Part 5

We LOVE Blue Bell Ice Cream so it was only fitting that we went to the factory where it is made.  It is a huge tourist attraction in Brenham, Texas where we had to wait an hour to get on the tour. We went with Jean and the kids.

 

Max, Clay, Hayley, Luke, Jake, Mallory, Trevor and Michael

Max had been looking forward to spending the day at NASA for a very long time.  When his first grade class was talking about what they were looking forward to this summer he said a visit to NASA.

Another long, long, long and twisty slide for Mallory. She loves slides so much!

Max flying in space.

Clay loves wearing other peoples hats. 

A visit to the Children's Museum is always fun for the kids.  It was a crazy time to go but by the afternoon all of the camp groups had left and it wasn't so bad.

Riding in a police car.

Becoming scientists.

Max as a checker at a grocery store.  Every young child's dream.  How come it is so fun? My siblings and I used to play grocery store checker in our kitchen when our mom would come back from the grocery store. 

Beautiful beach babe, Mallory at Galveston Beach.

Both Clay and Max loved playing in the sand.

 

Matt helped the kids make an awesome mud drip castle.

 

On the last day Matt was working at Shell, we drove in to see him and his office.  First we had lunch at Whataburger (pronounced Water-burger) in the underground tunnels that connect all of the buildings in downtown Houston.  It was so cool.  It was like a mall with retail stores, restaurants, fast food, banks, and medical offices.  They have put everything underground so that you don't have to even leave the AC on hot days to go to lunch.  At first I pictured it to be like the underground of a metro or subway, gross and stinky.  But it wasn't that at all.  The tunnels just kept going and going and very hard to find your way back to your office unless you knew them well.  We had a good time.

Matt worked at Shell Two in downtown Houston on the ? floor.  He had an awesome view with floor to ceiling windows.  Clay was mesmorized and was a little apprehensive at first.  He wasn't sure of the big glass window.

View of street down below.

View of the sky and of other buildings.

Matt's parents live a short distance from the Houston LDS Temple.  One afternnoon Matt and I were able to attend the temple while Don and Diane watched the kids for us.  That same evening we went to dinner and then back over to the temple for some family pictures.  I loved this one of our family.  The kids did great. 

 



Mallory ready for church wanted her picture taken. How can a mom resist when their child asks to get their picture taken? It turned out cute.

We left Houston and headed to Indiana the next day and sadly I don't think I took a single photo of our return trip.  We were so "vacationed" out and all we wanted to do was get back to our house.  We didn't do any site seeing and we made the trip in two days--a long two days. Since we had two cars down there with us we split the kids and Max went with Matt and the other two came with me in the minivan.  I definitely got hosed on that deal.  A lot of screaming and crying was had by all. 

Our summer in Houston will never be forgotten and we hope to relive all of the memories when we head back to Houston next summer to work for Shell Oil full-time.  Matt was offered a job and we accepted.  We are all very excited to settle down in a warm (HOT) climate and hopefully start calling Texas home.  Matt said something about me being from Utah the other day and I looked at him and said, "I am a Texan!" He was so proud! I am so proud of all that Matt has accomplished to get him where he is today.  We love him!