Pumpkin Patch

So one Friday afternoon I was at the park with the kiddos and the other women there start talking to me about our kids. This is something that I love about Austin. People talk to me everywhere and ask me questions and share advice and if they know cool things to do with kids - they tell me about it. I mentioned that I wanted to take my kids to a pumpkin patch but one that is preferably cheap, like really cheap. One Mom knew just the place, the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm, then another told me how I could get Carson in for free - this is sounding better and better. I checked it out online, found a friend who wanted to go too, set a date, packed lunch, blew a tire in my double stroller on the way, and we were off. :) 

We started off on the hay ride. Camilla and Carson both thought it was fun but wouldn't stay close to me. I kept getting so nervous that Millie was going to fall out. 

Our first stop on the hay ride was the playground and tractor display. The kids had a great time playing and going down the slide and Millie was not to be left behind for one second, she was all over that. 

Now you weren't supposed to climb on the tractors but really,  how could you resist this photo opp?? When I asked Carson what his favorite part of the pumpkin patch was he said it was the tractors...totally worth the rule breakage. 

Next stop: corn maze. Now the corn maze was a little low, we are in a serious drought here, but the kids didn't care and it made it way easier for us to know where the kids were all the time. Camilla had a hard time keeping up with the boys. 

I love this picture:

Then we decorated pumpkins:

We took a quick stroll through the animals, it said you could pet them but with a warning that they might bite. No thanks you. :) Then we went on a train ride. The kids really liked this part, we got to sit in the caboose. 

After this we went through one more maze and were ready to call it good. 

They had this adorable little place set up for photos and this is the best I could get, it was a fun morning but my kids were very done by the end. 

Quick Visit

We were lucky enough to have a quick visit from my parents last weekend. Both my sister and I had hubbies out of town and we were wanting out parents to come and visit us so they made a last minute trip down to stay with us for the weekend. We had such a great time. I mean we lived by my parents for 4 years, which we loved but there is something special about them coming to visit, like its a big deal to see us ya know?

Friday afternoon Camilla took a nap in my room and Carson was playing in his room and we were all exhausted. I had gotten up at 4:30, my Mom had driven all morning, and my sister is growing 2 babies. Nap space is a little sparse in my little house so we had to improvise a little. But we did it! 

The kids were so excited when they woke up Saturday morning and Grandma and Grandpa were asleep in their living room! They were even more excited when Grandpa said, "lets go get donuts!" That is one phrase my kids know very well. 

For right now Carson gets to pick out his donut and Camilla's donut... I'm wondering how much longer he will get away with that. 

My Dad spoiled us and took me to Costco with both the kids, filling our end of the month pantry. Carson's favorite thing we got - a nice big box to climb in and read books. :)

Saturday night we went to eat sushi and then try out Amy's ice cream, which is like "the" ice cream place around here. It was yummy, very rich, nothing but cream and whole milk in this stuff. The best part is that the one by our house has this whole playground area for the kids to run around in. It was super busy but very fun. The weather has been amazing. 

My Mom picked up this gem at the resale shop. Oh my cuteness. Camilla LOVES this stroller. She likes to go outside and take her baby on walks. I could just eat this little girl up! I'm so smitten its ridiculous. 

Thanks again Mom and Dad, we had so much fun! 

Petting Zoo

We checked out a small petting zoo in downtown and had a great time. Well I should say Carson had a great time. He loved holding the animals and petting them. He sat quietly during story time and enjoyed the storied and just sat and colored during his craft time. Camilla proceeded to throw markers all over the place, sprinkle the glitter everywhere, and dropped the animals, knocked over a cage of animals and ran all over the place. I was pretty worn out by the end of the whole thing but in the end it was worth it to see Carson have so much fun. Here he is with the guinea pig which was his favorite. He figured out how to make it purr and he LOVED it! He made him do it over and over again. The worker said that was the first time they had ever heard him purr like that. Carson was so proud. 

The turtle was a good sport, especially since Camilla dropped him on his head - twice. 

They were both a little scared of the chicken, it was trying to fly. 

Since we were already in downtown we were able to go and meet Aaron for lunch. It was a big day for the kiddos, I was reapplying hand sanitizer until bedtime. 

Half Marathon in Helotes

Last weekend I ran a half marathon in Helotes, just outside of San Antonio. It was a great race and although a rough, hilly course (seriously mile 12 was killer) I enjoyed the run and the weather was fabulous. After we moved here I started running on Saturday mornings (at 5 AM mind you) with two of my friends and it has been so much fun. It worked out perfectly that we were all the same pace and even though they have been running together for years, they were nice enough to let me start tagging along. They told me they were running this half and so I started training with them and was able to get in 5 solid weeks of training for the race. Well a couple of weeks before the race our friend Jamie bailed on us to run the St. George marathon that day instead so it was just me and Jeana and we had a great time. We both finished in 1:48 so we were happy with our times and felt great. It really gave us the marathon bug. :) 

Here we are at the finish line:

Some shots of the action:

Aaron and the kids and Jeana's family all came together and met us 4 times along the course, it was the the best part of the race. They had cow bells and cheered for us every time. They were the best supporters ever! Camilla cried every time I passed by and didn't stop to hold her. 

Almost home:

Finish line shots with the kids:

Some post-race bounce house action:

(My kids were so dirty by the end of this day)

Aaron was supposed to go on a consulting trek that Thursday and Friday before the race and he was getting home late Friday night and then we were just  going to leave at like 5 on Saturday morning. I was cleaning up after dinner on Thursday night and Aaron comes flying in the front door surprising us. He told me that he just felt like he needed to actually see his family and he had canceled his trip, booked a hotel with his points and we were going to leave on Friday afternoon. Yay! I so needed that. 

So we made a weekend of it, we stayed in a beautiful hotel with a heated outdoor pool. We spent the afternoon swimming and playing at the playground, then out to dinnner (who eats at a buffer the night before a race- me!) and we stayed in this fabulous suite so we just put the kids to bed, closed the doors and we had a hotel all to ourselves. It was seriously a perfect day and we all loved spending time with Aaron. MBA school has been very demanding and it was just such a great, much needed trip. 

Okay so I know I am borderline obsessed with this girl, but I just think everything she does is so adorable.

I wish we were there right now....