Zoo

The Saturday before school started we headed to the Austin Zoo to check out some animals.  On the way, we saw a duck...

We ran into some friends while there, so Jake was able to hang out with Ryan and Molly...

Luke was able to hang out wih Josh.  These are the looks of some hot and tired little brothers...

Despite being hot, both boys had fun and were happy to see the animals...

Sillies at Home



We had lots of fun adventures out and about this summer, but we also had lots of fun being at home.  Here's our family magician...

The dynamic duo...

So nice to have a playmate...

Not only a magician, also a construction worker...

Where'd they go???

The smile that gets me every time...

July checklist #4

 Our 4th destination on July's Checklist was Children's Day Art Park downtown.  This is an event that happens Wednesday mornings throughout June and July sponosored by the Austin Symphony.  We went the final Wednesday it was held, and I regretted not going earlier in the summer so we could go more than once.  Next year, I definitely hope we can attend a few times during the summer.  This event costs 50 cents per child!!!  Not only is is super affordable, because it's sponsored by the Symphony, music is everywhere which is so cool!  There is an Instrument Petting Zoo, clowns, balloons, 25 cent lemonade, a storyteller, and a different entertainer each week.  All this is followed by crafts a short walk away!!!  One of the sponsors is McDonalds, so Ronald was there for photo ops:

Here we are waiting for the entertainment to begin...

Some members of the Brass section of the Symphony played for us...

 Then Cowgirl Sue sang and played for us...

 Jake working on his crafts...

 Jake and his lemonade after an awesome morning!

July Checklist #3

Our 3rd July checklist destination was Laguna Gloria.  To be honest, this was the one I was most worried would be a flop.  In my mind, I already had the back-up plan to go next door to Mayfield Preserve and let the peacocks save our adventure if it turned out to be a flop.  Fortunately, although our start was a little slow, it ended up being a fun adventure all it's own.  Laguna Gloria is an art museum located in the 1916 home of Clara Driscoll.  I had no idea who Clara Driscoll was before we went, but she was definitely a strong, smart woman who's known for saving the Alamo so you should look her up.  Our visit started off kind of slow because we learned there was currently no art exhibit in the home....what!  We had planned on walking around an air conditioned museum, yet there was very little to see in the air conditioning.  LG is on some beautiful land that is like a museum itself filled with sculptures, so after a short visit inside, we headed out.  Here are the guys in front of the home...

The first piece of art...

There was a nice, shaded hiking trail we enjoyed.  Luke was being so silly.  He literally heard me take the camera out of my bag, then turned around and did this...

and over and over, he would turn around and flash this smile...

More sculptures...

Both the kids were in very photogenic moods, because Jake was also all about the pictures.  He decided he wanted to do new poses in front of every piece of art.  So, the rest of our visit was much like a photo shoot of Jake.  Even though this trip wasn't exactly what we expected, Jake was definitley happy about it...

Houston

We got to visit our good friends, the Holmes, at the end of July.  We miss having these awesome friends in Austin, but we're thankful we can stay connected through fun visits.  Wade and Wendi have two boys, Jake and Zane so we were ready for some rowdy boy fun!  There was lots of baseball playing in the back yard...

Here are the two Jakes.  What handsome boys....

Happy 75th Batman!

 I learned through Free Fun in Austin that Batman was celebrating his 75th anniversary, and there were many events around Austin honoring this special day.  Jake's favorite superhero right now is Batman, so this was right up our alley.  We headed to Barnes and Noble at the Arboretum for a Batman themed story time and craft.  We wanted to be Batman ready so the night before Daddy helped Jake with this homemade Batman costume.  Jake was thrilled...

We unexpectedly ran into friends while there, so we got to share some Batman fun...

Final Hoorah

The Wild Dogs ended their season with a great final game and a pool party to top it all off!  We were blessed by a great coach and great fellow parents who really rallied around these boys.  It was the perfect introduction into baseball.  Here's Jake with his trophy and Coach Steve... 

Papa and Grandmama were in town to cheer on the Wild Dogs so we got a great family pic...

 A party isn't complete without cake...

 The Wild Dog swimmers...

 with their fearless leader...

The pool was definitely the perfect place to for a August season end...

End of Season

The Wild Dogs played a parents vs. kids game for their final practice of the season.  All ages had a lot of fun.  Here's our old dog on the field... 

 and our Wild Dog...

 A Great, fun practice!