A trip to Dallas, TX

 

One thing I know is that I have a great family. Each sibling, son, my daughter, husband, brother-in-law, and parents all mean so much to me. We had the opportunity to go visit my sweet sister, Emily, who moved to Dallas with her family this last summer. We had enough credits to buy 3 1/2 tickets to fly down there, so we purchased the other "half" of the plane ticket and took the two oldest kiddos with us. It was an amazing trip from start to finish and the boys loved exploring new cities and the great state of Texas.

Right off the plane, Emily, Stephen and Andrew picked us up and drove us straight to the Dallas Temple. We walked the grounds, took pictures, and loved the feeling of sisters being together once again. Texas was warm, humid and beautiful. It was a Thursday evening and I couldn't believe how busy it was at the temple. I loved seeing all the people coming and going while we were there. It made me think about the day when we can take our boys, INSIDE the temple. I can't wait!

We had only been there a few hours, but we quickly found out that Andrew loved hair! He squealed in delight as Nate was the exact hight to grab and pull.

 

After visiting the temple, we found a down good true Texas BBQ restaurant and ate up some good grub. After dinner we drove through downtown Dallas. It's quite a large city and has a beutiful skyline. We drove past and saw the plaza and memorial where JFK was shot. There was a statue and a plaque about the event and we learned a little about history that day.

The next morning we drove into Fort Worth. It has to be the most "cowboy" and western city in Texas. It was fun to see the differences in buildings, shops, stores, and restaurants from city to city. In Fort Worth, we visited Stockyard Station which used to be the biggest and busiest livestock-marketing center in the Southwest. We enjoyed watching them drive the cattle (long horn bulls) down the main street of the old town.

Even before we left, Austin talked about what souviner he was saving his money for. He wanted more than anything to come home with a "real" cowboy hat. While we were at the Stockyards, there were several shops and he found his hat that he loved. He wore it everywhere and never took it off. 

Measuring up

One of my favorite Texan foods--fried pickles!



Riding "Molly". Look at those horns!




 

Everything is bigger in Texas! Even the fly swatters!

 

I thought this was only in the movies! So cool!

Austin waving his hands as the announcer was calling his name

After a fun day at the Stockyards we had tickets to the local rodeo. It was at the CowTown Coliseum. It was so fun to see a rodeo in this Texas town! I've been to all different types of rodeos. Big ones, little country rodeos, fair rodeo, state rodeos and each have their own style and feeling. This one was unique and was fun to be so close in all the action. Also, Austin and Nate ran down to join the group of kids in the "mutton bustnn" activities. I was bustin' up so hard, (laughing and crying as the Dent girls do...) that I couldn't even take a picture! They were running around, chasing the calf and trying to get the ribbon that was tied to it's tail. I loved every minute of it!  



 

 

Nathan waiting for the instructions