XOXO

Mothers' Day 2013! We went to Threadgill's for the bluegrass brunch buffet. It was a perfect morning, followed by a hike with my favorite boys.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love being a mom???

Baby Lovin'

 

Cruz is so excited to be a big brother! He is adamant that it's a boy. But we decided we would keep it a surprise, because either way, come October, we are going to have another little monster on our hands.

 





Hipster Haircut

O.M.G. Cruz had his first haircut at a real barbershop. OK, maybe not a real one. But a real hipster one. And hipsters are about as real as the fake streaks in their purposefully disheveled hair styles.

Eat, Spurs, Eat!

So this is what it has come to. Spurs fan appreciation night means non-stop eating to keep Cruz occupied so we can watch the games.

My Weekend Warriors

Seriously, do we ever stop for one minute and just do nothing on the weekend?!

No.

After a little jaunt to Lockhart for Cruz's favorite BBQ place (notice there is no BBQ on his plate), we were off to Smithville to snag raw cedar posts to whip up a fence for our backyard.



 

Not sure if Cruz  -- sitting on the job -- can officially earn a title as a "Mexi-CAN." 

God Bless Spring Birthdays

I LOVE spring weather in Texas. It is still nice enough to be outside without getting eating by mosquitos - the unofficial state bird of Texas. I especially love spring time and birthday cake combination.

 

What I love most about celebrating birthdays here is seeing Cruz become better friends with what basically amounts to our family here in Austin: all the children of the Los Horns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That, and this happened two minutes after driving home from the party. 

It's Rodeo Time, Y'all



It's officially spring break in Austin and that mean's the rodeo carnival is in town. Overpriced entry, rigged games and licking cotton candy from the same hand you fed the animals at the petting zoo.  Oh. Yeah.

 

Look what the Easter Bunny brought in!



What you didn't see next was Cruz breaking a cascaron over the Easter bunny's head. :)

 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

Dragons, fairies, turkey legs and nerds galore made for a fun-filled morrow at the Sherwood Forest Faire.

Sir Cruz was in full knighted form (for about 5 minutes).

 

 

I'm pretty sure his favorite part was the Fairy tea party with his little friends, including the lovely Lucia.  

 

Swarm of Boys

 
 
Cruz was officially moved to the big kid class at his Montessori at the start of the New Year. Who said just because he is 3 years old now that he can actually grow up??

 

I think the teacher aptly remarked that usually it is the parents who aren't ready for them to move on... Oh well, onward and upward. *tear streaming down my face*

 

Here's a picture of him and his little friends swarming around me when I picked him up.

Can you see the twinkle in his eye?

And I don't mean Cruz. We headed to San Antonio yesterday to spend the day eating, playing at the park and taking Cruz to his first Spurs game.

Dax had a blast spoiling us with overpriced Spurs garb and taking Cruz to the Fan Zone. Cruz was so cute looking for Manu Ginobili on the court, and even quickly learned the Spurs chant and clapping rhythm.

The night was so successful that Dax was prepared to buy season tickets next year. Oh boy! We've created a monster. And again, I don't mean Cruz.

Cabbage Patch Cruz

Cheers to Friends!

Cruz and I ditched Austin for my old stomping grounds in Houston to visit my BFF, Claire and her family this weekend. Have I ever mentioned her? I really should have more often, if not. (Deep breath, here I go....)

College buds and soul mates in friendship, it was sister-love at first site when we met MORE than 10 years ago. 10 YEARS!!!! I know people have had friends longer than that, but this one is a first for me. Part of this makes me feel old. But, the good news is (besides the fact that we still look like cute college co-eds), our friendship is strong as ever, despite time, long distance and the vortex commonly referred to as children. With our college years far past us, our new roles as wives and mothers have not changed the dynamic between us. When we are together, it is as if time has not passed.

This weekend, we did what we always do. We talked (till my voice was hoarse), complained (about the present), laughed (about the past) and dreamt (of the future). Theres not much we don't talk about. Carrying on 10 conversations in one virtual pop-up instant message window, it was like another language that only we could comprehend. Oh, and our boys had fun together, too (there will be a separate blog post for them).

So cheers to you, CB! Here's to more memories, laughs, talks, farts, and MORE till we go grey and maybe live in the same city once again (preferably Austin). :)

Caring, sharing is

Tonight, Cruz was having a hard time sharing his toys. So Daddy, the cruel man that he is, decided to teach him a lesson. No empanada for Cruz!

It took exactly 2.1 seconds for Cruz to slide his beloved Star Wars toys in my direction. A happy little boy, he was, empanada now in hand.

But wait, the lesson for young padawan did not end there. "Can I have some Cruz?" asked Dax, to which he precociously, and generously replied, "Just ONE bite."

Oh Shoot!

Momma got a new toy this weekend. Stepping into the realm of digital photography so that I can actually document our lives on something other than an iPhone. I was intimidated at first, since my first real camera was a 35mm Pentax SLR more than 15 years ago. But I think I'm gettin' the hang of this thing!

The New "Two"

Today, Jan. 7, is officially our start to the New Year. Screw the Greek calendar; we are on toddler time. Who ever said there were "Terrible Two's" needs to get with the now, and now is "Terrible Three." (See "Toddler Wars".)

Today, there was not enough space in the universe for more than one meltdown at one time at our house, and it was my turn. But today, starting at 3:30 p.m., I resolved to be the parent, and it was, as Cruz likes to say, a "brand new day."

Today, I set my intentions in BIG, BOLD letters. I resolutely hung a photo of my favorite person as a reminder to CHOOSE LOVE, especially when he needs it the most. So after school, I let him take the lead, because he really needed to, and because I realized that through the Terrible Three's and beyond, I would really follow him anywhere.

Holy Vegetables, Batman!

We finally plunged into the world of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Every two weeks, we get veggies I can barely pronounce and many that I've never had before in my life.

From watermelon radish salad and zuppa Toscana with kale, we've been eating healthy, local and in-season greens and more for a few weeks (minus the holiday fatness).

So as we start 2013, here's to healthy eating, great food and regular poops (hopefully more in the potty and less in pants, in Cruz's case).