A Weekend Adventure: Austin

We spent the weekend in Austin, visiting with old friends. We pulled the boys out of school at noon on Friday in order to get to Austin in time to see friends who were visiting from Germany.  

Since our German friends are fans of craft beer, we met at Jester King Brewery/Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza in the country west of Austin. We'd been a couple of years ago and it was as fun as we remembered. 

There is tons of seating outside as well as in an old barn and it's a great place for kids and adults alike.

With a cool breeze and clouds in the sky, we sat outside and couldn't quite believe it was August in Texas.

Friends since law school!

There's nothing quite like catching up with old friends. Even though we hadn't see Maren and John in over two years, we picked up right where we left off.  We are so glad we were able to see them during their visit to Texas.

My goofballs

On Saturday morning, we got gussied up and headed to the synagogue. Another of Gene's law school buddies invited us to his daughter's Bat Mitzvah ceremony. It had been on our calendar for months and we were all looking forward to the ceremony and parties. 

This was our first Bat Mitzvah ceremony and we were so impressed with all the study and preparation that went into becoming a Bat Mitzvah. 

After the ceremony and kiddush luncheon, we enjoyed some downtime at our hotel. Gene took the boys swimming and they found a ping pong table too.

On Saturday night, the reception was at the Austin Saengerrunde Hall, a German dance hall with a six lane bowling alley. It was the perfect place for a party and we literally had to drag the boys out at the end of the night. 

On our way to party, with the Capitol in the background

Sunday morning brunch with Jonathan and a Houston art cow

On our way back to Houston, we needed a quick rest stop and we visited the Berdoll Pecan Candy and Gift Company, where we stocked up on pecans, fresh peaches, jerky and more. Of course, we had to take a couple of photos with the giant squirrel in the parking lot. 

We had so much fun this weekend and are so thankful for forever friends!

The First Day of School

The boys started back to school on Monday. I'm not sure any of us were quite ready to give up sleeping in and starting the day with books, Legos and games. And I know for a fact Gene and I weren't ready to start making lunches or face the piles of paperwork that come home on day 1. But we have made it (almost) through the first week and the year is off to a fantastic, if completely hectic, start!

5th grade 

3rd grade

The kids have phenomenal teachers this year and every day after school the words just spill from their mouths because there is so much to share -- what they did, and where they went, and who they played with.  

The 2016-2017 school year is going to be a good one!

Summer Break: Weeks 11 and 12

We traveled so much in July that our last two weeks of summer break were full of slow, lazy days. We stayed in PJs for half the day, visited the pool with friends, tore through as many books as we possibly could, and got out and about just a bit.

Here's a peek at some of what we did to end our summer:

Testing recipes for slime for Will's Harry Potter party

One last visit to Kusama: At the End of the Universe at the MFAH.

Labyrinth at St. Paul's

A visit to the science museum in Sugar Land

Dino battle: herbivores vs. carnivores

When the dog's away, the cat will sleep in her crate.  Goofy girl! 

The boys had four afternoons of a 3-D design camp. They used 3-D printers and came home with amazing creations.

Henry's

Will's

We celebrated the summer birthdays with family.

Cousins!

Playground fun

 And just like that, our twelve glorious weeks of summer are over 

and we're back to the routines and rhythms of the school year. 

10

Will turned 10 years old last Thursday. Double digits. Adolescence on the horizon. Not a little kid anymore, but not quite so big yet either. 

I've been a mom for a decade and yet it seems just like yesterday that we brought our first baby boy home from the hospital. What a joy it has been to watch this boy grow!

It was fitting that Will had a stack of ten presents (nine pictured plus one more from Henry) to open on his tenth birthday.

Henry gave Will a stack of Magformers. If you know Henry, you'll know why this was such a sweet gift.  

These two -- best friends

Will took a break from opening gifts for breakfast. French toast is often his birthday breakfast request. 

More presents -- so many cool gifts from Gramma and Grampa this year! Books, games, and origami.

We got him a new Lego set -- hours of entertainment!

We had a lazy day at home, playing, reading and building, with a quickie camp in the afternoon and a visit to the bookstore to spend a gift card and Crave Cupcakes for birthday treats. Will's dinner request was Tokyohana.

Even though he loves the hibachi flames, he almost always choose sushi. Salmon roe is one of his favorites!

Back home for cupcakes

and a huge hug.  

Happy 10th birthday to one of my favorite people in the world. You have made our days full and exciting from day one and we look forward to many more adventures with you as we watch you grow!