As a mom, I rarely think of myself when it comes to special events and such. I finally decided that the weekend between my birthday and Jonathan's, we would do something fun as a family. We wanted to take them to the ICE! show at the Gaylord hotel, and I found a good deal online that included tickets to the event with a night's stay. I booked it and was so excited to do something different rather than our rushed 45 minutes through an event and then heading home. It was a good plan...
We started out with lunch at Love & War in Texas. We'd heard good things about it, so we gave it a shot. The food was good, but it was the atmosphere that caught our eyes. We ended up right in the middle of a fan club meeting of some die hard Cowboys' fans. It was insane. Saturday afternoon before the Redskins game and they had their faces painted, uniforms on, and looked ready to head to the stadium. Little did we know, they had some special guests on hand as well.
We were only there for the beginning, so we caught a bit of a speech and Q&A with Preston Pearson.
Matt wasn't sure what to think, and then Nick's plate of food came.
Nick gave him a quick lesson on triglycerides while showing him the size of his steak.
We got to the room at the Gaylord, after making our way through the crowds and picture takers. The boys loved the view!
We took the boys to the game room and enjoyed a drink while they played.
Ah yeah, baby!
Just love that he tucks his legs in like he is really on a bike.
Matt asked his daddy to join him.
There was a huge gingerbread house right at the lobby entrance from our tower of the hotel.
We attempted a family photo, but Jonathan just wasn't in the mood to smile, again. He was full on energy and wanted to touch everything!
There was a train running overhead and the boys were mesmerized.
My 3 boys enjoying more trains.
There was a huge guitar with train tracks on it. What more can a boy ask for in a train exhibit?
Maybe a one on one match up with his brother on Cowboys' turf?
The next pictures are blurry in spots (mostly because I don't have the right setting on my point and shoot to capture the boys in combat mode), but you get the gist! They had a blast just running into each other.
Kneeling on the star? Who does he think he is?
We attempted to catch some dinner and with the crowds and the opening times of all of the restaurants, combined with the no nap issue, we hit a wall. I hated to give in, but when Nick suggested going home for the night, eating on our way home, and trying the ICE! exhibit in the morning, it sounded more appealing. We had enjoyed the afternoon, but we were hungry, tired and couldn't see an end in sight for either with all of the crowds. We headed home and within 5 minutes of the car ride toward home, the boys were passed out. We got some sleep and headed back in the morning.
This year the ICE! exhibit was Charlie Brown. Last year, the boys were obsessed with Charlie Brown Christmas, and this year, they didn't even watch it all the way through, not even once. We knew they'd enjoy it anyway!
Jonathan decided from the beginning that he didn't want to wear the parka they provided for you to wear in the 9 degree temperature. We tried to convince him it was a good idea, but it just didn't work.
Wondering if this is some foreshadowing to peer pressure. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean I have to, Daddy!
No Christmas cards?
Trying to keep my eyes on everyone, avoid other picture takers and still catch someone on the slide was a challenge. I got a couple though.
Here's Nick's landing
Jonathan went down, sitting on the parka (since he wouldn't wear it), but cried at the bottom. I took the picture a bit early since I thought I'd be able to get a few. He did have a brief smile on his face, I promise!
Matt would have gone down the slide all day long if we'd been able to let him. I think Nick enjoyed it too. They even talked me into going down once. Not for me, I am a wimp, for sure. It wasn't steep, but so slick it was a bit too fast for me. Yes, I am a wimp. Did I say that already?
Matt and Nick posed inside Snoopy's house.
After the exhibit we promised the boys another look at some of the trains. They just couldn't get enough!
Just a funny picture. No idea what was going on here.
After all the drama of the day before, this is what made it all worth it!
