SUMMER

We are enjoying our first Texas summer. It is super HOT just like everyone warned, but we are liking it a lot. Life is just so much easier with a driveway, carport (for shaded not so hot car), backyard, close parks and public kiddie pools. I'll post some recent pictures.

Lucy is bonkers for popcycles! Asks for one numerous times a day...

Lucy painting Greta blue! (sorry Virginia!)

Lucy/Daddy painting collaboration. Lucy likes to tell us what to paint and then we try our best to make her vision come to life!

Lucy wanted to try out her umbrella and raincoat in the sprinkler!

We finally got the screen porch cleaned and uncluttered!! I even shampooed the carpet!! 

Auntie Jugee visits!

Well, Lucy's pronounciation of Julie, has gone from Jugee to now, Jewey, but I still love Jugee! Jules came for a long weekend and we had a nice time. We took her for a train ride and ice cream at Barton Springs. So I thought I would post a few pics. Other highlights included going out Saturday night ( my mom came down to babysit) and we saw a modern dance performance and then went to a sports bar and watched skateboarding and ultimate fighting, whilst eating bar food. it was good to be out... : ) 

i keep forgetting to post this...

i did a triathlon! i was inspired by my friend Beth (who I used to work with at BCBG in LA) who lives here in Austin.  So, I started thinking about it, then slowly training, and then really training...and then i did it! it was fun! ...i was very slow! here are the stats! ...It took me 2hrs 19min 

Overall Rank

Class Rank

Swim

Swim Rank

Trans1

Bike

Bike Rank

MPH

Trans2

Run

Run Rank

Pace

Final

1509 of 1977

235 of 288

00:24:57

953

00:06:53

01:03:38

1707

11.3

00:04:30

00:39:41

1289

00:12:48

02:19:41

wallpaper + file cabinet = fun file cabinet

well, i got a file cabinet from a resale shop down the street, because we really wanted a BIG file cabinet. we have lots of little box ones, so when i saw one for $20 bucks, i got it! i was going to spray paint it, but then i saw this fun looking project on a blog...so i tried it out. you can use any paper, but it used vintage wallpaper i found on ebay. i really like the way it looks! and it only took a few hours, with help from some small assistants! http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/how-to/how-to-wallpaper-a-filing-cabinet-melbourne-063250

i LOVE having a yard!!

We have set up a fun little playzone in the backyard and it is so much fun. What a difference from having been in a 1bedroom apartment! I can't imagine what we would be doing if we still lived there. Probably the same thing, but just on our balcony...or at the park. But phew, it is so nice to have some space. Greta from next door comes over and Virginia (her mom) and I can just hang out and talk while they play. I'm calling it Baby Woodstock(because there is a lot of naked frolicking), but Mike says it's more like Burning Man...either way we are just dorky trying to come up with a name for it. But it's fun! 

Whats your name mommy?

I am just blown away by how much Lucy can say now! I thought I would make a post so I can remember all this later. So, just a few weeks ago, right after she turned 2 she seemed to start getting the concept of "I". She started saying things like "I want Gam Kacker" (translation: graham cracker) instead of "Lucy want Gam Kacker". And now she even adds an A saying " I want A Gam Kacker mommy" ...But one fun new conversations we have now is "what is your name?". Lucy says "Whats your name mommy?" and I say "My name is Amy" and she says "Mommy's name is Amy" . Then I say "what is your name?" and she says "My name is Lucy". She goes through everyone's name. "What is sally's name?" Sometimes she answers herself saying "Sally's name is Weenie!". She is so fun to talk to! So far, I like the 2s and they are not terrible at all, but she is pushing her buddy Greta a lot and saying lots of NOs, and that is stressful sometimes. 

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!!   

Grandma Katie's Blanket!!

Mike's mom Katie knit Lucy a blanket and it has always been in her crib. If it was cold we would try to put it on her...but she would always take it right off. But all of sudden Lucy started asking to have it put on her and she keeps it on all night. When she is going to bed she says "blanket on! blanket on!" and rolls to a specific corner of the crib to get ready for blanket application. Then she wants a book to look at... and then she's ready for bedtime! It is so nice how she loves her blanket now! Thank you Grandma Katie for all your hard work! It is such a nice blanket. ...The picture on the couch is from a day when Lucy was sick and she was watching some TV...DORA the Explorer!!