A Hot Day in Austin

We took one last summer outing before school started and because my niece & nephew were in town, we thought we'd explore Austin a little.  Now did I think about August in Austin?  100+ degree weather?  5 kids?  Nah.....

We started at the Austin Children's Museum, which is a great hands-on place that has so much to do.  Bubba was in heaven getting to play freely in the babies area.

Sis & I did a life-sized suduko puzzle relatively easily...

But Grandma seemed to have a little trouble....

After that fun, we decided to try the candy shop that had been on my summer to-do list.   

Big Top Candy Shop is in South Austin on Congress Ave...right down from the capital. 

It is an awesome candy shop with every candy imaginable...

Including some speciality items.

They are known for their double BACON chocolate bar.  Hmm...yes, bacon & chocolate.

And their Elvis Bark is famous.  Who wouldn't like milk chocolate, gooey peanut butter, strawberry jam, banana chips, and...wait for it...BACON.  

I had to try it.  

And friends, it was really good.

After this we headed to Zilker Park, home of the world famous ACL concert held every October.

But we went for another reason...

The Zilker Zepher!!

My nephew loves trains...just like his older cousin...so this was a must.

Despite the 104 degree heat.

We all survived.  And went home with smiles.

And a belly ache...from too much Elvis Bark....

Feeling a Bit Nostalgic...

I took the traditional "I just woke up for my first day of school" pictures.

They love these....

And we took the front door shots, trying to get Bubba in them...

Fourth Grade!

Second Grade!

My sweet babies are all grown up....

And as we walked to school, I asked them if it was ok for mom to give them a hug & kiss in their class.

They said NO!!!  

And this sad momma had to accept hugs around the corner of the school....

SO I went home feeling a bit sad....and created this:

Back 2 School from Rebecca Darling on Vimeo.

One Last Week

You know the song... "There's 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it...."  Ok, maybe not....theme song to Phineas & Ferb?  The show that I heard EVERY morning at 8:00 am?? Hmm...maybe you don't have a 7 & 9 year old, but it's a fun cartoon about making the most of it.   Summer vacation, that is.  And the Texas Darlings set out to have an incredible summer, making the most of the 90+ days we had. I'd say we accomplished that.

With one week left, I wanted to surprise the kids with a little fun each day of our last week of summer break.    It all started with a countdown....

And each morning of last week, I handed the kids a card with our "surprise of the day" written on it....

Monday:

Back 2 School!!

Let's remember what it's like to...

HAVE A FUN LUNCH...

at Gattiland!!

For the record, I can't stand this place (think Chuck-e-Cheese for the older kids) and the fact that "mom's eat free" made it twice as busy as normal.  Anything for the kiddos....

Tuesday:

Back 2 School!!

Let's remember what it's like to...

HAVE A FUN RECESS...

at the Rockin' River Water Park!!

This little gem is a parks & rec water park that is 5 mins from the house- it was wonderful!!  We only went this one time and I am kicking myself that we didn't go more than that!!  Next summer....

Wednesday:

Back 2 School!!

Let's remember what it's like to...

GO ONE A FIELD TRIP...

to the Big Top Candy Shop!!

So, we might be stretchin' this one a bit.  Originally, I had planned on taking them bowling on Wednesday, but we spent 3 hours up at school working on PTA stuff and them met a dear friend for a late lunch near downtown Austin.  So, we ran out of time to bowl and this momma improvised.  The kids were thrilled- they love this candy shop on South Congress.  It's AMAZING!!  They got to filla  bag with all their favorite candy! Yum!!

Thursday:

Meet the Teachers!

Bubba & Mrs. K (on the left)

Sissy and Mrs. H & Ms. G

(4th grade team teaches)

There is a TON of excitement wrapped up int he Thursday before school starts.  The Welcome Walk is this night - all the teachers go to each of their students homes' to introduce themselves.  This is how the kids find out who they have for the year.  It is a wonderful tradition and my kids love it.  Sissy sat on the stairs patiently waiting for her teachers.  The only hard thing this year was that I was in charge of mapping all the teachers routes (whew!).  Luckily, I had several helpers and we got it done in a few hours.  Judging by my kids smiles and all the happy face book posts about the night, it was well worth it!

Friday:

Back 2 School!!

Let's remember what it's like to...

GET UP EARLY FOR SCHOOL...

with Round Rock Donuts!!

This local donut shop is a big treat for the kids, so it was pretty easy to get them up & moving!!

We don't start back until tomorrow, so today is our last official day of summer vacation.  I was feeling pretty ready for the kiddos to go back to school last week - they are really sick of one another and it shows!!  But today, I find myself a little sad for it all to be over so quickly.  We have a fun day planned- lunch (kid's choice) out and a movie in the man cave.  We are going to watch The Lightening Thief....we read the book together this summer and it will be the perfect way to finish our summer!!

Good Bye Summer.  It was great!!

Has it been 15 Months???

Oh my goodness.  This Bubba boy is 15 months old already.  Where does the time go?  And why have I been SO BAD about posting what he is up too?  Hmm...a little thing called summer must have gotten in the way.

So, what has my precious little one been up to this summer?  You mean besides the constant car rides to soccer clinic, the library, Chick-fil-a, and the pool?

a lot

his appetite has grown!!  And this Bubba loves to eat.  

spaghetti is a favorite this summer.

as were peaches....my favorite Fredricksburg peaches.  I'd try to hide them to eat them myself (bad mommy- I know) and it's like he had a sixth sense and would be right below me asking for a bite.

  he loved to be outdoors.

absolutely loves his swing and wants to be out in it all the time.

even if it's 100 outside. nice.

He has almost mastered climbing up the slide.  

We need to teach him how to use it correctly, don't we?

Sissy has been a HUGE help following him around everywhere now that he is mobile.  Aren't they sweet?

And he has a love/hate relationship with water.

Hates the pool but loves playing in the water.

whatever.

His new-found-mobileness allows him to explore and leave evidence of everywhere he has been.

His favorite place to visit is the potty- it's a really cool place to splash. UGH!!

I would love to blame the two olders for not remembering to keep the door to the bathroom closed, but sometimes mommy a complete stranger who magically appears & disappears is to blame.

He loves to play with friends, but with the olders at home, we didn't get to much.  So looking forward to getting the playgroup started back up!

But honestly, he is happiest in his Daddy's arms.  As soon as Matt walks through the door, Bubba runs to him waving and saying "Hi!Hi!Hi!".
He just loves his Daddy.

And we love him!!  Our happy little Bubba Boy!!

I Become a Widow Today

to this.

Yes my friends, the English Premiere League season began today.  And my hubby has disappeared in a cloud of anticipation and giddy-schoolgirl excitement.  He is down at an Irish Pub with friends watching the game as I type this.  He left the house at 8:30 am to get down there.  Isn't there something wrong with hitting the bar at 8:30 am.....on a Sunday?  Oh dear.  I have a whole season ahead of me.

A season filled with "don't touch my dvr, it's set for a game." and "you can't wear red today Becca, you'll jinx my team."  

A season filled with endless facebook posts about Inter Milan, Benetiz and YNWA!!! And the sad thing is...most of his friends have no idea what he is posting about.

A season filled with very manly yells and screams coming from the man cave when Liverpool scores.

A season filled with me trying to be interested faking it in a conversation about the league.

And a season filled with me. Alone in the evenings. While hubby is upstairs watching a game.  oh, boo-hoo right??  Nope, I love having a little tv time to myself....but shhhh don't tell him that.

I have written in the past about the obscene number of jerseys this man has.  It has gotten worse.

the man has 18 soccer jerseys.  

and 8.  EIGHT. are from the same team.

home jersey.

 away jersey.

 Torres' home.

 Gerrard away.

  practice jersey.

 new home jersey.

  old away with stain on the front so I got a new away jersey.

And he is getting more from a friend who is on holiday in England this month!!

I mean seriously, how many jerseys does one guy need of the same thing????

I honestly thought this was a fleeting thing.  This obsession with Liverpool soccer would be a flash in the pan and he'd move on to something else. But then he came home with this last Spring:

AWK!!  What happens when he's over it????

Doesn't he know that it's permanent????

I want to bond with him over something he likes.  I try to be interested in watching the game.  This summer, I attempted to stay up-to-date with all the World Cup happenings.  But I fail miserably.  I just can't fake it.  I understand the general concept of soccer but some of the rules confuse me (after 5 years, I still can't see when they are "off-sides").  And if I try to act like I know what I am talking about, he gets me every time.  

So, I am resigned to the fact that I am a soccer widow.  I can accept it.  Hmm...now I just need to find my own thing to make him a widower......can I be obsessed with the spa?

Make New Friends

One last vacation post...I mean seriously, our vacation was weeks ago.....but I couldn't NOT post about this.  While planning our trip to Illinois and back, I knew that we would be driving through a few states where some of my most precious blogging friends live.  After having the privilege of meeting (however briefly) with Shawn from Seriously last December, I emailed a few of my "friends" and made plans to meet.  And I am so glad that I did.

I met Tanya from Miller Racing Family over a year and a half ago and we quickly became friends.  Funny story, when I first started reading her blog and saw that she was from "Houston" in the "Texas County" and worked for a newspaper, I automatically assumed she lived in Houston, TX and worked for the Chronicle there.  Another Texas blogger?  Right?  I was so wrong.  As I started reading more, and seeing pictures that most definitely were NOT Houston, TX, I dug a little deeper and figured out we weren't in Texas anymore Toto!

That's ok, though I am partial to Texas, I can be friends with those that are less fortunate not to live here.  I'm kidding y'all. Tanya and I had so much in common, both working moms, working hard for our families, all the while praising our God for all his blessings.  She used to post on Saturdays a song that had blessed her that week, and it always resonated with me as well.  Little did she know how much encouragement she provided me though those posts.

So, I knew that if it worked out, we would have to meet!! And it did- we were able to meet for lunch during our drive from Illinois to Arkansas.  And it was just like catching up with an old friend.  There was no awkward pauses in the conversation, we easily chatted for almost 2 hours.  It was an absolute pleasure to meet Tanya, Trey, and her newest sweet girl, Lila.  And I was sorry to not have more time to visit.

Her sweet hubby, Donnie- the race-car driver, made this amazing sign that sits in the front of the house now.  She also made snacks for the kids for the trip!  So sweet!!

When I started blogging, I did it to keep the family updated in what was going on in Texas.  It soon became a wonderful outlet to chronicle our adventures.  But it has grown into such a wonderful community of friends.  As I log on to read, I can imagine going to see the sexy McDonald's guy with Connie, laughing over a margarita with Shawn (oh, we did that right- how about another?), making one of those amazing Subway Signs with JenJen, hearing all about the scary motorcycle rides with Jen, going camping with Viv (not....maybe we'll go to breakfast and she can show me pictures),  attending one of JennyKate's Twilight parties, going to one of Model's soccer games with MiMi, or learning how to Stamp-it-up with Kelli!!  I have enjoyed getting to know so many of you across the country and I feel like I really, truly know you all.  Thanks fo the endless hours of encouragement and entertainment you have all provided.  My hope it to meet you someday and tell you this in person!

"You're Just Not the Camping Type, Becca."

            No, I'm not.  But let it go down on record that I tried it on this past vacation.  Or I tried "glamping", as my brother called it.  That's because we "camped" in a brand new 5th wheel trailer.  And I still didn't like it.  Shall I count the reasons why?

Bugs.  

I had 2 chigger bites still 2 weeks later. And man they itched. I don't get bites like this in my house.

No room to move.

My little 14-month-old needs room to toddle around and play and a small little camper does not have enough space for him.  So we take him outside where it's....

Hot and Humid.

I mean who camps in July in the south? 'nuff said.

The Potty Situation.

My mom was worried about having to empty the 'potty tank', so she strongly encouraged us to use the public potties.  UGH.  Nothing like having to potty at 6:00 am and having to put shoes on and walk outside in your pjs to go to a stinky potty filled with daddy long-legs (eeek!) to go potty.  I don't need this.

Snakes.

I saw a snake in the campground.  It was dead.  But that was enough for me.

Sleeping.

Picture 6 of us in one 5th wheel.  Yes it technically has a bedroom, but the whole thing is like one room.  Sis & I slept on the couch that made out into a queen-sized bed, Brody was on the floor under our bed (his choice), and the baby was in the pack-n-play right next to us.  If someone turned over in the night, the whole trailer shakes.  Nice.

          Ok, so surely I have something nice to say about camping.

anything?

uh...let me think.

It was great to see my Seattle-living brother who I get to see maybe once a year?  

But, I only saw him for a few mins as he was in a beautiful wedding that weekend.

Ah, there we go, the whole reason we camped...the wedding.  A gorgeous wedding in a stunning chapel in the words.  That was definitely worth the camping-pain I endured.

maybe.