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.

Freaking Awesome

I don't have much in the way of a cohesive mid-week story to tell, but I've been collecting some awfully cute photos that I think deserve to be shared!

Valentine's Bags. Aurora loves to play, hug, kiss and snuggle.

Post-bath. Clark loves to play, hug, kiss and snuggle, too.

Learn to relax, kiddo.

This was left on my desk at work last week.

Chick-fil-A play date with Presley!

Aurora's red carpet look. She guessed 8 of the Oscar winners
correctly! Which is more than we've actually seen, for sure.

Record Run

After a week of sitting, relaxing, walking, yoga, eating (a lot), and an easy elliptical workout, my legs were ready to get moving again. This morning I participated in a 5K fun run at Camp Mabry, and while the weather was a bit cold and wet, the family came out to help break a world record for most pennies collected for charity and watch their mama's triumphant return to running! Last weekend's race held a field of nearly 15,000 athletes and today... well, let's just say that if it was chip timed, I surely would've gotten first in my division. This was just over 300 people, mostly college students, and I was probably the 6th or 7th woman to cross the finish line with what I'm calling a personal record. I have no idea how fast I used to run in my 20's, but this was really fast for me!

Running around Camp Mabry was really neat as we passed vintage aircraft and military tanks along the winding, hilly route. The pennies collected were placed into the shape of Texas and all proceeds went to the LIVESTRONG Foundation.

Awesome! I shall now resume my regularly scheduled sitting, relaxing, and eating.

I just ran a Half Marathon

Valentine's Day was barely a blip on our radar as this weekend was the Austin Half Marathon. I haven't made a bucket list but if I had, a running event would not have been on it. When I registered back in September it was simply because I qualified for a free entry! But I decided if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right. I read a ton of running books and they all said the same thing - the glory isn't in crossing the finish line, it's in all the work leading up to the minute you cross the start line. I made a training plan and stuck with it, and when my alarm rang at 5am this morning I was ready. The activities actually kicked off yesterday with a Team LIVESTRONG brunch and packet pickup.

In case you can't decipher Aurora's awesome motivational sign, it says "I am not going to lose! I will be in the middle!" A few weeks back she asked me if I was going to win the race. I said no. Then she asked if I was going to be the last one to finish, and I said no - I'd be right in the middle. Clearly she took that to heart! The speaker in the third photo is Bart Yasso, Chief Running Officer at Runner's World Magazine. And here we are at the Marathon Expo. Aurora loved being part of it all.

This morning I carpooled with my friend Kelsey and we had fun waiting for the start. There were 15,000 people registered and the port-o-potty lines were LONG, but everything moved quickly and soon we were on our way!

My family was waiting at the end and I sort of think they were more bewildered by the crowds than proud of me, but I was just glad they came. Kelsey's mom got a pic of me just before crossing the finish line. I know the professional photos may be better but WOW, what a great moment!

My goal time was 2:15, and I came in about a minute and a half under. I'm pretty pleased with the result! Earlier this week I compared the whole thing to pregnancy... when you first sign up, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into and feel a bit nervous for the road ahead. As you start training you begin to feel more and more prepared, until the day comes when you just want to do it already! The whole thing was exhausting and awesome - though, at the end of the Half Marathon all I got was a finisher medal. Ah well, at least I'll sleep well tonight!

PS: If I make a bucket list in the future, it just may include more running events.