Fredericksburg Christmas Parade

Went to the Lighted Christmas Parade in Fredericksburg (1.5 hours away) a couple weekends ago. We missed it last year due to rain, but had heard it was pretty cool so we wanted to check it out. We got there before dark and set up camp along the parade route where we ate pizza and popcorn. The boys had front row seats in their double stroller and thankfully the weather cooperated this time, barely chilly enough to wear a light coat. The boys were mesmerized with the laser light show, live music, TONS of vehicles and Dean even saw a double decker bus! There was no doubt that we were in Texas though, noted by the floats featuring tractors, longhorns, cowboys and the like. These Texans sure are proud of their heritage. After the hour long parade, it was 7:30, and we changed the boys into pjs in the back of the car before heading home. Both Morgan and Dean were asleep by the time we made it back to Austin.

Oh Cardboard Tree, Oh Cardboard Tree, how flimsy are your branches

The tree is up! Yes, it's paper, but isn't paper made out of trees anyways??? It took about 10 minutes, then another 10 minutes after Dean knocked it down and it fell apart. So now it's safely out of reach. Maybe next year when we have all our ornaments we can get a real tree, but for now, this will do : )

Austin Celebrity Sitings

Sorry, been a while since I've posted. Everyone except Ed has been sick so it's taken me a while to catch up...

We had a couple of chance run-ins with some celebrities I wanted to share. First, Ed and I went to Salty Sow for dinner and on our way out of the restaurant, passed a table where Tom Kite, winner of the 1992 US Open sat with his wife and another couple. I of course had no clue who he was, but Ed knew right away. He deliberated about saying hi, but they were done with their meal and when the wife of the other couple left the table, Ed took the opportunity to say hi and get and autograph and picture:

Then a couple weeks later, while out a bar with some friends, we saw Justin Long (the "apple" guy in the old apple vs. pc commercials and in some other movies like "He's just not that into you" and some new one with Drew Barrymore...) Anyways, he was playing corn hole with some friends and we got winners so we actually ended up playing a game with him. It was funny and he was nice. Apparently, he lives here in Austin. After talking to him and his friends for a while, I think people thought we were with his group. Ed overheard a group of girls who were gawking at him (Ed -- not Justin) and say, "I know I've seen that guy before, but I just can't think of where...." Ha!

Now all we have to do is run into Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Lance Armstrong -- other well known Austinites : )

Blue Santa Parade / Downtown Tree Lighting

It didn't really feel like Christmas in the air today with 80 degree temperatures, but we nevertheless ventured out to see Chuy's Blue Santa Parade downtown. We met up with our friends Mark, Maria and their son Beck and walked all the way down with the double stroller. The kids enjoyed the floats, marching bands and different vehicles and they were able to donate toys to Blue Santa's truck for needy kids at the end.

Tonight was also the tree lighting ceremony at the Capitol, which we also saw last year. This time we got an outdoor table at a nearby restaurant with our friend Siiri so we could hear some of the carollers, then headed down to see the tree briefly before heading home. It was a long, festive day and while Dean was all wound up, Morgan was almost falling asleep and so it was time to call it a day.

Maybe we'll put up our travel-sized 2 foot high cardboard tree tomorrow to complete the holiday weekend. That'll take about 10 minutes.

Hot and Cold Brothers

When I look back at my pictures for memories, we don't really have photos of the crying/hitting/kicking/head butting/snatching toys/wrecking toys/hoarding toys instances which happen countless times during the day, so I suppose I choose to concentrate on the rare cooperative moments, but don't be fooled. When Morgan and Dean do get along, it's great, although we know it's only a matter of time before someone starts crying... The other day, I was making food in the kitchen and boys were being quiet -- too quiet. I snuck around the corner to find them in the bathroom, both standing on the top step of the step stool so that they could see themselves in the mirror, and both faces were covered in green marker. I was just glad to find them doing  something mutually fun together (and patted myself on the back for buying the washable kind of markers). Anyways, these guys make us laugh and I hope the stretches between making each other cry continues to become less and less.

Formula 1/Fan Fest

 

We had a chance to see the practice runs for the Innagural Formula 1 race at the brand new Circuit of the Americas track just outside of Austin. There's been a lot of hype around the arrival of Formula 1 here, everything from downtown streets closing down and being transformed into clubs until 2am featuring big headliners like Aerosmith to the predicted mega-traffic headaches. Even so, we figured it would never be more convenient to go to a Formula 1 race, and so we braved the event with our two racecar fans in tow. It took a surprisingly breezy 1 hour door to door trip and we were able to find good enough parking to even walk to the track. The place was huge, and the race cars loud, sounding more like jets at close range. The boys loved it and we donned ear plugs and ear muffs to make it more bearable. There was a nice grassy hill where we watched turns 19 and 20 for a while, and then we walked around to get different angles and see what other parts of the track was like. The announcers mentioned that the cars were going 90 mph around the sharp turns and up to 200mph at the straightaway. It was insane! Here's a short video of the cars in action:

http://blip.tv/pelaezfam/formula1-6458526

It was a lot of walking and the boys lasted for 3 hours, but then lost steam. We took a tram back to the track entrance (which I think Dean enjoyed more than the race cars!) and happened to see some unheard of $1.2 Bugatti sportscar in the parking lot. We kept hearing that Formula 1 would bring a more wealthy, sophisticated crowd to Austin and you could tell there was by all the flashy cars, foreign languages and expensive clothes. I think the sign at a local bar here, Doc's said it best: "This isn't Monoco, it's SoCo." (for S. Congress Ave.)

The next day, we went to Fan Fest, which was a free Downtown celebration for Formula 1 featuring cars, games and a kids zone which the boys enjoyed. Hot wheels races were a real crowd pleaser, entertaining them for a good while.

Movember

Facial hair grew in a little prematurely for the boys, thanks to Home Slice's Carnival. We happened upon the event last week and took full advantage of the bouncy house, games, mustaches, and the kids' first taste of cotton candy.

In other silliness, here are a few shots that brought us smiles this month:

these boots are made for walkin'

Dean with a nice strawberry shake facial