Tag: adventures

A Weekend in Glen Rose

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For my 39th birthday, we decided to trade the usual celebration for a little adventure in Glen Rose, Texas. I was looking for somewhere quaint and relaxing, but with plenty of fun for the boys too—and it turned out to be the perfect little getaway.

The Hotel

Since we’ve never stayed in Glen Rose, I wasn’t sure what to look for as far as accommodations. I saw several Air B&Bs that looked promising, however, I settled on a dino themed hotel and it did not disappoint. We found The Best Western for a very affordable price, and in a great location. They had breakfast, large rooms, a pool, and the property overall was very well taken care of. We would definitely stay here again.

Best Western Dinosaur Valley Inn and Suites

The Food

Before we arrived we did a little research on places to eat in Glen Rose so we had a few spots picked out.

First we started with an ice cream treat at Shoo Fly Soda Shop . It’s an adorable little shop with an old fashioned soda fountain right on the square in downtown Glen Rose. The shop its self had several unique trinkets and gifts. We treated the boys to ice cream, and they loved it so much that we ended up going back for another round the very next day!

After ice cream and shopping we decided to check out Green Pickle Grill. We’d read several positive reviews, and after a long hot day we thought burgers and beers would be divine. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed. Their website (and a sign out front) advertises “Green Pickle Grill & Pub is a locally owned, family-friendly restaurant located in historic downtown Glen Rose, Texas.” However, there is no pub, no beer, no Biergarten and no alcohol. Which honestly isn’t at all a deal breaker, but the food and service was just subpar. We did not enjoy this place but to each their own, we would not return or recommend it.

We did however enjoy two fabulous restaurant while there.

The first please we loved was a cute little sandwich shop: Storiebook Cafe . The sandwiches were delicious, the decor was unique, and there was even a play area for the kids. We highly recommend this lunch spot!

The other place we enjoyed was Los Primos Mexican Restaurant. The service was fabulous, food delicious (and very reasonably priced), and the drinks, perfect!

I almost forgot to mention a cute little shaved ice place right on the river! It’s called Funky Munky Shaved Ice and it was the perfect little treat to end our day.

Things to Do

There are lots of fun things to do in Glen Rose and the surrounding areas. When we arrived we shopped around town and went to the little museum on the square. The lady in the museum was very kind and knowledgeable about the history of Glen Rose. And, the shops had so many unique items (unfortunately it is not the most exciting for a 4 and 6 year old so we had to cut shopping short).

The main attraction in Glen Rose is Dinosaur Valley State Park, and of course we just had to check it out! We’re park pass holders (I highly recommend) so I am not sure of the entry cost to the park, however there is lots to do and see there.

We started our day bright and early to beat the heat and that was a fantastic idea. We showed up before the crowds, hiked a few trails, and saw plenty of dinosaur footprints through out the riverbeds. None of the hikes were difficult and the boys had a great time splashing around in the water. I do recommend water shoes and taking your time; the rocks are very slipper.

Overall Experience

Overall we really enjoyed our weekend away. I would definitely recommend Glen Rose. There is plenty to do and see and it’s more affordable than some of our other favorite places like Gruene and Fredericksburg.

Glen Rose is also known for the following attractions that we just didn’t have time to visit this trip:

***Side note, several business and restaurants are closed on Sundays and Mondays so plan accordingly!

Cheers to Ten Years

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We took our first big “airplane” trip with both boys and it was amazing!

The Bearded One and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this June with a vow renewal ceremony in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was such a beautiful experience and we had a wonderful time!

We have visited Puerto Vallarta previously for our first wedding anniversary and fell in love with the culture, the people, and the beaches. Since we enjoyed it so much, we decided it was the perfect place to celebrate our 10-year vow renewal.

We have traveled to several parts of Mexico and we chose Puerto Vallarta specifically because of it’s location on the Pacific coast and the fact that it doesn’t have the same summer time sargassum blooms as the Cancún areas.

We started planning our trip a little over 18 months in advance to give all of our family and friends a chance to join us (which didn’t go as planned but that’s a story for another time).

The first time we stayed in PV we spent a week at the Hyatt Ziva. We enjoyed the Hyatt, however, we felt that Hard Rock Vallarta was more kid friendly and decided to give it a shot.

https://hotel.hardrock.com/vallarta/

Technically the resort is a little outside of Puerto Vallarta; it’s located in on the beautiful beaches of Nuevo Vallarta, in the center of Riviera Nayarit,Mexico. The resort was beautiful, had great amenities, delicious food and wonderful staff. The only negative I’d say would be the construction. As of July 2026 they are closing the resort down to renovate it for six months. (After seeing the renovated room my mom stayed in, I’m excited to see what they do!)

Resort Days

Arriving at the resort was surprisingly stress-free. I have to say, the boys did fantastic on the plane. We were also joined by one of our favorite couples (my incredible bestie and her wonderful husband) and my fabulous mom, which made the trip even more memorable.

We spent the majority of our time enjoying the pool, swimming at the beach, and just relaxing at the resort. Of course our little guys are water babies and absolutely love to splash and play. This resort was very kid friendly; it had a waterslide, a kiddie pool and a ton of beach activities such as kayaks, boogie boards, and paddle boards. I lost count of how many times the boys slide down the slide (myself and The Bearded One also joined in) !

Pool Fun

Pool service was fantastic. The staff was friendly and our cups stayed full. The kids loved the pizzeria by the pool and we all enjoyed the lunch buffet set up daily.

The Iguanas 🦎 Wanted Pizza 🍕

For a big name resort, I was a little nervous the food would be average, however, we enjoyed pretty much everything. Surprising, my favorite was the Italian restaurant Ciao!

Excursion: City Tour

On our third day we decided to book an excursion to go explore the city. The Bearded One and I loved PV the first time and did our own little wandering, but we were in no way experts. We decided a city tour was probably the best bet for our little guys (a little too young for snorkeling and ATVs). We decided to book a private tour so we didn’t have to stick with a group, and I’m glad we did.

The tour started out in the Malecon, which is essentially the giant board walk. I honestly wish we would have just spent the day here, however, our tour guide had other things in mind.

After the Malecon we saw The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a small candy store where the boys get paletas and The Bearded One got crickets (I’m not kidding) then a silver factory/shop after heading into the mountains for the last leg of our tour.

The mountains were beautiful and along the way we stopped for a little tequila tasting and then at a small family owned restaurant for an authentic, delicious lunch.

All in all I would say the tour was very informative and gave us an opportunity to experience the culture of Puerto Vallarta. It was different than what I expected, but we all had a great time and our guide was fantastic (the boys slept solid on the way back to the resort!)

If you’re interested, we book the tour through : https://www.amstardmc.com/en/

Vow Renewal

While at the resort, we planned a small vow renewal ceremony and it was perfect. As some of you may know, we were married in Mexico and it poured down rain, so we didn’t get our toes in the sand beach ceremony. This time, the weather cooperated and we had our perfect little ceremony. Unfortunately, I don’t have all of our pictures yet because I haven’t got them but stay tuned!

Overall, I give Hard Rock Vallarta 8.5/10 and The Bearded One gives it a 9.5/10. The location was perfect, the resort over all was beautiful, and the staff was very accommodating and helpful. We’d love to return after renovations to see the new look!

Spring Break in San Antonio

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San Antonio holds a special place in my heart. It was the very first “grown-up” vacation I took with the bearded one. Since then, we’ve made countless weekend trips back, spending evenings on the Riverwalk with dinner and cocktails, wandering through Market Square, and stopping for shopping and micheladas along the way.

This spring break we decided San Antonio would be the perfect adventure for our 6 and 3 year old. The goal we had in mind was Sea World, both our boys love all things sea creatures, and as educators, the bearded one and I had free passes (we also signed up for a free pre-k pass for our youngest). We knew Sea World wouldn’t be our only stop but it was our biggest surprise for the boys.

After a 4 hour car ride, we arrived at our destination. I heard so many fabulous things about the Drury Inn so that’s where we decided to stay, and it did not disappoint. The hotel itself self was an old bank and full of beautiful architecture, stained glass, and old bank fixtures. They also had free breakfast and a free snack hour each evening. The snack hour honestly had full meals and free cocktails (which we enjoyed), but our boys opted for popcorn 🍿. The hotel also had a rooftop pool and hot tubs which of course we had to checkout.

The first day we checked out our hotel, took a river boat tour, and enjoyed the Riverwalk.

The second day we headed to SeaWorld and I was pleasantly surprised. It has changed so much since the bearded one and went last time (over 15 years ago). There was lot to see and do. We visited all of the aquariums and watched all of the shows. We decided to skip the rides this time, but will definitely check them out next time.

We packed a lot of little adventures in to our short two day trip; we took a riverboat tour, saw the Alamo, ate at Rainforest Cafe, and shopped in Market Square. There is so much to do and see in SA; we will be back to explore more next time. I feel like the city is very kid and family friendly and we greatly enjoyed our little adventure away from home.

Hometown Adventures

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Other than the beach, we didn’t have any big plans this summer so we decided to spend a weekend in our hometown. We went to visit family, but we also wanted to take the boys to do some fun things, so we decided on the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.

The museum is huge and each floor has a different exhibit. Several of the exhibits are interactive, which was fun for the littles, however, I think some of it was just a little too advanced for our 5 and 3 year old. The museum did have a newly renovated kids area on the bottom floor but was overly crowded and much smaller than expected. All in all we still found plenty to do and it was a fun day. I think we will visit again when they’re a little bit older (bonus: teachers get in free!)

The next morning the Bearded One helped his family with a building project while I took the littles around to explore downtown Garland, our home town. First stop was coffee at Rosalind’s. The coffee shop was beautiful and right on the square. Once I was caffeinated I let the boys explore the green space and playground that was right in the middle of the square. They ran, they climbed, they played, and I enjoyed the outdoor environment. It was still pretty early so none of the shops were open yet but we were able to walk around and look at the many murals and beautifully renovated buildings.

I think the next time we visit I will look for an Air B&B in the area so we can walk around and enjoy the downtown amenities.

Overall, we had a great little adventure in our hometown. Up next, time to explore Houston.

Spring Break-Staycation 2025

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This year we decided to do a few things close to home for spring break. With a 5 year old and a 2 year old traveling can be quite an adventure of its own. We didn’t want to go anywhere that would be notoriously over crowded so we opted for a few adventures in our comfort zone.

We started the week by driving up to my husband’s grandmother’s lake property on Lake Fork. The area itself is pretty quaint, which was the vibe we were going for. We just wanted to relax by the lake, do a little fishing, enjoy the outdoors and of course make s’mores. It was just what we needed to start off spring break. Bonus: we found an awesome little park in Quitman, TX that was built by the Sabine River Authority. It was perfect, I highly suggest you check it out if ever on the area!

Next on the agenda our favorite, Huntsville State Park. All the camping spots were booked of course, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the numerous trails and beautiful spring weather. (One of these days we will take the boys camping!)

We really wanted to do something new so we decided on the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, TX. I knew ahead of time that this was a much smaller zoo, however we heard great things.

It was definitely small, and honestly, a little underwhelming. A lot of the bigger animals were hiding and there were quite a few exhibits under construction. Overall it was a pretty little zoo, and we did enjoyed our visit (especially seeing all the peacocks that freely roam the grounds).

And that’s a wrap for Spring Break 2025…we’ve got plenty more adventure on the agenda for this year 🙃

Christmas At Kalahari

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Christmas time at Kalahari year three did not disappoint.

We’ve always been able to enjoy the resort during the week around Christmas time, however, this year we had to book the weekend before. I was a little nervous that it would be entirely too crowded and unenjoyable. Although it was more crowded than we’ve experienced in the past, it wasn’t overwhelming and I feel like there were lots more holiday activities to enjoy.

The boys were able to see Santa and Mrs. Claus, color in an igloo, search for Kalvin the elf daily, and participate in other fun Christmas activities.

If you’re on the fence about waterparks in general ( I’m genuinely not a fan) then I suggest you try Kalahari. Everything is in close proximity, the resort overall is clean, the staff is friendly, there’s so much for kids and adults to try. 10/10 we will continue to come back and enjoy the holidays at Kalahari in Round Rock, TX.

We’ve contemplated visiting the resort during the summer season but I truly enjoy the holiday magic 🎄🎅🏻

Link: Kalahari

Our Midwest Road Trip

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6 Days-5 States-4 Hotels-2 Kids

We knew we’d be laying my grandma to rest this summer in Saint Louis, MO, and in order to get there, we had to plan.

To get to St. Louis from our home in Texas we were looking at an 11 1/2 hour drive one way. With a 2 year old and a 4 year old that task seemed almost impossible so we decided to break it up in to multiple days.

Our first day of driving was supposed to be about 5 hours but of course took much longer;we knew it would. We took into consideration potty breaks, bathroom breaks, and honestly the occasional snuggle breaks for our sweet toddler.

We stayed in McAlester, OK the first night and it was just okay. The hotel was decent, the area was fine, the biggest letdown was the dirty pool. I intentionally booked every hotel along the way with the pool in mind and unfortunately that didn’t work out as planned. But we made the best of the situation and had dinner and ice cream at the Braum’s next to the hotel.

Day two we planned to see my little brother and family in the Kansas City area. We really had such a great time. Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing our sweet boys enjoy their family, especially their cousins. We stayed in Lenexa, KS the second night and in hindsight we definitely would have stayed with family. I did not pick a good hotel, it was a tad sketchy and the bearded one got stuck in the elevator! (Which of course we can laugh about now).

Another 5+ hours in the car on day 3 and we finally arrived in St. Louis. I picked my favorite hotel for our 3 night stay, Hilton Home2Suites. If you’ve never stayed, I highly suggest it. The rooms are huge and have plenty of space for the littles to run around. They have a large kitchen area, pool, breakfast everyday, and so much more. It’s our go-to hotel on long vacations. The first night there we picked up some groceries and used the hotel grills for our dinner.

While in STL we attended my grandmother memorial at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. It was definitely difficult, but I was happy to be around my loved ones.

After the service we all went to a pretty good restaurant, Three Kings Public House. Once again our boys got to see more of their family.

We didn’t want to rush back home to Texas so we decided to do some sightseeing and explore STL a bit. First we picked up my older brother and went to see our old house, my grandmother’s house, and hit up a few favorites like Ted Drew’s and Imo’s (you can’t go wrong with frozen custard and pizza).

The next day we wanted to check out the science center but it’s closed on Tuesday and Wednesdays so we went to the zoo instead.

Fun fact: The STL Zoo is free! My brother and I have so many great memories of the zoo and it was the perfect place to take the boys. We stayed all day, saw all the animals, and road the train a couple of times. It was the perfect ending to our whirl wind road trip.

After we left STL we traveled home a different way, which took us through Arkansas. We stayed in North Little Rock in a hotel downtown. The hotel was good but once again the pool was closed. We did however find a cute little park on the river and let the boys run off some of that energy from the long hours in the car.

Our last day in the car was the longest at just over six hours (before all the stops). But at last, we made it home safe and sound. After 4 different hotels, 6 days on the road, and ridiculous amount of hours in the car, we finally made it home.

My biggest takeaways from this road trip would have to be

  • Go with the flow, stop often, don’t get stuck on the minute to minute plans, you will eventually get to you destination
  • Pack snacks, lots and lots of snacks, our boys have their own snack boxes
  • Keep them entertained, we bought dual DVD players which we used a lot
  • Relax, stay calm, make memories

Up Next…THE BEACH!

Camping Chaos

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The Bearded One and I have enjoyed camping since we were kids. We’ve always camped in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and all those other seemingly baffling outdoorsy things some people just don’t understand. We really want our boys (currently 4 and 2) to experience and love all the same adventures as us, but we decided they’re a little too small to sleep on the ground and run around an open flame. We desperately wanted them to experience the spirit of camping but in a safer, less taxing kind of way. So I did my research and settled on Jellystone Park in Waller, TX.

Of course I’ve heard Jellystone before but I’ve never experienced it for myself. After reading reviews, checking out fellow traveler pictures and blogs, and looking for discount codes, I settled on the perfect cabin.

If you’ve never seen or heard of Jellystone do yourself a favor and check it out. Their website gives so much information on the lodging, amenities, and overall experience. They have everything from tents sites, to multi room cabins. Activities and amenities include a fishing pond, pillow jumper, gem mining, restaurant, and my favorite, the thing that sold me, a pool and waterpark playground.

The night before our Jellystone adventure we packed up and hyped up the boys about their first camping trip. I didn’t realize camping required so much, but it definitely was quite a bit to pack.

The Bearded One and I took a half day off work in preparation for grocery shopping before our arrival. About 30 minutes before we were supposed to leave I received an email from Jellystone Waller saying they had to cancel our reservations due to the previous night’s storm and massive power outages!

Of course I was in panic mode, but long story short, I was able to cancel for a full refund and rebook the Jellystone Tyler location (which was an extra 2 hours away).

The boys did pretty well in the car, and it honestly wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating.

We arrived around 5pm and still had plenty of time to check out the waterpark, which the boys absolutely loved. The waterpark stayed open until 7pm and opened the next morning around 11 (the sign said 11 but it was open at like 1030ish).

After a night of s’mores and late bedtimes we were excited to wake up and explore all the park had to offer. We started with the pillow bouncer, then drove around to find the playground, and finally did a little gem mining for treasures. You have to buy the bag of gems which was about $9 but it was totally worth it.

I think the waterpark was our favorite, our boys love the water. We spent hours at the water playground, enjoying the waterslides, getting ice cream and of course purchasing a few adult beverages at the bar (yes the campground has a bar!).

There was so much more to explore and do at the park but we just didn’t have the time. They have an app that you can download that gives you a play-by-play schedule of events happening around the park. It was very family friendly and we will definitely be back. Despite the unexpected turn of events, I give our first experience at Jellystone a 9/10.

Travel Notes:

Packing with toddlers is no joke, here’s an example of my packing list for reference.

Winter at the Waterpark

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Kalahari Resort in Round Rock

We celebrated Christmas and O’s birthday with a winter trip to the indoor waterpark Kalahari in Round Rock, TX. This was our second time there and it did not disappoint.

I personally am not a huge waterpark fan, but I really do enjoy Kalahari. I don’t know if it’s because it’s inside, or we go in the winter and avoids the crazy TX summer heat, but it really is a great experience.

We were fortunate enough to stay 3 nights this year and I think that was plenty of time. We enjoyed the waterpark right when it opened at 10am, then again after nap, around 3pm each day. The first 2 days weren’t very crowded (several districts were still in school) and the boys were able to play in the toddler/kid area for hours.

This year O was tall enough to enjoy the tandem tube slides with the bearded one. He went on quite a few and loved every minute of it. Baby L (Mr. Independent) was also able to enjoy the waterslides in the kiddie area and had so much fun climbing and sliding all by himself.

I was perfectly content watching the shenanigans and smiles all day. We also did several activities together like the wave pool, lazy river, and the occasional dip in the outdoor hot tub to warm up.

For those of you that haven’t been, Kalahari isn’t just a waterpark. It has restaurants, shops, and a huge arcade, all of which we enjoyed.

The convenience of onsite restaurants can’t be beat and we ate there several times. The pizza place was perfect for lunch and we enjoyed dinner at B-Lux, which had yummy burgers.

After traveling so much with a 3 (almost 4) year old and 20 month old, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way.

Tip & Trick

  • Get your owns snacks for the hotel, we have a big old snack box we pack and fresh fruit and veggies I chop before we go.
  • Buy portable bed rails, little O slept all by himself on the pullout bed and I knew he was safe with the bed rails
  • For potty training kids or kids who are recently potty trained, buy a portable seat
  • Bring the kids their own cups and a portable drying rack for easy clean up
  • Buy robes for when you leave the waterpark and head back to your room. You have to walk through the arcade and lobby and it can be a bit chilly. The resort lets you rent towels but the boys loved their robes
  • Don’t stress the schedule and routine; we have a very strict “bath at 7 bed by 8” for both our boys, which is a Godsend during the school year but, we were very lax during vacation and we all survived!
  • Take a few pictures, then put the phone away and enjoy time with the babes. They are only little once .

Dashing Through the…

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Dashing Through the 75 degree Texas December weather to our latest vacation, our favorite, Gruene.

We took our annual Christmas in Gruene trip and once again it didn’t disappoint. But, as the kids get bigger and older I’ve realized that as much as we love the nostalgia of Gruene, there truly isn’t much for our littles to do.

Of course we had a great time with our besties and the kid absolutely adore each other, but the actual activities in Gruene are kind of lacking for kiddos, even during the holiday season.

I think I’ll start my research for a new Christmas trip next year, so if you have any kid centered, Christmasy themed vacations for next year please do share! (maybe the river lights in SA?)

Up next a surprise Christmas trip for O and baby L! Stay tuned …