Jan & Feb 2016

After a completely packed and crazy December it was great to slow down in 2016 and begin it with a Houston friend brunch.

Gloria's class had a talent show and she did magic tricks.  

I went on a few hikes at the school (and the end of Feb began subbing, first time in Lydia's class)

Lydia had a field trip to the zoo and both Caleb and I got to go. 

Caleb and I saw Star Wars over the break with his family, we weren't sure if the girls were ready to see it but first day back at school and almost everyone in Lydia's class had seen it and were talking about it. She really wanted to go so I took her to the IMAX 3D and she really liked it, she is obsessed with Rey, we love the music and discussing theories.  

Annual ADS campout with 150 friends, bike rides, fires and family ride the last morning. Then I got strep and poison ivy and survived a week of life/work.  

The day I was better Caleb and I finally used our silent auction purchase of a Food Tour in Austin, it was yummy and fun.  

Guess who is back to sunning himself since Spring came so early this year?

Last weekend in Feb, we had another CAJE get together in Belton at Dorothy's.  We walked and hot tubbed and mostly talked nonstop, so thankful for these sisters!

December 2015

We had a school friend playdate for Lydia's birthday with a piñata at a park. 

December, what a crazy month! Besides Christmas and traveling to see family, we had normal life and other special events like volunteering at school, Friendship International's party and hosting Fulbright visitors to Austin.  See fish fry above. 

Mom and Dad came to a rainy TPWD event on his birthday.

We went to Park Hills Christmas program.

The girls and I went to Austin Stone's Children Christmas party with a  petting zoo!

Alina's friend from Germany came for a visit so we hosted them in our home as well as going to a UT gingerbread house making party

Grandmama passed away so we had more time to visit family in Belton. 

Pretty great granddaughters.

Crazy crowded Trail of Lights and Zilker tree.

Visiting Santa at the TPWD party (while I was at work)

Back to Salado/Belton we had our annual Living nativity.

And Christmas Eve service.

We got together with Caleb's whole family the week after Christmas.  

November 2015

Due to bad weather, Dia de los Muertos celebration at ADS was postponed until November. But they got their faces painted, remembered Granddaddy and Lydia's class performed songs.

Hikes!

CAJE got together in DFW and enjoyed a red Starbucks holiday cup.

Gloria's class presented Stone Soup play and she helped create the backdrop. 

Yay our big girl, Lydia turned 9 and had a fun friend sleep over. 

Thanksgiving!

Last weekend in November and we got our tree up.  

October 2015

October is alway such a beautiful month and we try to enjoy it outside. Here is camping in Junction for Ocktoberfish and our first time to kayak down a river as a family.

Must yearly stop at the Methodist church pumpkin patch. We went with Alina, our UT German friend.

Phils & Amys for ADS but HP friends came to play and support too. 

National Night Out is always a great block party.  

The pumpkin we carved grew in our yard!!

Family Fun on Halloween, after trick or treating with neighbors, Caleb and I went to a work party.

Maine - Day 1

We went to Maine! On Thursday, Sept. 17 we flew and had an uneventful trip except seeing the Statue of Liberty as we flew in and out of Newark, NJ. New York City is big!

We got our car and checked into LaQuinta before heading to the port part of Portland. We followed several of Glen Hudson's ideas of food including Portland Lobster Company. Best view of the water. We sat looking out over the fancy boats with live music playing and waited for our lobster rolls.

Still life waiting for lobster with blueberry mead.

It was a fun place and good food.  We also discovered that Yankees can be just as friendly and talkative as Southerners.

After dinner we walked around a bit, including cobblestone paved roads.

Maine - Day 2

Friday, yummy LQ breakfast and we headed out of Portland. First stop DeLorme Map Headquarters with FALL leaves out front and

the world's large rotating globe inside. We shopped and watched it turn before heading up the coast to

Pemiquid Lighthouse. This is the one on Maine's state quarter.

My favorite thing was scampering around the rocks along the coast.

Mom and I waited in the heat to go up into the lighthouse. One lady said, it is so worth it, um we thought it was a crowded second story window but here we are. Most lighthouses in Maine are private or working or closed, so we climbed up and down the one we could.

Lunch at a little cafe in a small town. It was the last weekend to be open before closing for 'Season' so they were out of a lot which caused us to laugh but not miss out on any good food. The weather was amazing.

Down the road to lighthouse #2-Rockport Breakwater. It was a super long jetty to a house with a lighthouse on top. We saw frigid bird diving, lots of people, sail boats, but no trash.

Group photo! Over their heads you can see the long breakwater and lighthouse.

We kept driving down the coast through little towns and beautiful harbors until we got to Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, we checked into our wonderful Wonder View Inn.

We drove into the main part of town, which was crowded, and we followed another of Glen's suggestions and got pizza at Rosalie's for dinner. See it being thrown in the back of this pic.