Spring Break 2010

Iowa is not the usual spring break destination, but that’s where we headed.  We were able to pack and ship my mother’s belongings for her move to Texas, but were unable to bring her back with us as she suffered a fall a few days before the move.  She stayed back in Iowa for her rehab and will be moving down before Easter.

We did enjoy our visit with family while in Iowa.  All four Crouse brothers were in Iowa at the same time.

We also enjoyed seeing our nieces and nephews.  I missed getting a photo of Kurt and Will and Pete were back in Kansas, but I was able to capture photos of the rest.

Also congrats to Bart and Michele as they are expecting Crouse baby #5 around August 31st….only 2 weeks earlier than Melissa’s baby!  Our grandkids are about the same age as many of our nieces and nephews so it can be confusing to the kids sometimes….why are their aunt and uncle so old?  Why are their cousins nearly as old as their parents?  They are super cute kids and they have wonderful and loving parents.  We do not plan to go back to Iowa again in 2010 so we are hoping that some might come to visit Texas.

The Rock

Alcatraz was one place that we had not been on our previous visit to San Francisco.  So after carefully checking the weather forecast, we added a tour of Alcatraz to our trip agenda.  The day turned out to be beautiful.

Below is a photo of “The Rock” as we are approaching.

The cells were sparse and drab….as they probably should be considering they housed dangerous convicted criminals.

 

Alcatraz was home to Al Capone and the Birdman of Alcatraz as well as some other of the most dangerous criminals of their time.  

Alcatraz Island had a lighthouse that served San Francisco bay in the early 20th century.

This is the gorgeous view of the San Francisco skyline from Alcatraz.

The tour was very interesting and well worth our time.  And now that we have been to the island, it would be fun to see a couple of old movies again like “The Birdman of Alcatraz” and “Escape from Alcatraz”.  The place is a little spooky.

More San Francisco Sites

On the one beautiful day that we had in San Francisco we visited as many places as we could.  After our cable car ride to Lombard Street, we took a bus over to the Palace of Fine Arts.  What a beautiful place. 

We then walked on down to the area near Golden Gate Bridge and walked along the beach.

 

We ended the day eating at Boudin Bakery and Cafe which is famous for their sourdough bread.  We had clam chowder in a bread bowl.  So delicious.

Loved the sourdough bread.  We even had sourdough french toast one morning for breakfast.  We enjoyed the food in San Francisco although Steve and I agree that Seattle’s seafood is the best.

Sights of San Francisco

Steve presented research at the American Heart Association meeting in San Francisco recently.  I joined him for the week and we really enjoyed our trip.  Steve attended a number of other presentations and the weather was cool and rainy so were limited in our sightseeing.  We had been to SF, Napa Valley and Carmel about four years ago.  We had one beautiful day and managed to take in some famous sites.  We went to Union Square. (below)

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Then walked to China town….

 

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We took a cable car to Lombard Street

 

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Walked up and down Lombard Street….the crookedest street in the world!

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We then headed for Ghirardelli Square and sampled some delicious chocolate.

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I’ll pick up on the next post for more sites.

Andrew’s 6th Birthday

We flew back in to Austin following our San Francisco trip to celebrate Andrew’s birthday.  We had a little family birthday party beginning with dinner at EZ’s and then back to the Alexander’s for ice cream sundaes mmmm…..

 

Andrew had a great time and we were so thankful that we were there to help celebrate.  Happy Birthday Andrew!

Onya Birthday Celebration 2010

Again this year the Onya Sisters celebrated everyone’s birthday all at once!  We started the evening at Pebble Creek for dinner.

Then headed for Diane’s for coffee, delicious Key Lime cake (thank you Julie!), fellowship and games.  LaJuan also mixed in a quick hair makeover for Tina (aka Spike).  Some ladies spent the night as well.  To those who couldn’t make it….we missed you.  Love you ladies.

For This Child I Prayed

“I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.” 1 Samuel 1:20 

May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! Psalm 20:4  This verse from Psalms is the verse that I had emailed to Melissa providentially on the day that she found out that she is pregnant, not knowing how God had already answered our prayers for a Baby Hollon.  We are so excited for David and Melissa and for the new life that will join the family about September 15th.

“But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day." Habakkuk 2:3   God has certainly chosen this time, this child for David and Melissa and we are truly thankful for this answer to prayer….an answer that is not late by a single day.

Happy 6th Birthday Andrew!

Andrew, you are a boy of many faces.  We have always loved your expressive face!  We plan to share a day with you right before your birthday on March 8th.  By the way, you are one of the only people I know that was actually born on your due date—naturally, without induction.  Our favorite things about you include:

• Your face full of joyful expression
• your beautiful singing voice and love of music
• your unabashed love for your mom, dad and sissy
• we love and admire your creativity with drawing, writing and playing
• you are so sweet with your younger cousins and your love for animals
• your love of the outdoors, exploring and nature

We pray that you continue to grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and learn to love and trust Him always.  We love you our sweet Andrew!

Fight Club

Fight time, wrestle time, fight club, whatever you call it, the Alexander’s have a tradition every night before bedtime.  I wouldn’t call it relaxing, but it does seem to wear the kids (and parents) out before bed.  The kids can lose the privilege of “fight time” if they don’t behave well. 

The were a few tears among much laughter.  I think these traditions are ones that the kids will remember into adulthood.  Steve and I certainly enjoyed watching, although not participating in their fight club.  What fun!