Gretchen Turns 5!

There are a few ages that bring with them massive change. Five years old is one of those ages. This means that Gretchen will start Real School this fall! Girlfriend is more than ready, and she will no doubt take it by storm!

We decided to celebrate our little firecracker's birthday at a gymnastics place called Maximum which is perfect for large groups and rambunctious children. Considering the number of children in our neighborhood, the kids in her preschool class and wanting to include siblings, we had lots of kids to fit the bill for her party.  

Trampolines make everything better!

Our favorite cake pop maker sent these special from New Jersey to set the Mario theme for Gretchen's birthday. They make the best party favors!!

What could be better than a milkshake and burger on your actual birthday night?!

I love these two buddies!

Austin Half Marathon

In adulthood I have realized a love of running that I never had as a kid. I love that you can do it just about anywhere, there is little to no preparation needed to go out for a run, and you can quickly see improvement in your time, distance and speed. It also just feels good to get out and breath heavily for awhile. 

In the spirit of setting goals, I signed up for the Austin Half Marathon with two of my girlfriends. It was a perfect blend of training in Texas in the winter and pushing myself to run further and harder than ever before. We are also fortunate to have cousins in Austin that were willing to house us, entertain us and help cheer me along during the race. These lovely ladies were the precious little flower girls in our wedding, now they have grown into mature young women who are adored by our children. 

It's no wonder the littles love Brook and Jenna, they are full of smiles and love every time we see them. 

Cousin Jill makes everything fun, even a cranky 2-year-old at a hot outdoor restaurant

The day of the race was a cool, drizzly, Valentines Day morning. My friend Meryl flew in from Indianapolis to run, a sweet treat to see my friend again after she sadly moved away from our neighborhood.

Austin is a wonderful place to visit and to run, it is good to note that it is a much hillier terrain than anything I have experienced in my runs in Argentina or Texas. The last mile left me nothing but fumes to work off of. I have never been so exhausted in all my life.

The littles helped me out by cheering me along and keeping my spirits up, especially this little ray of sunshine with her GO MOMMY sign.

Alex was not a huge fan of the race. This was one of his initial "Alex Hates Everything" moments.

And to top off the day, just when I thought that the hills were the culprit, I learned that I had more than a bib and medal in tow during this race. I was actually carrying the fifth member of our family through the streets of downtown Austin. Baby on Board!!

January 2016

Alex and Landon, scientists

A new year always brings lots of new changes! This year our little munchkin transformed into a budding big boy and has started enjoying outings like the ones his big sister loves so much. Little Beakers is a fan favorite in our home, a science based play center that allows you to perform experiments by the hour while the supplies are provided for you and cleaned up after you're done. We brought these two "big" kids to Little Beakers for their first experiment afternoon and it was a huge hit!

We also enjoy living in Texas more in the winter when we can brag about the weather and actually play outside without looking like melting candles. I appreciate Texas winter hair opportunities to actually style my stick-straight locks and this particular afternoon was a perfect day to show off the winter sun and lack of humidity needed to catapult my enjoyment of Texas into the summer months.  

Check out this little smoosh's new chipped tooth. All boy this one, he fell while holding my hand at the YMCA and landed smack dab on his front tooth, chipping it clean off. I was quite sad about it at first, but it has grown on me as part of his toothy, precious smile.

Another item with a facelift in our home is our hall closet. My father in law is notorious for being a handy man with a honey-do list just about everywhere he visits. I take FULL advantage of this and line up lots of projects for his craftiness. This project was a brain child of many different people, turning a standard coat closet into a full walk-in beauty with coat racks and lots of shelving storage. Thank goodness for helpful, handy dads!!

And lets not leave out our little artists who are highlighted each year in their preschool during the January art show. It's such a cool concept, each classroom picks a famous work of art for the kids to replicate and then they display the creations for a week in the school. I love these items and the kids come home with such a sense of pride!

Three cheers for creativity, ingenuity and celebration of a job well done!

Happy New Year 2016!!

Nothing says New Years like custom pants! 

This year we were thrilled to be able to host a whole lot of our (and our kids') favorite people. It was a bit of a madhouse, but even with the cramped conditions we managed to keep everyone fed, happy and in bed overnight. 

The kids were not the only ones to have fun. The adults were able to shop, cook, exercise and share in the child-watching responsibilities. And after the littles were nestled all snug in their beds, we enjoyed a beverage, a hot tub and some fun story-telling conversation.

Evan is the smily-est buddy

Tom is just the most fun ever!

Alex is photobombing his big sister's grand photo op.

Happy New Year to all, 2016 is sure to be an adventurous one!

Christmas Pageant 2015

We adore the Spanish immersion preschool that we have found in Texas - for many reasons, but especially during the two times a year they have their all-school performances. These shows are fantastic, for the costumes, the way each classroom is showcased, and to be able to see these little people embrace the stage. 

Gretchen has never agreed to take a dance class, never wanted to humor my desire to relive my youth at ballet practice and recitals, but she sure does look forward to these preschool performances. As do we.  

Her intensity is both heartwarming and hilarious

This child is unabashed joy. She is such a bright spot in our lives. 

We love this tradition and how it kicks off the Christmas season. This child brings us so much joy, it is fantastic to watch her shine on stage.