Luminarium

The traveling Luminarium exhibit came to town once again so we just had to make time to wander through the kaleidescopic rooms. It was a particularly cold day so there was no wait (and by cold I mean 40ish, which seems cold when it was 75 the day before). The kids enjoyed running around the different rooms and getting lost in colorful corners. They playfully laid on the sides and made "snow angels" in the nylon fabric. This exhibit was a different one from last year, but still just as breathtaking and disorienting. We will definitely do it again next year!

"Snow Day"

Snow was in the overnight forecast. Panic ensued. Bread, milk and toilet paper were flying off grocery shelves. School was cancelled for the following day before a flake is even seen. This is how it's done in Austin.

I admit, I didn't think it would actually snow here, but alas we awoke to a dusting. On the trampoline and mulch beds and rooftops. Ok there was a little ice on the street. Just funny coming from DC where no one would think twice about driving to school/work the next day : )

Goofy Boys

Everyone has mood swings but when both Morgan and Dean are in silly moods at the same time, laughter is guaranteed to follow. Check out this video of them feeding off each other. It was actually taken a few months ago but I finally retrieved it from Ed's phone. It cracks me up every time.

High School Reunion

Dave, Pat & Ed

As part of a belated 40th birthday celebration, Ed's high school friends Pat Chase and Dave Sicard came to visit for the long weekend, also with Dave's wife Stephanie and their 2 year old son Max. We had an eventful time taking them out, eating, eating, and eating and catching up. The guys stayed up way late every night, just like old times except their bodies didn't bounce back the next morning like old times : ) We also had fun with the kids taking them to Zilker Park to ride the Zephyr train, a scenic walk at the Botanical Gardens and live music at Strange Brew coffee. One night we had a sitter and were all able to go out to a nice restaurant. We also met up with Stephanie's brother Alex who lives in town. Everyone had fun and the time flew by - Ed and I both felt like we didn't do half the stuff we had planned, but at least all of us had a good time. Thanks Dave, Steph and Pat for making the trip out and it was great to see you guys!

Steph, Max & Alex

Christmas with Nana

My mom visited a few days ahead of Christmas. We were glad to spend it with some family as the last 2 Christmases, it's just been the 4 of us. We had planned a few things during her visit, like 2 different light displays and a sightseeing tour boat on Lady Bird Lake, but mostly, we just spent time with the boys, ate good food and hung out at the house. Mom helped me finish some house projects and also babysat one night so Ed and I could have a nice date night. And then there was this little event called Christmas...

Her first day here, we grabbed lunch and hung out. After dinner, we went to the light display on 37th Street, which measured by previous years, was a sight to see. This year... not so much. Picture any street in a neighborhood and you'd probably see the same caliber. It was a real disappointment and we're really not sure what happened. Some homes didn't even participate. There were a few that were out of the ordinary, but nothing like the fire breathing dragon of years past. Sorry mom : (

The next day was rainy, so we mostly stayed inside and worked on house stuff. Then, Ed and I went out on a date. Sunday, the sun came out but it was certainly chilly as we toured Lady Bird Lake atop a riverboat. The sights were pretty and I learned a few things about the Austin skyline I hadn't known before. The boys got to see a train cross the train bridge from the vantage point of the lake, so that was their favorite part.

That night we headed to Wimberley for the festive lights on the grounds of the Emily Ann Theatre. We walked along the path throughout the different themed displays, drank hot cocoa, watched the ever-festive belly dancing to get us in the Christmas spirit, and the boys got to ride a lawn mower-pulled train. It was fun and definitely an improvement over 37th St (although the boys said they liked them the same : ). They fell asleep on the 40 minute drive home.

On Christmas Eve, the checked out the gingerbread house display in the lobby of the Four Seasons downtown. It had a Dr. Seuss theme this year and the boys enjoyed the train and looking at the different houses. They were pretty impressive but our gingerbread house was right up there with them : )

That night, Ed cooked a yummy dinner of prime rib and lobster tails. Siiri joined us and we even got in a friendly game of Catch Phrase. We also face timed Ed's family and opened some gifts with them.

The next morning, Morgan was the first one up and excitedly woke us up announcing that Santa had come! We told him to wake up Dean and Nana before opening any gifts and he obliged. We started with the stockings and worked our way to all the gifts under the tree. Morgan read the tags and passed them out while Dean exclaimed "Ooohh, I wanted that!" after almost every gift he opened, even those for which I know he'd never seen : ) Thanks to all the grandparents and family members for the gifts.

The boys spent the day playing with their new toys and that night, Ed outdid himself again and made a huge spread with honey baked ham, mashed potatoes, baked beans, rolls and more. After listening to music and having a dance party, Nana said goodbye to the boys as her flight was early the next morning. We were glad to have her here for the holiday and look forward to another visit in the spring!