Finding joy in the everyday
We’ve been cooped up for the weekend because of Hurricane Harvey. The amount of rain we’ve received has been amazing. I enjoy a few rainy days here and there but I need my sunshine. I am so ready for this to slow especially for those along the coast that have lost so much already.
All the rain has me thinking about warmer spring days like the one we enjoyed back in March at McKinney Falls State Park. It started out chilly but quickly warmed up and we hiked and picnicked with family.
A weekend away from the kiddos and quality sister time made for a great stay-cation weekend in Austin.
Cheese and candy spread for a Friday girl’s night in from Central Market. But this was after a stop at Cow Tipping Creamery.
Breakfast and coffee at Manana started our Saturday. It had been on my list for a long time now as well as exploring this new area around the South Congress Hotel. I loved courtyard and how it was tucked back away from the busy street. Such a pretty oasis.
Pampering and pedicures at TenOverTen. I highly recommend this spot for a wonderful pedicure or manicure. They specialize in non-toxic nail care.
Finally getting to visit Frond Plant Shop and picking up a new friend for my bathroom.
Lunch at Fricano’s Deli. So good! Jessica was craving a sandwich so this was her suggestion.
And after some shopping at Style Encore we had an afternoon snack at Brentwood Social House. It was fun to try a couple desserts like Victoria Sponge and Lemon Tea Cake. We did our best Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry impressions.
Our final stop of the day was Target to make baby registries for Adriana and Jessica. I got to use the gun too! I was the only one hungry after that so it was off to Torchy’s.
Sunday was our final day and we were in no hurry home so we hit up a second Style Encore after having a full English breakfast at Full English Cafe. If you haven’t been to this little South Austin gem, don’t miss out and don’t let the location put you off. The food is so good!
I am so blessed to be able to call my sisters my best friends too. Little getaways like this are always refreshing and we should totally do them more often!
One of the first outings William had with his preschool was a visit to a local pumpkin patch. Lucas and I met his class there for some pumpkin fun. Lucas loved rearranging them and tried to pick up the big ones. Every time we drove by a patch after that, all he said was, “Heavy!”.
Here’s a sweet look back to this adorable little lady’s first birthday. We love Miss Pearl and her scrunch faces.
This year for William’s birthday we rented out MyGym for the party and it was fabulous. Easy set up and clean up and the kids had a blast! We were also staying at my mom’s house for the week because our house was staged for selling and it was easier to just move out.
We got William his first watch and it was a hit! He loves to wear it almost everyday.
I went super easy on his cake and had fun with the sprinkles.
This is the third year in a row we’ve had rainy weather for his birthday so we always end up indoors. I may just do MyGym every year!
After MyGym we had a family pizza party and opened more gifts.
Hard to believe this kiddo is 3! He understood more about birthdays this year and was really excited about everything.
William was so excited about Christmas this time around. He loved the tree even though his interest in putting on ornaments was short lived. Christmas really is so much more fun with little kids involved. Their excitement and wonderment is infectious.
This was Lucas’ first visit to Grandma’s house.
The boys were dressed and ready for Christmas Eve at Grandma’s with all the family.
My brother, James and his wife, Romina were in town for the holidays. It was great they were able to spend time with all the nieces and nephews. I wish we had been able to spend more time with them but with a new baby and not much sleep we were a little worn out and stayed close to home.
Amazing food! I could go for a plate of this right now.
Celebrating my mom’s 70th birthday as well!
Lucas is ready for Santa!
It was so much fun putting out all the presents after William went to bed. It was also pretty rough since Lucas was up with us and fussy the whole time. We were both exhausted and everything was a mess but seeing William’s face the next morning was perfect!
Matching penguin pajamas! I am so excited I can make this a tradition for as long as they will let me.
We went back to my mom’s on Christmas day for more presents, food and to celebrate Maria’s 3rd birthday.
Adriana made her bright pink ice cream. Tasty and perfect for a girl who loves pink!
Lucas hanging out with his Zio and Zia.
The sleepy parents. We don’t look too bad, eh?
The Sunday after Christmas we had an intimate dinner party for my mom to celebrate her 70th with family and friends. We all enjoyed a three course dinner at Sage Hill Inn. Such a gorgeous spot and the food was divine!
Almost a month after his birth and we are dressed, looking good and on a semi-date! Woohoo!
It was quite a busy month and I am so glad I was alert enough to take photos to help me remember it all. I feel like it was such a blur after Lucas’ birth. So many good memories made!
James’ dad came to town for a week and they used the time to work on some home projects. There was also plenty of time for some fun.
James was very excited about using his new tools for this project and I was stoked to have a revamped laundry room. This was a project that I’ve had on my list for a while but only recently voiced to James. I forgot to take a before photo so this one is right before they removed the washer and dryer. There was one of those pitiful wire shelves above them that really didn’t afford much storage. It was a sad room.
Ready to paint!
I really wanted an enclosed cabinet but we were limited on choices because of the lowered ceiling. James actually found this one at Home Depot and it was a little more than I wanted to spend but was the best option for the most space. We saved money though by using leftover paint from our master bath. It’s a Benjamin Moore color, Ozark Shadows. I would have loved to choose a mint or coral color but in the end this is better….I have plans for a few fun prints and what not to dress it up a bit.
I took a quick iPhone photo of the finished room. I’ll do a better one once the cabinets are painted white to match the shelf and I add a few other things to make it pretty. The exposed shelf was a must for me because I didn’t want to open a cabinet every time I needed laundry soap. I also thought it worked better for the dispenser. The guys did a fantastic job and I am so happy with the space now, especially since I didn’t have to do any of the work. It’s a great upgrade!
The laundry room took them about a day and a half so on Father’s Day they spent their time in the garage building a work bench for James. It’s a pretty cool design that folds down when not in use which is perfect for our tight garage. Here you can see James’ new Jawhorse in action along with a few power tools. I’ll have to get a photo of their finished project which they did in one day! Impressive.
In between all the work, there was time for fun too. Saturday was my family’s annual reunion in San Antonio so we spent the day down there. William pretty much stayed in the pool the whole time with Maria, who he was very happy to see. It was a beautiful day and a great time catching up with family when I wasn’t on toddler duty. It’s awesome to see the cousins I grew up with having their own kids now and seeing all our kids play together. I am a little bummed I only took photos on my iPhone and didn’t get any other family photos but my cousin organized a big family photo so I can’t wait to see that.
William also experienced his first pinata. It was awesome. He loved that we gave him a stick and told him to hit something. We ran into a problem though when the pinata broke open. He didn’t like that too much. I think he was bummed he couldn’t hit it anymore. It was still too cute.
The day ended much too soon and we headed home with a very sleepy boy.
Today was a total fun day since it was Opa’s last day before heading home. We started the morning off with a visit to the Cat sales and service plant near our house. We drive by it all the time and William always has something to say about the big construction equipment on display. This time we actually stopped and did a little tour up close. I wonder what was going through William’s head. He seemed pretty impressed.
If you know William really well, you’ll know exactly what he is saying in this photo….”All dirty!”
After the construction equipment we made a quick stop for donuts before heading to Zilker to catch a ride on the Zephyr.
We had to wait a bit for the next train so William had a chance to check out the playground.
We didn’t spend a whole lot of time at Zilker growing up and I am sorry to say I hadn’t ridden the Zephyr before today. I’ve wanted to take William for a while now and was really excited to experience it with him today. He was such a tired boy by the time we boarded, he actually fell asleep for a few minutes on our way back to the depot. It was so cute and funny.
What a full but fun week. I know William loved spending time with Opa and I am pretty sure all the boys had fun using a lot of power tools.
William’s first haircut went way better than his 2 year check up at the doctors. There wasn’t a single tear.
We went to West End Salon to see Mrs. Laura. She’s been cutting my hair for at least 10 years and I knew she would be the first to cut William’s.
I only had her trim the front and a little around the ears. I wasn’t ready for a full on cut yet, just needed to get it out of his eyes.
An after shot at home before nap time.
He definitely looks a little more grown up. This mama’s not ready for that yet!
Moms, this is a great place to take your little ones if you need to burn off some of their energy. In addition to all the plants you can buy (that you may or may not really need), you can visit the goats, chickens and donkeys. They also have some great landscaped areas and water falls. William and I will definitely be back when the weather cools down a bit more. I also have my eye on some blueberry bushes.
We started off the adventure with lunch at Taco Cabana with Grandma. This boy loves beans and rice.
Perfect time of day. Perfect kind of light. Happy little boy.
Elizabeth Hafner 