Remember the Alamo

sitting ducks

Riverwalk

San Antonio was a short 1 hour, 15 minute drive from Austin. We got to see the Alamo (which was pretty small for all its hype), saw Market Square, and took a boat tour of the shaded Riverwalk (where Morgan demanded a $6 Strawberry shake only to take 3 sips and push it away). It was quite a different visit for Ed from when he briefly lived there 14 years ago, broke and struggling to get Equinox off the ground. He had said he always wanted to take me back there. We also took advantage of the hotel pool and got our fill of Mexican food for a while.

We both thought San Antonio had a very different feel than Austin - more like we were in Texas for sure and a lot more Mexican influence. On the way back home, we stopped halfway at the whopping outlets that seemed to stretch on for miles. Seriously, you couldn't walk to whole thing -- you'd have to repark your car several times. We'll definitely have to go back there when we have more time.

San Antonio was fun, but glad to be back in Austin. Looking forward to a weekend of great weather and no plans.

Could these brothers actually be getting along?

 

 

Maybe it's because Dean is getting older and can do more. Maybe it's because Morgan has realized Dean's not going anywhere. Or maybe it's the stars aligning, but there have been moments – not very many, but more than before – when these boys will find ways to get along on their own. I'll be doing dishes at the sink and hear laughing, only to turn around and see Morgan up in Dean's face, talking baby talk with him or dancing goofy. Other times Dean will just lean over and plant a zerbert kiss on Morgan or try and crawl on top of him. Most of the time, Morgan is not in the mood to be bothered, but on the rare occasion they indulge each other. It makes me feel proud and even dare to hope that they'll one day be good friends.

Thankfully, it's been 4 days since any fevers and the boys seem back to normal. We went to the Pecan St Festival today which was an artisan/food/fair/live music all in one. It was a hot day and the kids had fun. Morgan got to go on the moon bounce and ride a ferris wheel. Dean of course watched from the safety of his stroller : ) 400 art booths later, everyone was tired and we all went home to nap. We're headed to San Antonio tomorrow for a couple days.

Goodbye ACL. Hello sick boys.

 

Arcade Fire

Well, the last night of Austin City Limits was fun. Despite our 3-day passes, we were only able to take advantage of a few hours Friday and Sunday, but we were glad to experience the festival. The next big one that everyone is talking about is South by Southwest in March. Visitors welcome!

Sunday, Dean came down with an ear infection and fever although the antibiotics are already working. Two days later, Morgan had a fever but both kids seem to be on the mend. For now, it's lots of hanging out at home until they recover.

Austin Kiddie Limits

First of all, it rained. I've never seen people so happy to see rain but I guess a drought will do that. Took the kids to Austin Kiddie Limits today and besides the 20 mins of rain, the weather was overcast and awesome in the low 80s. Morgan and Dean rocked out (as you can see), dancing, playing in drum circles, listening to music and looking the part in their mohawks. They lasted a couple hours, then Uncle Steven came to babysit so Ed and I could go see Coldplay and Kanye West close out the night. There were people everywhere, it was one big party. Never been to Woodstock, but I suppose it was the modern day version. We are exhausted from being on our feet and biking to/from the concert but we're glad we went.

10 Reasons you should come visit us in Austin

Two weeks and we are already really digging this place. Ed even uttered the words "I like Austin better than Bethesda." We really hope a lot of you will be able to visit us while we're here so we can show you firsthand, but for now, these are some things we are liking:

1. Everyone is friendly. But not too friendly. Yeah, you've got some weird characters but even they are polite and tell Morgan to listen to his parents.

2. Nobody is in a hurry. This in turn, is helping us work on our patience when we are used to getting immediate service, but I guess that's a good trait to work on anyway : )

3. So. Much. Good. Food. (and cheap!) It almost borders on indulgence, but with so many yummy foods and homemade treats, it's hard to say no. We live 1/8 mile away from the start of the main strip of South Congress which is lined with shops, restaurants and food vendors. Even the food trailers have amazing food!

4. Being able to walk to so much. Morgan is getting a lot more exercise! Bring comfortable shoes.

5. Plenty of live music throughout the city in restaurants, bars or street corners.

6. People/places/things here aren't so polished, but there's a welcoming authenticity of just being real. We find a lot of the things we liked about San Francisco present here in Austin. It's a very fit, eco-conscience, artistic, food-rich, diverse, family-friendly city. Funny story, we were walking down the street the other day, and overheard a homeless person talking with a couple that had just bought a whole pizza. The couple offered him a slice, and his response was, "does the pizza have any meat on it?".  Just haven't run into a homeless vegan before.

7. Creativity is in the air. It's inspiring.

8. Tons of family-friendly trails, parks and attractions. Several lakes only 45 mins away.

9. Ok, maybe this doesn't count as a separate item because we already mentioned food, but we think Texas BBQ deserves it's own notch on the list.

10. We miss you!

Zilker Zephyr

It was a beautiful 88 degrees yesterday so we took a ride on the 3-mile open-air train called the Zilker Zephyr in Zilker Park. The breeze and noises lulled baby Dean to sleep, that is until Morgan and others screamed when we passed inside the tunnel. The ride gave us good views of the park where they were already starting to set up for Austin City Limits. We can't wait!

Da Boys.

Wow these boys are growing up fast! Morgan got a haircut (a little too short I think) and looks like he's 10 now. Dean is crawling like he's running from the law. The other day he resisted nap time by sitting up in the pack n' play but eventually conked out. Priceless.

Bats of Congress Bridge

We're hitting up all the tourist attractions this week to get a feel for the city : ) Last night we checked out the bats that come out every evening (all 1.3 million of them) from their home under the Congress Bridge. It's the largest urban bat colony in North America.

I also wanted to include a photo of our "neighborhood" South Congress including all the shops and restaurants we walk to. As you can see, Congress runs straight to the Texas Capitol after crossing the river.

Right now, it feels like we are renting a vacation home and checking out all the local attractions. I don't think it'll feel like home for a while, but we are intrigued with all the newness and places to see. The kids seems to be adjusting well. Good thing I brought a baby gate because Dean is now a champion crawler. He might even be faster than Morgan walking. The heat seems to be getting more tolerable and should cool down to the 90's next week.