Hudson's Family Reunion

Last week we packed up the car with all of Micayla's things (she requires a lot!) and a few things for her parents so that we could attend Hudson's family reunion in Bandera, TX. Bandera is home to the Flying L Dude Ranch (just northwest of San Antonio) which is where the family was gathering from multiple states (New Hampshire, Virginia, Colorado, California, Texas, Ohio, and Florida). I was a little skeptical because we have a 9 month old who loves nothing more than to crawl and move everywhere, and dude ranches aren't exactly known to have foam covered areas where babies can crawl without getting dusty. And the little girl can only take being held for so long....but away we went!

We stopped first in Luling, TX which I have to believe is mostly known for it's incredibly large Bucee's. Y'all, there were so many people in that gas station/convenience store/Texas market that there were no places to park, and they probably have parking for about 50 cars. It's a neat place to stop, mainly because their bathrooms truly are the cleanest around. I wished I had taken a picture, but the camera was packed in one of the bags we had. Needless to say, we used the stop to feed Micayla some lunch with the hopes that she would take a nap the remainder of the way (which she sort of did).

We arrived in Bandera and spent the next 3 nights at the dude ranch. Thankfully, the dude ranch has accommodations similar to a nice hotel, so our room had a living area/kitchenette, as well as a master bedroom. This was great because Micayla slept in the pack n' play in the living area, and we didn't have to worry about waking her up when we were trying to get ready for bed. And, I wasn't too keen on going to bed at 8 pm every night, though no doubt I could have used the extra rest. The best part about the Flying L is the waterpark that is attached to the ranch...it was so warm there that the only way to make it was to be immersed in water. And, they didn't have any problem with Micayla being held in the wave pool/lazy river, so she had a fabulous time, furthering our awareness that the child loves water. We had a good time but were ready to come home!

Anyways, here's a few pictures from our trip.


Hudson and Micayla before the Cowboy Olympics started. Most of the family participated, with the exception of a few of the more "mature" members, and those of us with babies, and those that just didn't want to. There were quite a few laughs to be had! (Now I wish I had taken a video!)


Hudson leading his team at Cowboy Olympics..I think they won this round. I don't remember what this was called, but they had to walk backwards as a team weaving between three different poles with this long stick between their legs. I must say, it was quite comical.


Hudson leading his team again in "Cowboy skiing"...unfortunately, they lost this challenge to the other family member team, who beat them by a long shot.


I have no idea what he is doing--maybe trying to warm up for whatever is coming up next? Needless to say, he has no idea I even took this picture.


Another event at the Cowboy Olympics---one family member rode a horse and weaved around three poles while holding an egg in a spoon....they each had a partner on the ground to pick up the egg if (and when) it fell.


Micayla enjoying one of the swings at the park on the ranch.


Micayla at the water park---not sure why the picture isn't great quality.


Waterpark--we could see this out our hotel room window.


Waterpark--it had a splash area for the kids, a couple of twisty slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, a water volleyball section, and an obstacle course with a rolling log and tires that you had to try and crawl towards while holding onto netting above you. Needless to say, we decided that we didn't even need to make a spectacle of ourselves by trying this. :)

I meant for us to get a family picture of the three of us, but that didn't happen! Glad that we could see all the family members that we don't see very often (they have the reunion every 2nd or 3rd year), but we're also glad to be back home, sleeping in our own beds and having our own routine.