Becky's Visit

In January, my good friend Becky from Montana flew out to visit us for a few days. Becky and I had been a part of the same Bible study group for at least 6 years, and she was often the friend I'd call upon to accompany me to various events when the boys were little. The two of us also enjoyed scrapbooking and going on walks together, so it's fair to say that we spent quite a bit of time together during our family's years in Billings. It was so nice to have the chance to show her around Houston (her first time here!) and to catch up on life.

Becky was so sweet with the kids-- reading books with Adley,

bringing gifts for the kids,

listening to Adley "play" piano,

and showing great interest in the boys' stories and baseball cards.

Having Becky visit was a nice excuse for our family to explore parts of Houston that we hadn't yet visited. One weekend day, we all went to NASA. Many of the exhibits were a little on the older side for Jaden and Cody, but they enjoyed various aspects of it-- like this area where they could see how much things (including themselves!) would weigh on other planets.

We watched a couple different science themed shows. Cody was called up as a volunteer for this "rocket science" show. The guy had a quirky but funny sense of humor.

We also liked walking through the Skylab training module, a mock space station facility. The boys thought it was hilarious to see the mannequins acting out various activities in space. The astronauts looked so real!

Another favorite was exploring Independence Plaza. This outdoor plaza holds a replica of the shuttle Independence that is mounted on an original NASA shuttle carrier aircraft. Visitors are able to walk through both the shuttle and the aircraft. Amazing!

Part of our visit also included a tram tour around the facilities of Johnson Space Center. The day we visited was actually quite chilly, so the open-air tram ride was windy and very cold! We kept our faces covered or down in our laps for much of the ride, so we didn't actually get to see much of the facilities, unfortunately. Yes, I'm afraid we are turning into wimpy Texans.

After making a stop at the Mission Control Center (where no pictures OR talking were allowed), we rode the tram to Rocket Park. In addition to these rockets on display outdoors,

we also got to see the Saturn V-- the tallest, heaviest and most powerful rocket ever flown. It was hard to capture the rocket's impressive size on my little camera! We liked seeing how the rocket can detach into three segments, or "stages", each serving a specific purpose to get astronauts to the moon.

Finally, we checked out various astronaut suits in the Astronaut Gallery. It was amazing to see how much their suits had changed over time. 

Do we look like we all became astronauts for the day?? :)

Our other big outing with Becky was going to the Museum of Natural Science. Adley, Becky and I explored this museum on a day when the boys were in school and Jason was at work. Adley's favorite parts were the exhibits with animals. She was especially impressed with the size of the dinosaurs.

 

She also liked this exhibit area which was set up like various habitats, featuring multiple different animals in each setting.

The highlight of the day for all of us, though, was visiting the Butterfly Center. We walked through the educational center first where Adley loved pushing all kinds of buttons.

Seeing all the butterfly chrysalises was remarkable!

The second half of the butterfly center was an actual living butterfly habitat. 

We saw so many beautiful butterflies, and some even landed on us!

Adley always loves saying "cheese!!" for the camera. :)

As we left the museum grounds, we made one more stop to see this Sam Houston Monument. It apparently has been in this same location-- which is now in the middle of a busy traffic circle-- since 1925.

Other than visiting these couple of touristy spots, we also took Becky to our church and school, played several games, went on a few walks, watched some movies, and did some local shopping together. It was a relaxing time! Thanks so much for visiting, Texas, Becky! It was so nice catching up with you. Our family enjoyed our time with you and is thankful for your friendship! :)