We made a semi-spontaneous trip down to Texas to ring in the new year. Dustin found some work to do while he was down there, and we could see two of our family friends, the Oliversons and the Durhams. We started the trip off rough, with all three of the kids feeling pretty crummy. We were up in the air as to whether or not we could even make the trip, but everyone appeared to be fever-free the morning of our flight, so we gamble a bit and went forward with the trip.
We flew into Austin on New Year's Eve and it was FREEZING! They were going through a crazy cold snap, and it even snowed while we were eating our dinner. We let the kids stay up until the ball dropped on the East Coast, so they were super happy (and tired) campers. We met up with the Oliversons the following day for some authentic barbecue at Salt Lick followed by a visit to a graffiti park, a taste of Gordough's, and trip to the Austin Aquarium. It was fun to have our kids all play together, even if mine were showing visible signs of being run down and feeling sick. After we parted ways, the kids started to crash a bit. Lyla and Jack were coughing quite a bit, and both seemed really fatigued. After a pretty rough night of sleep crammed in one hotel room, I made the decision that we needed to be split into two rooms the remainder of the trip!
We woke up Tuesday and made the drive east to Houston. It was a rough car ride for Lyla (couldn't stop coughing long enough to catch up on sleep) and Jack (coughing and complaining of stomach pain), but we made it to the city by mid-afternoon and headed straight for the NASA Spacer Museum to surprise the Durham boys. It was so fun! They completely weren't expecting us. It was so good to see them again after half a year apart! After the museum they took us out for some delicious Tex Mex, which was only partially enjoyed as both Jack and Lyla fell asleep on us. Jack continued to go downhill and had the worst case of gas and stomach cramping that any of my kids have ever experienced. It was pretty scary for me and I was glad when he finally got over it.
Wednesday we kept things low-key and went to hang out at the Durham's house. Jack and Lyla were both acting ill and had a low fever and I didn't want to drag them out anywhere else! The day was quiet and relaxing until Hank told me his ear hurt. We can't win! We ended the evening with a crying Jack, a comatose Lyla, and a whimpering Hank all in urgent care. Hank had yet another ear infection, but thankfully it was caught quickly and he didn't seem to suffer too much as a result.
Thursday we finally turned the corner on the mega-illness! All the kids were fever-free, seemed well-rested, and had more energy. Hooray! We met up with Simon and Sister Durham at the Children's Museum (it was awesome!). We added Dustin to the mix when he finished up work and everyone met up at the Galleria for dinner and dessert. We managed to avoid any tears when we said goodbye, but a few of us were close! I miss those guys! I hope we see them again soon.
Friday was another travel day to head back to Austin to catch our return flight. We tried to squeeze in things we originally planned to do in Austin earlier in the week but couldn't do due to illness/freezing temps/New Year's. We ate at Torchy's Tacos, shopped on South Congress, and went to pick up some UT merch on campus. Our flight home was uneventful (thank goodness!) and we had some majorly tired kids (and parents) on our hands. I'm really glad we went, which is weird considering we had so much sickness and plans needing to change. It was definitely a growing experience for us parents and a bonding experience for the family. That being said, I really hope our next trip is a little less lively and eventful!
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