Houston, TX- Day 4

Our last day in Texas started early, as a friend told us that the dolphins only chase the Port Bolivar ferry in the mornings.  The boys thought it was quite awesome that we could drive our car right onto a ferry boat- and I'll admit, it was pretty cool!  Once the ferry left the dock we were able to go upstairs to the observation deck for the rest of the ride.  There we were able to see the beginnings of a major difference in the boys unfold- Matthew was happy to peer over the edge to see the dolphins and birds while Caleb would panic if we got too close.  I couldn't blame the kid- as I was deathly afraid of water as a young child- but after some rather technical discussions on the safety features of the ferry, we were able to get him to stand at the railing and enjoy the ride. 

Once we arrived on the Bolivar Peninsula we found a fun little playground where we let the boys run off some steam.  They brought their Mars rovers and their little astronauts and pretended to be exploring the volcanos on the surface of Mars.  Once again it was simply amazing to sit back and listen to them talk about all of the things they had seen, heard, and learned at the Space Center.  I'm sure snippets of information will be surfacing for months to come as the boys do what they do best- and that is process their world through their creative play.  After the park we thought the beach would be a fun surface to explore with their rovers.  Of all the times I've been to Houston I've never set foot on a Texas beach, so we headed down the road just a bit to check it out.  After a few minutes of sand play, Matthew wandered down towards the shore where Jon and I were walking in the water and he joined us to get his feet wet in the ocean.  Caleb on the other hand was happy to be firmly planted in the sand by the car!  We did manage to get him down by the water to a calm, shallow tide pool-like spot and he was willing to put his feet in but the second Jon tried to let go of his hand he panicked, screaming about getting washed away into the ocean.  I'm sure it seems quite minor, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that this may be one of the first real differences in the boys personalities that we have ever seen.  While Matthew is cautious around the ocean but able to enjoy it, Caleb is just plain terrified.  Luckily for Cal, our trips to the ocean are few and far between but it will be interesting to see how this progresses.  Anyways- after the beach we jumped back on the ferry and watched a 20 minute dolphin show (from a Caleb approved safe distance behind the railing!) on the way back.  It was simply amazing- four different pods of dolphins frolicked around the boat- some leading, some chasing- all playing happily! 

We had a quick lunch at an adorable little park in Old Galveston then had to head back to check out of our hotel.  The boys wanted to go back to Space Center Houston to see a few more things before it was time to go home, so we spent another hour or so there.  It solidified just how much they really took in during our tours- there were certain things they wanted to see and this time they were able to tell us about those things!  They were also adamant about finding a Saturn V toy as that was their absolute favorite part of the trip- and luckily I was able to find a tiny little Saturn V action figure (can you call a toy rocket an action figure?!) for $3.50 that just blew them away :)  I made sure to grab three and stow one away in my purse for the inevitable day when someone loses one and we have a nuclear meltdown!

After our last visit to the Space Center it was time to head to the airport.  I didn't expect to feel so sad walking out of there for the last time, but I really did.  The things we saw were indescribable.  The people we met felt like old friends.  The memories were so fresh in my mind and I was afraid that they would become just memories once we left.  But this is how the story goes- each of our trips must come to an end and I know that I have these things to hold on to:  The memories, the photographs, the videos, and the personal narratives the boys will create to keep their own memories alive as time marches on.  And the faith that God will lead us on yet another life changing adventure just as soon as we recover from this one.

To all of our new friends- THANK YOU.  Thank you will never be enough, but it is all I can offer.  I'm sure for all of you these last four days were just four more days at work, but for us they were awe-inspiring and life changing.  Each and every one of you helped light another fire in the boys' minds and hearts and with minds and hearts like theirs, there is no telling where this flame will lead them!

 Caleb overcoming his fears in the safety of daddy's arms!

 

 

Three of the dolphins we saw on the ferry ride back to Galveston- our camera's zoom isn't working well, I wish this was more close up!

 Caleb recreating the famous handshake between Astronaut Thomas Stafford and Cosmonaut Alexei A. Leonov during the Apollo Soyuz Test Project in 1975

Zero Gravity (courtesy of daddy!) in the Sky Lab Trainer

 Look who we stumbled upon in the airport terminal!!!  The boys were super excited to see their friend Ms. Suni on a display about the International Space Station right in our terminal!

 

The boys by Ms. Suni's display :)

 Watching our plane come in

 

Once again- Matthew found the pictures of the plane floating in the water quite disheartening!!!  I love his face!!  Never gets old- every time we fly he's got to check out these pictures and every time he makes this exact face!