Peanut Butter Cookies

It's springtime in Texas and we're back to taking neighborhood walks. Last week we went for a walk while cookies were in the oven and I asked Chuck to take them out, but he didn't hear the buzzer so we came home to burnt, inedible sadness. Today we decided to give it another shot and he redeemed himself! I got the oven ready and we went for a walk with Grandma, Grandpa, Vivi & Lizzy, and came home to perfect peanut butter cookies.

Clark didn't actually walk, but he enjoyed taking turns being held by each of us (and he loved the cookies). This weekend my folks watched the littles so Chuck and I could get our taxes done. Not a whole lot else to report, but the next few weeks are going to be packed full of awesome. So, my dear (few) loyal readers - stay tuned! April's gonna be big.

Fairytales

Spring Break may be coming to an end and the sunshine may have been short lived, but I'd say we made the most of our week off together. In fact, I'd call it a fairytale week with a storybook ending. On Wednesday we went to the library for Alice the Armadillo's Adventures (a play and puppet show), then headed to the Harry Ransom Center for an amazing interactive exhibit on all things Alice in Wonderland. Both activities were awesome and Grandma & Grandpa came along for the fun.

The next day we had high tea followed by pedicures and the new Cinderella movie in the theater. Such a sweet day with my sweet little girl.

Yesterday the rain ruined part of our plans but we still had a nice day shopping and playing with my folks. Today Clark got in on the fairytale action as Aurora and I took him to the Scottish Rite Theatre for the first time to see Jack and the Bean Stalk!

He really did great. He sat up front on the carpet with his sister (Aurora was always afraid to sit up front without me when she was his age) and he thought the creepy giant was awesome. He's a big fan of the book and does a pretty cute "Fe Fi Fo Fum." One of the stars of the show just happened to be the same woman who played Alice the Armadillo at the library and we had a nice chat with her afterwards. The rain has me a little bummed now but I have to say, taking Spring Break off is pretty much the best thing ever. I'm already planning our next week off this summer!

20 Pictures

We just spent 3 days in San Antonio and what a fun vacation! I narrowed it down to 20 pictures that I think tell the story, though they don't include much about our hotel. Breakfast, snacks, drinks and dinner were included and the kids loved it. We were on the 5th floor and every time we went into the elevator (which Clark called the "alligator") he'd say "up or down!?" in the cutest voice you can imagine. The kid's slept together on the foldout couch, which worked out really well. You know the vacation is a success when you wave bye-bye to the alligator for the last time and both kids start to cry. Anyway, the pictures show most of our adventures, so here we go:

The photos were taken at: The San Antonio Zoo and Zoo Train, the Drury Hotel on the Riverwalk, the Alamo, San Fernando Mission, Tower of the Americas (such a neat and fancy place for lunch!), a Riverboat cruise, the San Antonio Children's Museum, the Witte Museum, and the Japanese Tea Gardens, which were absolutely beautiful and yes, we stopped for tea! The San Antonio Children's Museum is closing in two weeks and they're building a big, new "Do-Seum" (sort of like the Thinkery) which is set to open this summer. Maybe that'll be our excuse to go back...

PS: If you ask Clark what color flamingos are, there's a chance he might answer "blue," and in honor of St. Patrick's Day the water in the Riverwalk was dyed green!

Bouncing

Just in time for warmer weather, the neighbors got a trampoline! Clark was apprehensive at first, especially when Aurora was in on the action. Now he just yells "NO RORA! NO JUMPING!" until she steps aside so he can steady himself on a calmer surface.

Today we got together with Clark's cute friend, Cam. Cam's mom left a note in Clark's cubby saying that he talks about Clarkie and would like a play date (how sweet is that?). We ate and ran around and played and had a good time!

Then we went to a bounce house birthday party for a 3-year old. Believe it or not, Clark refused to bounce! Hoppin' House has a 3 and under area filled with toys, and that's the only place he wanted to be. I told him bouncy houses are just like trampolines and tried to go in with him, but NO! He only left the toddler area for cupcakes.

Aurora owned that place. She bounced and jumped and played enough for both of them. Let's see if we can maintain this energetic pace for the next week - it's SPRING BREAK!

Sent, Taken & Found

Sent from Clark's school today

Taken during family game night at the Library

Found on Chuck's iPad

Lemon Cake

Today was Grandpa Slane's birthday and from the moment Clark woke up, he wanted cake. Not only did we bake a yummy lemon cake, we also splurged and got some Shiner Birthday Beer. Say what!? First up was a Home Depot workshop where Clark and I made some sporty bookends for dad. It was the first time he's ever done a Home Depot project, and who doesn't love a homemade gift? Especially when it comes with chocolate birthday beer and lemon cake!

Oh, and a candle that beeps Happy Birthday... which is only slightly confusing!

We thought about going out, but Aurora decided we should have a family game night so we played Uno, Doodle Dice, and Connect 4. We took a neighborhood walk, too.

We were glad to have dad here on his birthday and hope he had a fun time. A big happy birthday to Jack, Avery, and Lillie up in Seattle, too!

Snow Day!

Yesterday the forecast called for temps in the low 30's with ice and snow, so - as you would expect from Austin schools - they cancelled classes. This morning we woke up to dry roads and by 9am the sun was shining, but hey, we had the day off. I had Clark's 2-1/2 year well child check up scheduled for tomorrow morning but decided to switch it to this afternoon, which was BRILLIANT because everybody else cancelled their appointments! There was no wait. Clark still had time to identify all the vehicles on the wall.

I told him we were just going to show the doctor that he's a big boy! As it turns out, he's sort of a little guy... 2'11" puts him in the 23rd percentile for height, and at 24 lbs 10 oz he's only in the 3rd percentile for weight. The doctor wasn't concerned and she gave him a clean bill of health. No shots today, either.

While I was talking to the doctor, Clark sat next to me on his hands and knees and said "I a dog! Doggy say woof woof!" He's such a silly boy and everyday he's speaking more clearly and using his imagination more. I took his shoes and socks off the other day and he said "I wearing my toes now!" 

So, we survived the anticlimactic snowmageddon 2015, and the 10-day forecast calls for sunshine and highs in the 60's and 70's. Honestly, I wouldn't mind a real snow day! 

Family Fun

This was a seriously fun weekend. Grandma and Grandpa returned from Florida to freezing rain and an awesome 3rd birthday party for our little neighbor, Will. The theme was letters and numbers, which was great for Clark. He's really getting his counting and alphabet down! They also had a silly Photo Booth on their computer which had Aurora rolling on the floor laughing.

Today we went to another birthday party - this one during Clark's nap time. I took Aurora to Jump USA and I was the only mom who decided to stay and jump. It was awesome and a much better workout than going to the gym! Great parties and fun for the whole family.