A visit from Poppy

Poppy came in for a long weekend at the beginning of April. It was great to spend some time together and his visit also coincided with both the Balloons Over Horseshoe Bay Festival and Easter, so there was lots to do. First, we just hung out, ate at some food trailers and played with the kids. Poppy brought some toys that provided great entertainment for a while : ) Saturday, Poppy took turns with the boys as their partner in the Life Ki-do class. Then, later that afternoon, it was off to Horseshoe Bay to see the balloons with their burn, as well as sky divers, live music, hay rides and fire engines. The boys liked the "Tweety Bird" balloon best. Although they didn't go all the way up in the sky, it was beautiful to watch and the weather was perfect. The next morning, on the other hand, brought mist and light rain, but that wasn't going to stop the boys from going on the neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Morgan was so fast, I think I only got 1 picture! After they stocked up on eggs, we headed home to find that the Easter bunny had visited our back yard while we were gone. Round 2 went quick as the kids darted around the yard to collect the goods. Poor Morgan's bag had gotten so wet, it tore a hole that leaked a trail of eggs in his path : ( That night, it was Chinese at our favorite place up north. Apparently, it's a popular place on Easter but the food was good as always. Monday, Poppy got to see me play in my tennis clinic before enjoying a nice lunch at Polvo's. Then after school, we picked up the kids and took a walk on the boardwalk. Tuesday morning, we fed the peacocks at Green Pastures before Poppy had to catch his flight. It was a good time - thanks for coming out, for treating us many meals and for the toys, Poppy!

Dean's 1st time wrapping his mouth around a hot dog WITH bun

Boys having their minds blown while watching sky divers

Moon over Horseshoe Bay

Spring Break

Since we weren't going anywhere for Spring Break, we decided to become tourists of Austin, hitting one attraction a day, and for the most part, new ones we hadn't seen before.

SUNDAY : Jester King Brewery
This was admittedly more of an adult play date, but the kids nevertheless had fun playing in the huge field and building with rocks with their friends while us parents tasted an array of beers on a beautiful afternoon.

MONDAY : Dino Park, Bastrop, TX
We've been to the Dino Park before, but it's been a while, so we met neighbors Cress and her two boys Clayton and Kai for a hike on the Dino trail.

TUESDAY : Inner Space Caverns, Georgetown, TX
We met friends Bodhi and Soren & families for an underground adventure. The boys loved the scenic caverns and Mars-like surroundings. Afterwards, we picnicked at the park for a while before heading home.

WEDNESDAY : Austin Aquarium
In the 4 years we've lived here, we've never made it to the Austin Aquarium, so figured it was about time. The boys liked the fish, starfish, eels, jellyfish, snakes and turtles, but the biggest hit was petting the sting rays and feeding the birds. Who knew we'd find birds at the aquarium???

fishy face

THURSDAY : Enchanted Rock, Llano, TX
This is a natural wonder we have heard about ever since we moved here, but didn't think the boys could handle the trek before now. So we met some friends out there and finally put Dean and Morgan to the test and they made the steep climb all by themselves! Dean had to stop for water breaks every 20 feet towards the end, but carrying him was not an option at this incline, so I'm proud of him for sticking it through. He kept saying that the view was pretty and wanted to see how much prettier it would be from the top. Morgan, on the other hand, was racing ahead and full of energy. All in all it was a 0.6 mile (one way) and 390 feet elevation gain to the summit. At the top, we rested while the boys played with sticks, jumped puddles and enjoyed the views. After the tiring downhill climb, we had a late lunch in Fredericksburg before heading back for the long drive home.

that's Morgan dancing at the top of the false summit

at the summit

George, Henaris & Mika

Ed descending

FRIDAY : Putt-putt
The week was wearing on us, so putt-putt was about all we could handle before meltdowns ensued. Dean's attention span did improve since the last time we played though.

SATURDAY : SXSan Jose
We tried to take the kids to see some of the free SXSW music shows but the rain and the fact that the singer was cursing left and right made for a prompt exit, so no pics. Oh well.

SUNDAY : Art in the Courtyard event, Austin
I took the kids on a sunny day to an event that was put on by Wade Art Studio (where I'll be showing some work in April). There was a huge canvas for the kids to paint and Dean turned it into finger painting - quite the clean up production.

So it was a (sigh) eventful spring break to say the least, but we had lots of fun. I hope they'll remember all the adventures and play dates we had. The boys both agreed Enchanted Rock was their favorite which I was surprised by since it was such an overhaul for Dean. I will say, however, this will not be a preview of what summer will be like. Can someone pass me the camp catalog?