Rodeo Austin

on the ferris wheel

I figure if there's any time to wear my cowboy hat, it's at a Texas rodeo... Went to Rodeo Austin one overcast day recently and although we opted to not see the actual rodeo show, we hung out at the fairgrounds and enjoyed the nonexistent lines. Dean had his first ride ever, shotgun to Morgan who chose a hot pink corvette. I think I had that same Barbie car when I was little : ) Many rides and (yikes!) $70 later, the kids were tired and ready to get home. Morgan's favorite is still the ferris wheel.

the twins

SXSW for Rookies

So today concludes the 2-week South by Southwest madness where tens of thousands of people descend upon Austin to enjoy the latest in interactive, film and music. Basically, for two whole weeks there are a bajillion events, speakers, concerts, parties, film premieres, etc going on all the time all day. Streets are blocked off and a walk down S. Congress provides great people watching and live music every 20 feet. We've even been listening to music from our house as the bar a few doors down sounds like it's playing in our backyard. Good thing the kids have been able to sleep through it!

Although we did not buy a badge or a pass, we knew we wanted to get some SXSW exposure, so headed to some of the free events. First off was a party featuring live music from the T-Bird and The Breaks, Dale Earnheardt Jr. Jr., and Delta Spirit (thanks for babysitting Siiri!). Our intention was to flit around to a couple different events that night, but once we got in (after waiting 40 mins in the rain) and scored front row seats, we didn't want to leave. So we enjoyed the free drinks and music and although we weren't really familiar with the bands, they were great and it was a lot of fun.

Ed was out of town for most of the first week, but I did take the kids to a free outdoor concert behind Jo's coffee one night. Dean loved watching the musicians and moving to the music while Morgan asked to leave after 3 songs : ) I also ended up taking them to the Screen Burn Arcade trade show which is supposed to be the latest in video game technology and you can play games and people dress up as their favorite video character. Someone had told me it was family friendly and really fun but I guess that person was a gamer because I wasn't really into it. Morgan did enjoy watching some people play a racing game though.

I also attended a music poster design trade show where I bought 4 posters for Dean's future big boy room (whenever that will happen!) I think I will center the theme around those. Thought it was a good fit for him since he loooooooves music, he's got the rock star attitude, plus it would be a nice reminder of our time here in Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World.

Lastly, we attended the free line-up at Auditorium Shores on Saturday including Bright Light Social Hour, Shiny Toy Guns and The Cult. We biked there with the kids in the trailer (I had learned my lesson from trying to drive to the poster show and spending an hour parking) and the crowds were not as bad as I had anticipated. We parked in a far corner so the kids could run around, ate some food from the trailers and met up with friends. The weather was perfect; all in all a good end to the whole SXSW experience.

T-Bird and The Breaks at The Belmont

The boys loved riding in the trailer (don't worry - they had helmets!)

Shiny Toy Guns at Auditorium Shores

Our future rock star

The Cult at Auditorium Shores

He loves me, he loves me not

At least for now, Morgan is a mommy's boy. Check out where daddy stands:
http://blip.tv/pelaezfam/i-love-you-this-much-6015004

Y'all come back now, Rich and Jill

On Congress Bridge

 We had a great week with Rich, Jill, Owen, Kyle and Elana. Again, it was filled with lots of eating. But this crowd wasn't just interested in BBQ... I had no idea Jill was such a Mexican food enthusiast! Needless to say, there's no shortage of good places to eat in Austin and we ate out pretty much every meal. The weather was great while they were here and we enjoyed a ton of activities including running the Towne Lake trails (to work off that food!), hiking at Mayfield Preserve, Mt. Bonnell, the Zilker Zephyr train, shopping on First Thursdays, Cowboy Breakfast, the Zilker Kite Festival, and even had a day trip to San Antonio. Little did we know it was Texas Independence weekend so we had the added bonus of seeing reinactors and cannons going off at the Alamo. We also checked out the Riverwalk via a boat tour and happened to find a kid-friendly mechanical bull at Market Square! The kids had a great visit and the older boys all slept together in Morgan's room. After all these visitors, the house feels so quiet!

riding the Zilker Zephyr

 

Live music at the Cowboy Breakfast

Morgan riding the bull, San Antonio

Owen riding the bull, San Santonio

Mariachi band serenading us at Mexican restaurant, San Antonio

Howdy, Kyle!

Crowd at the Alamo (that's an original cannon out front)

Alamo reinactors

Can't believe Elana is almost one!

Zilker Kite Festival