Halloween Preparedness

This weekend, we went to Barton Hill Farms for the annual corn maze, games and pumpkin patch. There were some new attractions this year, such as the John Deere tricycle race track, petting zoo and lasso training. Only in Texas. We started off well, checking out the sandbox/ship, jumping on the huge jumpy pillow, racing the tricycles, riding in the cow train, and picnicking in front of the live music. Then came the corn maze. In years past, it would take us about 20 mins to get through. This year, the hot afternoon sun beat down on us while we got split up (Dean with Ed and Morgan with myself) for close to 45 mins. Let's just say we got really lost this time : ) After that, we were pretty drained, so we sat to enjoy some snow cones and then picked pumpkins on the way out (notice the sweaty hair and red cheeks). No surprise that Dean fell asleep on the way home. The next day, the boys painted faces on the pumpkins. Dean's is the small one with the mustache and Morgan's has the big red eyes. Looking forward to trick or treating on Friday.

ACL // Asian Invasian

Cousins Grace, Dane, Tessa & Rona came for a long weekend to check out Austin and attend ACL. They went all 3 days, while Ed and I met up with them just for Sunday's line up of Fitz & the Tantrums, Phantagram, Lorde and Pearl Jam. It was good to have a mini-reunion and all had a good time touring the city, eating lots of BBQ and Filipino cravings, playing games at night and hanging out with the kids. Tessa and Rona even saw Andre 3000, lead singer of Outcast at the airport on their way out of town! Their visit also overlapped with Lola Linda's who came for a week and a half. Bobby was able to join for the last weekend and they attended a wedding in town. They made sure to get their authentic boots and hats for the occasion : ) When in Texas... right? The kids loved seeing Lola and Papa Bobby and got in lots of snuggles and play time. On Saturday night, while Linda and Bobby were at the wedding, we took the kids to a Diwali Festival, the Indian celebration of lights. The kids had fun getting their faces painted, listening to Indian music & dancing, and even stayed up for the fireworks. Ed, Morgan and a bunch of kids were playing catch and Morgan was throwing and catching with more accuracy than ever! I think the daily Brain Balance eye tracking exercises are paying off! The next day for Ed's bday, we got a sitter and went out to Salty Sow, followed by a visit with friends on their rooftop with a view of the city skyline. It was great just to relax with family and thanks especially to Linda for helping me out with the kids after my foot surgery -- that was a huge help!

Linda dancing with the D.I. at White Horse

ACL

Phantagram

Lorde

Lorde

Andre 3000

Torchy's

Diwali Festival

birthday dinner at Salty Sow

with Rashmi and Bavish at the top of Skyhouse

Uncle Darren in town

Days after Donna and Mariah left, we welcomed Darren for a few days of play. We knew beer would be on the agenda, so made sure to give him plenty of selection. First was a local butcher/brew shop called Salt + Time on the east side for lunch. The food was solid and Steven was able to meet us up too. Afterwards, Steven and Darren headed out to Jester King Brewery in Dripping Springs while Ed and I went back to the grind. That night Steven, Darren and I had dinner (and enjoyed Polka music) at Bangers & Mash on Rainy St. The sausage was tasty as was the beer selection. This had been on my "must take Darren to" list since I had heard about it a couple years ago. Afterwards, we had a drink at another bar just down the street featuring all Texas beers, of which Darren knew 1/50 taps. That's a first. We then headed over to the east side to check out White Horse, a country-music playing, two-stepping bar with a low-key vibe. Then it was around the corner to Volstead Lounge where we enjoyed the nice weather on the outdoor patio. The next day, we tailgated at Steven's place with Brown's BBQ and beer pong before heading to the UT vs. Baylor game which we sadly lost. As a bonus though, we did get a glance at Matthew McConaughey who was in the box above our section. That night, Ed cooked steaks and we played corn hole in the back yard, then Cards Against Humanity after the kids went to bed. Sunday, Darren and I took the kids to Hamilton Pool while Ed played (and won) his tennis match. Ed again cooked a delicious dinner for us and then Steven and Darren checked out ABGB, a fairly new brewery in our neighborhood, right on the train tracks. The next morning, Darren and I grabbed coffee and breakfast tacos before heading to the airport. It was great to spend some time together and just hang out over the long weekend. Glad you came out and looking forward to spending more time in Dec with the whole Oberstar/Prager clan.

That's Matthew McConaughey between the
2 flags, in the Longhorn shirt

picnic lunch at Hamilton Pool