Closer friends

Our good friends the Reaves also moved closer to us. We're now just down the street from each other, which is great, since our kids get along well (the adults do, too). They found a great house with a huge yard adjacent to the greenbelt. We couldn't be happier that they're near us, and here are some photos of a rainy afternoon spent together. They all look dry in this photo, but they didn't stay that way for very long!

My parents are Austinites!

Well, not exactly, but they bought a house! We're so excited to have them closer to us, and the kids are really anxious for them to make the complete move. There's been a lot of discussion and planning leading up to this, and we're happy they finally found a place they love. It's a cute house with not much work needed. They have a huge deck out back with a large space underneath, which Garrett has already named the Batcave. We love you, Grandma and Lito, and we can't wait for you to be permanently right around the corner! Here's a photo of the kids and me on the steps of their deck.

Museums, roofs, farms, trains and nurseries

We made a lot of memories this summer. Some of our favorite places to visit are Austin's Children's Museum, where we recently learned about wind power and healed sick animals,

the playscape on the roof of Whole Foods, where we enjoy yummy pizza and peanut butter smoothies,

the Little Buckaroo Ranch, where we went on mini hayrides, brushed ponies, fed pigs and goats, received goldfish kisses, watched pony tricks, and roasted marshmallows (among other fun animal experiences),

Zilker Park, where we love climbing on the fire engine and sharing train rides with friends,

and our favorite organic nursery The Natural Gardener, where we buy all of our plants and love to visit the donkeys and chickens, climb the trees, swing on the swing, and pose in the flowers. We love this city!

Spring Program and Pre-K Graduation

Garrett's preschool always ends the year with a Spring Program, during which each class sings one or two songs they learned that year, and they play a slideshow of photos taken over the year. The kids also work hard to create the art that they use for the backdrop on stage. It's a really sweet performance and walk down memory lane for all of the parents. Scout loved waving at her big brother and her friend Brooklyn.

Garrett's Pre-K Graduation was so precious, and, yes, I did tear up during it. They each walked down the aisle in their little graduation caps, accepted a diploma and Bible and then got back up as a class to sing a sweet song about Jesus! We finished with a reception, and received some nice photo gifts from the teachers. It was a great year for Garrett, and I'm so thankful for the loving teachers we've had these couple of years at Noah's Ark. It's hard to believe that these preschool days are behind us.

Mother's Day

My kids and hubby were super sweet to me on Mother's Day, as always. I got some great gifts (Shaun of the Dead DVD - thanks, Ryan!), flowers, cards, cupcakes, and a fantastic lunch at Mandola's. Garrett's school had a nice Mother's Day tea, which was precious. Thank you to my two sweet kiddos and my wonderful husband for making the weekend a special one. I'm so happy to be your mommy, Garrett and Scout. I couldn't imagine two sweeter kids!

Easter

Easter always kinda gets overshadowed by Garrett's birthday, but we had a nice one. It was just the four of us this year, and we took it easy. The kids loved getting their baskets and loading up on some sugar before church. We actually got a pretty good family shot before we left that morning, too. We came home for lunch, but saved the egg hunt for after Scout's nap. Her territory was the backyard, while Garrett got anything behind the fence. It was a lot of fun, and the kids found every egg! I think G finally started to understand the real meaning behind the holiday, as we tried to spend more time this year talking about the incredible sacrifice that Christ made for us. Although it's very belated, Happy Easter, everyone!

Yummy Peeps!

The Backyard

No, this is not a post about more house renovations involving our yard, although we have worked on it a lot this spring. I'm writing about the outdoor music venue in Austin that changed locations, and has just re-opened, The Backyard. I took the kids today to their First Look Festival, which was really fun, but I should start by mentioning Ryan's involvement.

Ryan started a branch of his company with his friend and co-worker Eric called Green Event Services. They provide a green waste disposal option for events in Austin by recycling and composting the large majority of the waste produced at the events. I won't get into all the details, because I don't know or fully understand them, but people were telling Ryan and Eric that it couldn't be done and that no one would pay for it. The guys believed in Ryan's ideas and Eric's numbers, and they convinced their boss and the Austin Wine Festival to let them try. Almost a year and several events later, Green Events is now partnering with The Backyard, providing their services for every concert. The Backyard people have been amazing to them. They treat us like family and truly appreciate the care that the Green Events team is putting into the Backyard's dream for their new venue. Ryan and his team educated the vendors and staff and put in countless hours to make it a success. Ryan was even up at the venue laying flooring and painting on his day off to make the first concert a success. And, it was. The first show was ZZ Top, which I attended with my mom (and ran into my cousin and uncle there), while Ryan worked. That's the other thing. Though Ryan is heading up this project, he still walks around picking up trash off the ground, going through cans to pull out compostables, and stays until the end to collect it all. He is such a hard worker, who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, literally, even when he doesn't have to. I'm so proud of him, and I wanted to share what he does, because he won't. We all know he loves his job and talks about it a lot, but he leaves out the part that he's responsible for these huge projects. I just wanted to brag on him a little. He's smart, hard-working, innovative, and pretty dreamy. The dreamy part has nothing to do with his job, but it's true!

Back to our day. I decided a festival that started early would be a good opportunity to take the kids to a concert, so we showed up at noon, met Ryan for some Torchy's for lunch (one of the delicious local vendors at the Backyard), and set up camp under a tree on our blanket. We chatted with Ryan's co-workers and the Backyard staff who came by, but pretty much stayed with one of Ryan's office co-workers Katrina. Scout had a fun time with her. The crowds didn't start coming until the afternoon and early evening, so we were able to let the kids run a little free, since it was easy to keep an eye on them. My children have never met a stranger and tend to find a way to join other families and groups without seeming like they're imposing, and today was no exception. Garrett pretty much stuck to one family with two little girls and ran around with them all day. The three of them ran back and forth between our family and theirs. They played so hard, I don't imagine any of them heard many of the bands. In fact, before bed, I asked G if he liked the music, to which he replied, "What music?" Scout floated among several family groups. She spent a good amount of time with one old woman, who gave her a pen and paper to draw and engaged her in conversation. She also stood in front of a couple for at least one band, and imitated the man's dancing and made faces at them. She clapped and cheered everytime the crowd did and shook her hips a lot. She got a lot of sweet smiles and "She's so cute!" Both kids played their air guitars at various times and got their rock star on. Ryan also took them backstage to see where the artists hang out, which I'm sure they cared little to nothing about, but I thought it was sweet. We ended the evening with some Mandola's panini and cannoli and a VIP golf cart ride from Daddy to our car. Scout missed her nap, and never acted like it, besides the immediate unconscious state she fell into a half mile down the road. It was a great day, and I'm so glad my kids got to experience it. Thank you, Ryan!

Air guitars

Garrett and Ryan

Me and Scout

The kids checking out a cool caterpillar (it was the star of the show for quite awhile)

Scout and Katrina

G with the stage in the background - a beautiful backdrop

G and his chauffeur