Grapevine Treasures...

As soon as Gracie was released from school at noon last Friday, we hit the dusty trail for Grapevine. I had read in Texas Monthly several times that Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth had amazing Mexican food...and you know me and Mexican food...so, even though it was about a half-hour out of the way, I convinced Jack to go there for dinner before heading into Grapevine...what an experience! They only serve enchiladas and fajitas (there are no menus) and they don't take credit cards! Texas Monthly, please take note of this next time you write a recommendation for them...my guess is that they've had a lot of volunteer dishwashers! I'm glad we went, but The Original in Galveston is still my all-time fav!

Anyhoo...an hour and ten minutes later (I didn't plan for Friday 5:00 traffic), we checked into our hotel and had just enough time to set our luggage down, brush our locks and head out the door again for the North Pole Express -

They sat us down and had a small song and dance party before we boarded...

All Jack needs here is a white beard and red hat and he would look just like Santa...we have our very own! :)

trying to talk Daddy into dancing on stage...riiiiiight!!!

"Mom, this isn't ice - this is not real!" OK, Miss Smarty Pants...

anticipation...

In her jammies with Santa...she is growing so fast! ;(

Mrs. Santa, too...

We liked the Polar Express ride in Palestine last year much better, but now we know...and Gracie still seemed to be OK with it, which was all that mattered...

The next morning, we went to meet Mrs. Becky at The Gaylord Texan for the ICE exhibit...what a place!

This year, the theme was the Peanuts characters...A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The hotel is amazing and fully decorated inside and out - even if the ICE exhibit wasn't here, it would be worth the visit to just look around the hotel! Grace is watching a model train and fish here...

A wine bottle tree in one of the hotel bars...

After donning our big blue coats and watching a video about how the Chinese ice-men (for lack of a better term - maybe engineers?) carve these and ship them here, we entered into a nine degree refrigerated tent to view ICE...

Jack said this looked like him, but he's sooo not telling the truth...he has more friends than I can count!

We finally found help ;)

Becky and Gracie racing on the slide made of...what else? ice!

she's getting tired of the pictures...can you tell?!

Ahhh...I have my very own Peppermint Patty!

My boy & girl with Pigpen...

Love, love, love this shot! You can see my girl's spirit here...

The nativity in ice...

Three peas in a pod...

more of the hotel and visiting with Mrs. Becky - she and I worked together years ago and it was so good to see her again and have her meet Jack and Grace...

The girls...we had a lady take a couple of shots of all four of us, but she blurred both of them...oh well...guess we'll just have to do it again sometime, Beck!

I liked this tree - the sign said that it was a member of the lily family...weird.

Is she trying out for the part? :)

Jack liked the shotgun shell garland...

Gingerbread Land...

Everything is real candy...

see...

...another train...Gracie loves the model trains... "they really go, Mommy!"

the pre-show at the train...

what Gracie tried talking her Daddy into...ha! Can you imagine...?

After lunch on Main Street in Grapevine and a little window shopping with Becky, we got on the road...our chores at home were waiting...

Gracie attended a horse camp (where she takes her riding lessons) Monday-today...tomorrow...we're sleeping in if it kills us! Friday...cooking for Christmas! Soooo excited...

Holy Batman, It's Christmas!

I have to get caught up blogging so that I can download my camera card and be ready for our train ride and visit to the Gaylord Texan this weekend...

We made our annual voage to the Kemah Boat Parade...it was soooo windy...half of the boats kept losing their lights. I felt sorry for everybody because I'm sure it's a lot of work to decorate them. But, we ate at Landry's and the food was great and we just didn't stay until the end of the parade so that hopefully Gracie wouldn't get sick...so far, so good!

I don't have a zoom lens for my early Christmas present yet, but here are some of the boats...you just have to squint to see them! ;)

High on a big fat brownie sundae!

A better view...

Then, a drive-thru visit to Bethlehem City courtesy of her school...

The next morning we woke up and Jack was looking through the window and told me it looked like a big toad needed to be saved from the pool...so I walk outside and to my surprise, a bat! We can only guess that the wind was blowing so hard that it carried him off course and

into our pool...so weird! We were very careful, but did cover him with a towel to dry and warm and that evening, we guess he recovered and made his get-away...

On Monday, I made gingerbread houses with Gracie's class...we had a ton of fun!

Sneaking some frosting - that's my girl!

Gracie's BFF, Sky...

Every little detail...

Another of Gracie's good friends, Claire, with her mom and my friend, Mrs. Laurie.

Voila!

Today was her class Christmas Party...more yummy food and visiting...and now...

Grapevine & Mrs. Becky, HERE WE COME!