The Lee Family: Dinosaurs!

So, this wasn't officially on our "Summer Fun List" but should have been. With Sofia suddenly getting very interested in dinosaurs in the past few weeks, I mentioned to her during our return trip in the Baron on Sunday that there is a place called Dinosaur World that isn't too far from us. She immediately wanted to go, and I figured today was probably the best day given the weather and our schedule. I checked on their website to be sure that they would be open and noticed that dogs on leashes are allowed, so we decided to pack a lunch and take Buddy with us.

We got an early start and hit the grocery store around 8am to pick up some sandwich supplies and fruit before we headed to Glen Rose. It was in the 70s and raining pretty steady, which made me second guess our decision, but we pressed on. It rained for most of our drive, but cleared up completely and became a beautiful day when we were about 30 minutes away from Dinosaur World! I couldn't have planned it better if I tried! We got organized with all of our water bottles, Buddy on his leash, dog water, doggy bags, Olivia in her stroller, etc and went inside. Dinosaur World starts in the gift shop, so Sofia disappeared immediately to explore every aisle. We bought our tickets and made it to the Dinosaur Dig which they offer every hour. Sofia and Olivia dug around in the sand looking for "fossils" and they could keep three pieces each. Sofia found three shark teeth and also helped Olivia decide to pick out two pieces of what looked like a part of a stone worm or something. The third piece Olivia decided on her own - a shiny round brown rock. She carried it around for a long time after we were done with the dinosaur fossil dig.

Once done, we headed out and walked around looking at each dinosaur. Each dinosaur was set back in the trees with a write-up about their name, what they ate, something special about them and where their fossils have been found in the world. It was really well done. In the middle of the park is a pond full of koi that were going crazy trying to eat all the food other visitors were throwing their way. Buddy enjoyed the walk, although a few times I think he thought the dinosaur might be real! He then spent his time walking from shady spot to shady spot. After we finished visiting all the dinosaurs, the girls went to the "boneyard" were they dusted off a dinosaur fossil buried in the sand. Then we hit the playground for a few minutes before heading out. Once in the gift shop, I told Sofia she could buy one thing, but she couldn't decide so I told her we would return after lunch and she could decide.

We loaded back up into the car and headed the short distance to Dinosaur Tracks State Park where we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit and water. The girls played for a little while at a little playground there, then we drove down to one of the trailheads that leads to some dinosaur tracks. CK, Sofia and I hiked in along the river a few years back and only saw two or three dinosaur tracks, but now that the Brazos River is low this time of year, we only had to walk a short distance before we saw a lot of dinosaur foot prints! Of course the girls were in the water immediately (even though we didn't have swimsuits or a change of clothes with us) and even Buddy was swimming around as soon as he could. It was hot standing out in the open in the early afternoon. We actually ran into a friend of mine and her family and Sofia loved swimming with her two kids. They had a great time and I enjoyed meeting Cathy's husband and catching up with Cathy while the kids swam. Unfortunately, I think we spent a little too much time hanging out and by the time it was clear that Olivia needed to get in the car and take a nap, I felt like we'd be in an oven! Olivia was wearing nothing but her last clean diaper and Sofia was soaked in her clothes, so she stripped out of them by the car and drove home naked!

It was a super fun, long day and we all had a great time!

Sofia got eaten by a dinosaur!