McKinney Falls State Park

Saturday morning we loaded up Drew & Jamie's pop-up and took off for Austin and McKinney Falls State Park. Unbelievably, it was just Chris and me and the kids! Whew, it was rough! Spending several days camping without any grandparents reminded me what a great help they all are. We made it, though!

Audrey unpacks in baby jail

After we set up camp and started dinner, my cousin Adrian and her husband Matt and their brand-spankin'-new baby Kate joined us for burgers and s'mores! I was chomping at the bit to see and hold this little sweetheart.

Okay, you know it's not a trip with me if something absolutely, ridiculously insane doesn't happen at some point. Sure enough, late Saturday night (we're talking past midnight), I was awakened by the loudest Mexican mariachi-type music I've ever heard. I lay there in my bed, listening and trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I am in a state park, listening to crickets chirping and owls hooting one minute and hearing a booming tuba line and Spanish lyrics that seemed to be blasting from speakers about 30 feet away the next. ?!?!?! Well, if you know me, you know I value my sleep AND I don't have much tolerance for inconsiderate people. I could feel my blood pressure rising so after about 10-15 minutes, I hopped up, threw on flip-flops and a sweatshirt, and grabbed my phone. I marched out of my camper, intending to discover who was throwing a fiesta at 1 a.m. in a campground. I didn't get too far before I thought about how lots of Mexicans own guns, so instead I dialed 9-1-1 and told the dispatcher to get someone out here and turn down the music! Stat! After a little while longer, I contemplated calling again and claiming to have heard gunshots, but the music finally stopped.

Flash forward to Sunday afternoon for a minute--I reported my nighttime experience to the park ranger, and she immediately knew what I was talking about: apparently, there is a "dance hall" (read: strip club) a few miles from the park that occasionally decides to test the limits of the human eardrum with their music. She said the police are called every once in a while and they don't have any issues for a while... then the club cranks up the music again. Insane! I am still flabbergasted that the loud music that woke me up was actually coming from a few miles away.

Okay, back to more pictures and such! Sunday morning we held our own worship service (Noah was in charge of songs. His first suggestion: "Sexy and I Know It." We'll have to work on praise and worship songs). We then made a short drive into Austin to visit the Texas Military Forces Museum, because I had learned it was Austin Museum Day and all area museums were FREE! Chris and I rarely pass up free. Noah LOVED this museum, of course, and was eager to pose for all my pictures.

F-16 Cockpit Egress Trainer

A piece of the Berlin wall

A lady offered to take our picture. Not bad.

After the museum, I wanted Chris and Noah to see the Capitol building (built from 1885-1888), so we grabbed some lunch and then took a cursory tour. Noah wanted to go up inside the rotunda, which scared Chris to death because the banisters weren't designed to keep small children from falling. I promised to keep him safe, and Noah insisted we climb the stairs as high as we could go. Chris would not even look up and wave at us, and he told me later he felt nauseous just thinking about Noah being up there. Anyone want to contribute to my Chris Psychotherapy Fund?

The Capitol of Texas

The Rotunda

The stairs we had to climb :-/

 We returned to the campground and waited for the kids to wake up. 

VIDEO of Audrey during Noah's nap

After a quick dinner, we drove to a lookout point and took a short hike to see the Upper Falls before sunset. We couldn't wait to get up the next day and do some "real" hiking!

Sunday night our cooler was visited by some thieving rascals, but all they took was a juice box. 

Ha! Tricked them! All the meat was in the fridge inside. 

Tiny handprints=raccoon paws

 Monday morning after the best omelet I've ever eaten, seriously, we took a hike to see the Indian cliff dwellings. LOVED this hike! Noah was great until we got out on the flat limestone, which was glaring and hot. That's when the whining began, and was only satiated by swinging on a vine like Tarzan.

We also saw the old McKinney Homestead, built in the 1850s by slaves. That was really impressive! I think Noah enjoyed wading across the creek to see this.

We cleaned up that afternoon and drove to Austin Baptist Church to meet Matt and Adrian and tour Matt's new digs. He's a youth minister there, and he is really proud of his kids and the beautiful new building! We then went to Cedar Park to see their new house and were joined by my cousin Josiah, his wife Tina, and their kids Gabriel (almost 3) and Zurielle (4 months). They live in nearby Round Rock, so we feel really blessed that we could all find some time to get together and catch up. I had never met Zuri, either! It was hard to split time between Kate and Zuri!

Zuri, Tina, and Josiah

Mother/Daughter Picture! Adrian & Kate, Angela & Audrey, Tina & Zuri

My cousin Adrian and her sweet redhead Elizabeth Kate

This is Gabriel ("Gabe"), Josiah & Tina's son. Isn't he gorgeous??

The boys spent the whole evening WRESTLING! So funny!

The raccoons visited again last night, this time exploring the (empty) trash can and leaving telltale footprints. We packed up pretty quickly and were on the road by 9:45. I would have been fine with staying another week if possible! The weather was fantastic, the park had a lot to offer (especially if you're in the mood for a little salsa dancing), and I would have loved more time with my cousins and their sweet babies.

I couldn't possibly share every picture in this post, but please take some time to look at my album and enjoy some of the fantastic scenery (and the cutest kids).