Our Soccer Star!

Owen has been playing soccer for the past 6 weeks on the Warriors!  So far he's had 5 games and has one left this upcoming Saturday.  I don't think we're supposed to be keeping score at this age, but Owen will tell you his team is undefeated!  He's having a blast with it and seems to have some natural talent as well.  He loves to run fast and has a competitive nature, which both work well in soccer games.

At the end of every game the parents make a tunnel for the kids to run through.

Uncle Brian came to watch him play!

Proud family!

 I get so excited during the games and have to calm myself down so I don't become one of those crazy soccer moms!  It's just such a blast to watch him play!

 We are looking forward to one final game this weekend and Owen will have a huge cheering section, as all of his grandparents plan to come!

Aunt Madison came to watch last weekend.

New Playground

For Christmas Micah's parents offered to buy the kids a playground for our yard and for various reasons we just recently purchased and installed it!  We found this great deal at Costco and spent one weekend building it.  My mom helped us on Saturday and Micah's parents helped on Sunday.  By Sunday evening the kids were having a blast!

Adler has already spent hours on the swing.....it's her favorite thing to do!  Yesterday we took blankets, pillows and snacks into the second story fort and read books together.  I have been reading the Magic Treehouse Series to Owen and it was fun to pretend we were in our own magic treehouse!

 Thanks so much to the Langdons for such an awesome gift!  The kids are sure to enjoy it for years!



Texas Memorial Museum

Last week Owen's class took a field trip to the Texas Memorial Museum on UT Campus.  Adler and I joined the class and chaperoned for the day.  This is the first time I think I've ever been on UT campus and I felt like a bit of a traitor......it just felt wrong.  BUT, the campus was really nice and I'm glad Owen is getting exposed to any college campus, even if it is UT.  I do have several trips planned to Aggieland soon, just to even it out.  :o)

Logan, Owen and Adler having fun with the saber tooth tiger.

The kids had a scavenger hunt inside the museum, where they had to find certain fossils, animals and rocks.  It was a lot of fun for them and Owen hung out with his buddy Logan the entire time.

Owen's Kinder Class, acting crazy!

Bluebonnets!!

I have been waiting for years to have my kid's pictures taken in the Texas Bluebonnets!  For my non-Texan friends, this is typically an annual family event.  Most Springs the bluebonnets come out in an amazing display on roadsides, country sides, in parks, and other open land.  It's truly gorgeous!

 Of course I had to bribe my kids with candy and ice cream to cooperate, but I'm so excited about the pictures I captured.  Owen was a little camera-shy, so I did get more pictures of Miss A.  She's a little more eager to pose for a photo.

Now, which one should I frame???

What have we been up to??

We have been enjoying exploring Austin in amazing weather over the past few months.  Here's some random snap shots to show what we've been up to.

Adler has made some new friends with Ella and Anna at the Austin Nature & Science Center.  Unfortunately, they live way in North Austin, but we've been getting together a few times a month.

Owen on the Amy's Ice Cream playground.

strolling through downtown Austin

Playing with new friend, Julia.

I ran in the Electric Run with Lacey and a few of her friends.  GREAT time!!

The kids seem to love the rain.....we've seen more of it this past few months than we've seen in 10 years!

We're regulars at the Austin Zoo and love this beauty!

Micah and Owen have build a small garden in our back yard.  Nothing like we had in Nevada, but it will do while we're renting this home.  Owen is totally into it and waters the garden every day when he gets home from school.

Adler and Kaitlyn on Lake Austin

Adler using the ski trainer and having a blast!  This kid loves the water!

Playing in a creek in Round Rock.

Staying warm at Owen's soccer practice....a rare cold day when we had to pull out the big jackets.

This is a typical after-school activity for the kiddos!  They used to strip down naked, but now they prefer to wear their new swim suits.

Easter Party

Micah's boss and the owner of Coleman and Associates holds an annual Easter Party, and what a fantastic party it was this year!  Her home and the office are located on her 15 acre property in South Austin, so she has plenty of space to entertain a large crowd. She even had a schedule of events for the afternoon, including games for the kids, 3 different egg hunts based on age, an egg dying station, an animal balloon artist, washer games, and lots of food and drinks. 

Here's Owen playing an egg toss game. 

Adler after the toddler egg hunt!

Here's the start of the 5-9 year old egg hunt.  It didn't take long!

Owen and his loot.

 Here's the kid's very first picture in the blue bonnets!  It was just a small patch outside of Micah's office.  But I've waiting 6 years to have blue bonnet pictures taken of the kids!  I've found a huge patch not far from our house and plan to have a photo shoot in the next few days. But this one turned out pretty darn cute!

Sweet Berry Farms

We recently went to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls to pick our own strawberries!  It was only about an hour away from us and well worth the drive. 

 We all had a great time searching for the best berries within the rows and rows of ripe strawberries.  We were hoping they would be as delicious as the strawberries we used to buy at the Farmers Market in Nevada, but they didn't quite live up to our expectations.....they were close though.

 The farm also had other fun things for families to enjoy: mini train rides, feeding the goats, and the great Berry Bounce!

 The kids could have jumped on the Berry Bounce for hours, if there hadn't been a line of other kids behind them waiting for a turn.

I can see this being an annual trip for us.  Next year we'll plan on spending the entire day there!