Leiningers visit, part 2

We were really efficient this time with our visitors and sat down and planned out all the things we wanted to do with them here, and we actually were able to do most of them! We (or at least some of us) did an escape room, a night at the drive-in movie theater, the Dallas temple, swimming, eating at Babes, Torchy's Tacos, kolaches, and BBQ, the Fort Worth Water Gardens and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, a bonfire at Little Elm Beach, watching Dane's soccer practice, and lots of time playing in our backyard or at our park. It sounds like it was really busy, but it felt like we had a lot of down time still (naptime is great for that!) and we were able to spend a lot of time talking and playing lots of board games. We also discovered that we can play Just Dance on our Apple TV with our iPhones as remotes, and we had a really fun time doing that too on our last night. 

Graham and Kenzie watching some cartoons together. Graham decided that Kenzie was his buddy this week, while Dane attached himself to Kiki everywhere we went.

Kiki loved reading to the boys.

For FHE we talked about King Benjamin and Graham acted out as King Benjamin on the tower for us.

They managed to escape from the escape room!

We saw Ready Player One at the drive-in movie theater, and it was one of the coldest and windiest nights of the month. Most of us lasted for about half of the movie completely bundled up in blankets, and then we moved inside the cars. I really liked the movie (although it was totally different from the book, of course!).

One of my favorite things we did was a little bonfire at Little Elm Beach. Little Elm is only about 25 minutes from our house, and they have Lake Lewisville right there, with this beautiful sandy beach for swimming. I've only gone there once because it seems like way too much work with now three kids (and I hate crowds with worrying about my kids drowning), but I think we should go back with Tommy sometime on a weekend. It seems just like a real beach, but without waves, which is like the best case scenario when you are there with toddlers. 

And now for a billion pictures of Lucy at the beach, because she was sooooo dang happy running around and trying to dash into the water and eat as much sand as possible.

Literally trying to get her mouth right on the dirty beach water. She's sick today... maybe she got some germs from doing this.

She wanted to get into the water as far as she could and was offended we would let her get in past her knees. So rude!

I didn't really expect the kids to get in the water (duhhhhhhh) so I didn't bring a change of clothes for them. Whoops.

Making s'mores at the beach!

Lucy finally let Grandma and Grandpa hold her at the beach! She did not love all these visitors around and only warmed up to them all after almost a full week.

Some ducks came by and were trying to eat our food.

I love this picture of Tommy and Lucy in the water. So cute.

Aunt Kiki.

Dane and his buddy.

This was the best picture we got of us. It's cute except for Lucy... maybe I can photoshop her head from another picture on.

We took everyone swimming at the fun club one morning too.

Graham loved jumping in to Grandpa.

Look at this cutie girl. She was so pleased getting to ride in this little car for the first time.

We went to have dinner at Babe's Chicken Dinner House (one of our favorite places ever) and in the middle of our dinner, we all started to get notifications on our phones (and everyone around the restaurant did too) about a tornado warning. I hate those warnings: "Tornado Warning in your area. Take Shelter Immediately." It's pretty nerve-racking. There was apparently going to be tennis ball-sized hail, so Tommy and Kurt and Kristen ran out to move the cars to the library parking garage down the street just in case. But Dane and Graham heard us talking about what to do and they both got so scared and started crying and wanted me to hold them. Neither of them like tornadoes at all, and Graham knows what the tornado sirens are and every time we hear them he flips out. So I was holding all three kids crying in the restaurant (because none of them would go to Grandma) and I wish I'd gotten a picture of the pathetic sight we were making. But, of course, the storm passed, we were fine, there was only a tiny bit of hail, and the kids were happy playing out in the rain afterwards while we waited for the cars. So all's well that ends well, and I only regret not getting that picture of all three kids crying on my lap in the restaurant.