#BestBirthdayEver

I'm not sure how September snuck up on us so quickly. All week long I've been thinking that it doesn't feel like it could possibly be my birthday yet. I figured maybe once you hit a certain age your birthday simply doesn't feel as special. Then I woke up this morning and BOOM - it was my birthday and it was pretty much the best birthday ever! There were actually FOUR birthdays at work today, which made it so much fun. Kim made fresh-squeezed orange juice for us, Greg brought flowers for me and Kelsey, Rebecca took me out to a fancy and delicious lunch, and a beautiful bouquet of fall flowers arrived without a card indicating who they were from!

Rebecca thought they were probably from Chuck and I said "Not a chance in the world - Chuck doesn't send me flowers at work!" I actually called the flower shop and it turns out they were indeed from Chuck Wadey! I told him I thought this must be the first time he's ever sent me flowers at work and he replied "Definitely the first time in 2015." HA! I had asked him to go grocery shopping over the weekend and have Clark pick out flowers and a cake while Aurora and I were at the Marathon Relay, but poor little Clarkie was sick so the boys stayed home. I ended up baking my own cake (which was delicious) and I certainly did not expect to get flowers.

I also got cute cards in the mail from my parents, Bernice, Nancy and Susanna & Johnny. Susanna's card included an awesome photo circa 1953. Aurora made a card, but she wrote something much more profound a few days back that I wanted to share instead. She found it in a book called Lifetimes and said she could tell it was very important...

Such a sweet girl. I asked Clark to please not cry today as my one birthday request, but that was asking too much. He did get very happy after eating a slice of that chocolate-peanut butter cake! Everybody kept asking why I came to work on my birthday, and I have to say - being at work today was awesome. It truly was the #BestBirthdayEver and I feel so loved. I'm not sure what the last year of my 30's has in store, but I will do my best to enjoy every day of it. Also, I think tomorrow I should probably eat a salad...

We Got The Runs

Today was the 3rd Annual Car2Go Marathon Relay, one of my favorite events of the year. I was able to line up most of the same runners for my team as the past two years and once again, we had a great time. This year I actually had a pretty good finishing time as well! My goal was to go from over 12 minute miles to under 10 minute miles and shave 8-10 minutes off my total time. Done and done!

My other goal was to stay until the end and take a final victory lap with our 6th runner, something Aurora and I weren't able to do last year. It was well worth the wait!

This year the hills didn't seem as steep, the miles didn't seem as long, and I swear Aurora could've run a full leg of the race herself. Maybe one of these years she will! All in all, it was a great day for Team We Got The Runs.

Ordinary

It seems like we've all settled into a normal back-to-school schedule. Each morning we get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, pack lunches and head out early for school and work. Afterwards, we typically make dinner and watch TV or a movie, though some days we take a neighborhood walk or head to the library before starting our bedtime routine.

On weekends we sleep in just a little. We've been taking the kids to the park in the morning so they can play while I go running, then we food shop, prep lunches for the week, do laundry, play video games, and try to get Clark to nap. This weekend I got a state inspection for my car and scheduled jury duty, got a pedicure and dyed my hair, and Chuck's draining our hot water heater. Just an ordinary week, but never a dull moment!

Texas Road Trip

Now that we have Chuck's car back, we decided it would be fun to take advantage of the long weekend and go on a little road trip! We headed out early Saturday morning to Gonzales, Texas, home of the "COME AND TAKE IT" cannon and flag; site of the first skirmish of the Texas Revolution. You may not know this, but Chuck loves reading big boring books about Texas and American history, so he's very interested in visiting little historic towns like this.

The kids love a good road trip, enjoy going to museums (even jail museums), and I imagine they're learning a bit of Texas State history as well. They were most excited about the opportunity to go camping. Truth is, we almost didn't get to camp because the park we'd originally wanted to go to was full, and we hadn't made reservations. We ended up taking a slightly longer road trip than expected to find another park with space, and both kids were SO happy that we found a spot.

Chuck and Aurora did some sunset swimming before bed, which felt great after a hot day. Clark mostly played with rocks, but he wanted to swim this morning before going home. All three of them are swimming together in the last picture.

We've been talking about joining our community pool (which also offers lake access) and buying a kayak. Aurora says she'd love that, as long as we can still go camping. While I never sleep as well in a tent as the rest of the family, I do enjoy the opportunity to get away for a night in the great outdoors. I'm also going to enjoy relaxing at home with our extra day off! Maybe taking a nap, getting a pedicure, and going to the movies...

Instant Winners!

I have not been feeling much like a winner this week. We're both super busy at work, life is hectic at home, and Chuck's car has been in and out of the shop with one thing after another, which equals lots of money and carpooling. Looking on the bright side, I'll admit that I'd rather be busy than not busy at work, the kids are doing great at school, we've had Chuck's car for over 10 years and it's had hardly any problems until now, and carpooling isn't actually so bad! In fact, today carpooling was kind of awesome. Chuck got to see Clark's new class and meet his teachers for the first time, and since we were all together we decided to go out to dinner. Turns out, kids eat FREE on Tuesdays at Kirby Lane, and a ton of Aurora's friends seem to know about it so dinner was yummy, fun, and light on the pocket book! I needed a few things at HEB afterwards and the kids got Buddy Bucks, as usual. This time, BOTH KIDS WERE INSTANT WINNERS!!!

For those of you who don't live in Texas, we get Buddy Bucks every time we go food shopping with the kiddos, and usually they get 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, or 50 point stickers. Once you've accumulated a couple hundred points, you can mail them in and get cheap toys and school supplies, which they change up every few months. But SOMETIMES you get an instant winner, where you can claim your prize on the spot. A few weeks ago Aurora got a pencil sharpener and today she got an HEB pencil! Clark opted for the temporary tattoos and both kids had a great night. As much fun as we had, I'm hoping that tomorrow will be our last day of carpooling (and paying for car repairs) for awhile.

No Homework

Our first week of school went great. We were all exhausted by Friday night, but the kids did an awesome job getting out the door on time every single day (thanks to their mom being very organized!). Monday, Aurora's only complaint was that a little girl in her after-school program didn't want to be her friend, and she was SURE they would be great friends. The next day (and for the rest of the week), they became great friends! Her biggest disappointment the second day (and let's face it, for the rest of the week) was that they had NO HOMEWORK! That's right, our girl loves everything about 2nd grade and has an awesome new friend, but darn it, she wants homework!!!

Clark is still loving his new class. He's been getting star stickers for peeing in the potty nearly everyday, and believe it or not, he just had his first homework assignment! We were asked to create a collage of family photos for a class project, which was easy and fun, though we could've used a little more space. He also asked me to take a picture of him in front of his school, which I was happy to do. Clark dresses himself and comes home nearly everyday with pants on backwards and his shoes on the wrong feet.

Since she didn't have any homework, I gave Aurora a super special project to work on. I posted her fundraising page for the LIVESTRONG kids ride to Facebook and within hours she had exceeded her goal! This weekend, she made special drawings and thank you notes for each of her generous donors, including her Grandmom Bernice:

When she finished all of her drawings, she packed up her little overnight bag for another sleepover at Presley's house. Chuck, Clark and I are going to enjoy our quiet evening together, which will probably include laundry and meal planning for another busy week ahead. Here's hoping she gets (and has time to finish) homework next week!

Last Weekend of Summer

I can't believe summer break is over! We may not have had a ton of epic adventures this time around, but Aurora loved her summer camp and she sure has had a great time with her friends and grandparents these past few weeks. Yesterday we spent one last afternoon swimming (and enjoying a mid-swim snack) at my parent's condo.

Tonight was LIVESTRONG night at the Dell Diamond, so we headed up north for a fun night of baseball! Many of my coworkers and friends were there, staying up way too late on a school night right along with us. It was a lovely evening and we all had a great time.

The kids spent hours playing, rock climbing, practicing pitching and cheering for the Round Rock Express. They had snow cones, did the chicken dance, stayed up way past their bedtimes and said things like "Mommy, I'm not at all tired" (Aurora) and "MOMMY I NOT AT AWL TIRED TOO!" (Clark). I hope they're not too tired tomorrow!

Not only was this the last weekend of summer break, it was also mom and dad's last weekend in Austin for a while. We were so lucky to have them here these past couple of months and we're all looking forward to seeing them again later in the fall. On the way home Aurora said she'd be so busy with school, she wouldn't even notice they were gone. I seriously doubt that, but I'll take acceptance over sobbing any day. And who knows, 2nd grade could be pretty intense! 

Ready to Learn!

Today Aurora got to try out her new school shoes as we headed to Valley View to meet her 2nd Grade teacher. She got Mrs. Stueve (pronounced Stevie), and as soon as we found her seat and supplies, Aurora got super wiggly and said she wished I had magic powers to make it Monday RIGHT NOW because she's so excited for school to start!

Clark's excited too, as they'll be riding to and from school together starting Monday. Of course, he got a head start and is already loving his new class. He's so excited to be an Otter every single morning, and if this sign is any indication, he'll learning all sorts of interesting things this year, too!

Sleepovers

Last week, after having watched Aurora more days than they'd originally signed up for, my parents reported that as much as they love spending time with her, Aurora really needed to play with other kids. After sending a few texts, I was able to secure two half-day playdates and two sleepovers. The first was at our house. Presley and Aurora have had more sleepovers than I can count, but they're usually at her house. Presley was feeling pretty homesick and the girls were having trouble agreeing on what games to play, but they made the best of it and had a good time.

Last night Aurora spent the night at her friend Melody's house. Her mom put some serious thought into planning out the schedule of events and the girls had a blast! They decorated an angel-shaped cake, watched Monster High, and in the morning they made pancakes before spending the day at the Thinkery. Wow!

Honestly, the difference between having a sleepover here or there is HUGE. Adding a third child to our family feels hectic. Clark desperately wants to play with the girls but doesn't know how, dinner and bedtime are exponentially more complicated, it's exhausting. Sending Aurora off to a friend's house who is an only child (especially when her dad is out of town, which almost always seems to be the case), makes that friend super happy! Aurora is an excellent houseguest, and having Clark alone for an evening is an absolute joy. It makes me realize how much my kids are constantly fighting for attention, and how much harder it is having two (or three) kids than one - especially when one of those kids happens to be a 3-year old!

Aurora is very excited to have another day with Grandma and Grandpa and it's clear that she's been loving these last few weeks of summer break, filled with lazy days spent swimming, having sleepovers and watching TV. It just doesn't get much better!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

It's the Beatles! You wouldn't think a special exhibit at the LBJ Presidential Library would be of much interest to our littles, but they love the Beatles! We sing Hey Jude at bedtime, they listen to Good Day Sunshine in the car, we've watched the Yellow Submarine more times I'd like to admit, and we even have John Lennon and Nowhere Man dolls. If Aurora had to choose between Katy Perry and the Beatles, she'd tell you one is her favorite band and the other is her favorite singer (let's not make her choose).

It was a really cool exhibit with interactive mics, guitars, drums, listening stations and photo ops throughout. Aurora brought her own money and even bought a Beatles magnet in the gift shop! Definitely a fun outing for the whole family, and a great way to wear everybody out on an otherwise lazy Saturday afternoon.

Otter Class

Yesterday ended up being more emotional for me and Aurora than it was for Clark, as we said goodbye to his teachers and friends at Children's Center of Austin. Everybody gave him lots of hugs and I think they're going to miss him.

I'm not so sure he's going to miss them... honestly, I thought he would, but the moment we stepped into his new classroom at last night's Open House, he was hooked. New toys, new friends, new teachers - AWESOME! He didn't want to leave. Seriously. I told him we had to go home to sleep but we'd be coming back in the morning, and he insisted he wanted to sleep there!!!

This morning we headed out bright and early with his new nap mat and lunch bag (he didn't need these things at CCOA) for Clark's first day in the Otter Class at the Valley View Elementary Childhood Development Center. One little girl was crying because she didn't want her mom to drop her off... Clark ran straight over to the boys playing on the carpet and said "Bye Mama!"

When I went to pick him up after work he was hot, sweaty, and VERY happy at their little outdoor play area, and yet again he did not want to go home.

This new preschool will allow us to have just one drop off and pick up everyday, it will save us money each month, and many of his classmates will continue with him into elementary school. Most of the kids in the program belong to teachers and staff at the school (or in the district), so it really is a great situation - made even better by how much our little Otter seems to love it!