Spring Break - Austin

We left San Antonio on Friday and headed up to Austin to visit the Pearson's and Paprocki's. 

The kids loved playing with all of Jack and Clive's cool toys and costumes...

A handful of mix and match super hero's - the best kind! Clive was playing shy...

Trying to feed Deebo veggie straws. 

Saturday morning Jake made some of his amazing pancakes and kolaches before we headed out for a day of fun!

Since it was so COLD and WINDY we headed for the pig races. 

Grayson was picked to represent one of the pigs. If his pig wins, he wins (a 6-pack of oreos). Unfortunately, Kim Kardashi-HAM didn't bring home the bacon. lol. Ok, too much? 

They had a sweet little baby pig that you could pose with and it was adorable. Although my boys weren't as excited about it as the rest of us were, they agreed to take a picture as long as they didn't have to touch it. 

Grayson was a big fan of the petting zoo. Ryan, not so much. I am pretty sure he ran out screaming because a llama looked at him. (In his defense, they are weird looking). 

We rode a few rides and each kid won a carny prize...then we packed it up and headed for lunch.

Jacob recommended Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew and it was amazing!

Side note: If you know me, you probably know that I am not a fan of BBQ. Well folks, that's changed. I recently realized that it's just the sauce that had me turn my back on it (and not all sauces, just the really sweet ones)...and you DON'T have to have the sauce.  For me, that's a game changer.  I know, thats 30+ years of missed opportunities...but I am on board now. Anyhow, this place was great. As a newbie on the bbq scene you might not trust my recommendation - but I can assure you that all of my veteran bbq loving peeps approved too! :)

The kids were entertained with Natalie's bag of tricks...and Hayden took a little nap (on Natalie). 

Afterwards we stopped at Amy's Ice Cream! 

We headed to the Paprocki's house and settled in for the afternoon. We had a great time catching up with everyone and the kids had so much fun together. 

All snug in the paprocki's bed for a movie!

And of course there were donuts in the morning...

Spring Break - San Antonio

My brother, Steven, and his wife, Claire, invited us to come and visit so we decided to make San Antonio our Spring Break destination this year! Wohoo! The boys were so excited the entire week leading up to our trip. Ryan told his class and teacher all about Uncle Steve and his magic m&m tree*. 

*The M&M tree came about because Uncle Steve would give the boys candy every time he saw them - specifically m&ms. He would randomly send them pictures of himself eating m&ms and told them that's what he ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He said that he even had a tree at his house in San Antonio. And that stuck. 

My mom hitched a ride (with a friend) up to Dallas so that she could help me drive down to San Antonio with the kids.  We left Sunday morning around 10:30 and got to Uncle Steve's around 2:30/3pm. When we arrived, Uncle Steve took us out back to check out his M&M tree. Pretty cool tree, huh?

So of course we picked some fresh m&ms. 

We played and then headed out for fajitas and ritas at El Chaparral. 

Our first day we checked out the neighborhood park and played in the backyard. The boys played on the slip n' slide for over an hour...they loved it!

That night Claire's sister Jillian came over and bought her new kitten, Felix.  All three kids were obsessed. Especially Hayden. 

I have never seen her focus on anything for as long as she did on little Felix. 

After a bit, Felix needed a break, so they put him upstairs so the crazy kids couldn't get him. We ate dinner and then had a water balloon fight! 

On Tuesday we headed to the San Antonio Zoo

Since it was Spring Break it was pretty crazy but once we got inside it wasn't too bad. The main issue was that I completely forgot Hayden's shoes...and she kinda hates being in the stroller so that was fun. Luckily she is obsessed with her Papu and he was able to hold her most of the time. Every once in a while he needed a break and she was a little escapee. We eventually found some sandals at a zoo shop but they were pretty horrible and would hardly stay on her feet. #sigh

Other than that minor mishap we had a great time. The San Antonio Zoo is a smaller zoo but they have a handful of larger animals that the Dallas Zoo does not have, so seeing those guys was pretty cool! 

My favorite were the hippos!!! 

They were doing a live encounter with this guy...

The Nile Crocodile.

We checked out most of the animals then headed back home so this little lady could get a nap. 

On Wednesday we headed to Morgan's Wonderland. 

This park is awesome - it is the worlds first theme park designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone's enjoyment. The kids had so much fun and it was nice that it wasn't too crowded!

On the ferris wheel. Ryan loved it, but Grayson and Hayden wanted me to hold them tight. So sweet!

Claire's mom and sister came over for dinner that night. All the kiddos had so much fun with Georgeanne. 

Happy St. Pattys Day! 

We took at walk to the local library for toddler story time. Grayson wasn't feeling great, I think all the activity was catching up with him so he wanted to stay home with Yiayia. Ryan and Papu read some books and played in the kids area while I took Hayden to the story time. I was so impressed with it - we sang songs, read books, and then had play time! 

Playdough, sand table, building blocks, puppets, toys...a toddlers dreamland! She loved it!

In the children's area they had a lego table too...

Of course she loved running off and hiding in between the book shelves. 

For dinner we headed to The Pigpin. They have drinks, live music, a playground for the kids and food truck style food - perfect!

Ryan thought this chair was pretty cool. 

And this girl was all over the place! 

Friday morning we packed up this crazy crew and headed north to Austin. 

Big hugs!

We had so much fun visiting Steven and Claire in San Antonio and can't wait to go back! 

Show and Tell - My Hometown (March 8)

When people ask me where I am from I always say Katy. It's quick and easy, but in reality I moved around a bit. Let's take a look...

Lake Charles, Louisiana (1982-1984)

I was born in Lake Charles, LA in August of 1982. I have no memories of this house, but we were here until I was about two and half. (Picture courtesy of google maps)

Lafayette, Louisiana (1984 - 1988)

I remember this house being HUGE! But when I went to pull a current image off google maps I found this...

It looks so tiny!

What I remember:

- My room was the one on the top right, the boys shared the room on the left. 

- There was no fence....just wide open space

- There was a huge ditch in the back of the property and my dad used a plank of wood to create a bridge. We would play back there for hours....apparently the ditch wasn't as huge as I remember. 

- My dad built an awesome tree house for us

- Most of our time was spent outside

- Sitting at the downstairs front right window (our living room) waiting for Nick to come home from school. 

- Hunting for crawfish in the ditches

- Speech therapy with my dad. I had a ridiculous accent and didn't pronounce the letter R at all. So Car was Caw,  Rooster was Woosta and so on and so on. I remember him asking me all this but it wasn't until I was older that I understood why. Oh and my reward was getting to lick stamps ...I loved licking stamps. 

Don't mess with this crew :)

Katy, TX (Round I, 1988-1990)

This neighborhood was completely new and our house was one of the first ones completed. It's crazy to see how big those trees are now. 

- I met my best friend Cristin (Aylmer) Steger living in the Green Trails apartments while our house was being built. 

Quito, Ecuador (1990-1991)

- Our first overseas experience was to Quito, Ecuador. We lived on the main floor of a high rise condominium. We had a driver and a maid and that was the norm. 

-One day when I was leaving school I stopped by Steven's class to pick up some things from his teacher (he had a minor foot surgery so was out for a little bit). I noticed that he received the school directory and I asked his teacher why it was given to him and not me. She said, well usually the youngest is the most responsible about getting stuff to their parents. I responded with "Well, in my family I am." I am sure I had a big ol' grin too.  And guess who left the directory on the school bus that afternoon?? guilty...

-We climbed Mt Cotopaxi (or it was the smaller one next to it??)

- Met another best friend (Kellie Sirven) in Quito

- Stood at the Equator

Katy, TX (Round II, 1991-1995)

Here we go again! Moved back to Katy into a new subdivision. This was another new house in a new subdivision that had no mature landscaping - clearly things have changed. Our house was actually on a very busy street and our dog, Zeus, would always get loose and chase cars - we really could have used that gate back then!

- I spend 4th - 1/2 of 8th grade here. Those are some pretty significant years, so I think that is one of the reason's I consider Katy my hometown. 

Stavanger, Norway (1996-1999)

- In the middle of 8th grade my dad was transferred to Norway. I remember flying/moving on NYE and we celebrated one of the many time zones we flew over. Also, we were invited to go up into the cockpit with the pilots - I just remember there were like five or six people in the cockpit (along with the pilot and copilot), it was small and everyone had coffee breath. 

-Norway is a beautiful and safe place to live. We had so many amazing opportunities to travel around Europe (family trips as well as school trips), explore the beautiful outdoors, and meet people from different backgrounds/nationalities/cultures. I think that is such a gift to give your kids during their childhood/adolescent years. I remember thinking how cool it was to see/explore the things that we learned about in our textbooks!

Katy, TX (Round III, 1999-2000)

- I basically moved back for my senior year (I actually came back Spring Break of my junior year and lived with some family friends until my mom and brother moved back that summer. My dad didn't get back until the next Spring.) 

Austin, TX

In the Fall of 2000 I headed up to Austin and started my freshman year. 

I graduated May 2004 from the School of Advertising (now the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations).

Dallas, TX (April 2005 - current)

I took a job with The Richards Group in April of 2005 and moved up to the big D. 

I love living in Dallas and I just realized that I have lived here longer than any other location (even all my years in Katy combined)! So while Dallas is definitely home now, I consider Katy my hometown. 

Although I consider Katy my hometown we never actually lived in KATY - as in The City of Katy. Technically we lived in the "Greater Katy Area" which is kind of an in between land - not quite Houston and not technically Katy. It's a little odd but I digress.

Over 309,000 people reside in the Katy Area. Katy's past growth between the years of 2000 and 2010 increased by 83% and the growth is projected to continue.  When I graduated from James E. Taylor High School there were only three high schools. Now there are seven (with and eighth under construction).  There are 13 junior highs schools, and 37 elementary schools! SO it's completely different from when I grew up there.

So what's so awesome about 'The Greater Katy' Area?

- It's close enough to Houston to benefit from its assets and resources but far enough away to nurture a safe, comfortable family-focused community lifestyle.  

- Katy Independent School District is one of the state's most acclaimed school districts. 

- Award-winning master planned communities with amazing amenities

- Great dining & shopping options 

We visit my parents in Katy and I sometimes leave thinking Kevin and I should just move out to the burbs...I completely understand why it's so popular. Some of our favorite things to do when visiting The Greater Katy Area:

- Lupe Tortillas: My all-time favorite Texas' Mex restaurant ever! I loved it growing up And it's even better as an adult. Hello Margaritas, the kids are entertained and the fajitas are the best! We go at least once while we are in town...sometimes more :)

- HEB: Is it weird that I like to go to a grocery store? I just love me some HEB

- La Centerra Shopping Center: They have a few cute stores that I like to check out when I am in town - (CobbleStone Cottage and Runway Seven). They have a bunch of yummy places to eat - Torchy's Tacos, Grimaldi's Pizza, and a Zoe's Kitchen too. We have been known to pick up some food and have a picnic on the big green area where the kids can run wild.

- Katy Mills Mall - when the mall first opened I was in high school and I worked at Mikasa (so random)...now it's a place to take the kids. They have a Rainforest Cafe, it's not my favorite place in the world but in a pinch it will do. I also love the some of the outlet stores they have there!

- Parks & Swimming Pools:  There is one park that is walking distance to my parents house and a ton others that are just a short drive...we love checking them out when in town. It's always fun to mix up your park game. And in the summer (or spring and fall here in Texas) the pools are a favorite! My parents have a pool which we love to swim in, but there are also some neighborhood pools that have fun slides and toddler splash areas. My mom just informed me that this summer Typhoon Texas is coming! We will have the check that out!