately, we barely had time to find our baskets that the Easter Bunny left us before the rain started in the morning. We packed up quickly and headed for breakfast in the antique downtown of Bastrop. We were pleasantly surprised to find a yummy cafe called Maxine's where we enjoyed some of the best griddle cakes in the world. It was a wonderful Easter weekend and Belle has been begging to sleep in the Acadia every night since!

Where flowers bloom so does hope.

In 1965, Congress passed the National Highway Beautification Act, largely through the efforts of Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Texas Bluebonnet, adopted as the State Flower in 1901 by the Legislature, was already native to the Lone Star State and therefore an obvious choice as tons of wildflower seeds are planted along nearly a million miles of Texas highways each year.

For Texans, you always know Spring has arrived when you spot the first bluebonnet of the season. What a beautiful time to live in the hill country of Texas.