Ups and Downs of Downtown Houston

We're staying in Downtown Houston for two days while Scott conducts some interviews here. Today we took a stroll to the JPMorgan Chase Tower, just a few blocks from our hotel. The skyscraper is 75 stories (just over 1,000 feet) tall. So check this out... 

It is currently the tallest building in the city, the tallest building in Texas, the tallest five-sided building in the world, the 13th tallest building in the United States, and the 79th tallest building in the world.

We took the elevator up to the 60th story and got a great view of the city from the observation deck.

After that, we went 20 feet below the streets' surface and explored the tunnels below Downtown (mostly retail shops and restaurants) to get to Houston's Central Library. There are more than 6 miles of tunnels connecting 95 city blocks. Kinda fun.

"Lizzie's and Heidi's New Fancy Room"

A story dictated by Elizabeth Miller

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Lizzie. She liked to have fancy stuff. Then she decided to have a fancy room when she moves to her new house. She was so excited. Her family thought it was a good idea too. Then she had an idea what she could make for her fancy room. She would have a jewelry box, she would have a canopy bed, she would have all kinds of fancy stuff. She would have everything that’s fancy in her room. Then Lizzie and Heidi had an idea—that she could have a fancy Jessie room with Jessie stuff, like cowgirl dresses and cowgirl hats and fancy cowgirl masks. We thought it was fun. Then, when it was dinner time, they finally moved. Then when they got to see their new house, Elizabeth and Heidi Anne Miller got to see their new room. And then they dressed it up with fancy stuff. And then they lived happily ever after. The End.

Rivercenter Mall

San Antonio Fire Museum

Alamo and Riverwalk

For family night, we took a walk to see the Christmas lights. So pretty:

The Riverwalk

The Alamo

And of course we had to stop and see Stumpy... It's become kind of a tradition with us, because the girls are so fascinated.

San Antonio Central Library

I haven't been impressed with Austin's libraries, but I was blown away by San Antonio's Central Library. It's six stories tall, 240,000 sq ft, contains more than half a million volumes, and has lots of great art on display. We enjoyed hanging out in the children's library for a little bit:

Mission San Jose

This is a national park. There are five missions in San Antonio; all were built in the 1700s. San Jose is considered the "Queen of the Missions."

The convento and church

The Rose Window

The mill

Japanese Tea Gardens at Brackenridge Park

Scott worked in San Antonio on Monday and Tuesday, so we tagged along:

While Dad worked, we visited the Japanese Tea Gardens. They were very beautiful, but not very stroller accessible.

The kids loved all the huge fish in the koi pond.

I don't think my pictures do the place justice, so here's a stock photo. It really was very beautiful.

Christmas Dinner

We had a great big Christmas ham (lots of leftovers!) with all the trimmings: mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, fruit, pie, and homemade apple cobbler. Mmm, mmm. :)

Christmas Morning

Lizzie

Aunt Sarah

Heidi

Owen couldn't be bothered to take a picture with his presents; he was too busy playing with his barn set that Santa brought him. Owen is really into cowboys and farms right now.

Christmas Eve

We're still searching for our own Christmas Eve traditions. Last year we went to Waffle House and saw the temple lights. Yesterday we had a buffet-style dinner, decorated Rice Krispie trees, and did some service before watching the Church's 5-minute Nativity video:

Li'l Smokies, pigs in a blanket, fruit platter, cheese ball and crackers, toasted bread and spinach dip. Yum.

Vegan Rice Krispie trees for dessert!

We cut the Rice Krispie treats in triangles, frosted them with green frosting, and decorated them with Skittles and sprinkles.

Playing in the Leaves on Christmas Eve

Yesterday the weather forecast was 74 high / 54 low, so it was a great day for playing outside:

Hines Waterwall Park

This small-ish park is adjacent to the mall. The centerpiece of the park is a really tall fountain sculpture. It really is quite impressive:

The picture is hazy from all the mist on the lens of the camera, but you get the idea.

Houston Galleria

Our hotel was just a block from the Galleria: Texas's biggest mall, with 3 million square feet and more than 375 stores. Supposedly the mall gets 35 million visitors a year and is the most visited attraction in Greater Houston. We spent several hours on Tuesday exploring:

Sarah's favorite store, the Disney Store

If you've never been there, the Disney Store is pretty magical. Heidi was especially taken with this mirror that transformed into a snowscape every minute or so. She was convinced that she made it change just by dancing frantically in front of it.

The kids loved the children's play area. It was a replica of the mall that the kids could climb all over and through. I don't think I've ever seen kids so totally absorbed in a play area before. They could have played happily for hours.

We bought lunch in the food court and ate it by the giant Christmas tree--situated right in the middle of a giant ice skating rink on the bottom floor of the mall. The tree is 55 feet tall (three or four stories), with 450,000 lights and 5,000 ornaments.

Hermann Park

Scott had to work in Houston for two days this week. Since Lizzie was off school, we tagged along. On Monday, we visited Hermann Park. It's a huge park (445 acres) and one of the most popular parks in Houston. (Honestly, we weren't that impressed, but it helped us pass a few hours.)

Pioneer Memorial Obelisk with the huge reflection pool in the background

Three cute kids

McGovern Lake

Art exhibit (Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't have let the kids climb on it. Oops.)

Statute of General Sam Houston at the entrance of the park