outings // UT turtle pond

We had visitors over the weekend - Jacob's parents and youngest sister came and spent a few days visiting, and it was great to see them. The kids, of course, had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa Carter in town (and they quite adored Aunt Emma, who even with a broken leg, got down on the floor to play with them a bit). 

Our company were great sports and tagged along on Monday morning bright and early to my Nature School class. I haven't said a whole lot about my class here - but I adore them. My kids LOVE it. And it's such a great excuse to get outside and explore our new city while getting plenty of sunshine and fresh air! I have a private blog for our class, which I will make public once we're done and "out" of class for the summer, for reference for anyone else who might like to start up Nature Preschool group. More on that later...Anyway, this week our outing was to the Turtle Pond on the University of Texas campus, and our topic, of course, was TURTLES! We were not disappointed with our findings at the pond, and stayed a good couple of hours. I think the kids could've stayed about all day and still enjoyed every minute!

After our circle, story, and song time, I gave each of the kids a baggie  of special turtle food, and set them loose. It was funny to see how some of the kids just about dumped it all in at once, and others took their time to sprinkle a bit here and there, luring the turtles close. 

Sorry if it's overkill of Aspen - just sitting there. But there's something about her "W" sit, her bright yellow boots, and her sloppy pigtails that just makes me smile. Plus, she wasn't running crazy, like some. She sat and waiting and watched, and then she found some rocks...and if you know anything about our girl, you know, she loves LOVES rocks!

Some of the kids also pretended to go "fishing" with the lilly pad stems. So cute!

After Nature School, we ate a picnic lunch and then headed over to the Natural History Museum (the Texas Memorial Museum) on campus (another wonderful free family thing to do here in Austin - definitely worth a visit!) where we saw lots of fossils and bones. Fun stuff! It was quite a day on campus! Jacob and I kind of reminisced about that "feeling" you get when walking around a university campus. We'd generally go hang out on UW's campus a couple of times a year - so it was nice to know we have UT in our backyard now so we can get that campus-feel fix every now and then. Who knows, maybe we have some future Longhorns in our home?

Thanks, Grandpa & Grandma & Emma - for the nice visit! We hope you enjoyed Texas!

Outings // Austin Nature and Science Center

Sheesh. It feels like forever since I've posted. I have been busy with life, long nights with my teething sweetheart of a baby, company in town, and planning lessons and outings as I've started up a Nature Preschool group here in Austin and been loving leading our little group of Nature School Troopers! A lot going on around here - not to mention chasing after caring for my own kiddos. Lastly, and to be quite honest, I've also been sitting on the fence trying to decide what to do with this here little ole blog. I've had mixed feelings for quite a while about it - and I've brought it  up before - but I've had thoughts of making it private, and thoughts of lots of other things. Mostly, I want to be sure that this little space where I share a lot about my little family is a positive place that brings a smile to readers and doesn't in any way make them feel...bad about themselves? Does that make sense at all? I have all sorts of emotions and thoughts that are too complicated to share so for now I'm just letting them stew a little while I try to decide what to do. In the meantime, here's a little post about a wonderful Saturday our family spent together a couple of weekends back. We had a BLAST! I still can't believe how lucky we are to live in such a great place - SUCH a great family city, and SUCH great weather!

The Austin Nature and Science Center is across from Zilker Park (and it's free! there are so many great low-cost or free family things to do in this city!) We spent hours there and could've stayed even longer! Fun for all!

Please don't laugh at my sunglasses. I'm a little self-conscious in shades because, in general, I think most everyone looks ridiculous in them (including me). But, when it's bright and sunny all the time and you're eyes came from Seattle, you have to wear them here and there. I found these last fall for $3 at Old Navy. I'm not sure if they're meant for guys or girls, but they do the job, and they kind of make me feel like I belong in Top Gun or something ;)  Our kids make us laugh all the time because they say "it's SO BRIGHT! Where are my sunglasses?!" Each kid, minus baby Hazel, has at least 2-3 pair of sunglasses in the car...to be prepared. Anyway...

These girls...Aspen just adores her baby sister, and her baby sister quite adores her, as well. 

And all of us adore Daddy!

Yep, it was a fun day. I can hardly wait to go back with my troop of Nature School kids! They're going to love it!

Aspen turns 3

Aspen asked months ago if she could have a Hello Kitty Birthday Party. Since last year she didn't have a party, I decided this year to make it extra special. She got her wish, plus some. Mommas will do anything to make their babies smile, it seems. In my case, that meant staying up to the very wee hours of the morning making (or attempting) cake pops. Overall, the birthday girl was grateful and her happiness overflowed as her little girl friends and best big brother celebrated all morning, Hello Kitty style.

Our sweet Aspen Jane. We could never wish for a happier girl. She truly brings sunshine to the soul!

We set up a little photo booth in our tiny yard. Everyone except the birthday girl stopped by! I think Aspen was just overcome with excitement. I meant to get her later, but forgot. I guess that's what happens when you're the life of the party!

This is my favorite image from the party - the birthday girl discovered that if you blow into your strawberry milk, bubbles will start growing! It was so cute. 

We love our Aspen Jane. We were happy to see how excited she was about her party. Thanks to all of her sweet little girl friends who made it a special morning. We feel so blessed to have Aspen be part of our forever family. Happy Hello Kitty Birthday, girl!

life lately // february

Sunday walks. Don'tcha love 'em? We sure do. Lucky to have a karst preserve across the street in our neighborhood, so we often go there for a Sunday stroll. It's an absolute must to get the wiggles out of our kids before bedtime :)  Also, I started a Nature Preschool here in Austin and we started meeting this month. Good times! All the kids (and me, too) are so excited about it!

Oh, February...the month of love...and Valentine's Day. This year, for some reason, it was extra special. We made cards, decorated a bit, made cookies, and really enjoyed the day. I always make the same special dinner (Thai chicken sauté, zucchini, artichokes, chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate cake) - maybe it's the anticipation and preparation of our special meal, that it's become a ritual for our family - I'm not sure why, but it really was extra special this year. And Jacob and I always do some slow dancing after the kids go to bed. 

This year I was also invited to my first ever gal-entine's day. It was awesome getting together with the girls! I feel fortunate to have crossed paths with so many awesome ladies here in ATX who have been warm and welcoming to our family. Oh, yeah, we had French toast Vday morning, and Sawyer insisted on taking a picture of "all his valentines", a little blurry, but full of love and a special memory. We didn't buy the kids a lot of chocolate - instead we gave them love coupons and took them to the store to pick out a special treat as a valentine. We gave them each under $5 and it was cute to see how they carefully selected their prize, within budget :)

We've got some very lively imaginations in our house. And have I mentioned how much I love that Sawyer and Aspen are BEST friends? Yes. When we planned to have them close together, my dream was that they would be close and good friends (not always the case for siblings born close together, as I've observed) and my dream totally came true. They are such good buds they rarely even play with other kids! Or maybe it's just that they're such good buds, I don't feel the need to outsource their friendship. Either way, it's adorable. Don't get me wrong, they have their moments from time to time. But overall, I'm amazed at how they play together all day long and get lost in their make believe worlds together. LOVE it!

Taking advantage of the sweet weather still - Hazel LOVES the baby swing! She's adorable, what can I say? I mean, what's cuter than a baby's sweet giggles and she squeals in delight and wiggles her legs and toes? So fun! We often walk to the park near our apartment and spend a lot of time playing, climbing trees, playing in the sand etc. So lucky to have such a fun spot within walking distance!

Aspen kills me. Seriously. She totes her babies every where we go (they love to go down the slide, too!) And she loves to sing. She sings pretty sweetly, too. She loves capes and wings and tutus. Oh, and Minnie Mouse ears :)  It's fun now that the kids are a little older, to break out the board games. Especially on Sunday. Especially since she got a Hello Kitty version of "Trouble" and is obsessed. 

She's also my little shopper. She has her own sense of style, and lately she's decided that nothing but a skirt or dress will do - every day. Why did I buy her shorts for summer? She's so girly and cute. I often say I don't like to shop, and I don't really (especially the mall - I really dislike the mall!, but sometimes I do. She's a treat to bring along. I love when I need to run an errand and I take just one of the kids with me. It's so fun to have a little one-on-one and I know it makes them feel special. 

We got a new cookbook recently and the kids really love helping me cook - well, bake especially. Aspen is my little sous chef, though - she LOVES to help with EVERYTHING. I must also note, to remember someday, one of the biggest arguements in our home is who gets to say the mealtime prayer, or blessing on the food. They both want to! So, more often than not, our food is doubly blessed :) Love my littles so much!

7 months old

I canNOT believe another month has flown on by! January is a busy month for our family, so busy, that I almost forgot to jot down a bit about our Hazel Gracie this month (I realized you'll actually be 8 months tonight and I hadn't posted yet...!) Oh, being the third child...it has it's ups and downs! BUT, Hazey, just so you know, I make it a goal to do a photo and a few notes the whole first year for each of my babies...no matter how busy things get! :)

I do wish time would slow down a bit, though. Or maybe even freeze, just for a while. I love each and every stage of babyhood, but right now is just SO MUCH FUN! Here you are, seven months old - so roly-poly chub-a-liciously squishy and chunky, yet at the same time just so darn cute and darling! I love it! You have entered the age of "into EVERYTHING!" and it can't get any better than watching you discover the world (and every corner of our apartment ;)

At Seven Months...

-Your two bottom middle teeth erupted the past couple of weeks! You are our earliest teether (both your brother and sister got their first teeth around 10+ months). It makes for a very cute grin! In fact, when I was taking your pics for this month, all I was hoping for was a big wide grin to show off those cute pair of teeth - luckily, you complied, because...

-You are SO HAPPY! Such an easy going, happy baby.

-I love the way you love me. You put your little hands on my face, grab me, pull our faces together, and drench me with kisses. It's the sweetest thing ever! 

-We had a few long nights when those teeth were trying to poke through, but mostly you would just wake up or whimper a little in your sleep. I'd take you out to the living room and we'd play with your toys, or nurse and snuggle, sometimes until 4am - those nights I even gave you some tylenol - but even in spite of your teething troubles, you are constantly smiling and happy. 

-The things that seem to help you the most when your teeth are bothering you are chewing on your baby food spoons (the old school gerber kind with the silicone (?) dipped tips)- which you do when you're sitting in your high chair, and this natural rubber binky I got for you at Whole Foods. It made the cut for pictures (above) because you carry it around with you to chew on. Of course we can't forget Sophie, le giraffe :) Whatever would we do without Sophie?

-The thing that makes you the most sad in the world, and probably the only thing that makes you sad - is when your brother and sister are playing legos or blocks in their room and they don't want you to knock them down, they shut the door to keep you from imminent destruction. You crawl as fast as you can to get through the doorway, and they say "Momma - hurry, come get Hazel so she doesn't knock down our city (or whatever it is they've built)." You get a sad face and kick your little legs when I bring you out of their room and the door closes behind you. :( Sometimes, you crawl back to the door and start knocking on the door, waiting to see if they'll open it up for you. Other times, you pull yourself up to stand, balancing by holding onto the door, just waiting. Most of the time, though, I rescue you and we start playing something else together. I guess part of the plight of the third child is that there are times you might be left out...at least until you're big enough to not knock things down or try to put things in your mouth that don't belong there. So sorry about that, little one.

-That said, you LOVE your brother and sister! And they love you! They will do anything to make you smile and laugh (luckily, it doesn't take much!) 

-One of your favorite things - still - is bath time! Now you get to take baths with your brother and sister, and when you do, you are in HEAVEN! You also like to take showers. You slip and slide and crawl around my feet, and always figure out how to stop the drain thingy so that it starts filling the tub up so you can "swim". I still let you have your own bath sometimes, to slow down the pace and the amount of water that leaves the tub, but wow, you are certainly a water baby! I can hardly wait to get you in the pool again - just a few more weeks! (hellooooo Austin weather! It's the first week of February and we've been in the 80s twice this week already!)

-I love that before your morning nap, I read you a story or two, cuddle and sing you your naptime songs, usually uninterrupted. Well, of course we get interrupted sometimes, but generally your brother and sister are off in their own little play world at that time, so we get a few minutes together, just us. I love it!

-I also love, though it has its challenges as well, that all my babies are at home with me all the time. We do Nature School once a week (I am the teacher! You are the assistant teacher!) but we all go together. Otherwise, we have no preschool, and no other outside obligations. I love that our life is simple right now. I don't have to wake you or work around school schedules to drop off or pick up kids. I don't have to wake anyone up to go to school in the morning. Maybe I'm lazy? I love love love that our life is simple. There will be time for dance classes and soccer practices later. For now, it is our time :)

-You now pull yourself up on EVERYTHING you can, and can inch your way along the couch or windowsill. It's really cute when you get all quiet and I find you standing there staring out the window into our little backyard, or looking up at the trees. Adorable!

-Okay, so I almost forgot to mention, but you've learned how to squeal! Luckily, it is a squeal of delight! But nonetheless, sometimes it's loud! 

-You are loving your food. I love making it for you, all organic and homemade. I love nursing you, too. The last week I started giving you some more finger foods - tiny pieces of bread, cut up avocado, mango, pear, etc. You LOVE LOVE it! I can tell it makes you feel like a big girl! I think next month I may give you a bowl of homemade yogurt and a spoon and see what happens (this is when I'm glad we're renting an apartment right now - eating is messy but fun!)

-You love to be outside (who doesn't?) - you enjoy when we go on long walks to the playground, and you love watching the kids, and going on the baby swings. You also like sitting in the sand with bare feet (I love that we can do that in the middle of a Texas winter!) - I'm so excited to take you to the beach later this year!

-You bring such light and joy to our family. That sounds cheesy, but I mean it. Each child brings joy, but there is a special magic about babies, for sure. Sometimes, I wish I could have a million!

-I love you to pieces! WAY past the moon, and back!