DFW Vacation

This year, vacation time rolled around (J and I have traveled in September or October every year since we've been married) and we started planning.  However, with two kids and a small budget, we decided to keep it closer to home.  We hadn't been to explore the DFW area with the girls, so the plans were made!

Day 1:

On our drive up, we stopped in Waco for two of our favorite things: Cafe Cappuccino pancakes and Cameron Park.  We got the pancakes to-go and took them to the spot in the park where J proposed all those years ago.  We always make sure to hit this spot when we are in the area. 

Pancakes

Taken in the same spot about three years apart

Things sure have changed since we first sat in this spot.

A short hike through our trails.

When we got to the area, we checked in to our hotel, let the girls (aka only Samantha) nap, and then drove over to my grandparents' house.  They hadn't seen S since she was about K's current age.

w/ MeeMaw

w/ Gramps

Since we were in Arlington, I wanted to go eat somewhere from my childhood.  I remembered a great Mexican restaurant that had Christmas lights and a train that went around the ceiling.  S LOOOOOVED it!  She still talks about it a week later.

Watching the train.

Day 2:

This day started with a zoo trip (Ft. Worth Zoo) with Papa and Gramsy.  My children always love seeing animals!  We also ran into some friends from college with their little boy, which was a nice surprise.

w/ Papa and Gramsy

Elephants!!

Feeding birds

Carousel w/ Papa

We WERE going to go back to the hotel for the girls to nap, but little one hadn't slept well at the hotel and they both fell asleep about two minutes into our drive.  Therefore, we merely drove around Ft. Worth and let them nap.  Then we drove up to Grapevine to go to Grapevine Mills.  The girls had fun looking at so many stores, K may or may not have stolen a toy from the Disney Store, (it definitely happened... oops), and we ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.

More animals!

[Side note: We have found that staying in cheaper hotels with more space is the ONLY way to travel with kids!  This particular La Quinta was amazing!  S slept in the living room on her blow up and K had her own room, too.  Yes... it was the bathroom, but it was all hers!]

Bedroom

Bathroom (aka K's room) from the living room into the bedroom

Living Room (aka S's room)

Day 3:

Everyone said one of the best places to go with kids in the metroplex was the Perot Museum.  My opinion- it was simply OK.  If you had school-aged kids, it would be better.  First of all, the floor dedicated to toddlers is only open to members before noon.  Did anyone tell us that before we drove 45 minutes up there?  Definitely not!  Therefore, we had to find things to entertain S on the other three floors only to get about 30 minutes on the toddler floor.  She still had fun, but for the INSANE cost of admission and parking ($60 for the three of us!!), I wouldn't recommend it.

Playing in the toddler room

Someone discovered stairs!

After nap time (again, only S would nap at the hotel), we drove into downtown Ft. Worth.  We got to watch the cows in the stockyards and then hang out and eat dinner in Sundance Square.  It was a nice wrap up to the trip.

So many animals on this vacation!

A certain two-year-old LOVED playing all around the fountains!