Kidz at Barton Springs

Our last stop in Austin with the kids was at Barton Springs- an amazing natural fed pool that has been an Austin favorite for decades. We tried to go on Saturday afternoon, but were discouraged by the crowds.



We showed up early on Sunday & it was pretty empty around lunch time, but quickly filled up in the afternoon. I'd been as a child & somehow missed hanging out here when I was in college.



Just below the dam is a cool dog park area where owners & furry friends hang out in the water too.



The water is a very chilly & it was quite a show to see who would take the plunge first. Hunter does it with style!



The diving board was quite popular & the kids had fun doing some stunts.



It was pretty entertaining to watch everybody, young & old, have fun getting some air.



Hunter can do front flips.



Haley does a wicked canon ball.



The rocks on the bottom make it irregular & very slippery.



The kids had a race where they both stumbled and slipped.



Haley goes down first...



They had to much fun together, just hanging out & being silly.



It's so great to catch real smiles out of these two.



They were laughing hysterically & we were quite entertained. We stayed until we got hungry & the park was getting crowded, then drove back to Houston.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Kidz made it home safely from their mission trip in Mexico & I'll be stealing Facebook photos over the next few weeks.

Kidz & College

Our next major stop was the campus at the University of Texas. Hunter has some interest in going there & it's just a beautiful campus. I don't think either of them have really walked around a college campus before & it was a cool experience.



This is one of my favorite scenes around campus.



It's hard to believe Hunter will be a junior this year & starting to visit colleges. He's interested in engineering, thinks he wants to go to a college in Texas & outside of Houston. We'll see how those plans evolve over the next 2 years.



We missed the evening showing of the Congress Ave. bats, but there were still a few fluttering around when we walked into town.



No real trip to the University of Texas is complete without a stop at their satellite campus- aka 6th street. We caught a late movie & ended up having a late dinner. It was around 11:30 when we finally made the walk through the wild side. They were funny- I think my brother was a bit overwhelmed with all the partying & my sister was just ready to go.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: My easy-going August just got a lot busier as I picked up some work trips & so did H.

Mt Bonnell & the Capitol

The next stop on our Austin trip was Mt Bonnell Park, overlooking the Austin skyline and Town Lake.



Just a few steps off the main trail & you can get some great views of the lake & surrounding hillside.



::le sigh::
I miss Austin & would love to live in this urban wilderness.



Next stop was a quick walk around the Texas Capitol. I guess kids these days don't take field trips to see it anymore :(



I love that my sister is a little shutterbug & getting quite into taking photos, which I can later steal on Facebook.



She caught Hunter & I walking down the steps at Mt. Bonnell. When did my hair get that short?!?!!? And when did my brother get so tall??

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: August snuck up on me...I can't believe we are 7/12ths of the way through the year!

The Oasis Austin

Last weekend we grabbed my brother & sister and headed to Austin to explore. Our first stop was at The Oasis on Lake Travis.



They are famous for their layers of decking that provides awesome views of the sunset and all the partiers out on the lake.



I loved my years living in Austin during college & couldn't believe the kids hadn't been up there to do any sightseeing.



The lake was pretty quiet for a sunny Saturday, but there was still a crowd at Windy Point Park.



I tried explaining to them how the Colorado River, through 3 dams, formed the 3 Austin area lakes.



I was just blown away by how much The Oasis is growing. Way back when, it was a little local restaurant that was pretty simple & basic.



They are expanding and getting into the events (weddings!) and hotel area of things.



We jealously checked out all the amazing houses on the lake & schemed about how we might get our own one day.



It's so big and fancy now- I hardly recognize it :(



Like all of Austin- rampant construction and expansion. I'm kinda sad to see the little dive restaurant gone, but such is progress.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Looks like we are going to Belize for our anniversary! Sooooo excited about that ;)

VBS

My brother and sister volunteered last week at Vacation Bible school at our church. Thank to the abundance of cell phone cameras, I've got lots of cute pics.



They enjoyed hanging out with their friends as much as actually volunteering.



Apparently my brother showed off his acting skills in a skit & the little kids wanted his autograph afterward.



So cute to see my siblings working with the real little kids who are adorable.



Haley finally has a driving friend- Sam.



Not technically at VBS, but this is Haley's new friend (i.e. Hunter's old friend & possibly future girlfriend??). Anyways....can't wait to see how the young-love romance drama unfolds.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: The kidz & Brenda are in Mexico for 6 days on a mission trip outside of Mexico City.

So Fast

I was going through some of my old wedding photos & ran across some of the kidz. They are growing up so fast! Although only 3.5 years ago, there are so many changes in the teenage years and so much happening.



For that reason, we are taking my brother & sister to Austin today to explore and spend some time with them. Hunter is now 16 and been driving for 6 months, going to be a junior in high school this fall. He starts taking AP classes this year, stops doing wrestling and starts more serious dating!



Haley will be 15h this September and will start all of her practice driving. She's entering the big, bad world of high school and all the girl drama that entails.



I love these pictures so much- they are so priceless & capture so much of the personality of both of them. I can't wait to hang out with them as they get older, find their own path in life, start exploring the bigger world outside of northwest Houston and grow into amazing people.

Photos courtesy of the amazing Trista Lerit

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Austin! and my brother and sister! What more can I say?

8th Grade Recital

A few weeks back, Mother's Day weekend to be exact, my sister had her yearly dance recital. Since it was Mother's Day, I went to the rehearsal on Thursday & caught these stinking cute little bumble bee girls.



Haley's first dance was party of a large group number.



It's so hard to take pictures with all the movement in near dark conditions!



High school is next year & she wants to try out for the drill team in the fall.







2nd costume change- they reminded me of Irish River dancers during their tap routine.



Sadly, my sister was generally in the back or flying across the stage- too fast for me to catch.



There was one little boy there who was so cute!



I went backstage in between shows & didn't stay for the jazz routine, but caught them practicing their moves.



Then it was back to homework!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Friday finally :) Yet another busy weekend though- got my 9 mile run in this morning & ready for a Bellini tonight to cool off.