The Fourth

The Fourth weekend was a little rainy this year, but we had a great time, as usual. Our neighborhood parade was on Sunday, the 4th, so we weren't able to participate, but, luckily, my parents' new neighborhood held their parade on Saturday. We decorated our wagon, climbed into the fire truck, ate popsicles and got our faces painted. On Sunday, Ryan had to work at Willie's Fourth of July celebration at the Backyard, so I took the kids to dinner and a fireworks show at the outdoor amphitheater at the Hill Country Galleria. The fireworks show was fantastic, but we got an extra treat on the way home. Because our drive home is through the hills, we were able to see at least 10 fireworks shows, including the one downtown. I finally pulled to the shoulder so we could watch them all. Some were hard to spot in the distance, but the thrill of the search and the sense of accomplishment at finding the tiniest sparks of colored light across Austin made our night!

Random photos

Here are some photos I thought were cute, but didn't really have enough story to go with them. Maybe they're better suited for facebook, but I wanted to get them out there anyway.

The kids got their faces painted at a fundraiser event at the Nutty Brown Cafe. Luckily, the guy could do both of their favorites, Batman and a puppy!




Scout's hair after the pigtails come out - no enhancements.


A sweet outfit.


Eating the first baby carrots from our garden. Scout learned the green part isn't so tasty.



Our first and only watermelon from our garden.



Awesome kitchen band


Pool days...


which sometimes get a little cold.



Scout desperate for Daddy's attention while he plays the Wii with Garrett. She climbed up on her own.

Scout learning how to wink. Do I look like that when I do it?

Meeting Elmo...



and dancing with him.


And the grossest pic of all... Garrett licking the chocolate off of Scout's fingers after a messy sample at Costco.

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.