Auntie Jujee and Uncle Brian visit!

This post should have been earlier, but I had to go steal photos off facebook first! Julie and Brian came to town for SXSW. It was so good to see them. We probably should have locked the doors on the house and not let them leave. But we had fun! We got to have a double date to celebrate their first anniversary at Roy's, which was the best dinner I have had almost ever! And Mike and I got to lay on a hammock at the 4 seasons (their hotel) and enjoy the river breeze.  

Ballet Austin Rules!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIgQ0VknNI4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eballetaustin%2Eorg%2Fatb%2FAVST%2520Project%2Ephp&feature=player_embedded

On Friday Mike's mom Katie and I went to see Ballet Austin perform some new contemporary ballet works. It was awesome!! click the link if you want to see a video on the ballets we saw.

A Sunday Outing!

turtle pile-up!



Jim and Katie are in town and today we went to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Preserve, just south of Austin and then a bit more south to The Salt-Lick. Jim talked to our neighbor about where to go for barbeque and he said we had to go there, because in Texas the Salt-Lick is the church of barbeque! It was pretty awesome...  And the wildflower preserve is definitely a place we will go back to many times, with many paths to explore. There were some signs with quotes from Ladybird...she had a way with words! Here are a few I really loved: 

"My heart found it's home long ago in the beauty, mystery, order and disorder of the flowering earth."

"My special cause, the one that alerts my interest and quickens the pace of my life, is to preserve the wildflowers and native plants that define the regions of our land- to encourage and promote their use in appropriate areas and thus help pass on to the generation in waiting the quiet joys and satisfactions I have known since my childhood."

T-W-O!!!!!!

birthday train set!

opening her prezzie from Vonny-vonny!

(playing with Greta, Beth and Virginia)

It's hard to believe...well, no it's not, but Lucy turned 2 years old this weekend. My mom and Grady made a batch of super yummy cupcakes and thats all it took to make a party. We just went out in the front yard and visited with neighbors and my friend Beth came over, and Mike's parents were in town for the festivities too! ...Oh, and there was a water table! Thats key to a good 2yr old party, I think. 

Neighbors!

Our new home is on a street with 15 kids! They are always out on the street running around and riding bikes. Here are some pictures of our next-door neighbors Austen (at 9yrs old told me its "spelled like Jane Austen") and Ian(6, who makes Lucy laugh hysterically when he makes zombie faces/sound effects). They are so nice to her and she really seems to enjoy hanging out with them and observing their general madness! Lu also has a new buddy next door who is is just 2 months younger than her, a little girl named Greta. We have been seeing them almost everyday. I'm sure there will be pictures of her in the near future! She also loves the girls across the street who are showing Lucy how to do somersaults and handstands! So far she just throws herself on the ground (picture face-plant on grass) in her attempts.

a penny for her thoughts?

OUR HOUSE!!

Well, I tried to add a video I took on moving day, but it was just not working!! But here it is, the house, officially our little corner of the world.

Nana and Papa's house!

Here are some pictures from our stay at My mom and Grady's house. We had lots of fun. Lucy actually was not very happy about leaving and for a week after we moved into the new house she would say each day (a few times) "go back Nana n Papas". But now she has settled in and likes her new home and all her new neighbors.

pulling around their cooler was fun! 

Making pizzas! (patting the dough into circles)

putting on the new plates!

leaf soup...

The Georgetown Playscape!!

We didn't realize when we went to stay with my my mom and Grady that they lived in a town with one of Texas's official top 10 playscapes! This place is insane! It's a huge wooden fort with all sorts of little tunnels and ramps and bridges. Someone gave us the lowdown on i's design and the city hired Playscape designers who then had a meeting with all the kids in town to brainstorm what the design should be. I think they created a structure that captures the imagination and can be imagined into a fort, and pirate ship, a Giant's tree house... anything i suppose. It is wonderful! One thing I think is really key, is that they made it safe for even young toddlers. All the walls are enclosed with bars so they can't fall off when climbing! It's nice so we dont need to hover!!