remember the alamo {and} the riverwalk

So, everyone "warned" me that the Alamo was tiny, not much to see, blah, blah, blah. But, maybe I've lived in Texas long enough, or maybe I'm geeky enough about history, or maybe I've seen enough "Castles" in Europe to know that nothing is like how Hollywood portrays it....because, I really liked it. Whats not to like? There were a lot of things I didn't know about it either. Like, the Alamo is really a shrine...no photography allowed inside! Which was a bummer, because there are some interesting things inside, which you'll just have to see for your self (which I strongly recommend). But there were also some really interesting things on the outside too...

...Like really cool architecture!

Who'da thunk?

I mean really fabulous stuff here!

I thought it was just all adobe. Ignorant me. The grounds around the Alamo are really beautiful too.

After seeing the Alamo, I really wanted to go see the other Missions in San Antonio...but not with kids. The Alamo didn't hold their interest for very long. And I couldn't stop and read all the signs, markers, and information (yep, I'm a dork).

And check out the view across from the Alamo!

We went to Downtown San Antonio on Friday, which happened to be a BIG day down there. It was the lighting of the Riverwalk and Boat Parade. So, we went early in the morning, as to miss the 100,000 (!) expected tourists. (which, btw...after being down there, where the heck would they fit all those people?!)

After visiting the Alamo we walked a few blocks in the gorgeous weather to the Riverwalk for a River Cruise.

Apparently the walk was too tiring for some. Or could it be that they were just about vacationed out? (Yes, that is really Brynnie all sacked out on my back, not a rag doll.)

But she didn't stay asleep for long...

...and neither did Benson. They both woke up in time to enjoy the River Cruise.

Again, gorgeous weather, gorgeous sights.

We wrapped up our day in Downtown San Antonio with lunch and then headed back to our hotel for a rest. We finished out our vacation with a movie, "A Christmas Carol" (which we were so surprised that it was WAY too scary for our little kids. oOpS!), dinner, and ice cream. Friday night the kids all fell asleep at the hotel as soon as we got back. The next morning, we packed up our SEVEN loads of fun/dirty laundry and headed back to Houston.

It was such a wonderful vacation. The kids were marvelous and we had no major (or even minor) catastrophes. Most of all, they had so much fun, and so did Brandon and I. Yes, traveling with three little kids is VERY hard and VERY stressful. But I think this was the perfect place to start our vacationing adventures. I can't wait to go on another family vacation!