Weekend Getaway: Houston

This past weekend we headed to Houston for a quick weekend getaway.

DJ had practice Saturday morning, so the girls and I packed, picked up the house, took our pup to the kennel, and waited until he came home. We stopped to pick up a quick lunch, and then drove over to Houston.... it's about a 3 hour drive from our house, so it's not terrible, and the girls did great in the car. They were super excited to get away and visit their cousins. 

After being stuck in the car for a few hours, we were going crazy! 

We made it in time for dinner, and met DJ's mom, sister, brother in law, and our nieces and nephews for dinner at Chuys. My niece has a peanut allergy, and we found out that Chuys is peanut free! I know it meant a lot to my sister in law that she could safely eat there, so I thought I'd give them a shout out to any of you momma's with kiddos with peanut allergies. 

After dinner, we checked in to our hotel and let the kids swim for a bit in the hotel pool. Then, the kids got baths, I worked on our Christmas cards, and the kids went to bed. 

Sunday morning, we weren't 100% sure what the plans for the day were, so we stopped by a doughnut place near our hotel. The doughnuts were delicious! 

Then right after we ate doughnuts, my sister in law texted us that they found a restaurant we could head to until the children's museum opened. Thankfully, the kiddos just had one doughnut each. 

We headed to Barnaby's Cafe for brunch, and it was so good! Except, I wish we would've known that the pancakes were this huge! 

Megan and Adalyn shared French Toast, but Gretchen and I could've shared her pancakes. 

Instead, I ordered their "healthy plate" which had egg whites, fruit, chicken sausage, and toast. But, don't worry, I skipped the toast and opted for a few bites of the pancakes. 

DJ ordered eggs, bacon, toast, and potatoes. 

We were all happy about our meal! If you're ever in Houston, definitely look up Barnaby's- everything looked delicious, and the atmosphere was super fun. 

They had a huge jenga game, connect 4, and other games on their patio. The kids had fun playing while we finished up eating. 

At noon, the Houston Children's Museum opened. We found a Groupon, so it was pretty affordable for our group. We spent the next few hours exploring. We basically all took a kid and headed off in different directions. 

Gretchen was right in her element with all of the science stuff they had. 

Adalyn wrote a letter to Santa and mailed it. 

The big girls even did their ropes course and had so much fun. 

After a few hours, we had to say our good-byes to head back to Austin. 

We especially loved seeing this guy. DJ's brother in law. He's the reason we were all in Houston. Toward the end of summer, he was diagnosed with cancer, which frankly, no 30 something person should ever have this diagnosis. It's sickening and heartbreaking. But, we know without a doubt, that God is writing this story; one that we pray is full of healing and redemption. Anyway, this isn't my story to tell, but I'm sharing this part, to ask you to keep him in your prayers, as well as his wife and two young children. 

We love you guys!! Thanks for letting us hang with you in Houston!