Houston Arboretum

Because we intend to not waste our time while the #schwartzessummerinhouston, we decided to take a little daytime jaunt over to the Houston Arboretum. We figured... a little bit of nature, but not too much nature. Trails that we could push the stroller over (we like our Ergo carrier better, but it gets a little hot during 99 degree weather) and seeing some sights.


Devereaux and his summertime Pharaoh-style hat are ready to ride!



And this is where reality hits pretty pictures.
I'm going to share a very important blog vs. real life tip with you:
On the Internet, nobody talks about mosquitoes.




They really should. Talk about mosquitoes. But they don't.
Mosquitoes are evil. They bite, devour and make you itchy. They buzz around your ears until you are sure that you are going certifiably insane and the buzzing must be imagined. They never quite get close enough to get slapped, unless of course, they already bit you and are buzzing away like little prison escapees.



And when one stops to take a pretty photos such as these.... the mosquito horde gets happy.

Let's just say that our walk was shorter than we liked and we escaped to the air-conditioned visitor center to chat with the arboretum employees about... you know it... mosquitoes. Apparently, it's the worst time of the year. The heat, the rain, and now the standing water breeds them like crazy.

Brandon wouldn't let me eat blackberries.

Right before we ran for the visitor center. That smile was forced.


Life got a whole lot better for everyone when we stepped through the doors. I mean, we really enjoyed strolling, but the longer we walked and the shadier it got... the more emboldened mosquitoes we encountered. However, the Discovery Room exhibits were super-fun to look at and read! There were aquariums and books and stuffed dead animals (YEAH!) and snake skeletons and all sorts of interesting things.



We love books! Even bug books!

And then Devereaux got distracted looking at his daddy.


So we decided to show him the baby turtle. *Awesome parenting moment*


It turned out to be a wonderful excursion, despite the mosquitoes. I think there's a life lesson in there somewhere. You can figure it out. ;)