life lately // july

What even happened this month? I feel like it came and went in about a blink...it definitely got hotter, we spent a lot of time wading around creeks and splashing around in swimming holes, and swimming pools. We enjoyed the local fireworks and ate homemade apple pie. We visited the public library regularly. We are almost done reading Call of the Wild. We had a water balloon fight! We brewed our own kombucha and made cool, summer time drinks. We ate lots of watermelon, popsicles, and bbq. We ran through sprinklers and rode bikes in the driveway. We made God's Eyes. We painted and colored. We decorated the driveway with sidewalk chalk. We stayed up late and slept in. Hudson learned to take a decent nap. We made little rafts out of popsicles sticks, and set them sail one morning. We soaked July up as best we could...and loved it!

1. never gets old, watching my babies slumber...
2. rockin' her baby brothers' onesie after a little accident at the library - amazingly, it fit and looked pretty cute, too ;)
3. trading in baths for sprinkler showers - gotta love summer!
4. cutest firecrackers I ever did see
5. works of art displayed on our driveway (sidewalk chalk)
6. what does she think of in her quiet moments?
7. water balloon fight for family night!
8. boys vs girls
9. he wakes up so happy from his nap
10. enchanted by bull creek
11. watching the snapping turtles swim down below
12. another day, another trail (and another creek to keep us cool!)
13. the little fleet we made out of popsicle sticks one afternoon
14. and they sailed!
15. aspen trying out her new (zero waste) lunch gear
16. cute sisters
17. sawyer and his binoculars...on the look out
18. nature lover right there!
19. just being a big kid already
20. so happy to crawl up the creek bed

Hudson at 9 months

Nine months old! Gah! This little hunk said his first word a couple of weeks ago... "uh oh!" He has recently started taking a step or two as he holds onto furniture, too. His favorite is to play in the teepee, but his most favorite of all is to play outside. He's a total water baby, loves the bath and loves the pool (and rivers, creeks, lakes, etc.) He's finally taking at least one awesome nap per day (2-3 hours) and sometimes, he even takes two! He's got seven teeth and the cutest, silliest smile. He doesn't like pureed baby food, he prefers finger foods like steamed veggies or soft fruits. He's been practicing with his spoon and does pretty well with a bowl of yogurt, applesauce, or cottage cheese. He's also pretty good with his sippy cup, and likes to sneak sips from his siblings water bottles when we're out hiking. He goes down to bed in his crib (which we moved into our room) around 9pm, and wakes around midnight for a dream feed and to join us in bed. The way he snuggles up and curls his little legs right into me, like we were meant to be molded together, is just so sweet. A happy place for us both. He is happy, and an easy baby. He gets so excited when Daddy comes home, too, following him around with his happy prancing crawl, until he scoops him up. We love this boy so much. It's crazy how quickly the days fly right on by. I'm loving each and every one.

Wonders of Nature // Bull Creek

We spent the better part of the day exploring Bull Creek today. We had so much fun! We really didn't want to leave, but it was on the cusp of 100 degrees, we were soaking wet, and Hudson's diaper was about to explode...next time we will bring swimming suits and a swim diaper ;) 

We started out hiking around a few of the trails. Sawyer even brought his binoculars and packed his own little backpack today - he set out his "explorer" outfit last night before going to bed. It makes me smile, knowing my kids look forward to our Adventure Day as much as I do. We found a shady place along the creek to eat lunch - of course, Hudson tried to eat every rock he could find...he's at that age. After our hike and picnic lunch, we decided to really get our feet wet (among other things).

I helped the kids climb up on this huge rock. They had a pretty fun view, and even spotted some snapping turtles swimming around in the water below. We had so much fun wading and splashing. If you're looking for a fun place to cool off with the kids - this is perfect! There are even a few natural little water flows/falls which make a perfect slide! I realized today that we've lived in Austin now for two years and never made it to a splash pad!?! I guess we prefer mother nature's swimming holes a bit more ;) We'll most definitely be going back - with swim gear on!

homemaking // summer time drinks

Here are a couple of homemade summer time drinks we have concocted to help pass long afternoons on the front porch ;) We like to sip our summer time drinks from mason jars with colorful straws (of course!) A nice side of bubbles, sidewalk chalk, bikes, and sprinklers are the perfect compliment to these kinds of drinks and afternoons. Enjoy!

Watermelon Lemonade

-blend 4-5 medium sized lemons (you read that right - whole lemons!)in 2 cups of water
-strain mixture and set lemon juice aside (approximately 2 cups)
-cut watermelon into large cubes, give or take about 2 cups
-blend watermelon with 1 cup of water
-add lemon juice to watermelon water and then
-add 1/4-1/2 cup of raw honey and blend 
-serve over ice and enjoy! (makes about 6 cups)

tip: you can also throw a few cups of this watermelon lemonade in the blender with about a cup or two of ice cubes to make a slush!


Cucumber Limeade

-blend 2-3 small limes (yes, again - the whole lime!)in 2 cups of water
-strain mixture and set aside the lime juice
-peel and cut the ends off of one cucumber (rub the flat ends together, which somehow magically gets rid of any bitterness)
-blend cucumber in 2 cups of water, then strain to get rid of "pulp"
-add cucumber water with the lime juice back in the blender
-add 1/2-3/4 cup sugar, blend one last time with an additional 2 cups of water
-serve over ice and enjoy! (also makes about 6 cups)


*we do not have any special high-end blender, yet this all comes together just wonderfully. Also the "blend the whole citrus fruit" tip came from my husband, who lived in Brazil for 2 years - he says that's the way they do it and it seemed worth trying! Feel free to tweak the honey or sugar depending on how sweet you like it! I tend to do less over more, as it gives a bit more "zing" with the citrus and is that much more refreshing!

life lately // june

Summer naturally began when Kindergarten ended. Oh, the joy and anticipation of summer vacation! Between downpours of rain, which has been an amazing blessing for the drought, as well as our lawn (we haven't had to water all YEAR!) And between birthday parties - we have spent most of June outside, adventuring. Keeping cool in rivers, hiking, and camping in the sunshine (and heat ;) We have yet to break 100 degrees, which has been a record-breaking "cool" summer for Texas, and made it quite enjoyable for us! Hooray for summer! 

1. hardcore hiker girl, right there (6 miles at 2 years old!)
2. keeping their cool at sculpture falls
3. mother nature makes the best toys ;)
4. teaching baby boy the ropes of summer fun
5. we found little nests in our hanging flower baskets on the front porch, and kept a careful watch over those tiny eggs
6. and then they hatched! are you my mother!?!
7. exploring the gardens at mayfield park
8. little adventurers
9. this pretty peacock let us get pretty close to admire his beautiful colors 
10. flowers taller than hazel
11. on the trail at the nature preserve
12. friendly longhorn in the middle of central texas (road trip!)
13. our campsite at garner state park
14. make shift high chair around the campfire
15. golden hour in black and white
16. studying up for his junior ranger badge
17. hiking, bouldering, and sweating up Old Baldy
18. we made it to the tippy top!
19. view of the frio river from the top 
20. view from IN the frio river (and more of mother nature's toys ;)
21. river rats
22. kids and rocks
23. cooling off in the lazy river
24. her first time spelunking, in crystal cave