Day Out

Yesterday I had our whole day scheduled out, and it didn't go quite as planned. The 5K I had on my calendar was moved to next April, and Aurora's soccer practice got rained out. Luckily, today's Day Out with Thomas went better than expected! We had such a nice morning up in Burnet, TX; riding on Thomas, playing with trains, jumping in a bounce house, and taking some cute pictures:

We don't even watch Thomas on TV, but this was a really cool event. Clarkie may be a little too young to really appreciate or remember it, but he had a great time. Who doesn't love trains!? 

All Around Austin

I took the day off to wrap up what has been a wonderful weekend full of birthday festivities all around town. It started with a date night out, which included a trip to the Apple store for Chuck's gift to me - a new computer AND an iPhone upgrade! Blogging has never been so easy. Sunday morning was the Marathon Relay at Auditorium Shores, where I ran 4.4 miles as part of a 6-person relay team. My goal was to average 12-minute miles, and I did it! It was fun and hard and awesome.

Today started with lunch at Aurora's school, followed by haircuts at Bird's Barbershop. Then we took our new 'do's all around town and did a little Austin site-seeing!

We went from South Congress to the Drag and back to Auditorium Shores so that my parents could see a few famous murals and Stevie Ray Vaughan!

We're going to stay in for the rest of the day and have dinner (and brownies, and cookies) at home. Thanks to every body for the great birthday wishes, cards and gifts - I'm a lucky girl!

Photographer

Valley View had a professional photographer come out on the first day of school and they just gave us access to the pictures. Aurora's turned out great!

Tomorrow Clark has school pictures, Wednesday Aurora has school pictures, and Saturday we have to arrive early to soccer practice because a photographer will be there to take individual and team photos. I hope the kids (and you blog readers) are ready!

Soccer Mom

As of today, I'm officially a soccer mom. Aurora just finished her first day of soccer practice, which included some fun drills, a 3v3 scrimmage and (of course) snacks. She had never played before but picked it up really fast - running past the other players and even scoring a goal! The team is made up of other Valley View kindergarten girls, the coach is our neighbor, and at this age the parents are just happy to get to know each other. That's Aurora on the far right of both pictures. 

Luckily, summer is winding down and in spite of the heat Aurora seemed pretty excited that this will be happening every Saturday for the next couple months. Go Westlake GU6 Soccer Stars!

Day Camping

I'm not sure what got into Chuck this weekend. I guess all our recent outdoor adventures made an impact and he wanted more. He spent the evening yesterday looking at the map, reading park reviews, finding tips on grilling, and even pricing out tents and kayaks. After 16 years of marriage, I never thought we'd be a camping family and figured buying gear was probably a little premature - I suggested we start with a day trip to see how that goes first. Aurora was thrilled. She helped me shop for charcoal and picked out pink marshmallows for s'mores, then we loaded up the Element and headed out to Pace Bend Park. It's still a little too hot out, but this was a neat place. There was a beach for swimming where Aurora instantly made friends, and it wasn't at all crowded so we had our pick of campsites.

It wasn't exactly perfect. I mean, this was a learning trip and we definitely have some ideas for what to do better next time. But we all had a good time. On the way home, we talked about the things we loved, the things we liked, and the things we did not like. Each of us ended up with a list:

Chuck loved grilling, liked the breeze, and didn't like the hot sun.
Clark loved walking along the road at the campsite, liked the little water bottles we brought, and didn't like the 40 minute drive.
Aurora loved swimming, liked peeing in the woods, and didn't like leaving.
I loved seeing my family happy, liked the sound of the leaves blowing in the wind, and didn't like the ants that kept biting my feet.

I also liked the drive home, because there was a full complete rainbow which was double at times! It was so big, I couldn't get the whole thing in one picture.

And, I like the idea that we may keep exploring nearby state parks, taking little day trips and perhaps eventually camping overnight. Though, the BEST part was coming home and taking a shower.

Transitions

This has been a big week full of all sorts of changes. My work just underwent some intense strategic planning, Chuck's company just moved into a new office, and I just finished weaning Clark. My body hasn't quite adjusted yet and Clark isn't thrilled about transitioning to cow's milk, but I know we'll both adjust soon. I have this week off and have been spending a lot of time with my parents, as they recently moved into our studio. Today they drove to Florida to help determine their next move.

We also just got the news that Chuck's stepfather Steve passed away. While we knew this was coming, it was still hard to hear. This is a picture from one of our last trips to Arizona. Steve never met Clarkie, but he really liked Aurora. The last thing he told us was not to have any more kids. 

It's okay - two kids is plenty. Today we had Kindergarten parent orientation and Chuck came along to meet Mrs. Parolini and learn about the curriculum. Aurora is transitioning great and really loving her school and teacher. She got this shirt today, which is something amazing to think about:

Yesterday we took a walk to the bus stop with Will and Clark and I asked Aurora to imagine the day they start Kindergarten. Aurora will be such a big girl by then, showing her boys the ropes! These two little guys will likely be getting Westlake Class of 2030 shirts in just a few years... 

Time keeps moving forward and things keep on changing, but I am so very thankful for my family, our jobs, and the opportunities we've had. I'm grateful that Steve decided to help raise Chuck & Andrew, and I'm so glad to have this week off to focus on cleaning, organizing, training, spending extra time with my family, having some space to myself, catching up, and processing life's transitions. 

Outdoor Adventures

Last week I had a day off with the kids and we spent the afternoon swimming with our friend Nicolette. With all the excitement of school starting up, taking some time to just relax together was great.

Today was another day off, and for this long weekend I decided to plan a few fun outdoor adventures for the whole family. We went to Hamilton Pool:

Dinosaur Park, where Clark smiled and waved at each dinosaur:

Mount Bonnell, which was the least crowded place we went and definitely a highlight:

And the Clarksville splash pad, which was awesome. We probably should've planned more splash pad outings, as it was pretty hot out. Clark wasn't sure about the water, but he sure did love the park!

We had some nice lunches out, enjoyed dinner with our neighbors, and took lots of walks - but our favorite outing came today once we got home and put Clarkie down for a nap. My parents agreed to watch the kiddos so Chuck and I could go out alone. We were able to grab a few drinks and go to the movies on our own - something we simply do not do often enough. Every weekend should be this full of adventure! I mean, that's why it's called Amber's Adventures, right?

Prepared

Today was the day we've been anxiously awaiting - Aurora's first day of Kindergarten! Everything went exactly as planned. Aurora already loves school, she'd taken a practice ride on the bus, met her new teacher, and we've already spent plenty of time at the bus stop as it's right on our regular neighborhood walk. This summer the street pavers broke the bench at the bus stop, so last week we brought our own bench over as a replacement.

Our neighbors across the street bought Aurora a book called "The Night Before Kindergarten," which was perfect reading last night before bed.

Aurora work up early this morning, but eating breakfast and getting out the door still felt a bit rushed. Gone are our leisurely mornings! Instead, we got to meet tons of friends from the 'hood.

As exciting as it was, it all happened too fast. One minute we were chatting with neighbors and the next minute she was gone! Aurora was so happy and brave, and by all reports everything went great. The principal sent us email updates throughout the day, her teacher promised to post pictures on their classroom blog (coming soon), and at the end of the day she made it onto the CCOA bus just fine and spent the last part of her afternoon in their after school program. Our morning routine may have changed, but my evening pick-up stays just the same. The only way we could've been more prepared is if I'd packed her a lunch, but alas - I had school lunches everyday and Aurora just may have to suffer the same fate! Or, maybe next week I'll prepare some lunches ahead of time...

Toddler

Aurora's not the only one moving up in the world. Starting Monday, Clark is moving up into the Owls class at school. He's officially a toddler! Yesterday we took him in (a few weeks late) for his 1-year well baby visit, which went as well as it could, considering...

Well, considering that paper he's holding was one of 3 explanations of shots he was about to get, immediately followed by a blood draw. Sigh. Well, our little guy is getting taller and thinner, weighing in at just about 20 pounds and 28 inches long, which puts him pretty squarely in the 25th percentile for height and weight. He's a good napper, a good sleeper, a pretty good eater, not a very good milk drinker, and he's definitely teething. All in all, the sweetest little toddler we could ask for.

Meet the Teacher

Yesterday Aurora's Pre-K class had a final summer-end party and she said goodbye to Miss Mary...

Before saying HELLO to Mrs. Parolini! Daycare was closed today and it was Meet the Teacher day at Valley View Elementary. Mrs. Parolini seems great and we saw many of Aurora's friends, too.

You can't tell from my pictures, but the place was packed. Her school is so nice - each child has a cubby, locker, bins to keep their writing books, and an iPad for use in class. Starting Monday, our schedules and lives will change as our baby girl goes off to Kindergarten!